I have some problems with my party on that topic so I would like to read your opinions on that matter.

As far as I know, the majority of the Imperium does not know anything about the Demons and most Xenos except from scary stories. On the other side I read some books where better situated commoners know at least a little about them...

And the most importent thing is, how much do fresh acolytes know? (If the Inquisitor lets them find out for themselves )

Example: My Acolytes are in warptransit, there is an engine failure and the guardsman starts running around to search for demons... which in my opinion would not happen, especially if the captain said (not very convincing though) that everything is fine

Unless someone has the appropriate Forbidden Lore skill, I'd assume that all someone knows is what they've been told or - more likely - they rely on fireside legends and tall tales.

Thats what Forbidden Lores measure. Does the Guardsman have Forbidden Lore: Warp? Then he wouldnt know about Gellar fields and Warp entities, only that Warp travel can be dangerous and he must pray to the Emperor and his Light will deliver the ship safely to his destination.

The Psyker on the other hand can be quietly going to brown-pants alert.

SJE

SJE said:

Actually, I think the psyker would be falling on his mercy blade at that point.

I'm of the stance that the average Imperial Citizen knows only what realtes to their function in society. Meaning if you work in a plant that makes gaskets you really know basically about making gaskets, and the basics esentials for your function in cociety, how to get from your hab to your plant how to get food, fresh clothing ect. Your average man on the street as it were would likely know next to nothing about xenos, daemons, the immaterium, interstellar travel, Marines, Psykers, chaos ect. UNLESS it was relivent somehow to their planetary culture, function or everyday life.

Varies from workd to world and person to person as much as anything else in the 40Kiverse does. If theplanet has been invaded in the recent past (or even longer time ago) by a xeno/chaos army, they would know something. There should be a Common Lore skill to cover this, one that doesnt give the detailed accounts of Forbidden or Scholastic Lores but does provide basic knowledge.

"Orks are tough, but not bright"

"Eldar steal babies"

"Shoot the big ones"

A good idea would be to grad the Infantryman's Uplifting Primer and use the info on xenos and daemons there as a basis for what people would know as propaganda, and then sit down with each player and let them know what is player knowledge and what is PC knowledge.

Peacekeeper_b said:

That's the most reasoned response. Use a published bit of fluff to make the case for fore-knowledge. For example, my newest player only knows about 40K as a drain on her bank account (her husband is a long-time player of mine). I intend to throw her in the fire of Dark Heresy with some kind of awful goings on from DotDG very soon.

Wouldn't demons and such be in the Imperial Creed or be mentioned at church? Forbidden Lores might help with different demon abilities.

For Xenos, they would probably be equated to demons as they are definitely not human.

The Administratum and Ministorium tells them exactly enough to be scared shitless so to worship the God Emperor with zealotry....

Propaganda!!!

You also must take into account where this nameless guardsmen came from.

• If he was noble born its easy enough to reason that his extensive amount of schooling taught him how the warp and demons are connected.
• If he was a feral worlder, he shouldnt know much about how 'Warp Travel' can be a danger. But depending on the world and the Imperial Creed he was taught he may be able to tell corruption. Or he may be simple minded and just see a demon as one of the large predators on his world.
• Hive worlders are scared of gangs/ rival gangs, they care little for the teachings of the church.
• Mind wipes dont know ****.... about anything... including themselves.
• Decendents from the Schola's would know ALOT on the subject, as the guardsmen were trained to be the best of the best and were given a nobles education. They must know the threats they will face.
• I wouldnt expect Forge worlders to know much of the demons that threaten mankind, they tinker with their machines and protect them with their lives. Although there is a chance that those who design the warp drives in the crusers would know much on the subject of demons and the warp, but not a lowly acolyte.
• Imperial Worlders may know that demons exist, but not how they come into our material world.
• Void borns would know much on the dangers of warp travel, as they have lived on ships their entire lives.

So now the question falls down to, where is this character from? Who is he? Can he justify his knowlege of the forbidden?

It also depends if you favour pre or post 'Spiky Bitz' setting. In the 'good ole days' not even Space Marines knew about chaos, really knew in the sense of there are daemons, this is the name of this god that is the name of that god. That was kind of hwat made Grey Knights unique they were one of the only Chapters that had any real actual intelegence regarding the Immaterium and what dwelt within or who or what really seduced the Fallen Chapters and what this whole Horus bussiness was really about.

Marines that even heard words like 'Khorne' or 'Tzeentch' were sent to be mindwiped, even that phrase, isolated and without context was considered too much baleful knowledge for One Who Shall Know No Fear. I perfer this level of ignorence in my Imperium. You'll find nothing in Psykers, Mutants and Warp Spawn in my Uplifting Primer nor things on Xenos other than maybe Orks.

However to each their own, in more recent years in both 40,000 and Fantasy the knowledge creep has been ever more steadly and quickly on the rise, a bit more Delta Green or Cthulhutech than Classic CoC, more in your face open enemy Chaos Gribblies roaming in armies and showing up on your doorstep and less slinking in the shadows cultists who seem more upright and trust worthy (and seductive) than the the 'good guys'. Still all the suggestions are appropriate given ones POV of the setting. Many good points I think made all round.

>>The Administratum and Ministorium tells them exactly enough to be scared shitless so to worship the God Emperor with zealotry....

Propaganda!!!<<

Consider how much you've heard about demons and other blasphemous evils in our culture, primarily handed down from Christian teachings. The Church of the God-Emperor is going to typically spread the same sort of stories, dire warnings, fear mongering, etc. in order to - not only be certain proper believers fear and avoid such taint, but to help keep them in line. So far as the church preaches, I imagine, Xenos and Daemons are one in the same - anything not created by his Rightouse Holiness the Emperor of Mankind is sinful and therefor must be destroyed.

Thanks a lot for all your comments.

Basically you go all in the same direction as I thought. I prefer the CoC way, that the don't have a clue what is going on until it bites them in the nose.

I was just not sure, if I there was some background I was not familiar with.

Since the uplifting primer has the possession / warptravel part for Majors upwards... there should be no way a conscript would know such things, even from an imperial world... he met Orks and 'Nids...

The uplifting primers are an excellent source of info and propaganda. It's biased and total utter rubbish from an "Inquisitors" point of view however, to the average guardsman bricking it cos he's facing tyranids it's a huge moral boost to know that you have to shoot the big ones and that lictors and genestealers are crap in close combat.

The guardsman in my group has been leant my copy of the primer on a semi permanent basis to be used as a game prop. Everytime he wants to know something he has to look it up. If it's not there then it's obviously classified info

I dont think people realize how similar the primer is to a real world army "smart" book. Honestly, when training my soldiers I will occassionally throw in a fun "class" using either the primer or the Zombie Survival Guide as the source for the class. Of course, my supervisors just look at me oddly and my Platoon Sergeant usuallys has "the talk" again with me.

And I promptly turn in my request for transferal to the commissariate as usual.

I think they cant wait to send me back to the 'Stan.

++++++Wouldn't demons and such be in the Imperial Creed or be mentioned at church?+++++

I like to think that all good imperial citizens spend hours in church each week listening to hellfire-and-brimstone preachers delievering sermons about the dangers of anything and everything.

So what a citizen knows may not be accurate, but they certainly know a lot of it.

It may help to think of the average Imperial citizen as someone from medieval times ... what would they know?

I.e: next to nothing

Only the things they glean from fire-and-brimstone surmons and scary tales muttered behind the shutters in the failing candlelight.