My characters are already amoral monsters in our Dark heresy/Rogue Trader games. I shudder how they'll act in this game. They will be wiping out solar systems in a week. At least it will make for an interesting podcast.

Morality and sense of "good" is rare in 40k. The Iron Hands I think shoot at the enemy. If civilians get in the way? They had best make their prayers to the Emperor and hope the bolter round passes through them on the way to strike the enemy down as to not have to waste another shot.

In the Killing Ground, the Imperial Commander there burned down and slaughtered an entire civilized area just to unhinge the rebel leader enough to bring him and his force out into the open so they could be demolished.

Inquisitors and other Powers That Be destroy all life on worlds across the Imperium just to insure that Chaos, Tyranids, and Orks do not spread from a planet that they "say" cannot be saved or to deny the Hive Fleet a meal. Like cutting off an arm to save the body.

In the Horus Heresy series...ah I think Tales of Heresy, there was a story about Space Wolves who were to meet with the main fleet to march on Prospero. They found access to a world had just opened up, the last in the area they were conquering. They went there to find the world beset by Dark Eldar. I think there was a squad of Space Wolves. They fought the Dark Elves and helped the natives defeat them. Once it was all over, they informed the leader of the resistance that they would be joining the Imperium. This was refused along with being told that they would fight if they must. The Space Wolf Captain kills the guy and his retinue. Then as the natives of the planet are celebrating their freedom from having to tithe people to the Dark Elves? The bombs began falling from the Space Wolf ships in orbit who were sent to resque the squad.

Just think of the world that discovers the dangers of Chaos and begins preaching how to fight it? The Imperium says that the common man should not know such things and burns the world to prevent this knowledge from spreading.

There are examples of people who feel their moral compass well and fight to defend the common people from harm. The rest seek to maintain power, control, and the status quo no matter the cost.

While this is still the way it is, few actually get joy from doing these dreadful things (Except the Imperial Commander from the Killing Ground, who was a whole 'nother level of non-Chaos evil). Those who have joined Chaos? They enjoy going out of their way to cause misery before the killing blow. To cause fear. To ensure that people will want to turn to Chaos just to defend themselves when no one else can.

Although, expect space marine chapters to take offense at whole systems being cleansed of life. Worlds of the Imperium still have Astropathic Choirs on them to send distress calls though any marines that arrive may only be there to avenge (and their Librarians can as likely as not go over the various scenes of carnage and figure out who did it and their Navigators can figure out where they went)

Arvandus said:

They still need the power to do that. And they need cunning to get it.

Actually, the sad part is that the ruinous powers are largly redundent in 40k. One can be a psychotic monster and genocidal manaic with a serious blood lust, a biowarefare programs, and a harem of sex slaves without even acknowleging they exist.

Arvandus said:

Just out of curiosity, what's the podcast, would love to hear the destruction of solar systems.

My podcast is the Fandible roleplaying podcast at www.fandible.com