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A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE IMPERIUM More than 25 Millennia ago, humanity first looked to the stars and began the great exploration of nearby space. Limited at first to sublight travel, colonisation and conquest proceeded at a snail's pace. Generations could live and die on the great interstellar voyages without ever seeing their destinations. Colonies were forced into independence; aid took centuries to arrive, if it came at all. With the discovery of the warp drive came the great expansion. Mankind was freed from the need to spend generations traveling between the stars. The subsequent discovery and refinement of the navigator gene, which allowed pilots to make longer and more accurate warp jumps, merely confirmed the trend. Within centuries, rather than the millennia, humanity burst from its confining systems and spread out into the galaxy. As humanity moved into the galaxy, the Dark Age of Technology brought seemingly unstoppable progress. Humanity's machines achieved incredible levels of sophistication. There seemed nothing that man could not do, even as humanity began to splinter into smaller groups. Some were cut off in remote parts of the galaxy; others, deliberately isolated themselves, using their power and knowledge to make war on their enemies, human and alien alike. It was at this time that the "psykers" - humans capable of using powers such as telekinesis and telepathy - first arose in the midst of humanity. the trigger for this emergence has never been determined, but psykers were recorded on almost every planet known to man. Untrained and unprotected, many went mad or fell to non-psychic men; uncounted millions were burnt as witches, destroyed by ignorance. More fell to creatures - Daemons - from warp space, beings which fed upon their minds and bodies. Civilisation crumbled as ignorance and madness replaced enlightment and technology. The Dark Age of Technology ended; the Age of Strife was born. For more than five thousand years warfare tore humanity apart. Alien and human, all enemies were as one. The loose confederation of human space was shattered by local wars on every scale; nation battled nation, planet fought planet, system laid waste system. Outspacers and aliens plundered the ruined worlds. Abandoned or cut off by warp storms, human colonies fell victim to local conditions. Tereaformed worlds reverted to their natural condition and as they did so, humanity suffered. Through chance and depleted gene-polls, some colonies underwent a forced evolution, producing new successor species; the stocky Squats, the diminutive Ratlings and the powerful Ogryns. Other colonies simply reverted to savagery under the combined pressures of alien raids, ecological disaster, psychic madness and technological failure. Only the worlds where psykers were rigoursly repressed survived intact. The retrenchment of Mans was almost total. At last, as so often happens, a single man, a conqueror, emerged from the darkness. the Age of Strife and its bloody wars were brought to an end. The Imperium of Man was founded as human systems were reconquered and returned tot he mainstream of humanity of their own accord. The Emperor reunited humanity under his banner. Over ten thousand years ago the Great Emperor of Mankind ascended to the Golden Throne of Earth. Of the wars he waged to get there, of the countless agonies of battling worlds, there is no record. only the Emperor remembers - if indeed even that strange and ancient creature can recall those distant times. The ascent of the Emperor marked the end of a long era of human history, an age typified by inter-human warfare and a gradual decline of the accumulated knowledge of millennia. This was the Age of Strife. The high point of scientific achievement had occurred thousands of years before, in the yet older age known now as the Dark Age of Technology. Through the Dark Age of Technology and the Age of Strife, mankind has come to the present age - that of the Imperium. In many respects it is a time of superstition, in which a great and unfathomable technology has been enslaved to the forces of mysticism and madness. To the ordinary humans of these times, the peasants in the fields and the warriors amongst the stars, scientific thought represents an abhorrent perversity; a corruption of honour and religious virtue. Even to those few humans who deal with the material of technology, the science and the magic have become largely inseparable; the warp engine must have runes upon its side, the laser gun requires the blessing of the Gods of Battle. This is a universe in which the gods, mysticism and magic are real. For this is a time of great change within humanity itself, a time when more and more humans are developing powers and a vision far beyond those of their ancestors. Humans developing these abilities are known as psychics, or psykers, and by many less flattering names - the most common being that of witch. Psykers are men and women who have the ability to transcend the normal laws of space, placing them in touch with great universal forces which lie far beyond the understanding of their kin. Their gifts defy explanation; telepathy, telekinesis, illusion, and countless others. Many ordinary humans attribute these powers to a divine origin. Some psykers claim their powers enable them to tap forces which he under the control of entities existing outside of the real universe - beyond normal time and space. Others seek a rational explanation for these phenomena - but this is not a rational age and they are few and their voice is weak.
THE IMPERIAL DATING SYSTEM This is a brief summary of the system given in WD 97. 0500996.M2 0 - This can be one of 9 check codes. 0 means exact, 9 means approx. So this is the year 1996. The Imperial dating system starts at year 1 AD of our system (BC/AD). TECHNOLOGY The Age of the Imperium is not a technically inclined age, it is the reminance of a once hyper-science galaxy spanning empire. This is an age where problems are solved by brute force and ignorance, where dangers are either too gross or too unthinkable to elicit any other response. The age that directly precedes what is now known as the Imperium was a golden age for science, it is referred to as the Dark Age of Technology. In game terms this era was a Tech Level 15 empire. Apart from mans massive colonization of the stars, very little remains of that golden age. What scientific knowledge persists from the Dark Age of Technology is far above and beyond anything we can imagine from the perspective of the Twentieth Century. That understanding lies only with a select few - the Adeptus Mechanicus - the Tech-priests of the Imperium. Even their knowledge is somewhat debased, and the popular image of technology can be compared with that of witchcraft in medieval times. Those who come into contact with technology use it with reservations and a reveicnce that are almost religious. The Space Marines, for example, treat their equipment and armour as if it were imbued with a will of its own - a fine chest-plate, well looked after and constantly maintained may reward its wearer by saving his fife; whereas a Marine who neglects his equipment may be struck down by a leaking suit or malfunctioning weapons. Such is the will of the Gods. What this means in game terms is that a GURPS campaign set in this period will have an average TL of 8, items of TL 7 and 8 are common and easily found. TL 9 items are rare and only available to Government Institutions like Adeptus Terra, Inquisition. TL 9 items are expensive to manufacture so are reserved for Adeptus agents only. TL 10 items are ultra-rare, these items are both expensive and difficult to make, they are reserved for the Adeptus Astartes (Space Marines) who are the Elite Arm of the Imperial forces. The Imperium is also dominated by slug-throwers, and energy weapons of any TL are rare. The only personal energy weapons the Adeptus Mechanicus can actually manufacture are those that fall under the Laser skill. These are bulky and require backpack size energy packs to fire them (add +40 pounds to there weight). Other energy items that fall within TL8 to 10 are all non-manufactured one of a kind items. Some are as old as 10'000 years and require constant maintenance to keep going. This is not to say none of the hyper-technologies of the Dark Age of Technology do not still exist, examples of mans scientific pre-eminence can be found through out the known galaxy, like the Dyson Sphere at Ross 614 and the charred remains of the Rosetta planets at CC658. Also, Mars can in effect be considered a TL 14 planet for research purposes. The Adeptus Mechanicus who live there have at least one example of any Weapon or Equipment from TL 1 to 14 that appears in any official GURPS Supplement like Ultra-Tech 1 and 2. The secrets of these items have still not been unlocked, maybe they never will be. Some like the ship size energy shield are reserved wholly for Imperial use only. Other examples of hyper-science level technology can be found outside of the Imperium. In its continuing war of re-unification, the Imperium has come across isolated human worlds of high technology. So far all these worlds have refused to join the Imperium willingly and have been destroyed outright, to the lamitations of the Tech-Priests Robots are also uncommon within the Imperium, and sentient robots are illegal beyond the jurisdiction of Mars. This is mainly because one of the contributing factor to mans fall during the Dark Age was an over reliance on robots, which made humanity complacent and lazy. So robots will still be found doing certain tasks, or as servants to the rich, but they will be obviously artificial (steel skin for instance) and non-sentient.
LANGUAGE & CULTURE There are many different cultures and civilizations spread across the Imperium and each has its own customs, traditions and variations in language. This section serves as an introduction to highlight some of the differences. As the Imperium sprawls across innumerable star systems, we cannot hope to cover a small fraction of the peculiarities and oddities in the general population. However, the players and the GM should liven up their role-play sessions and bring some individuality to characters by the use of some of these dialects and customs. Nothing can be more infuriating than trying to restock your character's dwindling supplies when no one can understand you. A NOTE ON LANGUAGE High Gothic High Gothic, also known as Principal Gothic, Archaic Gothic or Prime Gothic, is the official language of the Imperium. It is an ancient and highly evolved language mainly used in ceremonies, consultations and situations where absolute clarity and definition are required. High Gothic has remained virtually unchanged since the founding of the Imperium which means that speakers from very different cultures and backgrounds can effectively communicate with each other. The language is mainly used by highly educated people and generally by those of higher class and refinement. Low Gothic Low Gothic, also referred to as Base Gothic or Common Tongue, is the main language used everyday by the majority of people in the Imperium. It has many variations from world to world and often from sector to sector on a particular planet. Mainly the differences are in accents and peculiarities in pronunciation, but there maybe differences in dialect. This can come about due to unique animals, objects, organizations and so on present on the world. Many words can also have multiple meanings which makes Low Gothic seem incomprehensible to a foreigner. On the other hand, some worlds at opposite ends of the Imperium will have been discovered and settled by groups of colonists setting off from the same world. Therefore the accents and dialects are remarkably similar leading to some citizens proclaiming that their long lost cousins have returned. If characters resort to very simple sentences using basic words they will be understood most of the time. In the role-play environment, the GM should rule when a different dialect is in operation and whether it can easily be understood. A few Int and Fel test should suffice. No hard rules can be presented here, it's just to add a bit of colour to the proceedings. Failure of any test by a small margin means that there are problems getting the message across. Failure by a larger amount could lead to animosity and even racial discrimination.
Low Gothic is often debased even further in some cultures, where slang marks one out as belonging to a gang or to an organisation. For example, it is very hard to understand a Hive World gangster as the slang is part of their culture and differs depending on the Hive they grew up in and even on the floor they inhabit. Therefore it is virtually impossible to understand gangsters unless the character has been some form of Rogue. Asteroid miners also form another clique that uses colloquialisms. Some warrior sects also employ secret dialects. If a character can understand these groups then they maybe able to gain useful information as they are part of the 'brotherhood'. Lingua-Technis Within the Adeptus Mechanicus a language is used that describes and refers to technical aspects and scientific findings. Known as Lingua-Technis, this language is mainly confined to the Tech-Priests of the Machine God. However, on highly industrialised nations or in technologically oriented cultures some elements of Lingua-Technis can be found integrated into Low Gothic. A NOTE ON CULTURE Just as there are many different dialects and accents across the Imperium, there are many different customs and traditions. The characters should be careful of their hand movements and body language as the wrong signals can deeply offend some races. The characters should be aware that cultures are different to capitalist, decadent, 20th century America. Going up to someone and giving them a 'high five' whilst shouting "what's up, dude?" can often result in a stub gun in the ribs. A quick apology is advisable at this point. The usual greeting is to shake someone's right hand. Characters will come across races that bow (particularly on Hasaka), salute, wave, kiss and so on. The PCs could really be put in an embarrassing situation if the greeting is against their culture - I'm sure GMs can think of some good ideas. Often the left hand is seen as unsanitary and if a character waves it in a friendly fashion to a local he will be met with open hostility. On these worlds money should not be exchanged using the left hand. On some worlds, mainly those with lower technology, martial prowess is very important: this is marked out by scars, tattoos, and 'trophies' taken from a victim. Characters who are scarred will gain +10 or more to Fel tests, but lose this bonus on more civilised worlds and will often get -10 to Fel tests. If a duel or similar engagement is fought and the PCs win then they will gain respect on the planet, but they'd better be careful of the loser and his associates. The PCs should also be aware of the use of technology on Feudal or Feral worlds, or even on some civilised planets as technology is seen as witchcraft and the population is very wary of practitioners of the Dark Arts. The GM could set up some interesting encounters where the PCs are driven out of town for speaking to evil spirits on their comm-links. Maybe one of the PCs is captured and tried for being a witch and the rest of the party have to rescue him (or do they!). Conversely, the characters could be worshipped as demi-gods by savages after they witness the PCs performing some miracles with their equipment. As you will see the list is endless and I won't bore you further. If you've got any more information to add, please send it to me. The Emperor Deified One thing is for certain that where ever one travels in the Imperium, the Emperor is worshipped as a God. Some worship Him as the saviour of Mankind, others as the protector of the weak or as a God of War. However, it is unlikely that the population of the Imperium know the true nature of the Emperor and how he came to be incarcerated in the Golden Throne. All over the Imperium there are shrines and temples to the Emperor. The prayers, hymns and ceremonies are usually overseen by priests of the Ministorum. These priests, in the guise of missionaries, are responsible for bringing the divine Light of the Emperor to far off worlds recently embraced by the Imperium. Many missionaries have given their lives to spread the word and many will become martyrs in the future to turn humanity to the True Path of Wisdom. Needless to say, the brave PCs could be called upon to spread the Word, or maybe they are sent to rescue a group of missionaries from a heathen planet.
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