Dark Reign | The Unofficial Warhammer 40K Roleplay Site

A short article discussing some of the effects of relative time and space in the universe of the 41st Millenium, and how this relates to gamemasters and players.

The Order of the Aquilia is basically a crossover between the famous DnD humour strip Order of the Stick and the Dark Heresy game I'm currently running with my friends. Only one of them has ever played an RPG before, and one of them is not terribly familiar with the Warhammer universe. They are all, in their own special way, insane.

Rules and descriptions to outfit the PCs with shields.

Let the drums of war echo in our bootsteps,
Let the fires of war burn in our hearts,
Let the Emperor’s light shine from our gunbarrels,
And let the enemies of the Imperium die.
                              Imperial Guard marching song.

Labyrinthine are the ways of chaos; serpentine are the bindings of heresy.
Pure is the light of the Emperor, the sword that cuts through confusion.

The Bright Sojourner is a fleet light destroyer, a multi-role deep space warship. As such, it is nowhere near as large as the true imperial fleet capital ships nor the legendary battle barges of the Adeptus Astartes. Nonetheless the vessel is over half a kilometer in length and an intricate maze. Even with the directions I find myself doubling back several times as corridors end in unexpected bulkheads or equipment bays. On my third time through a large central corridor a crewman approaches me, an uncertain look on his face.

Commanders and people of rank are frequently strong-willed and mentally guarded. When serving with or against such people watch them when they are at ease and unguarded or surprised and unready. At these moments will their minds reveal themselves to your mind and you will know best how to judge them.
- Scholastia Psykana post-sanction briefing

Self-denial and indulgence; rage and tranquility; vanity and humility; all these are signs of corruption. Test everyone, be suspicious of every motive, question every action. You are the Inquisition – you may not rest upon assumptions. The Imperium depends upon your certainty. You must dig until you have found the truth. And do not fear the depths and the darkness, for no matter how deep nor dark nor foul, there is always exterminatus.
- The Inquisitor’s Manual, Darius Conclave, Ordo Hereticus circa 37th Millenium

The priests of the machine are a secretive, reclusive sect that has a grand Quest for Knowledge, where their aim is to know the mind of the Machine God, the sum of all knowledge, by finding all information in the galaxy. The Standard Template Construct (STC) database is an important step on that road to total knowledge, and some believe it contains all human knowledge (which is probably false).