40k Random Facts Thread

[Grailkeeper]

This is an idea I got off anothre forum which had a second world war random facts thread. Feel free to through in any and all random facts or snippets of knowledge you have about 40k, GW or Warhammer in General.


My effort to get the ball rolling

Games Workshop actually designed all of the games and puzzles for the Crystal Maze TV show.

[Astral Platypus]

Jon Pertwee is the voice actor for Governor Severus in the video gameFire Warrior and Ultramarines. Any of you who watch Dr. Who might find it interesting to know that this is the son of Jon Pertwee, the man who played the Doctor from 70-74. One of the other doctors, Tom Baker, is the narrator for Fire Warrior.

[Skragger]

Orks are actually plants. They don't eat or sleep, they just photosynthesize. They shed spores out of their skin, similar to how we shed dead skin. And these spores grow into full orks in about a week and a half. This is why an infestation of Orks is so difficult to deal with, because even if you kill them all, there could be potentially millions of spores ready to grow new orks. Also, this is why its so hard to kill an ork.

Oh, and in the 40K universe, Pluto is a planet. :D

[Drew da Destroya]

Fungus Beer is as delicious as it is dangerous. Which is to say, very.

There are hints that the Harlequin of the Eldar had a hand in developing the Ethereal Caste of the Tau, by splicing in some pheromone-control glands from a race of spider-like xenos.

[fuzzbuket]

ordos xenos and herticus inquisitors serve with the grey knights as well as OX inquisitors use daemonhosts and Inquisitorial stromtroops now dont go out to battle!

[Skragger]

Choas isn't evil. Its just misunderstood. No one understands chaos. Not even chaos' parents.

As for a real fact, Abaddon has lead 13 black crusades against the Emperium. He's not very good at them it seems. The last one he didn't make it past the Cadian Gate, but he did give them a real thrashing.

In other news, we're told the Cadian Gate is the closest planet to the Eye of Terror, with Fenris being the next closest. Which might explain Space Wolves rather chaotic ways?

Maybe someone can help me with this one. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remember seeing that Rick Priestly and Gary Gygax used to be in business together, pre GW days. Can anyone confirm that? Maybe I'm just going insane?

[Gotthammer]

In other news, we're told the Cadian Gate is the closest planet to the Eye of Terror, with Fenris being the next closest. Which might explain Space Wolves rather chaotic ways?

Fenris is about halfway between Terra and the Terror. Lots of other planets closer.


Maybe someone can help me with this one. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remember seeing that Rick Priestly and Gary Gygax used to be in business together, pre GW days. Can anyone confirm that? Maybe I'm just going insane?

GW, in its very early days, was the official UK publisher and/or distributor for D&D (I forget how exactly, but they were the UK's RPG source), but that was Jackson/Livingston who started that.

[Skragger]

Fenris is about halfway between Terra and the Terror. Lots of other planets closer.



GW, in its very early days, was the official UK publisher and/or distributor for D&D (I forget how exactly, but they were the UK's RPG source), but that was Jackson/Livingston who started that.

Ah! Thank you for clairifying the fenris thing for me. I remember reading it in the SW codex, I'll have to reread it. And thank you for restarting my other faulty memory line! :D

You are both a scholar and a gentleman!

[energongoodie]

Jon Pertwee is the voice actor for Governor Severus in the video gameFire Warrior and Ultramarines. Any of you who watch Dr. Who might find it interesting to know that this is the son of Jon Pertwee, the man who played the Doctor from 70-74. One of the other doctors, Tom Baker, is the narrator for Fire Warrior.

It's Sean Pertwee.

Games Workshop started a record label in the early nineties. They had a band called D-rok who sang heavy metal songs about 40k and Brian May of queen fame was on a couple of tracks I think. When it came out it was brilliant!

http://popshifter.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/d-rok-oblivion_1.jpg

[Skragger]

Oh man, I remember D-Rok. I have a WD with that exact same cover. Oh man I just felt really old.

Ever notice how that guy on the cover looks like Al Pacino from scarface during the final shootout?

Oh, right, 40K tidbit. If Ultramarines is any guide, apothecaries have a hard time finding the Geneseed. Seriously, he stabbed that guy like.. 4 times looking for it.

[Lemt]

It's Sean Pertwee.

Games Workshop started a record label in the early nineties. They had a band called D-rok who sang heavy metal songs about 40k and Brian May of queen fame was on a couple of tracks I think. When it came out it was brilliant!

http://popshifter.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/d-rok-oblivion_1.jpg

HOW DOES ONE ACQUIRE A COPY.
I must know, for the sake of my sanity.

[Gotthammer]

Here's "Get Outta My Way", featured at the start of Space Hulk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg5p35dfVP8

Quality's kinda rubbish, but it was never particularly good to start with.

[Grailkeeper]

There was a 40k album released pretty soon after I started the hobby, it was a techno album I think and had tracks by Kernkraft 4000. I remember an Inquistor scale guardsman called Toothpick Murk was advertised on the same page- if that can help put a date on it. I've heard rumours of a band called bolt thrower but I dunno if they're endorsed by GW

There used to be a fifth Chaos God called Malal- he was cancelled for IP reasons (gw didn't own him). He's back now as Malice- a minor god. He's the chaos god of hating chaos.

[Gotthammer]

Bolt Thrower licenced the RT cover art for their album 'Realm of Chaos', as they were big 40k fans. Songs include "Through the Eye of Terror", "World Eater", "Dark Millenium" and "Plaguebearer". It's available on iTunes with different cover art.

[Grailkeeper]

Here's teh full album- its not great, to put it mildly

http://www.last.fm/music/D-Rok

[Turner]

I remember hearing that Space Marines with there jean seed they have the ability to spit acid...



Also note worthy, GW was considering for the 5th edition IG codex giving regular guardsmen a 10pt upgrade to the squad (1 point per model) that was "Laser Sights" which would apparently twin-link their lasguns. This idea was immediately scrapped after the first play testing where an entire 50man blob was successfully ordered to "First Rank Fire, Second Rank Fire" at a group of terminators, all within rapid fire range. (I guess the sheer number of dice, plus rerolling was just utterly annoying... Also this story is entirely made up, just wanted to elaborate/embellish a little on the old IG joke "If you equip a guardsman with a laser sight his weapon counts as twin-linked.")

[wkz]

....
Oh, right, 40K tidbit. If Ultramarines is any guide, apothecaries have a hard time finding the Geneseed. Seriously, he stabbed that guy like.. 4 times looking for it.

I may be wrong on this one, but when taking the geneseed there should be more than one organ that is harvested from a dead Space Marine.

IIRC, there's the Space Marine's own geneseed near the neck-spine, and there's a brand new one somewhere in his chest.


Also: the reason why Apothecaries have a powerfist-like attachment is so that he can SAW OPEN a dead space marine's chest in order to get to the organs. Apparently part of the process of becoming a Space Marine is the solidification of the ribcage into one single, solid, shield-like thick bone structure... and Space Marine bones are tougher than most.
...
I wonder why Apothecaries don't carry power weapons by default....

[Hive Mind]

If Ultramarines the movie is any guide then Marines mince ever so slightly and deliver unconvincing and oddly stilted dialogue to each other during combat ops.

Oh, and Terence Stamp's career is definitely over.

[Gotthammer]

I may be wrong on this one, but when taking the geneseed there should be more than one organ that is harvested from a dead Space Marine.

IIRC, there's the Space Marine's own geneseed near the neck-spine, and there's a brand new one somewhere in his chest.

Geneseed is produced via the Progenoid gland. Two Progenoid glands are implanted, one each in a marine's neck and torso. It harvests the genetic data of each of the implanted organs in the marine, storing it for later use.
When the Progenoid is extracted (upon death or when it reaches maturity at 5 years for the neck, ten for the torso [so most marines wouldn't actually have them anymore]) it is divided into the component parts for each of the organs. These 20 parts are the Geneseed (the seed of the genetic makeup of a marine).
The Geneseed are then implanted in test bed slaves where it grows to maturity (then called a Zygote). The mature Zygote is harvested, and implanted in a new recruit.

The Progenoid is removed as soon as possible, but each marine still only produces two, and the Geneseed within may not be of high enough quality to produce a Zygote. I would imagine mutaion occurs in the way the Progenoid interacts with a particular marine's physiology.

For instance the Imperial Fists lack Betcher's Gland. It could be that they had a shortage of viable Betcher's Gland geenseed at one point, so few gland zygotes were produced, leading to fewer progenoids collecting the gland's genetic data, leading to fewer gland geenseeds etc until it died out.
Other chapters may have a factor in the native population they recruit from that influences the change - Salamander's melachrome mutation is due to radiation from Nocturne, their homeworld, affecting it and prompting it to over-react (unless they've changed that - Salamanders used to be able to see infra-red). Whether this would affect other marines has never been said.

[Skragger]

For instance the Imperial Fists lack Betcher's Gland. It could be that they had a shortage of viable Betcher's Gland geenseed at one point, so few gland zygotes were produced, leading to fewer progenoids collecting the gland's genetic data, leading to fewer gland geenseeds etc until it died out.

Oh man.. OOOHH MAN.. When I first read that I thought it said "belcher's gland".. I am so tired. To be fair, it would make marines pretty damned awesome. "Mighty rolling belch attack!"

As for a random 40K fact.. hrmmm.. "teef" are widely used as Ork Currency - they grow back very quickly. Value is determined by the size and width of the toof. Its not uncommon for an ork to undergo "sergery" to fix a problem, and wake up with no teef left, and the Dok no where to be found.

[Fellend]

If I remember correctly, it's said that "as space marines are to humans, so are primarchs to space marines, and as primarchs are to space marines so is the Emperor to the primarchs"

A space marine is a 7 foot muscle mountain, making the primarchs some 8 foot super muscle mountain and thus making the Emperor about 9 feet of chuck norris sized muscles.

Now according to the starchild theory the Emperor had several normal children...
Now either He's not equipped with a Heavy Bolter or the mothers of His Children are all well trained gymnasts =)

[Skragger]

If I remember correctly, it's said that "as space marines are to humans, so are primarchs to space marines, and as primarchs are to space marines so is the Emperor to the primarchs"

A space marine is a 7 foot muscle mountain, making the primarchs some 8 foot super muscle mountain and thus making the Emperor about 9 feet of chuck norris sized muscles.

Now according to the starchild theory the Emperor had several normal children...
Now either He's not equipped with a Heavy Bolter or the mothers of His Children are all well trained gymnasts =)

You are now my new favourite human being :D

[Gotthammer]

Oh man.. OOOHH MAN.. When I first read that I thought it said "belcher's gland".. I am so tired. To be fair, it would make marines pretty damned awesome. "Mighty rolling belch attack!"

Well, it is the acid spitting gland, so not far off (and probably where it comes from, being from the RT era of terrible puns).



As for a random 40K fact.. hrmmm.. "teef" are widely used as Ork Currency - they grow back very quickly. Value is determined by the size and width of the toof. Its not uncommon for an ork to undergo "sergery" to fix a problem, and wake up with no teef left, and the Dok no where to be found.

Also the colour of the tooth is a sign of prestige - a new white tooth is considered less flash than an aged yellow tooth. Spending big piles of white teeth shows you're 'new money' or a show off, but being able to spend piles of yellow teeth shows you've got cash to spare - why yellow is the Ork colour of wealth and status, and why Bad Moons (with the fastest growing teeth) wear it.

[eldargal]

Maybe he used a turkey baster.


If I remember correctly, it's said that "as space marines are to humans, so are primarchs to space marines, and as primarchs are to space marines so is the Emperor to the primarchs"

A space marine is a 7 foot muscle mountain, making the primarchs some 8 foot super muscle mountain and thus making the Emperor about 9 feet of chuck norris sized muscles.

Now according to the starchild theory the Emperor had several normal children...
Now either He's not equipped with a Heavy Bolter or the mothers of His Children are all well trained gymnasts =)

[Skragger]

Well, it is the acid spitting gland, so not far off (and probably where it comes from, being from the RT era of terrible puns).

Also the colour of the tooth is a sign of prestige - a new white tooth is considered less flash than an aged yellow tooth. Spending big piles of white teeth shows you're 'new money' or a show off, but being able to spend piles of yellow teeth shows you've got cash to spare - why yellow is the Ork colour of wealth and status, and why Bad Moons (with the fastest growing teeth) wear it.

Very wise sir! It is also my understanding from the Gorka Morka books (the writing for fluff is far better than the ork codex) is that all orks worship either Gork, or Mork. Not both, not neither. By doing acts of bravery, violence, coolness, etc, you can earn tokens of favour from your chosen god, and when Gork and Mork return to Gorkamorka the orkz wif da most tokens go to orky heaven with them. :D

(heh.. turkey baster...)

[Grailkeeper]

Some Storm boys used to Worship Khorne, but was seen by other orks as being 'just a phase' and being a bit juvenile.

Theres a pic of one down the page here. http://www.heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?t=22780

[Grailkeeper]

There was mention of Skar face being the dark angel. I saw this before- blood angels third ed codex features one bolter firing angel who looks suspicously like Christopher lee
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9dReqfKOOw0/TSzuV2LMZEI/AAAAAAAAAM4/OmM8rIAIxOk/s1600/CodexBloodAngels+Dracula.jpg

[Skragger]

There was mention of Skar face being the dark angel. I saw this before- blood angels third ed codex features one bolter firing angel who looks suspicously like Christopher lee
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9dReqfKOOw0/TSzuV2LMZEI/AAAAAAAAAM4/OmM8rIAIxOk/s1600/CodexBloodAngels+Dracula.jpg

You'll spot celebraties in a lot of old 40K material. The cover to the D-Rok Album looks like Al Pacino from the end of Scarface.