6th ed background

[eldargal]

Reading through the background of 6th edition and one thing is clear, there are no major changes in the story. The Golden Throne is still failing (lol@corpsegod), the Imperium is still going along the same etc. There are lots of new details added too, I'll summarise a few below, mostly Eldar related as I'm not familiar enough with the minutiae of IoM background to be sure which are new.

-750,M41 The Great Exodus. Six craftworlds turn up to some big swirly space thing in Imperium controlled territory, when the Imperial fleet arrives with little gtfo placards the Eldar are gone, as is the swirly thing and all the 'prime' suns within sixty lightyears have been extinguished. IoM launches a mass evacuation and manages to wave 12% of the population (and 32% of the heavy industry)

-783.M41 Eldar destroy an AdMech explorator fleet, when Blood Angels turn up to ask 'wtf' they find the Eldar and Necrons fighting it out on the surface.

-822M41 Abaddon attacks a Maiden World and gets repulsed.

-920.M41 Eldar pirates attack the escort of a a fleet of Black Ships, capturing one troop transport and destroying some frigates. The rest of the fleet is picked off by subsequent raids.

-999.M41 13th Crusade happens as expected, predictions of it being retconned like Storm of Chaos in WFB proven to be bollocks.

-p196 The single time the IoM has managed to attack a Craftworld directly resulted in the loss of an entire sector fleet so they just don't bother anymore. /eldar fistbump

This last one raises an interesting question, is it referring to the attack on Idharae or the attack on Alaitoc? If Alaitoc, then what happened to Idharae? Had Idharae been retconned? If referring to Idharae (made much more palatable by the loss of a sector fleet in the process) what about the attack on Alaitoc in the Path series?


Feel free to post anymore titbits of new background you find as you read through the BRB. That is, when most of you get your copies over the next week or so.:p

[DrLove42]

I will have mine.....in 47 hours.

Not that i'm counting or anything

[Wolfshade]

-822M41 Abaddon attacks a Maiden World and gets repulsed.
Abaddon: "Ewww, look at this place with its verdant hills and butter cups! Let's go"

[gcsmith]

Abaddon: "Ewww, look at this place with its verdant hills and butter cups! Let's go"

Sounds like, this one planet with loads of defenses gets in his way all the time, lets attack a population with no defenses. Still gets beat like a little girl.

Really how is he the chosen of chaos.

[eldargal]

Well, Alaitoc are the ones which defend it against him so it wasn't like the world was empty.

[jonsgot]

So the Emperor is still on the throne, darn. When will Cypher kill him so all the Prmiarchs can return and the emperor can be reborn?:D It amazes me how much excretement people make up, just to feel good about lying to people.

[DrLove42]

It'll never happen.

The fluff will never advance really, people need to understand that.

They MIGHT go into in Black Librairy, but I doubt it. For the same reasonw e'll never know about the missing legions. Mysteries help the fluff, defining them might ruin the universe (in game, not real)

[Kawauso]

It'll never happen.

The fluff will never advance really, people need to understand that.

They MIGHT go into in Black Librairy, but I doubt it. For the same reasonw e'll never know about the missing legions. Mysteries help the fluff, defining them might ruin the universe (in game, not real)

Yeah, fundamental advancements/changes in the fluff forces major changes to the background for most of the armies in the game.

Which runs the risk of harming the player-base for those armies. Lots of people play them for the background. If the Imperium goes into full-blown disintegration, or the 'nids dominate half the galaxy, or the Eldar finally die out, etc. etc...people would not be happy.

There's a huge galaxy to work with, and a calendar that goes back 10,000 years. They can add tons of crap to the fluff (like the easy introduction of Stormravens, Dreadknights, Shadow Spectres) without actually having to advance past year 999.M41.

[DrLove42]

Life is much more interesting teetering on the precipice above the unknown, than hurtling towards it, unstoppably.

[eldargal]

Another option, one that I favour in preference to story changes, is advancing the timeline but not the story. So things go on as usual, but into 001.M42. GW gets time up their sleeve, no players get cranky.

[Kawauso]

Another option, one that I favour in preference to story changes, is advancing the timeline but not the story. So things go on as usual, but into 001.M42. GW gets time up their sleeve, no players get cranky.

That'd work alright. Though it doesn't play into the whole 40k thing as well.

Personally I don't really have a problem with story 'advancement' being retconned into the 10,000-year past we have available to us. I think there's a lot of wiggle-room when you're dealing with so much time in so vast a galaxy.

[DrLove42]

Just put it down to "well the battle scribes on Terra only just heard about it, but it actually happened 200 years ago"

[Kawauso]

That's kind of how I view it.

The scale of the setting is literally too big for the people living in it to keep track of everything, so I have no problem believing that we only ever know part of the story with anything that goes on.

[Warchief]

Only when all the races have fully mobilized will the fluff advance i think.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

What is there on minor races?

Are there ANY pictures or fluff on them?

Any mentions of Enslavers, Hrud, Ulumeathi, Barghesi or any of the chaos aliens (saruthi ect) ?

[eldargal]

Ulumeathi and some others are mentioned as extinct, there are some others mentioned but I don't have time to check names atm sorry.:( Not a whole lot on xenos really, one of my few dissapointments with the book. 33% more pages and the amount of space dedicated to the major xenos races halves and minor xenos only get a few mentions on the Imperiums xenos relations two page spread.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Ulumeathi and some others are mentioned as extinct, there are some others mentioned but I don't have time to check names atm sorry.:( Not a whole lot on xenos really, one of my few dissapointments with the book. 33% more pages and the amount of space dedicated to the major xenos races halves and minor xenos only get a few mentions on the Imperiums xenos relations two page spread.

Ah, that's a bit dissapointing....also my beloved Ulumeathi extinct? so that's what it feels like to be squatted!

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

:~ are the Hrud extinct toooo?

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

:~ are the Hrud extinct toooo?

http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?344621-New-Background-in-6e-Rulebook&p=6295325&viewfull=1#post6295325

"And a war against the Hrud Called the Hrud Rising."

I guess...not? I asked them if there was more than just that. Do wish they'd have more larger fluff chunks for these sort of things, even just a few paragraphs would be nice. Good to see more actual wars related to the Hrud being mentioned though.

Honestly, the amount of large scale battles mentioned with them - it's hard to consider them a "minor xeno" race like the great majority of others which only have a few star systems ect. The Hrud seem to be everywhere and quite a severe threat. Wish FW would quit releasing marine tank/infantry variants and do a model range for them instead!

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

:P Half of me hopes that they release all interesting Xenos but the Hrud, now that I've got a handful of the little buggers knocking around. They do seem to get a lot of attention though - weren't they invading the White Scars' homeworld in the 5th ed. book? I'd be surprised if FW gets around to them, though, since they've stated all of their books will feature Imperials, so they're hardpressed enough to fit the Xenos with Codicies in.

Surprised the Ulumeathi were wiped out, though, since they got one of their weapons featured in the Grey Knights 'dex.

Edit: From the warseer link: "In light of the devastation suffered by the Uluméathic League it is unlikely they will pose anywhere near the same threat that they did before the arrival of Hive Fleet Naga. Indeed, it seems humanity considers the Ulumeathic all but destroyed by the end of the 41st Millennium."

Looks like they're still hanging on! Plus, the ambiguity present in "humanity considers"...

[Yawarakaimatsuka]

I have to say I would be more than happy if game workshop simply gives us a real xenology. The one we already have is full of irrelevent stories, is fan-made-like and present quite few races. I bet it's better than nothing, but if we could at least see how those famous Hruds look like or get some gamesday promotion minis like Angkhor Prok, it would be awesome!

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

Dunno, I really loved the scrapbook-style way it was written. It gave so many compelling little nuggets without fleshing things out - it made a skeleton for me to flesh when I started my own Hrud. It's a different style designed to suck in players who want to change a lot but still feel like what they've made "fits" in the 40kverse.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

:P Half of me hopes that they release all interesting Xenos but the Hrud, now that I've got a handful of the little buggers knocking around. They do seem to get a lot of attention though - weren't they invading the White Scars' homeworld in the 5th ed. book? I'd be surprised if FW gets around to them, though, since they've stated all of their books will feature Imperials, so they're hardpressed enough to fit the Xenos with Codicies in.

Surprised the Ulumeathi were wiped out, though, since they got one of their weapons featured in the Grey Knights 'dex.

Edit: From the warseer link: "In light of the devastation suffered by the Uluméathic League it is unlikely they will pose anywhere near the same threat that they did before the arrival of Hive Fleet Naga. Indeed, it seems humanity considers the Ulumeathic all but destroyed by the end of the 41st Millennium."

Looks like they're still hanging on! Plus, the ambiguity present in "humanity considers"...

I can see your point, since you've put so much effort into sculpting your own.. I guess it would feel a bit invalidated by official models and stuff. And yeah, they do seem to get a lot of attention for a backround race, way more so than any of the others - the lexicanum page is quite big compared to most others bar the ones that feature in Fantasy Flight's RPG books like the Rak'Gol.

And thanks for that fluff tidbit on my beloved Ulumeathi. I spent ages designing those buggers and writing fluff for them, would hate to "lose" them to the rulebook writer. Afterall, I felt like I "adopted" them and made them my own since ones like that are kind of like "Blank slates".

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

Saw this tidbit on the escapist "There's a big picture with an illustrtion of lots of interesting-looking minor Xenos races. However none are identified by name." Now I'm veryyyy interested!


I can see your point, since you've put so much effort into sculpting your own.. I guess it would feel a bit invalidated by official models and stuff. And yeah, they do seem to get a lot of attention for a backround race, way more so than any of the others - the lexicanum page is quite big compared to most others bar the ones that feature in Fantasy Flight's RPG books like the Rak'Gol.

And thanks for that fluff tidbit on my beloved Ulumeathi. I spent ages designing those buggers and writing fluff for them, would hate to "lose" them to the rulebook writer. Afterall, I felt like I "adopted" them and made them my own since ones like that are kind of like "Blank slates".Well, I'd probably survive the Hrud being released :P If any new Xenos are released by GW or Forgeworld, it'll probably be Hrud. And if they're styled as a notably "different" army, it'd probably do a lot of good for the game - maybe have a mobility unreliant on Transports and near completely lack assault elements? It feels like a bit of a cop-out when the "alien" armies have similar playstyles to the human ones.

Yeah, even when an army concept is primarily an original creation, it's still nice when it feels like it "exists" within 40k. Plus, the whole "humanity considers the Ulumeathic all but destroyed" could lead into them having a very different approach to "living" than humanity :P

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Saw this tidbit on the escapist "There's a big picture with an illustrtion of lots of interesting-looking minor Xenos races. However none are identified by name." Now I'm veryyyy interested!

Well, I'd probably survive the Hrud being released :P If any new Xenos are released by GW or Forgeworld, it'll probably be Hrud. And if they're styled as a notably "different" army, it'd probably do a lot of good for the game - maybe have a mobility unreliant on Transports and near completely lack assault elements? It feels like a bit of a cop-out when the "alien" armies have similar playstyles to the human ones.

Yeah, even when an army concept is primarily an original creation, it's still nice when it feels like it "exists" within 40k. Plus, the whole "humanity considers the Ulumeathic all but destroyed" could lead into them having a very different approach to "living" than humanity :P

That sound's more like it! They had something like that in 3rd ed, which I'm sure you remember - allthough the art wasnt very good and most of them were named. Hopefully a new picture would be a lot bigger and have more/better drawn xenos in it!

[Lexington]

-999.M41 13th Crusade happens as expected, predictions of it being retconned like Storm of Chaos in WFB proven to be bollocks.
Well, it's more that the clock's been set back to the first stages of the Crusade, rather than after Abbadon's sundering of the Cadian Gate. It's actually very similar to how Storm of Chaos was treated.

Otherwise...eh. The book's more or less what you'd expect from the current Studio, which is unfortunate. Some nice pictures, tho.

[Yawarakaimatsuka]

Saw this tidbit on the escapist "There's a big picture with an illustrtion of lots of interesting-looking minor Xenos races. However none are identified by name." Now I'm veryyyy interested!

Well, I suppose game workshop think like you Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer. They just show little by little to tease us. Without revealing everything at once.

[eldargal]

Not really, in WFB the Storm of Chaos isn't even mentioned by name, it hasn't started and Archaeon is only mentioned in older books. It's just looming on the horizon. Whereas the Black Crusade is well underway, perhaps even over. We won't know until one of the codices goes into more detail.:)

Well, it's more that the clock's been set back to the first stages of the Crusade, rather than after Abbadon's sundering of the Cadian Gate. It's actually very similar to how Storm of Chaos was treated.

Otherwise...eh. The book's more or less what you'd expect from the current Studio, which is unfortunate. Some nice pictures, tho.

[The AKH]

Not really, in WFB the Storm of Chaos isn't even mentioned by name, it hasn't started and Archaeon is only mentioned in older books. It's just looming on the horizon. Whereas the Black Crusade is well underway, perhaps even over. We won't know until one of the codices goes into more detail.:)

Sounds, then, like the treatment that the Medusa V campaign gets from the studio... what with it not even having an established date (to my knowledge).

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

I just like how they mentioned Creed's Tactical Genius (1d4chan.org/wiki/Just_As_Planned).

[DrLove42]

Saw this tidbit on the escapist "There's a big picture with an illustrtion of lots of interesting-looking minor Xenos races. However none are identified by name." Now I'm veryyyy interested!

I'm assuming you mean this one?

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m252/drlove42/2012-07-02103615.jpg

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

Me like Hrud. :3

[bfmusashi]

Oh, the Hrud got his tail back! I am pleased.

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

Ahahaha that depiction of the hrud is getting itself thoroughly ignored. Rat-tail and knees? No thanks.

Cute that they still have the Ambull in the "minor xenos group-shot" after all these years.

I do like the "tentacle-frog-fish" in the bottom right, fun design.

The big lad on the far left reminds me of Zoats. Hmmm.

Winged one on the right could be one of those Caradochians?

The bearded one below the Ambull looks veryyyyy much like that piece of Demiurg concept art that was floating around.

Wonder what the one in the centre swinging around the world's most terrifying vibrator is.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Now that's more like it.

I like the one on the bottom right the best as it looks like the only one to be legless. I can see what looks a Demiurg, Zoat, Hrud (sad they ignored the Xenology depiction). I'd agree with the Rev that the winged thing is probably a Caradochian. I like the armoured arachnid type thing too.

Pure speculation : Thing in the middle, for some reason screams "chaos alien" to me (?). The one with the fat frog-like face on the middle right for some reason screams "Thexian" as it looks like some kind of alien you'd trade weapons with. Shame theres no Enslaver, but guess you can't have it all :P

[bfmusashi]

I want to know more about the robotic military spider with the missile launcher. Why is he hanging out with the space jackhammer guy? What does he do? Does he speak in raptor?

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

Now that's more like it.
Pure speculation : Thing in the middle, for some reason screams "chaos alien" to me (?). The one with the fat frog-like face on the middle right for some reason screams "Thexian" as it looks like some kind of alien you'd trade weapons with. Shame theres no Enslaver, but guess you can't have it all :PHmmm, that feels right. Plus, think about how it could transform from looking kinda goofy into its "terrible combat form", that sunken head elongating into something more draconic, a thick neck pushing it outwards and so forth.


Why is he hanging out with the space jackhammer guy?Xenos BDSM dungeon.

[Wildeybeast]

=

Winged one on the right could be one of those Caradochians?

Are those the ones from Star Trek or the ones with a reality TV show? :D

[bfmusashi]

Bat guy is clearly the classiest xenos as he's the only one horrified Steve is walking around with a sex toy in public.

[mjasghar]

isnt that a sort of slann in the picture. Compare with wfb images it looks v v similar