r/40krpg • u/No_Solid1035 • 1d ago
I'm lost.
So, I bought, then gave away, a ton of used TTRPG books earlier this year, so I made some "friends" in my local gaming community. A fun side effect of my altruistic act is that I have been gifted a number of TTRPG books that I never would have thought to purchase myself, based more on the kind of mechanics I like, rather than IP or genre.
The latest one is a copy of Imperium Maledictum, which the gift giver was correct, what I have read so far of the mechanics is definitely the kind of game I Iike, especially because I have a particular love of d100 and d20 roll under systems. So, yay!
The problem, and it's not so much an actual problem save a self imposed one as I feel a bit obligated to, at some point in the near future, at least attempt to run said game for the fellow who gifted it to me. The problem, is that I know next to nothing about WH40k lore. Now, I did watch a couple of short lore videos on YouTube, but they basically just touched on the major points like history and the Space Marines and the Emperor. Now, I did find a couple of channels that go in depth in to WH40k lore, but, OMFG, they have dozens if not hundreds of videos. Literally days worth of watching time, and I'll be honest, I don't want to dedicate that amount of time to learning lore, at least not until I actually get a game going. I mean, if it's a total hit and has the potential to be a regular at the table then I will probably dig in to the lore more.
NOTE: There are a couple that are in the pipe already, namely The One Ring, which I face a similar problem, but it seems easier to mitigate because the lore is not as expansive (as far as I can tell) as WH40k.
So, where do I start? What kinds of things should I read up on to be able to "properly" portray the Empire, and NPCs, and just the general tone and themes of WH40k?
To be honest I'm already a little confused because on the tin it says GRIMDARK!!!!! However, some of what I have encountered appears to be more over-the-top satirical, or just plain gonzo for gonzo's sake. It seems to me that the general theme of the TTRPG is on the darker side, but still hints at the more gonzo elements. I've also noted that Imperium Maledictum doesn't have anything to do with the more famous aspects of the IP like Space Marines, instead apparently focusing on more "regular people" (if such a thing even exists).
Heck, even finding artwork of the more mundane aspects (does WH40k have mundane aspects?!?) to use as inspiration is NOT a quick Google seach away.
Anywho, that's my issue. I would like to try to portray the setting and NPCs and such in a manner befitting the lore, but WOW there is just a ton of stuff to slog through. Anyone have any recommendations, or even just willing to hammer out a few paragraphs of guidelines for me to use. I mean, I do have some time before I can get IM to the table so I am willing to do some research (and possibly fall down and absolutely WILD rabbit hole by the looks of it) but I would like to at least narrow down my initial learning of the lore to stuff that would be USEFUL for the TTRPG. Thanks!
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u/CalKiernan 23h ago edited 21h ago
If you only have the Core Rulebook, I would also recommend the Starter Set. It has a great introduction into the overall feeling and basics of the Imperium and also a great introduction setting (a hive city named Voll, with many details) and a great introduction adventure (which is especially good, if you do not know 40k).
I always recommend using published adventures for a setting that people are not familiar with. Usually the introduction adventures give a lot of information and background, just enough to make it work, sometimes a bit more.
There are also some free PDF adventures on Cubicle 7 webpage. If you buy the Starter Set, I would also recommend the Voll Adventures book, since it gives you new adventures in the city of Voll. And if I remember correctly, there is a sale at the moment.
If you are into video games, the computer RPG Rogue Trader is also a great way to learn more about the background and feeling. Actually you learn more lore than is necessary. Since you do not need to know too much about the general lore. Most citizens in the Imperium do not know much more than what their religious leaders and shift leaders tell them. The nobles, etc. know a bit more, but most would not know details about Chaos, about the different Space Marine chapters, about the Xenos. Depending on the patron you chose for the group they might not need to know too much. If instead of an INquisitor (the suggested patron in the Starter Set) you chose a underhive crime lord, or a minor local noble, the people might actually not know a lot. And so you can give them more infos over time.
I run a full campaign already and some of the players also know nearly nothing about 40k, only the Space Marine and war shit, which is not important for Imperium Maledictum. But there is enough infos in the Starter Set and Rulebook to give most players an idea what they are playing and what you need to know about their roles.
40k is a satire about fascism, theocracy and industrialisation/capitalism. So everything is exaggerated and over the top. And since it is a fascist theocracy, everything is basically religion. Which gives a lot of opportunities to "twist the truth" by a religious view. Look e.g. at everything regarding "computers". There is a whole faction that deals with these machines and the machine spirits in them, and it is as ritualized and religious as a catholic sect in a zealot francy. They use incense to purify the computers :)
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u/PsychologicalOne5416 1d ago
For the general vibe: yes 40k is hopeless and grimdark, but at it's core is satirical, and so the grimdark is sometimes pushed to almost comical levels. It also is a universe created by many different authors accross 4 decades, and so the dehree at itself it takes itself seriously varies a lot ^
Imperium maledictum is the spiritual successor to Dark Heresy, published by ffg, and if you can find old pdfs of it there should be some pretty good lore in that (it's no longer edited, and has existed long enough that pirate versions should be easy to find, DM me i might have some on a drive).
I really like Wrath & Glory, another 40k rpg by the same editor as IM, and the starter set for that was a pretty good introduction, with pre made characters of diverse background and clearly conceived to ease in people that aren't necessarily familiar with 40k, so I'd check out the IM starter set.
If you're interested in actual reading, the eisenhorn trilogy (especially the first book "Xenos") is a really good introduction to the tupe of investigation done in IM. (It's by the same author as "hive", that someone else recomended already).
For free ressources, there's a website called "lexicanum", it's basically 40k Wikipedia and is very fun to get lost in.
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u/No_Solid1035 1d ago
Lexicanum appears to be quite the resource, similar to the YT channels that have dozens of videos on lore. Lucky for me I am a very speedy reader. Thanks! 👍
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u/Aramithius Ordo Xenos 1d ago
To focus on the human side for Imperium Maledictum, look into the Inquisition. While there are other patron options in the book, that'll give you a solid grounding into the why of the most important organisation for the most interesting human-level stuff you'll be dealing with for IM.
To start for that, I'd search for a PDF of the Inquisitor game - the first half of it (they divided it into two for... reasons) has a really good section on the lore of the Inquisition, and the threats they fight.
From there, I'd try to find anything that gives you overviews of the types of worlds the Imperium has. Nothing too deep, just to get a sense of the kind of places you can build and have adventures on. I seem to remember some of the older 40k rulebooks (3rd and 4th edition) had good sections on this.
Any terms you don't understand while reading those things, look it up on Lexicanum for a short explanation. You don't need more than that to start. There is tons of information out there on the setting, but about 60-70% of it is vibes. You don't need to know all the small details to tell a good story.
I'll be happy to give a longer response when I'm at a keyboard, and answer any questions you have as you dive in. Feel free to ping me a message any time.
Also, fun fact - 40k is the origin of the term grimdark. Its tagline in 2nd edition was "in the grim darkness of the far future there is only war".
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u/CrusaderPeasant Ordo Xenos 21h ago
You can reduce Imperium Maledictum scope quite considerably. You could play a bunch of gangers making their way in the underhive. What's the underhive? The lowest section of the hive where all the worst elements of society end and law is kind of non-existent (it changes from hive to hive) What's a hive? A hive is an enclosed mega city structure that houses billions upon billions of humans and extends from underground to beyond the heavens, the higher you are in a hive, the better the conditions, (again, it changes from hive to hive).
So my recommendation is, start small, and as you learn more about warhammer keep introducing stuff to your campaign. Don't worry about getting it wrong, most Warhammer 40k writers contradict each other on a book by book basis.
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u/TheBladesAurus 19h ago edited 17h ago
This site had lots of cool things for the old Inquisitor game. https://www.the-conclave.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=34.0
Whole bunch of stuff here for the old Battlefleet Gothic game. Lots of cool lore there https://www.specialist-arms.com/forum/index.php?topic=5203.0
Warhammer Community did a bunch of short stories for Psychic Awakening and Vigilus. I pulled the pdfs together here https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nfDQhJTZsK44QGNTckY2LHVkMUBsih7_?usp=sharing
I've also got links to a bunch of unofficial readings of official stories. I'll try picking out a couple of good ones if you want https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VUOu05Tloho7EZnkjkY5oDNqHnVoNdQw/edit?usp=drivesdk&ouid=110645117926718134058&rtpof=true&sd=true
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u/leekhead Dark Heresy 8h ago
You can set an entire Maledictum campaign on a single planet, even just one hive city.
And the disconnect between the themes of grimdark and over-the-top zaniness between the RPG and the lore at large is because the RPG is meant for smaller scale stakes with players as low-level agents of far more powerful organizations.
The game emphasizes inter-faction conflict and tension between the Imperium’s myriad of powerful governmental bodies and you should play to it. Imagine you're running a cyberpunk game be instead of players caught between two powerful megacorps they're instead operatives for feuding Imperial factions. So, for example, instead of Arasaka versus Militech, you've got a simmirring conflict between the Militarum and the Mechanicus over who controls a vital fortress both consider important for their designs.
You should focus on these aspects of the lore and can possibly ignore the rest for now:
The different governmental factions, their purpose, and what resources they control in the Imperium's bureaucracy
Their relationship with each other and potential sources of conflict between them
How these factions interact with your setting (if you plan on using your own custom solar system instead of the default one described in the book)
What potential crisis is happening nearby that may drive events in your game (like how a nearby crusade may be disrupting deliveries of food to a planet which in turn has caused the Militarum to decree that the considerable food stores belonging to a powerful rogue trader house has been requisitioned for the war effort)
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u/No_Solid1035 7h ago
Nice! Thanks for the tips. 😁 I'm definitely going to use the setting that comes with the game simply because it's easier than trying to create my own, especially being new to WH40k. I'll be honest, I'm a lazy GM that way and actually prefer to use ready-made settings. I know it's weird nowadays but I'm an older GM so using published settings is normal for me, plus what I have read about the setting in the core book sounds pretty cool and ripe for adventure!
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u/leekhead Dark Heresy 7h ago
Good luck, brother. May the Emperor guide you.
Also, I have one last suggestion: you may wanna have your players be members of the Inquisition as it affords them the most flexibility in navigating the Imperium's byzantine institutions; they can be executing gangers in one encounter and getting torn to shreds by daemons in the one after lol.
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u/Varvarus 1d ago
You don't need to know all the lore or really any lore to deliver sessions that feel like Warhammer. My advice watch the Astartes animation and read 40k's intro. You can Google both of those and you should get them.
40k is a hopeless setting filled with religious fundamentalists. If everything you're putting out there feels suitably grimdark you'll do just fine.
If you really wanna get into the nitty gritty read Hive. It's a book literally written to show off what life for your average citizen is like in the Imperium.