THE DARK HERESY AMBIANCE & REALITY

[Alasseo 66]

It makes sense, but there are a few problems with the idea- not least of which is the amount of information they would be allowed to print/film regarding the astartes missions; you have to remember that space marines routinely deal with things that the average imperial citizen would be shot for even knowing about. Added to the fact that many worlds lack the capability for mass-media distribution of information (although the odds are that in many such situations there would be Ministorum propagandist channels of some form or another), and that most people can't physically tell the difference between two astartes when they see them, relying instead upon heraldry, even when they don't wear helmets, it does make it somewhat problematic.

Added to the fact that marines are barely human, and it would appear that more suitable subjects for such celebrity status would be heroic guard officers, commissars, arbitors, navy pilots and so on (all attested to by fluff examples: Macharius, Ciaphas Cain, Arbitrator Foreboding and the pilots of Attack Run!).

All that said- it's a big galaxy, and during the Crusade a number of remembrancers did attach themselves to notable astartes officers to tell their stories.

[LETE 24]

Hey thanks a lot:

I know next to nothin' of the W40k universe.  It's always good to find cool peeps who can enlighten me.

 

Still, innocence proves nothing.

 

Le... wait.  L-E-T...

I forgot already

[MeTa2 0]

Cifer said:

Being a neophyte on these matters I pose a gender question: are all Space Marines "male"?

Yes. At least, there is nothing in the canon to indicate the existence of any female ones.

 

Are the Sisters of Battle the only female group in the Godemperor's forces?

No. There are a few all-female guard regiments, though mixed-sex ones are almost non-existant, for obvious reasons.

 

I play a female tech priest.

[MeTa2 0]

I wish it was possible to edit once post.

[Sarius2 0]

You can edit  a post within a limited time after posting, theres an edit button in the white grayish bar, but it can be hard to notice.

[Ignayus 0]

Interesting that a topic like this should come up as the whole "tubes and wires and gizmos" sticking out of the character's bodies did bother my sense of realism but I blame that mostly on the art and the fact that characters like that are already beyond the point of such mundaine things like bathing, changing cloths, or sex for that matter.

 

However, according to the IG novel Gunheads the Tech-Priest do bath.  the three Tech Priest attached to the Cadian Armor on Galgotha (went to go find Commissar Yarricks old Baneblade <i>The Fortress of Arrogance</i>) retired for the night and discussed their own mission while they sat in vats of thick milk like fluid that they bathed in. Perhaps that's specific only to Steve Parker's interpretation of Tech Priest but gives you an idea at least

 

Also in the book their were female nurses attached to their medical team as well (to which a Bishop helped himself to one such Nurse's service) and non of them (obviously) were said to be Hospitalier either.

Something to ponder upon.

[Cifer 211]

I play a female tech priest.

Although I'm not quite understanding in which way this post related to my own, let me reiterate a statement I found on Dark Reign: I prefer a gender-neutral approach to the AM. Wait - make that gender-neutered.

 

Also, akin to the Middle Ages' fanaticism about knights (propagated, amongst other things, by the various chivalrous tales & sheer awesomesness of seeing one in the all his resplendent armoured glory), wouldn't some of the most popular marines become sort of like cult figures or media stars, at least for propaganda purposes? Shouldn't we imagine a typical teenage noble-born daughter's bedroom festooned with W40k's equivalent of posters of famous SM (like Beckham/Jordan posters), or waiting with bated breath for the latest installment of Such-&-Such SM's saga on their equivalent of the telly?

You could certainly have any kind of propaganda, from saintly worship (I think I've seen a stained glass window with a SM in an illustration somewhere) to pop idol status. The Imperium is diverse, after all.

However, keep in mind that its highly unlikely that a world will actually see a Space Marine unless its one of those a chapter recruits from and even more unlikely to see that marine twice within a generation. Further, Space Marines are constantly on the move, either assaulting something or travelling to the next theatre (no, not that kind of theatre your average movie star will go to), so it's hard to have your camera team along with them. All in all, I'd consider it unlikely that the Imperial propaganda would focus upon individual marines - there'd be no benefit between that and just making up a heroic marine squad and their victories.

[Random Cultist 0]

Personaly (that's just me yes) I find the whole discussion about Space Marines being fertile rather pointless.

I'd be pretty sure they would at least have a trait equivalent to the Chem Geld talent (Dark Heresy p.116) and therefore rather be immune to such earthly temptations. I could even imagine the denial effect to be much stronger in Marines. 

As for women in the other orders / guards / units and organizations ... sure there are. There's even female clergy in the ecclesiarchy after all, although we don't know for certain how far they can climb up the career ladder.

 

 

[Khaunshar 2]

From Lore alone, there are women in almost any elevated position:

We got Adepta Sororitas, basically female Space Marines, similar elite status if somewhat lesser performance per capita, but from what you can see in Faith+Fire (BL novel), the rank of a Cannoness is seemingly about equal to an Ecclesiarch. Which means really, really influential.

We got female Inquisitors (Warrior Brood for Ordo Xenos, Grey Knights vor Ordo Malleus, the latter being Briseis Ligeia Celestine, who I consider so great a character I stole her for my campaign), we got female Lord Generals (the atrocious Sulla from the Cain Series), female high ranking Arbites (Shira Calpurnia from Crossfire/Legacy/Blind), female Saints (Sabbat, for one) , female-only military units and female rogue traders (Star of Damocles series).

Basically, and that actually is pretty realistic for a society with a constant "under siege" mentality, it seems aside from Space Marines there isnt any position where gender is prohibitive to attaining it. And I tend to think the Adepta Sororitas even out the Space Marine stuff anyways, since they do look cooler... and they are allowed to shoot rockets from an organ mounted on a tank chassis.

 

[Cryxx 0]

Havent read the whole thread through, so sorry if this have been said before.

About the Adeptus Mechanicus: sex is not needed to serve the machine god, eating, liquid food through tubes I reckon, bathing, well, with water I guess? I seriously doubt that the stuff they get implanted rust easily, and about space, well, maybe there are places they wont fit, but the same is true with space marines...when talking about the Adeptus mechanicus, it does not help to think along the lines of people living today, because they act, think and live very differently.

 

[Adminis Storm 0]

Don't mind if I chime in on several of the topics that were well discussed. Being very new to this game and reading the Adeptus Astartes excerpt in the core rulebook. Adeptus Astartes are in fact picked from adolescents which would make them human. I cannot comment on the issue of gender, although I would have to read more material but in my opinion augmenting bone structure, the brain, muscle and having power armor hardwired into nervous system is about "making it greater" or enhancing something that was already  in place, leaving the Adeptus Astartes with  human emotion. Of which I believe taken into context natures way of perpetuating the human race. Augmenting is totally different than biologically creating a test tube baby where being raised could be devoid of human feelings and emotions. I agree with the person that said that Tech Priest serve a power greater than themselves and that has to be machines. Machines are devoid of any feelings and emotions, they are about logic, commit to task and serving man. While Tech Priests are trying to rid themselves of the world of flesh. I would look at it with alot of gray color. Depends on the freedom of the player playing the character to come up with how they want to run their character as long as they stick with core tech priest principles like believing in machines as the stronger race, worshipping a machine god and augmenting their flesh to that of a machine.

[The Laughing God 17]

Casmiricus said:

I seem to recall old (REALLY REALLY OLD) fluff that had the Sisters of Battle serving as *ahem* outlets for the Marine's baser desires.

 and then they keep nagging about the Eldar sexing up an entity like Slaanesh!

[Velvetears 0]

As a side note, i beleive it's the Salamanders ***** mentioned in a number of the rules books and cannon/fluff as having a home planet and actually keeping family ties and even mantaining families themselves when able to.

 

Whether this has since been Ret-Conned out i dont know, i've not bothered with the latest version of 40k rules or fluff overly much.

[imperialus 1]

Nojokejoe45 said:

I also raise another interesting point for those of you who seem to want Space Marines to be lovers or proud fathers- even supposing the marines in question get around to sexing it up and unleashing their unconquerable base instincts, where would they do it? More likely than not the closest thing would be a little "Don't ask, Don't tell". Although I guess I shouldn't rule that out entirely- as it was very common in ancient Greek warrior cultures...

 

Now this is an interesting theory.  History actually has a fair number of examples of this, particularly in some of the more extreme warrior cultures like the Spartans.  I'm not sure it would even be a case of 'don't ask don't tell'.  Marines could well be encouraged to form relationships with each other.  The Persian Immortals actually believed that there was a significant benefit to having warriors who fought together also be lovers.  It created a stronger bond between them, made them feel closer as a group, and made individuals more willing to take risks and sacrifice themselves for each other on the battlefield.

You could take the thought even further and explore the Greek concept of pederasty as an aspect of the master/student relationship that exists between marine recruits and full battle brothers...

I guess the most important thing has already been mentioned.  Remember that Marines (or anyone else in 40K) aren't like us.  Their society is so far removed from our own that what is 'normal' wouldn't even be recognizable.

[LETE 24]

imperialus said:

I guess the most important thing has already been mentioned.  Remember that Marines (or anyone else in 40K) aren't like us.  Their society is so far removed from our own that what is 'normal' wouldn't even be recognizable.

 

 

Hello: thanks for taking the time to answer:

 

Yet, we, as GMs & PCs are portraying these people, so shouldn't we know how they "work"... to better RP 'em?

 

 

Lethe

 

Who?