did some oil washing and drybrush work on terrain (also primed some more stuff despite the ridiculous wind yesterday), and rebased the thunderfire gunner. also added some adapters to my battlefleet, so they aren't toppling off their stands. the destroyers have a bit of a lean to them but they still look smart

My current much-loved possession, an original 1993 copy of Space Marine. I wanted it for its lovely cover, mostly, (also physical media is supreme) even though it's seen better days. The pretty foil lettering has worn away in spots.

Inside is the timeline that was canon in 1993. You can still get this book today digitally, but I do not know if they include a timeline with it still, and if they do, if they kept it as it was for posterity or made updates.

Transcribed below!

A TIMELINE FOR THE WARHAMMER 40,000 UNIVERSE

15th Millennium - Humanity begins to colonise nearby solar systems using conventional sub-light spacecraft. At first, progress is painfully slow. Separated from Terra by up to ten generations in travel time, the new colonies have to survive mainly on local resources.

The Dark Age of Technology

20th Millennium - Discovery of warp drives accelerates the colonisation process and the early independent or corporate colonies become federated to Terra. The first alien races (including the ubiquitous Orks) are encountered. The development of the Navigator gene allows human pilots to make longer and faster 'jumps' through warp space than was previously thought possible. The great Navigator families, initially controlled by industrial and trading cartels, become a power base in their own right.

Humanity continues to explore and colonise the galaxy. Contacts are established with the Eldar and other alien races. A golden age of scientific achievement begins. Perfection of the Standard Template Construct (STC) system now permits an almost explosive expansion to the stars.

The Age of Strife

25th Millennium - Humanity reaches the far edges of the galaxy, completing the push to the stars begun over ten thousand years before. Human civilisation is now widely dispersed and divergent - with countless small colonies as well as many large, overpopulated planets. Localised wars and disputes with various alien races (especially the Orks!) continue, but pose no threat to the overall stability of human-colonised space. Then, two things happen almost simultaneously. First, humans with psychic powers begin to appear on almost every colonised world. Second, civilisation starts to disintegrate under the stress of widespread insanity, demonic possession, and internecine strife between these new 'psykers' and the rest of humanity. Countless fanatical cults and organisations spring up to persecute the psykers as witches, and/or degenerate mutants. At this time, the existence of the creatures of the warp (later known and feared as demons), and the dangers they pose to the human mind with newly awakened psychic powers, is far from understood.

Terrible wars tear human civilisation apart. Localised empires and factions fight amongst themselves as well as against fleets of Orks, Tyrannids [sic], and other aliens whose forces are quick to seize the opportunity to sack human space. Many worlds fall prey to the dominance of Warp Creatures whilst others revert to barbarism. Humans survive only on those worlds where psykers are suppressed or controlled. During this time, Terra is cut off from the rest of humanity by terrible warp storms, which isolate the home world for several thousand years, further accelerating the ruin of humanity.

The Horus Heresy

30th Millennium - Humanity itself teeters on the brink of the abyss of extinction. Civil war erupts throughout the galaxy as the Emperor of human space is betrayed by his most trusted lieutenant, the Warmaster Horus. Possessed by a demon from the warp, Horus seduces whole chapters of humanity's greatest warriors - the Space Marines - into joining his cause. When the final battle seems lost, the Emperor defeats Horus in single combat, but only at the cost of his own humanity.

His physical life maintained by artificial means, and his psyche by human sacrifice, the Emperor begins the long task of reconquering human space. With the creation by the Emperor of the psychic navigational beacon known as the Astronomican, the foundations are laid for the building of the Imperium, as it to be known in the 41st millennium. Fuelled by the dying spirits of those psykers who would otherwise fall prey to the demons of the warp, and directed by the Emperor's indomitable will, the Astronomican soon becomes an invaluable aid to Navigators throughout the galaxy. Interstellar travel becomes even easier and quicker, while the repression and control of psykers and creatures from the warp releases much of humanity from its hellish bondage.

The Age of the Imperium

41st Millennium - Throughout the portion of the galaxy known as the Imperium, humanity is bound within the organisations and strictures of the Administratum. The Emperor grows ever more detached from the day to day concerns of his mortal subjects, while the Inquisition works ceaselessly to protect humanity from the ever-present dangers posed by renegade psykers and the terrible creatures inhabiting warp space. The armies of the Imperium - the Guard and the almost superhuman Space Marines - maintain a constant vigil against the threat of invading Orks, Tyrannids [sic] and other aliens. But still the number of psykers increases steadily, and other more sinister groups associated with Warp Creature domination continue to gain ground...

Meega Nala Kweesta

Do Necron Warriors have any semblance of sentience left in them? Are their minds simply locked behind powerful inhibitors or are they just irreparably wiped clean?

So, this is a cool question. Necron warriors are not supposed to retain anything in the way of real sentience. At all. The biotransferrence involved the effective digitisation and transition of Necrontyr consciousness onto engrams (basically fake brains) with the quality of engram and amount of personality and memory being retained coinciding with your position in society.

Nobles, Crypteks, Lychguard, Triarchs, and individuals with perceived importance or connection were usually given their full approximated suite of mental faculties and personality. Middling soldiery and servants (like Immortals) received a fittingly middling amount of engram quality. Basic soldiers, civilians and those without perceived merit were turned into warriors, their memories and personalities consumed forever.

At least, as I said above, this was the intent.

Necron engrams are one of (if not the most) advanced and complex pieces of technology in the entire setting. The complete and effective translation of the mind into data is unthinkably sophisticated, to the point that not even the Crypteks, the masters of physics and material science, fully understand how they work. It's not like the intelligence cores the Admech use, it's not like the AI the T'au construct. It is almost the synthesis and digitisation of the soul. It is properly fucking nuts.

So, are necron warriors supposed to be wiped clean? Yes, basically. Are they? Demonstrably no. Some will let out horrific screams when they're properly killed. Some will display tiny little ticks and flickers of personality or inkling. Most notably, warriors that become flayed ones have been known to target specific Necrons/people, as if holding unbound grudges or desires.

Between these events, and things like the destroyer virus and the assorted quirks and emotions that all Necrons can develop, it is abundantly clear that the full extent of the consciousness and wherewithal granted by engrams has exceeded function and intricacy beyond the comprehension of even the most gifted Crypteks.

Bit of a long answer, but I hope you found this helpful!

There's been a lot of screaming about Games Workshop stating that there are female members of the Adeptus Custodes.

I figure this conversion I made using a Blade Champion kit and a spare lady Stormcast Eternal head is the best way to state my position on that.

We aren't sure about our new team sniper, sir

happy birthday Horus Heresy Series. you can legally drink now

This codex disappointed me greatly. Not because it was terrible, but because it was genuinely good!

I got these older codices to laugh at the over-the-top “I'm soo cool, fuck you”-attitude, but there was nothing cringe about this codex despite being from 1998 (that isn't present in modern-day Blood Angels too)

I genuinely think this is some of Gav Thorpe's best writing. And the models are gorgeous too. Reading this, I understand their popularity.

"Sin Eaters"

Finally finished this epic piece for my homebrewed space marine chapter of warrior-women, the Sin Eaters! I was shooting for that classic Codex vibe, while sticking in a few of those old Rogue Trader-esque elements that I always love. Maybe I'll mock up some kind of faux-codex cover with some graphics later down the road.

Commissions open! You can also support my Patreon to see this and more in their full resolution: https://www.patreon.com/rylanwoodrow

That's supposed to be a loyalist? This guy with nipple rings on his armor is not a chaos marine?

Ahahahahahahahhahs! Ventris having a (somehow worse then usual) bad hair day too!

But holy shit! Ultramarine artwork I haven't seen before 💙😍💙

Ash Wastes

by Miguel Mitchell Da Silva

Owlcat remade the classic. Got Abelard's VA for the voice over.

The (claimed) original meme creator showed up when they posted it to Reddit:

Commission done by MIAU (_miau@plurk).

Been obsessed with my RT and her interrogator since I got my hands on this game. My dysthymic disorder has largely improved ever since. The magic of pixel boyfriends I suppose?

I was about to post "do you guys think Lady Astares have to deal with chasers" but they're like 10 feet tall and ripped. Just absolutely shredded. Of course they do.

They can just also casually snap their necks, which some of you would be in to

Space Marines