Warhammer 40K: Laying Down The Lore – Details, episodes & analysis

WAAAGH! Yes, it’s the turn of the orks. We dive into a brief history of their origins before painting ourselves red and battering through their Kulcha. We look at their society, the foundations of their armies and their most esoteric members. We then run through the 6 “clans” that define not only their way of life but also their way of War. throughout we have a bit of bants on the form and nature of “Freebooterz”.

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Picking up from last episode we look at the most common forms of tyranids lifeforms and their roles within an invasion force. From Ripper swarms to the Carnifex we discuss some of the more esoteric forms that have evolved from their “humble” beginnings in 2nd/3rd edition. We then explore the four great tyrannic wars that have so devastated the Imperium and the role the machiavellian Inquisitor Kryptman plays in fighting this existential terror.

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In this episode we take a look at the history and structure of the Adeptus Custodes, the elite cadre of genetically-engineered transhuman warriors who serve as the bodyguards of the Emperor of Mankind. We look at their use through the time of the Imperium and their new role as part of the Indomitus crusade. Next, we very carefully approach the Sisters of Silence, an all-female force of Pariahs charged with the capture and transport of the that most dangerous of mutants, the Psyker. We move on to a discussion on the Legion of the Damned, those mysterious flame clad space marines who may or may not be positive Daemons. We then take a look at the some of the most confusing  mysteries ranging from the Emperors Tarot and the Crystalline Lorelei to the Ordo Chronos and the fabled Omega Vault.

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In our second episode on the Adeptus Astartes we look at the more ‘specialist’ forces of the Adeptus Astartes. We first look at more specific foundings, and their confusing order, and their requirements changed to fit a new darker imperium, such as the Exorcists, and examine the motivations in their creation. We pause briefly to discuss awful sounding words before looking towards the Inquisitors of the Ordo Xenos as they formed and use the Astartes of the Death Watch, a Xenos killing force to which chapters second a handful of brothers at a time. Finally, seeing their origins in the later years of the Horus Heresy, the Grey Knights are laid bare as a force of Daemon hunting warriors built to help humanity withstand the post-heresy enemies the Imperium would face.

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In our first episode on the Adeptus Astartes we start with a look at birth of the modern Space marine chapter; The Codex Astartes and the Second Founding. We dig into what is involved in founding a Space Marine Chapter and what organisational structure each Codex Chapter and its companies. We examine the iconic arms, armour, and vehicles of the Astartes. We then turn from creation to maintenance and look at the recruitment processes of established chapters including the trials, Gene-Seed, and conditioning that is common to all chapters. We then turn our attention to the most recent innovation, the Primaris Space Marines and the Ultima Founding, focusing on the three classes: Awoken, Indoctrinated, and Ascended. We close out with a look at some of the more famous Chapters and their deviation from the codex Astartes.

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In this episode we look at the kingdom within the Imperium, the techno-feudal sociopaths of the Adeptus Mechanicus. We delve into their origins, their motivations, their love for the knee-healing Emperor, and their fall from grace during the heresy. We look at their political status with the Imperium and their hate/hate relationship with the Ecclesiarchy. We briefly examine their hierarchy and the stratified expertise the four great Magos Schola that informs their endeavours. We then dive into their methods of war, their troops and the esoteric warmachine that are totally not used to regain the power of the STCs. Finally, we take a gander at the fearsome Knights and Titans that so define the Adeptus Mechanicus.

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The Imperium Part #3 - The Military. We take a broad and expansive peek at the the Imperial Guard AKA the Astra Militarum AKA cannon fodder. We look at the composition and formation of the Regiments and briefly discuss some of the more famous units and regiments, all under the watchful eyes of a Commissar. We look askew at the noble yet filthy abhumans that serve alongside the true human warriors of the militarum and then turn to the armoured fists of the humanity, Tanks! (you're welcome). Leaving the foot-sloggers planetside we take a gander at the majestic warmachines of the Imperial Navy where Cral gets lost in the hulls, classifications and general romance of void based warfare. We close out the episode with a furtive glance at the shadowed killers of the Officio Assassinorum ... or do we? ...

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The Imperium Part #2 - The Faithful. In this episode we look at the perfectly reasonable and not at all fascist faithful of the Imperium of Man. Starting with the Ecclesiarchy, AKA Space Church, we look at the history and structure of the Cult Imperialis and just how many imperial institutions it has tendrils in.  We turn to the Ecclesiarchy’s  militant arm the Adepta Soroitas. We delve into the history and structure of the Sisters of Battle and their many devious and horrific war machines. Finally, we briefly explore perhaps the most powerful institution within and without the Imperium, The Emperor’s Inquisition. These supreme investigators have the authority to kill worlds and raise armies for endless campaigns against the threats to humanity.

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The unbridled excitement of the Imperial Bureaucracy. In this episode, the first of an 8 part look at the contemporary Imperium, we look at the unsung heroes and objectively horrific villains that keep the Imperium ticking. We dissect this bureaucracy into 5 parts;  The Adeptus Terra, the Astronomican, The Navigators, The Rogue Traders and the Adeptus Arbites. We look at how each is formed, what they do and, with extreme oversimplification, how they do it. Along the way Cral once again identifies with the downtrodden proletariat of Psykers (we’re keeping an eye on him) and Ben fancies himself a bit of a rogue trading Navigator.

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The second part of our extreme summary of the Horus heresy looks at three major conflicts that defined, in part at least, the course of the war. The Battle of Molech sees a knight house turn traitor at the best (or worst) moment and Horus is re-re-born… again… The battle of Tallarn, where Peter Barro, Primarch of the Iron Warriors seeks the Black Occulous and destroys a world. The battle of Beta-Garmon AKA the Titan Death sees the blunting of the forces of both sides in a campaign that Von Caultwitz would have been proud of. Finally we look at the solar war and the siege of terra and its immediate aftermath.

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