Civilian Life

[ChaosLord127]

Hi guys,

been a while since i posted... thought I would get back into the forums by starting this thread.

Now to the point, I've read a lot of the codices/white dwarfs/black library novella, and I have come to the conclusion that not a lot is know about the civilian life in 40k.

Just thought I would start this thread as a way to kind of collect information on the topic.

I already know that most of their lives are spent toiling away in the manufactorums and whatnot, working hard to support the rest of the galaxy, but what about the rest of the cities? Vehicles, recreation, etc. Anybody know about any of that?

[Mr.MoreTanks]

Well in the Commissar Ciaphas Cain novel Duty Calls there are mentions of motorcycle like and limo like vehicles as well as in Warrior of Ultramar. Civilians tend to spend alot of time either in prayer, bars, or in their gangs if they are not working it seems.

Especially in Hive Worlds, it seems entertainment is mostly gangs and the rest of civilians go to the occasional bar but mostyl are meaningless slaves in an overwhelming machine that is the Imperium!

....and they all build MORE TANKS!!!!

[Duke]

You would be surprised how much imperial civilians actually don't just eat work and sleep... One of the best books for finding out what civilian life is Iike is the eisenhorn novels.

For the most part the civilians are aware of the many wars and conflicts going on but it seemed that for the most part their lives were more like those civilians in star wars planets. Their lives are determined by the world and it's local government/ climate/ location (I.e. worlds close to the galactic rim are more risky and rough to live on)

One of the worlds in the book had a very naboo feeling to it (Gudrun). A lot of the civilians on that world had hobbies and had an economy similar to modern times with entrepreneurs and upper/middle/lower classes

I really suggest eisenhorn for a great idea on civilian life.

Duke

[ChaosLord127]

I really suggest eisenhorn for a great idea on civilian life.

Duke

I had the omnibus of the trilogy a long time ago. Unfortunately I got it right when I started the hobby (battle of macragge was the extent of my knowledge) so when i tried reading it I got completely lost. I ended up selling it. Guess I'll have to go grab myself another copy. Thank you for the suggestion, I should be able to understand it now.

It is kind of surprising that their lives are more then eat, work, sleep, work, and work (did I mention work?) Pretty much all the information I have on Imperial Cities is from the Cities of Death book, which basically just said that they are slaves.

[Duke]

In manufactorium worlds it is Ike that. But from the way it sounds most of the imperial worlds know nothing of war except when they send their young men to guard regiments (maybe once every generation it seems). But that said it wouldn't seem very cool if the main title of the rule book said "in the dimly lit evening of the far future there is some conflict"

Some things about that book that opened my eyes to civilian life
- the emperor is supplanted as the deity for local religions... "the local religion here is a sun based religion inquisitor." "you mean the sun as the god-emperor, right?" "yes, yes of course i meant the sun as the god-emperor... Naturally"

- the tech is better than we think on civilian level: one guy crashes a land speeder while being chased by a jet bike

- even on cadia there are times of "peace" where there is no current invasion, though they are always on a war footing that doesn't mean there is always an invading force with boots on the ground.

- inquisitors aren't as scary as they seem, though some are downright terrifying!

Etc.

Duke

[ChaosLord127]

"in the dimly lit evening of the far future there is some conflict"


Duke

lol that was pretty funny

- the tech is better than we think on civilian level: one guy crashes a land speeder while being chased by a jet bike

Duke

interesting how he was getting chased by a jetbike, seeing as according to the dark angels codex, the Master of the Ravenwing has the only imperial one left?

- inquisitors aren't as scary as they seem, though some are downright terrifying!


Duke

actually, in a couple black library books I've read, some Inquisitors seem like fairly nice guys/gals, s'long as you aren't on their bad side

[Melissia]

That noone here has yet mentioned Dark Heresy is a travesty.

Seeing as Dark Heresy allows you to play as one of these civilians...

[ChaosLord127]

Well, I am honored that my thread has attracted the attentions of Melissia. That's a good point, didn't think about that. However, I don't think you really play as a "civilian" in Dark Heresy (unless you are the GM)... Or at least I don't think members of an inquisitorial retinue actually count as civilians

[Grailkeeper]

Necromunda is very good on life in a hive, in the gaunts ghost series they meet plenty of civilians, but they're already in a warzone so its not typical everyday civilian life.

[jodrell]

I'd always assumed that civilian life in the 41st millenium was, to quote Hobbes, [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leviathan_%28book%29"]"nasty, brutish and short"[/URL]: endless, brutal toil in unforgiving and harsh working conditions, dominating and oppressive religious theocracy imposing itself into every aspect of your life, and the ever-present threat of being killed in a variety of unpleasant ways by mutants, heretics, cultists, xenos invaders, and overzealous Imperial authorities.

Ian Watson talked about the universe of 40k being "psychotic"; it's hard to imagine living a nice, quiet, middle class suburban lifestyle in a psychotic universe.