SpecialIssue's Analysis of the 41st Millennium

[SpecialIssue]

Hi there - here are going to be a collection of analysis and viewpoints on various fluff points within the 41st millennium. You might have seen me around the forums, and would probably gather that I have some pretty vivid ideas on the setting. I thought it would be good to get my ideas and vision of 40k written down and recorded.

 

Here is the first of what I've got - let's start at square one, the weapon which I love most about the 41st millennium, which encapsulates so much about this setting's methods, reality of warfare and development of technology - massive scale, absolute overkill, no compromise.

 

The Boltgun

Weapon of saints and angels, traitors and tyrants, the fate of the Imperium has always been linked to those who wield this roaring weapon of human supremacy.

 

Firing high explosive rocket-propelled cannon shells (‘bolts’), a boltgun is capable of threatening most targets on a battlefield. The Adeptus Astartes are most efficient with the weapon, for its major drawbacks (weight and recoil, maintenance intensity and ammunition availability) are all mitigated by their physical size, strength and the chapter’s superior artifice capabilities. The superhuman marksmanship and advanced optics every Space Marine possess also enables them to use the weapon to its full anti-material capability, and at ranges exceeding what normal combatants would be expected to be efficient.

Boltguns are characterised by their two-stage propellant system, using a mid-power initial charge to conventionally launch the bolt from the chamber, after which a solid-fuel rocket in the projectile ignites and burns for most of its flight. This accelerates the round to supersonic speed as it leaves the barrel, and ensures a flatter trajectory and sustained velocity without the encumbrance of a longer barrel or greater initial recoil. To prevent ignition thrust disrupting spin-stabilisation or setting the projectile off course, the second-stage rocket ignites while the bolt is still moving down the barrel. The exhaust of the rocket firing within the weapon is usually vented directly through the ejection port as the weapon cycles, as well as gas ports drilled down the length of the thick barrel to the end of the muzzle (ref. rocket-propelled shells, ext‘gen1baneblade’, ‘demolisher’).

Unless utilising specialist ammunition and attachments, the visual and acoustic signature of a boltgun is very distinctive and noticeable. The percussive thunderclap of the initial propellant is staggered with the roar of rocketry and sonic crack of the round accelerating a split second later, producing a deafening report of rapid, rolling thunder. Each shot flings a spent casing and produces a characteristic blast of venting exhaust from the ejection port. A mushroom of fumes erupts from the muzzle ring and a noticeable smoke trail is left as the round streaks into the distance.

Given the two-stage propulsion system, performance of a bolt over its flight is more consistent than similar conventional munitions – marginally slower at close range but preserving kinetic energy and penetrative power over distance. On weapons for lesser combatants (e.g. Imperial Stormtroopers), the two-stage system is largely used to lessen the recoil impulse to a practical degree. By significantly reducing initial propellant charge for greater warhead or second-stage rocketry, recoil of even large projectiles is manageable – at the cost of range and/or close-in penetrative power.

For the Adeptus Astartes, such measures are unnecessary, significant recoil mitigated by their superhuman biological strength, artificial muscle bundles and gyroscopic stabilisation of their power armour, as well as the sheer mass of both the boltgun itself (often heavily armoured and stressed for melee use) and the Marine holding it. These last two factors are also central as to how Astartes are even able to use the weapon in void warfare. In frictionless vacuum and zero-g, lighter combatants would be propelled uncontrollably in the opposite direction with each shot. Astartes, simply by dint of their considerable mass require much more force to shift as noticeably and their boltguns, uncomfortably heavy for any mortal to carry, further dampen impulse. The delayed two-stage nature of the propellant also reduces severity compared to a conventional shell, and all power armour gives further consideration to the issue with auto-corrective venting thrusters and mag boots.

 

In the 41st millennium, most boltguns use a mechanical action to eject spent cartridges and chamber a new round.  Methods vary, but usually involve channelling the force of the gasses produced during firing (Godwyn pattern long-stroke piston, Hesh pattern short-stroke, etc.), or a heavy recoil blowback operation (open-bolt blowback Angelus-pattern sub-bolter). It is well-understood on how to placate the simple machine-spirits in these designs, and such procedures can easily be performed in the field. More ancient or advanced models may instead rely on an electrically fed and operated system, a miniaturisation of principles still common in many marks of Heavy Bolter. In such cases, servos controlled by electronics provide the motive force to actively pull rounds into the chamber and cycle the action, allowing a variable rate of fire on a continuous scale. However, when miniaturised into a personal weapon to be used roughly in close combat (as the Adeptus Astartes are wont to do), the electrics are temperamental, more prone to being damaged and offended to a degree that will require specialist ministrations to their outrage.

Bolt shells may be either spin or fin-stabilised, cased or caseless, each feature with its own advantages and drawbacks. The majority created today are metallically-cased and spin-stabilised via a rifled barrel – making each round simpler in temperament and easier to machine and consecrate en-masse. However, the high-powered ignition of each bolt’s rocket within the barrel quickly degrades rifling; regular maintenance rites at the machine shop level are required to prevent decay in accuracy and power.

Caseless ammunition in comparison is smaller and lighter (allowing carriage of more rounds), and is most conducive with self-stabilised bolts, fired from a smoothbore barrel with either rigid fins which flip out or unfurl as the round leaves the muzzle, or angled exhaust ports on each bolt which impart spin. Dispensing with the need to maintain rifling allows a barrel to last much longer, but such ammunition can also be expected to be more intricate, require more care when handled and demand higher tolerances in their artifice. In the modern age caseless ammunition is relatively uncommon - though there is archaeological evidence to suggest such designs were the majority used in ages past.

On contact with the target, the damage potential of a common bolt is produced from its armour-piercing mass-reactive high-explosive payload. The relative complexity of this personal munition is an effort to maximise stopping power regardless of enemy protection level or bodily fortitude.

Mass-reactive fusing is a catch-all term for a variety of solutions which ensure that the bolt pierces and detonates within a target, while avoiding over-penetration (aided at close range by the slower first-stage velocity compared to conventional ammunition). Common fusing methods include timed-delay on impact, upon crush deformation of the projectile body, or even sophisticated machine-sensing (electromagnetic, thermal, etc.) to detect surrounding mass. As with most such things in the modern age, the simplicity and loyalty of the residing machine-spirit is preferred when meditating on the mechanism to birth.

Regardless of fusing, a hit anywhere on a human combatant wearing Munitorum-standard M.40 flak armour with carbifibre plate inserts has been empirically shown to result in a casualty rate of 98.7%, with the wound inflicted being classed as fatal 97.52% of the time (see ref. Rho-Alpha BL564, for Adeptus Mechanicus statistical sample dated 222.M.39-222.M.40). The kinetic energy of the large-calibre round is significant, able to punch the adamantium tip through flak armour with ease to detonate within the vitals. A hit anywhere in centre mass results in explosive coring of the subject, guaranteeing a fatality through spectacular destruction of the chest/torso. Even ‘glancing’ shots that hit extremities have a similar fatality rate (94.23%) – kinetic force and/or explosive detonation destroy the limb, causing massive attendant hydrostatic shock effects to the rest of the body along with the blast wave and fragmentation cone. Against completely unarmoured targets, over-penetration is still an occurrence at close range, even with proper fusing. However, the violent impact and passage of the large bolt alone is usually enough to incapacitate most organisms so fragile.

 

Even if the round fails to directly connect or penetrate, the close detonation of deflected and partially-penetrating bolts can stun or stagger armoured infantry not prepared for the impact. Against light infantry, a single round's fragmentation and blast effects can incapacitate multiple closely-packed enemies. Many civilian and most natural structures are also not proof against the boltgun – such cover is easily penetrated and rapidly degraded by the explosive power of multiple shells.

 

This damage potential carries over when encountering heavily mechanised foes. Astartes demi-squads armed with nothing but boltguns have been observed single-handedly blunting and even stopping multi-platoon armoured assaults, in defiance of all mortal military convention. While not able to outright destroy main-line armoured vehicle, boltguns are still potent anti-material weapons in the hands of the Adeptus Astartes. Whether close-in or from a distance, the Marines as infantry are able to use battlefield terrain and superior sensory awareness to avoid the restricted and predictable sight-lines, weapon orientations and movement of buttoned-up vehicles. Their infantry silhouette and sheer speed makes them difficult to sight and track with heavy weapons capable of incapacitating them, as they rapidly reposition between bursts of pinpoint fire. Aiming for tracks, vision ports, sensory clusters, exposed crew and delicate weapons, they leave armoured columns immobile, insensate and uncoordinated. In such a state vehicles are effectively out of the battle, forced to disengage if able, or allow the Astartes to close in to slaughter the crew and ensure their destruction with grenades and melee weapons.

In short, the power afforded to a Space Marine by a full-size Godwyn pattern boltgun (there are numerous sub-calibres taming the weapon for mortals) can be approximated to rapid-fire light vehicle cannon – but with the handiness of a compact auto weapon and the accuracy of a designated marksman’s anti-material rifle. Given the firepower and flexibility a mere squad is afforded with these weapons, one can only imagine the thunderous power once unleashed by the fury of the Legions.

 

Author Notes

You might have noticed I have failed to mention the exact calibre of the holy boltgun. While official figures sit at 0.75cal (~20mm) I believe this is a too small size if we wish to maintain their iconic proportions as depicted in all 40k artwork to date. 20mm is far too small in proportion to the barrel or the Marine holding it. This is illustrated well in an article done a while ago by one of our Frater.

 

The above article posits an upscale to .998cal (~25mm) to partially solve this size disparity, based in part on a misinterpretation of a 3rd ed. schematic (it labels the gun as belonging to the year .998, not its calibre). I however believe this is the correct sentiment if we wish to retain the visual heft of the boltgun as envisioned by GW over 30 years. In addition, I believe the ‘official’ 20mm is at the barely-acceptable level in power for Space Marines to be effective, given their relative rarity and when compared to their opponents in both 30k and 40k.

 

Obviously, this requires Heavy Bolters (officially sitting at a flat 1.00cal/25mm) to also be enlarged. I say 40mm, based on the sheer heft they have in iconic art. And going further up the line, many say that ‘autocannons’ are equivalent to a modern 40mm Bofors autocannon. But look at the size difference in barrel between a pred/hydra with an actual 40mm. (the Ajax AFV, UK's new armoured cav scout, 40mm cannon main gun).

 

They look like sticks in comparison to an Imperial armoured vehicle scale - they're too small. I always thought the ‘autocannons’ of the 41st millennium are more like clip/autoloader-fed rapid-fire HE 76mm Sherman guns. That’s more like it. I play a homebrew ‘truescale’ 40k ruleset, and have autocannons pegged as Blast weapons.

Edited November 30, 2017 by SpecialIssueAmmo

[MordentHex]

Please Sir, may I have another? :)

[Wulf Vengis]

Indeed. This should be a weekly thing. Perhaps a companion YouTube video too?

 

Either way keep these coming.

[Spyros]

Well done!

It would be interesting to expand on Boltgun Special Issue Ammunition.

[MordentHex]

Power weapons please!!!

[SpecialIssue]

Its been a while, and GW's fluff has really put a dampener on my enthusiasm for 40k recently. But its good to know that some people are enjoying my thoughts, and I've been putting down some more on the series of write-ups I've planned. Here is the next bit I've finished.

 

The Chainsword

A staple in the panoply of mankind for millennia, the chainsword is the culmination of advanced mechanised warfare fused with the timeless brutal necessity of close combat.

 

Like the boltgun, its design seeks to ensure lethality against the diverse horrors of the galaxy by maximising internal trauma inflicted. Hence, the simple blades of ages past are replaced with motorised adamantine-carbide teeth, sharpened to a monomolecular edge – that is, the edge of each tooth tapers to the width of a single molecule of adamantium. The hardest substance known to Man machined to the sharpest degree physically possible, to merely touch such an edge is to draw blood, a simple brush of the fingers enough to cut to the bone, and a swing from a Space Marine able to gouge ceramite. Thus each bladed tooth of the sword is hard and sharp enough to penetrate the target on its own merit when swung, without any motorised action. This capability prevents the blade simply bouncing off of foes, as the initial penetration allows the teeth to gain a foothold to saw further with motorised assistance. In comparison, conventional civilian motor-saws largely rely on teeth movement to bite and cut. They require gentler, steady pressure to the target, to ensure the blade gains the purchase to bite and doesn't break under the force of impact.

 

Unfortunately for most of the Imperium, this monomolecular edge will rarely last long. The vast majority of field units of the Imperial Guard will never have access to the facilities or knowledge to maintain their chainswords to their original manufactory level, and will find their blades lose their edge with use. Thus, it is only with the Imperium’s elite of the Adeptus Astartes and Schola Progenium that the potential of the chainsword is consistently realised. These organisations are able to source the materials, access the equipment and have the skills to maintain the monomolecular cutting edge for every battle.

 

Whilst it is the edge of the chainblade's teeth that penetrate and cut, it is their powered movement which kills. The function of the motorised teeth is largely not for penetration, but to maximise internal damage as the swing cleaves through the target. A chainsword entering a body is not just a simple slice; the movement of each tooth also exerts torsion and yawing action, wrenching the target's innards apart through moving force. A Marine will easily cut straight and clean with the monomolecular edge, but the momentum imparted to the target’s internals results in damage far in excess of the initial path of the blade. This is in comparison to a power sword, which will fail to cause more than localised wounds – unacceptable when facing hardy enemies with distributed or redundant organs. A chainsword will ensure the death of the foe by ripping apart the inner cavity of the creature with applied torque, achieving maximum area of effect and trauma with each strike.

 

On most examples, the weapon can be throttled via the pull grip built into the hilt, the standard chugging idle instantly revving to a flesh-shredding scream, or to the roar of ceramite-sawing full power. As of the last few millennia, motive force is usually supplied by a hybrid engine – an efficient multi-fuel thermic-combustion engine coupled with a subsidiary in-built power cell. This is a reliability and endurance feature – the motor only directly runs the chain when throttled, instead charging the power cell whilst idling. Thus even after combustion fuel has run out the blade still has access to a reservoir of instantly-accessible power, and typically means the chainsword is combat-ready for days at a time. A sufficiently charged power cell will also automatically provide a momentary surge in torque during seizures of the blade, to clear the blockage and protect the reciprocating motor from self-destruction.

 

Alternatively, gearing may instead be connected via cables directly to the power armour power pack for indefinite operation. While common on older chainsword models, it is believed this method has fallen out of favour due to the reliability issues that exposed cabling often presents in hard combat, and the impedance and tangling it can cause when handling the weapon. The endurance of the hybrid engine and ubiquity of its fuels have shown to be a sufficient substitute. Tolerances and efficiencies of common military-grade thermic units, from Rhinos to Leman Russes to chainswords, ensure that most combustibles are suitable ad-hoc fuel.

 

The methodology and technique of chainsword fighting has been largely homogenised by the end of the 41st millennium, and is reflected in the widespread use of a certain patterns and styles of blade throughout the galaxy. Most of these are single-edged weapons, the return chain covered in a armoured cowling, with hilt and sometimes guard (ref. Mk X ‘Hell’s Teeth’ series, Mk VI ‘Redemptor’ etc.)

 

These blades are optimised for forehanded durability. Each tooth is very wide compared to civilian examples, and has a long and low-angled forward cutting edge with a much shorter back edge, forming an obtuse or even right-angled triangle. This wide, long and shallow shape serves to decrease the chance of tooth breakage from yawing movement and lateral torsion force when the teeth are motorised. Unfortunately, its strong directionality also means that the return chain is unsuitable to be swung at the enemy – its very design for forehanded durability makes it ineffective when orientated the opposite way. Thus modern chainsword fighting is primarily a slashing affair using the forehand chain edge, combined with bludgeoning attacks with the armoured blade cowling. Thrusting with the tip at weak spots is also possible, making sure to idle the blade and relying completely on the monomolecular edge at the end to penetrate.

 

While modern chainswords largely follow this philosophy, ancient examples carbon-dated to be thousands of years old often are quite different in the minutiae of their form and function. The primordial Thunder Edge pattern for example, has long dagger-like teeth that have greater penetrative power, and allows both sides of the uncovered blade to be used. However, the thinner form of the teeth means that they are significantly more likely to break during hard combat – both on impact when swung, and when motorised to chew through targets. Carapace armour and above also continues to provide stubborn resistance, even with this design. Without the blade cowling on the chain's return track, the chain is also more likely to be thrown during onerous or awkward angles of use. Here we can see the Omnissiah's preference over the millennia for ruggedisation and standardisation of Astartes equipment; reliability, ease of production and maintenance coming at the cost of some combat features through His sacred Machine-evolution.

 

But no matter the specific teeth or blade design, all chainsword martial techniques must account for the tendency of the moving blade to jerk and pull in the direction it is spinning. This quality can be used to trap conventional (i.e. non-energised) blades and disarm or off-balance the foe; yet it also increases the chance of the teeth failing to find purchase, introduces the possibility of losing control of the sword, and allows the opponent to use this force to their advantage when parrying. To maximise initial penetration and make the blade more controllable, users are trained to idle their chainswords when swinging and rely on the monomolecular edge to bite. Thus it is actually only when the death stroke begins to cleave through the target’s innards does a revving chainsword reach its crescendo. Again, it is emphasised that the motorised teeth are not there to aid penetration, but to further the internal damage dealt to the target.

 

Against lesser foes, the chainsword is a weapon of reaping terror, as much a psychological weapon as a lethal one. Mortals are understandably shaken at the spectacle of their comrades' reduction to splattered meat, and against foes that feel neither pain nor terror, the weapon ensures their incapacitation by the sheer physical damage it inflicts. As a crowd control weapon and killer of fleshy monstrosities then, the chainsword is extremely effective.

 

When faced by carapace-level protection and above, aiming for joints and weaknesses is the user’s best (and largely only) option. The monomolecular edge alone won’t guarantee penetration, and holding the teeth on target to grind through leaves the user vulnerable for far too long. The brute strength of Astartes and ruggedness of modern armoured blades somewhat attenuates this problem – the blunt force trauma of an Astartes’ swing is often enough to flatten a man or lesser beast whether or not the blade penetrates.

 

However, against other Astartes and armoured or larger foes, chainsword fighting often devolves into gruesome, messy and lengthy affairs. While more than capable of gutting the chest cavity of an Astartes in one strike, getting the blade past his exterior and sub-dermal armour is a hard ask. The chainsword wielder will be forced to strike at weak spots in the armour, primarily at the limbs and their joints, to sufficiently weaken the foe for an unhindered kill stroke at the vitals. Combatants will resort to grappling, hamstringing, and disarming each other (in both literal senses) in a battle of endurance and blade skill, closely using other equipment (grenades, sidearms, jump pack) to gain an advantage. The favoured killing strike on an Astartes is through the flexible armpit directly into the chest cavity, circumventing the armoured rib plates entirely; or decapitation at the neck joint. These are the only lethal weaknesses to Astartes in uncompromised power armour that can be readily exploited by chainswords.

 

Author Notes

Chainswords are utterly impractical IRL using the tech and designs we're familiar with. Much of what has been said is an explanation around these realities, relying on unimaginable metallurgy and engineering accessible to the far future (mono-molecular edges, adamantium, extremely efficient and powerful thermic/combustion power) to hand wave them away.

 

The key issues are: a motorised moving chain is probably the worst thing you can have for a penetrative weapon (on a swing it is redirecting/deflecting the force of its own impact with the perpendicular movement of its own teeth which causes it to bounce/skitter off the target when striking), the moving chain is extremely prone to breakage when striking hard with it, the motor is extremely prone to destroying itself should it seize, the blade will get clogged in no time.

 

A few elements of their design I wanted to keep and make work: they are most often combustion powered, the general geometry of their teeth, the fact they are effective weapons in-universe.

 

Other elements I've switched up from what has been presented - the Heresy-era Thunder Edge pattern shows the same rough teeth design as 41st millennium designs, but I believe that 30k should not be a simple copy-paste of M.40, with ‘more stuff’. The two periods are separated by 10,000 years, and will have had combat doctrines and 'sacred machine evolution' influence their respective equipment choices and designs.

Edited December 18, 2017 by SpecialIssueAmmo

[Doctor Perils]

Wow, that's an awesome description, SpecialIssueAmunition! It makes chainswords almost believable :lol:

 

One thing I noticed at the end was how you mentioned delivering the killing blow through the armpit right at the end: however, you mentioned earlier on that stabbing isn't effective with chainswords - I believe that may be an incoherence.

Moreover, mkIV PA and above have soft armour at the elbows and behind the knees - I think it would be worth mentionning that an initial incapacitating strike at the limbs might be useful in order to then decapitate the opponent :)

[MordentHex]

This is what an imperial uplifting primer should really be. Haven't enjoyed an equipment data insight sense 2nd edition.

[SpecialIssue]

In the shadow of the rumored fluff monstrosity that is Improved Marines, I quickly finished this to remember why the Adeptus Astartes are known as the Angels of Death, and why they deserve this heavy mythos. I also updated the above posts with a few more notes and thoughts.

 

Personal Capabilities and Resilience

Homo Astartes

The Adeptus Astartes are singular in their capability throughout the entire galaxy, their creation rooted in ill-understood and lost sciences. Designed by His inscrutable genius solely as an army of conquest, they proved to be a nigh-unstoppable force when unleashed. At their peak, Legions numbering mere hundreds of thousands swept away entire civilizations in months. They established a domain spanning a million worlds and a hundred thousand light years in just two short centuries, rapidly besting every foe they came across.

 

For the past ten millennia, groups of 1,000 of these warriors have been instrumental in campaigns against armies that number in the billions, affecting apocalyptic campaigns that have raged across decades and star systems, in the thick of battlefields where entire worlds clash. What kind of horrific capabilities allow so few warriors to perform such legendary feats?

 

The 19 organs resulting in the creation of a homo astartes are well-documented and their function broadly known. Their exact mechanics on the other hand are ill-understood, with biological features not analogous in much of nature, let alone humans. Many of these organs are auxiliary in function and variably grant Space Marines the ability to hibernate, neutralise poisons, spit acid, breath in hostile atmospheres/water, and immunity to motion-sickness/dizziness. While all are important, this treatise will focus on how the most pivotal enhance direct combat capabilities.

 

The Body

In comparison to their human origins, the Adeptus Astartes are firstly massive in physical size and mass, granting incredible strength and resilience. This physical transformation is laregly affected by the Ossmodula and Biscopaea, implanted in close succession and among the most dangerous and least-understood procedures in the initiation. If either of these organs is not regulated to match the other, over the coming months the subject’s increasing muscular tension will slowly rip his body apart, or rapidly expanding bones will begin to tear into his tissue and organs.

 

The Biscopaea organ releases complex hormones synced with male puberty to develop the body’s muscle tissue to massive size and density. In power, efficiency and contractive speed, these designer-muscles are far superior to even a peak human in a heavily-selected environment (ref. native Catachan v. civilised world homo sapien morphology). The result is a Marine can accurately throw a grenade the size of a mortar bomb greater than ~80 yards (~110 metres), pitch krak grenades in excess of 120mph (200km/h) at a tank, bend steel and punch through concrete with his gauntleted fists, let alone snap bone and crush skulls. Despite his great mass, in sprint he is as fast as a motor vehicle, can force march for days through rough terrain faster than most humans run (20km/h), and react and change his orientation with whip-like speed.

 

Meanwhile an attendant massive growth in skeletal gauge and a militarisation of its structure is undertaken via the Ossmodula. Under its hormonal direction, the inner functionalities of the marrow remain largely unchanged (see ref. anomalous, ‘Sanguilia’) – but the outer, cortical layers of the bones are built up to a massive degree. Ceramite deposits and sheathing are laid down over and throughout this new bone growth, synthesized and processed by the Ossmdula from the ritual nutrient formulae imbibed as part of the Astartes diet. It is not unknown for shells to simply glance off exposed Astartes bones, and archaeological digs at ancient battle sites reveal skeletons studded with shell fragments and the tell-tale cratering of partially-penetrated bolt detonations.

 

This 'natural' bone armour is used to its utmost – the Ossmodula also remodels the skeletal form, morphing it to enclose and protect the vital organs within osseous ‘armoured citadels’ (ref. warship design). The ribs widen into a mass of overlapping armour plates for total coverage over the chest cavity (while still allowing chest expansion and dilation), and the cranium builds to a solid-ceramic ‘helmet’ encasing the brain and spinal stem. Meanwhile, the long bones necessarily grow enormously to support larger muscular attachments and strength/load bearing capabilities.

 

These developments mean that power armour is merely the first layer of military-grade protection an Astartes is afforded. Should an attacker somehow manage to breach power armour, his vital functions are still protected from most mundane personal weapons.

 

The other vital implants of an Astartes’ early journey to brotherhood are his secondary heart and tertiary lung (multi-lung). In addition to providing the boost to circulation required for a more demanding organ system as well as providing an auxiliary filter function, they ensure a backup/redundancy to his circulatory system. Should his primary organs be incapacitated, a Marine will still live to continue the fight or retreat.

 

The Blood

The tiny Haemastamen increases the haemoglobin content of the subject's red blood cells, making them more efficient at carrying oxygen molecules around the body, and the subject's blood a bright red. A greater oxygen supply circulating the body improves functionality and vitality, and slows onset of oxygen starvation should breathing not be possible.

 

Larraman’s Organ is responsible for the creation of the miraculous Larraman ('l’) cells found throughout an Astartes’ bloodstream. These greatly enhance the speed of the body's wound-healing and clotting functions. Often found piggybacked to white blood cells throughout the body, these are large non-nuclear cells which carry a potent, dense packet of complex biological material. Like platelets (still produced by Astartes marrow/pancreas), they are attracted to the site of a wound and activated by the natural factors released with the exposure of collagen tissue.

 

At the site of the injury, while platelets chemically change shape and bind together as normal, the engineered l-cells instead rupture. Releasing a cocktail of chemicals, enzymes and complex proteins, the chemical reagents first undergo a rapid exothermic reaction in the oxygen-rich medium. This grants the attendant enzymes the optimum activation energy and temperature to near-instantaneously form fibrin strands from the pre-packaged proteins also released. Just as in baseline humans, these fibrin strands are responsible for the permanent closing of the wound, but here in Astartes, they are produced at a greatly accelerated rate. Additional attractants and binders are also present to vigorously attract further platelets and l-cells to the wound and speed up the process exponentially.

 

Thus even a gushing arterial fountain from a breached jugular will slow to a gurgle within seconds. Able to be consciously controlled by the Astartes nervous/pulmonary system, capillaries and veins powerfully constrict around the wound to staunch bloodflow to the wound area. Blood exuded from the injury visibly froths and hisses with the chemical reaction of rupturing l-cells and their released energies, rapidly hardening into a plug of rough,  fibrous tissue. It is exceedingly difficult to exsanguinate a Space Marine to incapacitation in a combat scenario.

 

The Mind

These first implants are primarily responsible for the Adeptus Astartes’ legendary physical resilience and raw strength, and are usually implanted in close succession. They are followed by the Catalepsean node and further auxiliary organs which alter his consciousness and senses, along with the beginning of hypno-therapy and mental conditioning. It is these procedures which begin the second great transformation, granting the Marine conscious control of most of his body functions, and starting expansion and mastery of his mind.

 

The Catalepsean node is implanted at the back of the brain, and its overt function is to alter the aspirant's sleep patterns and response to sleep deprivation. It also allows a Marine to consciously shut down specific areas of the brain in order to gain neurological rest while remaining awake. This last function is indicative of the further changes the node starts – the Astartes’ growing ability to consciously control his organs. Many of his auxiliary implants require this in order to function, such as the multi-lung and preomnor, but perhaps most important is his awareness of his circulatory and nervous system.

 

Pain and shock are the greatest impediments for continued combat effectiveness for any mortal, and all the physical enhancements to the Astartes would actually mean comparatively little if this weakness was not done away with. As part of the proper hypnotic indoctrination procedures and starting with the implantation of the Catalepsean Node, by sheer will alone a Space Marine can shut off relevant nerve signals from parts of the body he targets, literally refusing to feel the pain. Like an arthropod whose body has been crushed or torn grievously, instead of distraction or discomfort, he will instead have simple recognition that there is damage done to his body. Thus he is still able to fight to his full ability, bar the effects of the actual physical damage sustained.

 

An Astartes is also able to regulate his two hearts to slow or boost overall blood flow when needed. Specific areas of the body can also be targeted by conscious constriction or dilation of local blood vessels; either to stem blood loss or boost bloodflow to the brain in high-gs. Combined with the pressure suit functionalities of power armour, Astartes are generally immune to blacking out. When deprived of a breathable atmosphere, a Space Marine is also able to limit select organ functionalities to save blood oxygen and extend endurance before unconsciousness.

 

It is also well-known that homo astartes surpasses a human in mental agility, memory and motor control. From the implantation of the Catalepsean Node to the completion of the Sus-an Membrane, 'grey matter' mass increases substantially in-line with skull expansion, posited as necessary to provide the motor-neurons to control the Space Marine's larger and more complex musculature and organ set. Concurrently, there is an explosion of neural activity, with synapse density and plasticity increasing by a significant degree, creating new neural pathways and connections at a rate similar to a human new-born; for indeed these men are being born-again. Without this synaptic mass and concentration of neural activity, it is doubtful a Space Marine would be able to fully process their enhanced senses, neurologically control their power armour and organs, and manoeuvre and react with their large bodies as quickly as a normal man, let alone at the super human speeds which they do.

 

One of the last procedures in the creation of an Astartes, the implantation of the Sus-an Membrane is also one of the most disturbing. Originally a small patch of tissue placed at the top of the brain, it grows at speed over the coming months to cover the entire surface of the cerebrum, ganglia spreading over and growing into the cortex. Soon the familiar wrinkles of the human brain are completely encased in a smooth sheath of thin, semi-transparent nervous membrane. Highly arcane and misunderstood, it is postulated that along with its discrete function of allowing the Astrtes to enter a state of full-body shutdown and suspended animation, this organelle is the final overarching ‘roof’ (both literally and figuratively) which solidifies and consolidates the meld of the body’s conscious and unconscious functionalities.

 

The Result

Given the Astartes’ resilience and disregard for psycho-physiological trauma, to render them combat ineffective requires both the power to penetrate their exo-/endo-skeletal armour, and the area of effect once through to cause systemic damage to the vital life-sustaining functions of the central nervous or cardiovascular systems. Unlike mortals, ephemeral things such as blood loss, losing limbs, evisceration, stripping of muscle and tissue, broken bones, 1st degree burns, the loss of a heart or lung – even a combination of these won't ensure the cessation of a Marine's hostile intent and render him a casualty. Instead, incapacitation of his brain, spine, both hearts or at least two lungs is generally required to halt an Astartes' advance – which usually means the complete destruction of their hardened chest cavity or brain case.

 

In heavy combat, Marines both loyal and traitor can become nightmarish visions of horrifically mutilated yet seemingly unstoppable monsters. Vid captures abound of hulking Astartes moving with inhuman speed and skill, their jaws and faces blown off, skulls/craniums exposed, lower torsos eviscerated, muscles flayed to harsh bone. There is a terrible realness to the title, Angels of Death, and perhaps highlights how different these creatures actually are to the blessed form of homo sapiens.

 

Weapons generally associated with anti-tank roles on a conventional battlefield are recommended to deal with Astartes resilience.

In addition, the combat implications of the neurological enhancements to an Astartes are many-fold. Superhuman control of his nervous system and conscious perception of his musculature enables Astartes to coordinate their bodies on a level impossible to humans. E.g., every time he acquires a target and discharges his weapon, in that split-second he wills his enhanced muscles (and by extension his power-armour’s motive fiber bundles) to lock to steady his aim and ensure nigh-perfect accuracy.

 

In addition, his memory capacity and dedication allow him not only hone physical abilities and tactics, but learn combat minutiae that no man could ever hope to. Whether by rote knowledge and training (i.e. Ultramarines), implanted experience or pure instinct (as in the Space Wolves), he will be able to instantly apply everything he has learned or experienced about warfare, and commands almost preternatural situational awareness.

 

He will know the time it takes to fully rotate the turret of a Leman Russ tank sitting on a hill 2 miles away, extrapolate that into the time taken to bring its gun to bear on him, and be able to factor that in with the thousands of other combat stimuli he receives every second (distant artillery, vox orders, etc.) even as he shoots, stabs and disembowels in a trench with precision. He can perceive and consciously evade slower projectiles that move towards him (rocketry, long-range shelling). Thanks to his superior mental capacity, perception, reflexes and skill, on a moment to moment basis he can apply all this information to his decisions and awareness, in the thick of combat.

 

Thus can be seen the dilemma in combatting the duality of Astartes – bringing to bear point-effect anti-tank weapons to directly hit a fast-moving infantryman with post-human awareness and reactions.

 

A fully-developed Astartes should be viewed as nothing less than a purpose-built biological war machine, with capabilities verging on what seem to be divine to the uninitiated. Each armed with rapid fire explosive cannons (boltgun), personal light artillery (frag grenades), close-range anti-tank (krak bombs), and enhanced close combat ability, his kind has been a lethal scourge across the galaxy for 10,000 years, posing a terrifying military problem to every enemy faced. True full-spectrum warriors, they combine the fearlessness and implacability of a machine, with the silhouette, flexibility and situational awareness of elite infantry, and the armour, firepower and mobility of a tank. This triad of capabilities in one unit is almost singular in achievement across an entire galaxy and epoch of conflict.

 

If this is what His Adeptus Astartes are capable of, then it beggars belief imagining the martial capabilities of the near-mythical Adeptus Custodes, let alone the ancient legends of the Primarchs themselves.

 

Author Notes

This ‘power level’ of the Adeptus Astartes will challenge what many envision Space Marines as capable of, based on the material to be found from FW/GW which for the most part depict very unimaginative/pedestrian Space Marine combat. However, it makes little sense for them to be anything less, as they would not be able to achieve what they have with their numbers if they did not have this power (in both the Crusade and 10,000 years since), or if they performed exactly as BL/FW have described. This is the primary driver which I base my thoughts on, since the fact that they are so few in number, yet are able to conquer a galaxy is central to their mythos. I have merely rationalised the abilities they must have to make this possible, by extrapolating their capabilities from the well-known procedure in their creation.

 

The Adeptus Astartes are the Angels of Death – isn’t it more evocative, doesn’t it freight more gravitas for this title to actually have an element of truth behind it?

 

Technical design choices:

 

Strength, Speed, Athletics: All the performance figures given I believe are entirely plausible (and conservative) given that most have already been accomplished by humans. Athletes today pitch/bowl balls at 200kmph, the fastest marathon ever was run at an average speed of 20kmph, and many sports require their players to throw huge distances with accuracy, etc, etc. Astartes should be able to perform at least at the level of peak human (Catachans?), so these figures probably still short-change them.

 

Larraman cells: I consider it slightly ‘less realistic’ for Larraman cells to simply be ‘better platelets’ in form and function (i.e. they “bind together faster/better”). If they are to function simply by binding together, a near-instantaneous strong clot requires the l-cells either be present in large number immediately at the wound site, be inordinately large, or both. Neither these facts are noted as being so in the fiction, nor strike me as particularly feasible; such concentrations throughout the bloodstream would impede delivery of red blood cells. Thus, the chemical reaction which greatly speeds the formation of fibrin on-site and stimulates further platelet/L-cells. It is also a much cooler visual to see the wounds curdle and fizz as the clot forms, rather than mundanely fade into a soft scab. It further highlights the SM’s engineered and inhuman nature.

 

Reflexes: Eldar have been described as perceiving humans moving as if they in clumsy slow motion, and I believe this is the speed their mind must move to have any chance with their limited numbers and resilience. Space Marines likewise must be quick to be effective in the ordnance saturated, high-intensity warfare they are regularly depicted in. While they are better protected, even when they were Legions they’re even rarer than Eldar. SM responses are based more on super-humanly quick application of combat knowledge and instinct, rather than the conscious perception of every single combat detail for the Eldar. To an Eldar, a Space Marine is like a unsubtle monster, clearly telegraphing every move he's about to make, but moving at surprising speed if the Eldar is distracted. To a mere human, he is a terrifying giant that nonetheless seems to move as a blur.

 

“The appearance [of a Space Marine] alone cowed you with fear.

But to see one move. ... The sight of a [space Marine] was one thing, but the moving fact of one was quite another. The psychologists called it transhuman dread. It froze a man, stuck him to the ground, caused his mind to lock up, made him lose control of bladder and bowel. Something huge and warlike gave pause: something huge and warlike and moving with the speed of a striking snake, that was when you knew that gods moved amongst men, and that there existed a scale of strength and speed beyond anything mortal, and that you were about to die...”

 

Christian Dunn. “Age of Darkness”

 

Edited December 18, 2017 by SpecialIssueAmmo

[MordentHex]

very nice brother, they are indeed scary at the very least.

[reckoning]

Of all the things I love about this hobby and its setting, you've reminded me what my favorite has always been.

 

Thank you.

[SpecialIssue]

Its been a long while, but it's been a busy couple of months for me, and so it seems for GW. I am increasingly realizing many of my thoughts and ideas on 40k are no longer compatible with the new 40k that GW/FW have been growing. All I can do is preserve a vision of 40k grown organically from earlier material.

 

But what is 40k if not a vision?

 

Here is the latest which I have. I hope to follow soon with Adeptus Astartes deployment methods and an analysis of their foes' responses to their capabilities. I have also gone through previous posts and added some thoughts/spoiler tags and such to make them more readable. Thanks for reading.

 

Fleet and Void Combat

Introduction

“When Roboute Guilliman set about the long and arduous task of preparing the Codex Astartes, the role of space vessels amongst the Adeptus Astartes proved a particular sticking point. For an Imperium still reeling from the internecine Heresy that almost tore it apart, the division of power was a vitally important consideration.

 

A compromise was reached which limited the Space Marines to vessels whose primary role was that of transport, delivery and suppression to facilitate planetary assault. Only the smallest of vessels would be permitted to act exclusively as gunships, with the larger strike cruisers and battlebarges remaining predominately as aids to invasion, supposedly ensuring the Space Marines would never present a threat to the Imperial Navy proper. Inevitably, the wrangling over interpretation of a ship’s “primary role” has ensued ever since.”

 

Design Features

The fleets of the Adeptus Astartes are observed to be a core part of their order of battle, highly integrated with ground operations in comparison to the rigid delineation in Navy-Guard task forces. An Astartes force on an overt-action campaign can expect constant close-in support by space-based assets in direct contact with units on the ground.

 

The broad capital warship classifications of battle barge and strike cruiser as dictated by the Codex are the primary ships of the line employed by Space Marine chapters. Modern designs are built on select Forge Worlds or Segmentum shipyards according to fully approved Adeptus Mechanicus procedures – yet seem to have little in common with those built and salvaged by the Imperial Navy (Armada Imperialis) or Martian Explorator Fleet (Basilikon Astra).

 

Unlike those two broad morphologies, Astartes classes have a much smaller crew compliment relative to their size; chapter serfs, servitors and automated systems run most of the ship, supervised by a few Space Marine officers and a compliment of a few Techmarines. In this, the influence of the Codex can perhaps again be seen in their design – crewed roles requiring Astartes have been minimised, freeing them to be applied directly to the foe as infantry.

 

Thus Astartes vessels are primarily made to ensure and expedite the delivery of their rare cargo.

 

A significant portion of their mass is dedicated to physical armour, their distinctive blocky silhouettes formed by massive slabs of ablative adamantine and ceramite, able to absorb the megaton yields unleashed with every salvo in void combat. Literally hundreds of metres thick on average and equivalent to the heaviest Imperial Navy ramming prow armour, Astartes void ships are superlatively protected on all aspects – battle barges, without hyperbole are able to survive gunfire from entire squadrons of cruisers, while strike cruisers can be expected to close through the gunfire of battlecruisers.

 

Further to ensure the delivery of their Marine complement, modern strike cruisers in particular are engineered for high performance in the void, with a large ratio of high-performance reactors to their relative size class, with exemplary manoeuvrability thanks to this and heavily armoured and redundant arrays of vector-rudders, which also act as additional ablative armour around the engineering sections.

 

Apart from engineering and armour, most of the remaining hull space within Marine vessels is given over to hangar and transport/logistics capabilities. Most strike cruisers have the capacity to launch an entire company’s worth of heavy equipment simultaneously from their hangars and drop racks, and contain the supplies and infrastructure to support basic equipment and consumables almost indefinitely; as befits the Astartes’ role as an expeditionary force. The much rarer battle barges are often the central home of fleet-based chapters, fitted-out to support the chapter's entire supply and training requirements, often containing extensive mock battlefields and vehicle courses, along with the chapter’s ancient artificer reliquaries and even self-contained forges. Most Astartes ships-of-the-line also contain a teleportarium – a technological wonder in itself which is unsuited for any other force except the Space Marines, due to its stresses and risks.

 

With few exceptions, Space Marine void gunnery is mandated by both Codex and Mechanicus sanction as being close-range dual-purpose barrage-type ordnance, optimised for blanket coverage but effective against both void and planetside targets. These ‘bombardment guns’ fire massive physical shells, typically with highly destructive multi-megaton blast warheads. While the particulars of each preferred payload may vary between chapters and ships (ranging from nucleonic-tipped to simply huge amounts of densely-packed chemical explosive), their general effects are the same; trading range and penetration for huge area-of-effect firepower.

 

As strategic support weapons, sustained broadsides by strike cruisers armed with bombardment cannon will flatten a mountain or level a typical Armageddon-type hive city. This close-range firepower is needed to suppress heavy void defences and excavate hidden and entrenched planetary defence complexes; but are also used to annihilate support infrastructure and large concentrations of foes in non-critical areas, or destructively change local environmental conditions in preparation for the assault. Their indiscriminate nature does mean they are unsuitable for tactical usage, and thus subcaliber rounds, point-defence guns and secondary batteries are substituted instead.

 

Useage

In comparison to the stately cruisers of the Imperial Navy, or the baroque hybrid assault-carriers of the Traitors, the modern ships of the Adeptus Astartes can be characterised as unsubtle close-range brawlers (“pugilistic”). Apparently in order to do away with their potential for dominance in space, Marine ship-of-the-line lack examples of long/mid-range anti-ship guns, such as boosted plasma batteries and the hallowed lance.

 

However, assaults on planetary systems can be expected to descend into devastating close-quarter affairs, with combatants often only a few kilometres apart in chaotic boarding actions amidst punishing firepower. Here, where Space Marines are most likely to find themselves, the advantages of dedicated long-range gunnery are prevented from coming to the fore. Fleet manoeuvres by defenders are often constrained by the need to interpose themselves between the attacker and the planet, and must also account for the complex gravitational forces at work. Optimal formations and fire arcs are often hard to execute in a timely manner, with ships sluggish and the effective range of shot curbed in the heavy gravity well. This reduces the time and options to maintain effective positioning to maximise the potential of long-range deep-void guns.

 

The ships of the Adeptus Astartes can be seen to have been wrought for these very conditions then.

 

Compared to the dedicated ship-to-ship guns of the Imperial Navy, the physical projectiles of bombardment cannons are relatively short-ranged; however, they require little power-draw from the reactor for full function. Without the burden of powering long-range energy weaponry, Astartes ships instead leverage their reactors to maintain flank speed to close on the enemy and manoeuvre in the thick of gravity-well combat, their superlative armour and shields absorbing the firepower they inevitably catch. Rapidly positioning themselves amidst the enemy, they then overwhelm opponents at chaotic close range with aggressive boarding action and supporting blast gunnery.

 

At close range, the highly-automated quick-fire salvos from bombardment guns work to reduce the shields and pound the superstructure of ships and starforts to wrecks. Importantly, their massive explosive payloads also work to obscure and add to the chaos of combat, wreathing the field in huge clouds of expanding gas, energies and debris.  This often inhibits the coordination of the enemy battle line and fire lanes, and massive strikecraft waves that vastly outnumber the Marine’s numbers can be swept away by point-blank proximity blast fire.

 

It is amidst this apocalyptic firepower that boarding parties in assault rams, gunships, pods and torpedoes are fired in a single huge wave, at close range and high velocity to minimise the possibility of interception. The true striking force of the Astartes fleet, they will distract, cripple, scuttle and even capture enemy vessels.

 

Explosively braking to pass through energy shields, these heavily-armoured boarders smash into the hull of the foe and painstakingly use directed nuclear melta fire to burn through the superstructure. They may also opt to space walk across the hull using their sealed power armour, auto-corrective venting thruster and magnetic boots. Targeting the bridge, gun decks, hangars and rear engineering sections, demi-squads of Marines let loose into the bowels of the ship give a high guarantee of its crippling within hours, (even minutes with lucky placement) where it would otherwise take many hours of gunnery to crack shields and armour. They can easily spike gun/ordnance tubes, assassinate the command section and hijack controls, sabotage reactors, detonate munition stores, plant their own weapons of mass destruction, or simply slaughter enough crew to render a ships’ function(s) inoperable - all of which are catastrophic. The miles of labyrinthine passages such a fight takes place in means that that these rapidly-moving squads are often hard to track down and respond to, and Astartes are doubly deadly in such close quarters. Against the Treacher Legions in particular, these battles are extremely bloody – each side often concentrating all such effort into the opposition’s identified flagship, due to both the parity of the combatants and the decisiveness of such actions.

 

If enemy shields can be brought offline, and the distance closed to knife-fight range, the unique capabilities of the teleportarium are often decisive. Once shields are down, precise transit coordinates can easily be divined via sensor sweeps to instantaneously place nigh-invincible Terminator veterans amidst the most critical areas of the enemy vessel for a decisive coupe de grace.

 

Thus, even in titanic void clashes of multi-mega-tonnages and blast yields, it is still the prowess of the Astartes themselves with bolt, blade and power armour which are the primary weapon of the Chapter. Again, the hand of Gulliman’s intent for the Codex is seen – the function of all Codex equipment is to expedite, ensure and support the delivery of the Marines themselves to the point of resistance, whether it is a planetary surface, orbital emplacement, or an opponent’s fleet assets.

 

The heavily armoured nature of Astartes ships also means that deliberately ramming an opponent is not just a desperate manoeuvre, but instead a recognised and highly effective tactic; it expedites the delivery of the Astartes themselves, causes additional chaos amongst enemy formation, and of course also inflicts often catastrophic damage in the process. So long as a head-on-impact with a dedicated armoured prow of a capital ship is avoided, the sheer durability of Space Marine ships means that they should be operational after such a manoeuvre.

 

In practise, standard-pattern battle barges are able to out-duel most comparable ships of their size at close range simply due to their sheer mass and durability; while the strike cruiser's combination of manoeuvrability and superlative armour allows them to gang-up on larger ships in mobile wolf-pack squadrons, or make close-range hit-and-run boarding attacks on targets their guns can’t handle. Even in deep void, when clearly outmatched in tonnage and firepower by dedicated fleet assets, they have demonstrated the likelihood that they will survive long enough to deliver their complement of battle-brothers to the enemy – which is enough to even the odds significantly.

 

Where space superiority is not possible, both classes can still reliably deliver their troops amidst unfavourable odds – a battle barge’s sheer power is able to bludgeon through most resistance, and durable enough to survive what they can’t kill long enough to drop troops. Strike cruisers are excellent blockade runners, with superior footprint, armour and manoeuvrability making them particularly survivable and suited to such tasks. Gravity wells are usually used to speed their ingress on dangerously close, high-speed passes of the atmosphere or enemy fleet to fast-drop troops, before slingshotting away to either escape or reposition for further attack vectors.

 

Conclusions

In accordance with the stipulations of the Codex, above all else Astartes naval assets are outfitted to deliver the Marines themselves to the target, through a trifecta of speed, heavy armour, and close-range firepower. Ostensibly, this focus and its related restrictions were to ensure they would never be able to contest the Armada Imperialis in space; but in practise this perhaps was not the wholesale de-toothing this was hoped to entail. While the Imperial Navy as an institution – with its strong prejudice towards certain weapons and doctrines – remains largely appeased that the Adeptus Astartes lack the tools to dominate in space, more practical analysis might show that the balance of power is more illusionary than expected.

 

Either by accident or surreptitious design, the ‘restraints’ on the Astartes fleet deigned by Guilliman can be seen to instead work to leverage their greatest strengths into the void and further their modus operandi – deliver the Angels of Death themselves to the enemy, and tear their heart out face to face. Regardless of the setting, theatre and battleground, this has proven to be an eminently effective strategy, and the cold depths of the void are no exception.

 

Author Notes

If you noticed, I have mentioned that it takes ‘hours’ for guns to crack armour and shields, and thus pushed the timescale of what many would have considered space combat to take place. However, I believe in the need to make space combat more ‘exciting’ or typically Hollywood-esque, action-packed and fast-paced, people miss the massive raw scale of both the particulars of combat in 40k, and the sheer, realistic spatial distance of the void in which it takes place.

 

In many instances, I regard the combat as laid out in the BFG rulebook as more realistic in many particulars regarding scale than many other sci-fi universes such as Star Wars.

 

A reading of an earlier explanation on void combat in 40k as laid out in BFG is helpful in articulating my thoughts:

Some thoughts on this age-old question: why doesn't 40k <naval> war work like modern war?

All these thoughts are based on material given in the BFG tabletop rules and fluff material, without recourse to later material.

Carriers vs Battleships in 40k:

The Gareox Prerogative was a 36th millennium shipbuilding program and tactical doctrine in the Segmentum Tempestus Imperial Navy which emphasized the primacy of carriers and strikecraft at the expense of traditional big-gun battleships. In the civil war it sparked, the Big Gun lobby's ships proved more effective, showing that in 40k, relying on guns beats relying on carriers. How though?

The specifics of space combat in 40k are much larger in general than most other scifi universes. Ships are much larger on average - a Cobra destroyer, the smallest common escort in the Imperial Navy is 1km long, mainline cruisers which the Imperium has a relative abundance of being 5-10km. They thus also have massive ablative and energy armour, and similarly massive main weapons in order to damage each other.

The fact that they are in space, with such massive weaponry that often travels at the speed of light (lances) means that engagements are often taking place at huge distances (tens of thousands of kilometres is mentioned), in comparison to other universes where ships are basically in visual range before they engage. In BFG tabletop, the introduction to the game states that the models themselves do not represent in any way the scale of the ships relative to the board - rather each ship is actually an infinitesimally small dot on the stem of each base.

With this huge scale, space fighter and bomber analogues in 40k are much larger than you'd expect from other scifi universes, simply because of the distances they needs to traverse, as well as the need to carry weaponry able to damage capital ships kilometres long. The Thunderhawk fills the role of a fighter (and assault boat) in BFG; the mainline fighter of the Imperial Navy, the Fury interceptor is dozens of metres long, has multiple crew/gunners/lascannon banks, a toilet, and the possibility of both a navigator and an astropath for communications. The huge Tau Manta is that race's main space fleet bomber. The size of the cruiser-carriers of the 41st millennium can carry many thousands of these craft at once.

These huge distances and huge numbers of strikecraft predicate the importance of pathfinding and navigation to the target, should strikes be launched from long range (tens of thousands of kilometres). In order to ensure ease of navigation, and that the attack is effective by having the whole strike package hit at the same time, sending these strikes out in huge formations ('waves' in tabletop BFG) makes sense.

However, these huge groups are prime targets for the mainline weaponry of battleships. Most broadside weaponry in BFG is described as working as like flak, but on a WMD-scale to take out other capital ships. These batteries fire detonating shells or energy bolts, or a cluster of beams, which try to bracket the area of the target. Hitting even a capital cruiser, something less than a dozen kilometres long from tens of thousands of kilometres away, largely precludes better aiming (except for the much-hallowed lance turret). Thus, the WMD-level of destruction a broadside can blanket space with, combined with the distances strikecraft travel, and the tendency for large attack waves, means guns are actually effective against massed long-range strike sorties by attack craft.

In BFG tabletop terms, an entire wave of strike craft, no matter how many units strong, is eliminated by a single hit from a weapon battery. Thus is often the tension in composing your strike waves launching from extended range - putting enough craft into a wave to overwhelm point defences and CAP (Combat Space Patrol?) while also not being a juicy target for main guns.

Rather, it seems reasonable to infer that in 40k, fighters/bombers/assault boats are often much more integrated into a traditional big-gun line of battle. Rather than holding carriers back and launching from extended range, they instead are seen directly on the frontline with cruisers and battleships as 'assault carriers'; holding their strikecraft right till the fleets are close enough that it's too late to respond with main guns, and providing direct close-in fleetwide CAP to the line of battle. Indeed, it can be seen that there are few pure carriers in 40k that fit our modern description - most strikecraft carriers also have a heavy complement of main guns, have heavy armour and are more of a hybrid between carriers and cruisers/battleships. The only exceptions are the Tau, and they have been working to rectify this – their older Explorer-class dedicated carriers are being superseded by modern hybrid battle-carriers such as the Custodian-class.

In a pitched battle, these carriers would in fact function similarly to other ships of the line, essentially contributing direct damage to other ships in visual range via bombers along with their guns. The major advantages of strikecraft over guns in this environment is that they can slip through the shields of the target to deliver damage directly to hull, and their responsiveness in re-targeting and picking out targets in the battleline, with ships not dependent on weapon orientation to bring firepower to bear. Downsides are the obvious ability to intercept bombers, attrition of pilots/craft, and needing squadrons of craft to deal damage equivalent to one fleet gun.

Carriers are however noted as being more popular in the vast expanses of Ultima Segmentum, as well as the sparsely populated Tempestus, due to their ability to patrol vast reaches of space. Against pirates and raiders, carriers are certainly preferable since their extended reach with their strikecraft enables them to cover whole systems at once with patrols, and most such skirmishers/small fleets will lack the ability to counter huge attack waves from long distance.

Original Post

 

This longer timeframe of hours is not without historical precedence. Naval actions, older ones in particular, take/took place over the space of many hours, even full days of manoeuvre and fire – not minutes.

 

In addition, several other factoids described as commonplace would be infeasible without this longer timescale. In order for boarding actions on ships described as miles long to have time to have the decisive effect as envisioned, the sheer distance to travel within the ship by boarders requires a timescale of hours, unless given an extremely accurate initial placement of boarders, something that has again not been especially emphasised – nearly always, boarders are depicted having to undergo lengthy fights to get to their objective. Whole battles to reach an objective within a ship or advance or maintain territory within it is both incredibly thematic to 40k, and a realistic assessment based on the sheer size of these behemoths.

 

Naval ships are huge investments and many are also described as being incredibly ancient, often serving for hundreds, if not thousands of years, much like Titans, with fit-outs and construction also potentially taking decades to centuries for complex/large ships. For these facts to be feasible, it also fits in with naval action being more ponderous and drawn out, with ships mostly having the time to be able to be withdrawn from losing fights unless consciously committed to-the-death. If every single naval battle and skirmish was so destructive, the wonderfully gothic idea of ships commonly being hundreds/thousands of years old is unsustainable. This adds another level of uniqueness to the setting, and differentiation in factional culture, with the Imperial Navy in particular being much more conservative and careful with its resources (sometimes to its detriment) in-line with many historical navies, and in comparison with the much more gung-ho Imperial Guard whose combat power is mass-produced with minimal lead-time.

Edited December 18, 2017 by SpecialIssueAmmo

[reckoning]

Glad to see this thread alive again. Awesome write-up as usual.