Astra Mil-what? You a real greenie aren't you? You're in the Guard son. The largest and greatest military force ever assembled. Billions of soldiers fighting a hundred wars across a thousand planets every day. We're the first the ferocious embodiment of Human Will and the Imperium's almighty hammer! So buck up. Grab you kit, your lasgun, and make sure that fething helmet stays buckled. Oh, and one more thing, if you got any pictures of home. Put them in a safe place cause those are probably the only mementos you're likely have of home for the rest of your life.-Sergeant Kobran of the Hyrkan 66th Infantry Regiment.
Preface
Hello, and welcome to The Emperor's Finest, a roleplay set in the grim darkness of the forty-first millennium. Where the vast Imperium of Mankind, the largest and rightful dominion of Humanity, has been under siege for ten thousand years. The Golden Age of Humanity is long past and now, year after Terran standard year, the Imperium fights for survival. Internally, via the heretic and ever present threat of rebellion seeking to rot the Imperium from within; or, from without via the myriad of xenos species seeking to manipulate, subjugate, or outright devour Mankind. But the Astra Militarum, more informally known as the Imperial Guard, stands against these threats wherever and however many they may be. The average Man and Woman, armed with flak jacket, lasgun, and belief in the God-Emperor. Thrust into horrific warzones were life expectancy can range down to only single digit minutes. To sieges lasting a lifetime. For in this dark age there can be only war. Yet, even in this choking darkness there is one thing you can gird your soul within: You are one of The Emperor's Finest.
The Role Play
Role players will play as individual Regiments of the Astra Militarum (Imperial Guard) as they go from warzone to warzone in the bloody battlefields of the far future. Each Regiment as unique as the planet they came from. Exhibiting cultural norms and colloquialisms of a mind boggling variety. Within reason of the Imperial Creed of course. Regiments can vary widely in size, training, and equipment. But one thing that is uniform are the doctrines of the Guard. Regiments are raised and trained in a specific kind of warfare. Infantry Regiments are trained and equipped as thus that. They can be motorized or not. But they will not have their own organic armor, artillery, or other specialist formations. Just how an Armored Regiment will be nothing but tanks and motorized units to support its role. In this manner Regiments of different specializations are forced to coordinate and makes rebellions harder since they can be easily exploited by a unit designed to counter it. But the pro's outweigh the con's in that it allows the Imperial Guard to form armies of near infinite specializations and component formations. Allowing a truly frightening amount of variety tailored to every kind of world the Guard would be expected to fight on. A small price to pay for able to counter the myriad threats awaiting humanity in the Galactic expanse.
Regimental sizes do have some hard caps to offer some balance as a role play consideration. Armored, Mechanized, Heavy Infantry, Drop (analogous to 21st century Paratroopers), and Field Artillery (self propelled or towed) are capped at 100,000 personnel. Line and Light infantry can have up to 750,000 personnel while Siege regiments may cap out at 1 million troopers in its ranks.
The course of the Crusade is largely determined by the successes and failures of the role players. Objectives which grant additional benefits to their units, the Crusade, or Sector situation are largely left to player coordination and planning. Victories further the Crusade while defeats naturally create the converse.
The Korinthian Crusade
It is 439M41 and the Korinthian Sector is enraptured in the fires of war! The previously peaceful Sector, initially home to sparse settlements around the time of the Great Crusade, had prospered with minor interruption through the millennia. Surviving minor Xenos incursions and internal dissent always put down by the Adeptus Arbites. The Imperium of Mankind's enforcers of Imperial Law. But no more and the seeds of this conflict were born only a thousand years after the conclusion of the Age of Apostasy (M36) when the Space Hulk Lament's Moon entered the Argos System in 66M38. A system that held the original Sector capital of Argos Prime. The Imperial Navy tracked and monitored the Hulk as it seemed to meander lifeless through the void. Until suddenly, three hundred and sixty-four days after it's arrival, the Lament's Moon veered on a collision course with Argos Prime. The Imperial Navy ships tracking it opened fire, furious barrages lighting up the blackness of space, but only once the Hulk had entered orbit did the Navy succeed in breaking up the incoming vessel. Scattering it's flaming wreckage across the planet. The Sector Governor ordered the evacuation of the planet, relocating to Korinthia which was the first world settled in the region by Mankind, while the Holy Orders of the Emperor's Inquisition quickly ordered a quarantine of the now abandoned world.
Yet, the Inquisition came up with nothing as they meticulously searched the wreckage of the Lament's Moon and the incident was left as a lengthy entry in Imperial archives. At least until 437M41 when the Lament's Moon, from a surviving Cogitator terminal, somehow flickered to life and began to broadcast a radio broadcast. Distorted and intelligible. Lord Inquisitor Davian, the leading Inquisitorial authority in the Sector, quickly descending to destroy the terminal and examine it's parts for Daemonic taint. But the Emperor's Tarot only showing dark signs of strife in the near future. Portents that would come true as Warp Storms erupted mere days after the broadcast was shut off by the Inquisition.
Warp Storms of brief but terrifying ferocity erupted across the Sector. Lasting only for a couple weeks before abating as if they never where. That was all which was required as Chaos Cults devoted to Khorne erupted across several worlds. A psychic wail erupting from Argos Prime as all communication was cut off with Lord Inquisitor Davian's research expedition. Deafening the Astropathic Choirs of the Imperial worlds and blinding them to what would transpire on the 99th standard Terran day of the 437th year of the Forty-First Millennium the Sector capital of Korinthia was assailed by Tzeentchian cultists arising from the Underhive of the planets capital of Nicaea. Paralyzing the Sector's command as the Governor and several high ranking Guard, Navy, and PDF officers were slain or captured within hours. Meanwhile, at the same time a Chaos Fleet belonging to The Sanctified assaulted the colonies of the Far Stars. But that was not all of the Imperium's woes to beset them...
A Greenskin fleet under Krorruk 'Mad Kap'n' Ironshoota exited warpspace and began ravaging the worlds of Saint Euclid's Trail. The insidious Dark Elder Corsairs forming lightning raids on Imperial supply lines and settlements in the Cold Stars by the dawn of 438. When the psychic wailing finally ceased the surrounding Sectors were bombarded by dozens of pleas, requests for aid, and desparate communications from across the Korinthian Sector.
Given the dire straits and lobbying from the Adeptus Mechanicus in regards to their Forge World of Metaxes being under siege by a host of Nurglite worshippers spreading like a plague among its vast manufactoriums. One problem heaping onto another. The High Lord's of Terra finally proclaimed an Imperial Crusade. The Departmento Munitorum moving to assemble the forces necessary while Segmentum Command at Kar Duniash maneuvered to collect the armada to take back the space lanes throughout rightfully Imperial star systems. Yet, all could not be assembled until 441 and by then the Sector would be good as lost...
The new Lord Solar, Arkadian Theodosian, a competent officer but political firebrand in the eyes of the High Lords was selected to lead this effort. For if Theodosian was victorious then good, should he fail or perish then he at least would be out of the High Lord's frame of mind and a new commander take his place. A vanguard force would have to be sent immediately to give time for the rest of the Crusade to assemble, organize, and proceed.
Current Situation
The Lord Solar, Arkadian Theodosian, has sent one of his most competent Lord Generals with an advance force of fifty Regiments. Escorted by a strong naval taskforce headed by Lord Admiral Hershon Erenthes has been sent to relieve the beleaguered Imperial defenders desperately hanging onto half the districts of the planet Korinthia's capital city of Nicaea. Their mission is simple. Take back the system to provide a foothold for Crusade forces to muster in and expand from or at worst case scenario: Hold the line.
The Discord will have much pertinent information about the RP in addition to the OOC intro post you are currently reading. Such as updated Cartography and planning by players. You do not have to participate but are encouraged too.
Note: There will be, on a first come first serve basis, openings for one Adeptus Mechanicus app and one Imperial Navy/Aeronautica Imperialis app allowed. All ideas are to be pitched before staff before hand.
