Warhammer 50000

[Eternal_Freedom]

In the Necron codex, there is a section describing the history of the Necrons. It states that the remaing C'Tan went into stasis because there were too few humans to sustain them. They were quite content with having them as slaves and worshippers.

So humanity under Necron rule would be brutal, with much death and suffering and slavery, but no extinction.

Heck, I could even argue that it might be better long term with the C'Tan winning. If they cut off the Warp, then the souls of dead humans have nowhere to go but oblivion, so they don't end up feeding Chaos and the gods. No random psykers melting your brains, and when you are dead you are dead, no random demons picking at your metaphysical carcass for eternity.

[SpaceMarine93]

And that's good?

Oh by the way, WH40K lore states that all races are doomed in their own way, so does anyone know anything about Necrons' upcoming demise?

[RecklessPrudence]

Well, apparently every time they regenerate ('We'll Be Back') they lose a little more of themselves, until they are mindless, unthinking automatons. And then, presumably, any force with enough firepower and a basic grasp of tactics can keep them contained indefinitely.

In fact, isn't there some hive world or something somewhere that's done just that? The Necrons have regenerated so many times they've lost everything but basic programming. The PDF uses them as live-fire training exercises.

[the atom]

This won't be a popular suggestion (because everybody hates the Tau), but I can see the Tau becoming a dominant power in the next 10 000 years. Assuming they keep up their current rate of technological advancement, they could very well carve out an empire that could rival, or surpass the Imperium. Hell if everybody's prediction of a disintegrated imperium comes to pass, they could very well become the great power in the Galaxy (Or they could get eaten by Nids. Yay).

[Elessar]

This won't be a popular suggestion (because everybody hates the Tau), but I can see the Tau becoming a dominant power in the next 10 000 years. Assuming they keep up their current rate of technological advancement, they could very well carve out an empire that could rival, or surpass the Imperium. Hell if everybody's prediction of a disintegrated imperium comes to pass, they could very well become the great power in the Galaxy (Or they could get eaten by Nids. Yay).

It's not popular because it's a stupid assumption. No one is going to assume that these guys are going to continue growing their tech base at the current rate, because there's no reason to make that assumption. The better their technology gets, the more they'll want to expand. The bigger they get, the more they attract the baddies around them. Forget the Imperium. If you're offering a good fight, the Ork's are going to come along. See Armageddon for more details after that Waaghhhhh.

All in all, expecting the Tau to continue growing at the current rate without serious contraction (Orks, Imperium, 'nids, Necrons) will require enough acts of plot to be nigh-miraculous. They might as well beg for their own warp god...

[the atom]

This won't be a popular suggestion (because everybody hates the Tau), but I can see the Tau becoming a dominant power in the next 10 000 years. Assuming they keep up their current rate of technological advancement, they could very well carve out an empire that could rival, or surpass the Imperium. Hell if everybody's prediction of a disintegrated imperium comes to pass, they could very well become the great power in the Galaxy (Or they could get eaten by Nids. Yay).

It's not popular because it's a stupid assumption. No one is going to assume that these guys are going to continue growing their tech base at the current rate, because there's no reason to make that assumption. The better their technology gets, the more they'll want to expand. The bigger they get, the more they attract the baddies around them. Forget the Imperium. If you're offering a good fight, the Ork's are going to come along. See Armageddon for more details after that Waaghhhhh.

All in all, expecting the Tau to continue growing at the current rate without serious contraction (Orks, Imperium, 'nids, Necrons) will require enough acts of plot to be nigh-miraculous. They might as well beg for their own warp god...

Considering that in 10 000 years they wen't from a stone age tribal society to an Empire capable of locking horns with the Imperium and Tyranids, expecting them to continue to rapidly advance isn't all that crazy. During their wars with the Tyranids their technological advancement was said to rival that of the Tyranid's mutations.

Though granted you are right about their expansion though. If they overstep themselves (a very real possibility), they will end up as road kill to any of the big players.

[Black Admiral]

This won't be a popular suggestion (because everybody hates the Tau), but I can see the Tau becoming a dominant power in the next 10 000 years. Assuming they keep up their current rate of technological advancement, they could very well carve out an empire that could rival, or surpass the Imperium. Hell if everybody's prediction of a disintegrated imperium comes to pass, they could very well become the great power in the Galaxy (Or they could get eaten by Nids. Yay).

I wouldn't say I hate the Tau - nor indeed that most folk who might be considered anti-Tau hate them, as such - what I do hate is the ridiculous amounts of protection by blatant authorial fiat they get. I'm known for banging on about Forge World's misdeeds at considerable length given the chance, so I won't go into detail unless asked, but some of the more flagrant examples of the Tau having weaponised authorial fiat can be found in Imperial Armour Volume 3: The Taros Campaign.

[Srelex]

I think there's hints that the Tau might have some connection to the Eldar (Xenology?) hence I guess you could argue they might actually have something divine on their side. Certainly where the Ethereals came from is another case.

Speaking of which, there is one fanfic I've heard of that has the Tau take over most of the galaxy, drive away the Tyranids, brainwash the Orks over to their side, and erase the Eye of Terror somehow. But then it has it turn out that the C'tan were behind them, or something.

[The Yosemite Bear]

someone realizes that my people's grand plan has finally come to fruition, just a little too late, and our Return/Rennisassance begins, she who thirsts is destroyed by our new gods, and even the stars are ours to command once again (which is how we wipe out the Nids....)

[Agent Sorchus]

This is something I have always wondered; What is the plan of the Dark Eldar? They are almost directly stated to be simple survivalists at heart, but the recent Codex seems to show that the DEldar have actually thrived in their hidden webway cities. Commoragh is said to be as a mountain to the Imperium's largest hives mounds of termites.

So they are thriving, but what are they ever going to do?

[Ahriman238]

This is something I have always wondered; What is the plan of the Dark Eldar? They are almost directly stated to be simple survivalists at heart, but the recent Codex seems to show that the DEldar have actually thrived in their hidden webway cities. Commoragh is said to be as a mountain to the Imperium's largest hives mounds of termites.

So they are thriving, but what are they ever going to do?

Eh, they're not going to take over the Galaxy or anything like that. Too much work and sacrifice for too little gain. No, they intend to be there the whole time, as the Galaxy slides down into Hell, collecting their slaves, fighting their intenecine wars, drinking from the skulls of their enemies and laughing at all the saps outside the Webway who think that anything they do has any meaning.

[PainRack]

Partial necro, but rereading some of the DH stuff, what happens if the Imperium simply surrenders a large part of its territory and withdraw back to the Segmentum Solar? That concentrates a lot of her failing resources like Telepaths into a smaller region, increase the density of starship which will improve reaction times and relief for smaller, less important worlds, give it a higher concentration of space marines and the ability to concentrate more of her armies together.........

She lose a lot of her manpower reserves but face it, its a losing proposition as it is now to use said reserves and industrial capacity to expend wars on frontiers that can't be easily defended. The only real problem I see with this scenario is the Eye of Terror.

[speaker-to-trolls]

Ynnead happens.

What's an Ynnead?

[Elheru Aran]

Ynnead happens.

What's an Ynnead?

Sort of the "Goddess-of-the-death-of-the-Eldar". Their antidote to Slaanesh.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Ynnead is a fairly decent explanation...

[Gigaliel]

Depending on how big a "tactical" weapon you're thinking, they might have those. Fission weapons are banned though because of the fallout and contamination

Woah woah woah. I must have missed this. Do you have the source offhand? Because the Imperium caring about the environment in anyway strikes me as hilarious.

[Korgeta]

Depending on how big a "tactical" weapon you're thinking, they might have those. Fission weapons are banned though because of the fallout and contamination

Woah woah woah. I must have missed this. Do you have the source offhand? Because the Imperium caring about the environment in anyway strikes me as hilarious.

Before you know it we'll have the God-Emperor momentarily returning to warn not on the dangers of warp but on the threat of carbon emissions and climate change...

There a lot of plot elements they could use to take things to the next stage but perhaps turning the idea that the machine god is one of the C'tan would turn into some explosive material and perhaps turn out the solar system inside out more so then the Tyranid invasion fleet was set on a path to solar but is currently diverted to fighting orks.

There are a what if scenarios to go and a full scale Tyranid invasion would be (I think) one if the next big stories in store, its an excuse to make the orks do desperate alliances, ork unify to waaaagh, solar's defenses tested etc. Who knows maybe it'll be the Tyranids that will kick off the necrons second harvest in big fashion.

And somewhere along the line the dragon awakens...*dundundun*

[Omeganian]

A billion Psykers are sacrificed to resurrect the Emperor. He is reborn more powerful than ever. His new power is a beacon drawing new enemies, starting with a few thousand Tyranid fleets.

[Darth Fanboy]

One would think that the Necrons might actually intervene in the event of a Tyranid invasion to preserve the C'tan's food supply. If the plot does advance I am admittedly curious to see any sort of interaction between Tzeentch's followers and the Deciever. Odd to see two godly manipulators like that in one setting.

[Eternal_Freedom]

That would be an interesting result. The Necrons saving the galaxy from a massive Tyranid invasion. It's certainly a twist.

Hold on though. I vaguely recall various bits of fluff describing the Necrons at their height as a intergalactic power. If that is so, why would the fate of any one galaxy bother them?

[Lord Baal]

Because the milky way is the galaxy from where their masters where first casted into the liquid metal bodies or something along those lines? I'm pretty sure that the only extragalactic thing in 40K is the Tyranids, and they could end up being from the Magellanic cloud or something like that.

[Simon_Jester]

That would be an interesting result. The Necrons saving the galaxy from a massive Tyranid invasion. It's certainly a twist.

Hold on though. I vaguely recall various bits of fluff describing the Necrons at their height as a intergalactic power. If that is so, why would the fate of any one galaxy bother them?

Maybe they want to save that galaxy for later. Or maybe they just find Tyranids particularly disgusting and offensive as a form of organics, and decide to do something about it.

[Lord Baal]

Did Tyranids have soul at all? That is not what the Ctan feeds on?? Then as mr. Jester says, they are at risk of loosing their cattle and they might be interested in saving this galaxy for latter consume. If all live becomes Tyranid they won't have those really tasty souls anymore, I guess Tyranids on comparison would taste like tofu or something very bland, if edible at all.

However, are really the Necrons intergalactic? I don't think so. All the war on heaven stuff happened on this galaxy. The Old ones and their short live enemies that freed the Ctan and became the Necrons where from this galaxy too. Or I am wrong?

[Eternal_Freedom]

I don't think it was ever stated what galaxy the Necrons are from. The Old Ones built the Webway and created various species like the Eldar to fight the Necrons, so it's a safe bet they were from the MW.

But I'd swear there is a line somewhere about the Void Dragon being worshipped in a thousand galaxies.

[Lord Baal]

Well I assumed that because the Necrontyr (the species that became the Necron) where found by the old ones (or was the other way around) in the milky way, then the Necrons and all the known Ctans where from the milky way too. This is further supported by the War in Heaven, seen that the space Elves lacks intergalactic capacity and they where created by the Old Ones, the War in Heaven involving the Necrons should have been on the milky way.

Further more, even if the Necrons did spread to other galaxies (I think they are pretty capable of it) the only Ctan's left are in the Milky way, why would they go to another galaxy if their masters are here? Unless they can travel to another galaxies too, but then why they went to sleep when their food was running low instead of depart to another galaxy?

[Simon_Jester]

Maybe the Tyranids are running to this galaxy from the Necrons in the next galaxy over.