Like most of the other RPGs, Only War takes place in and around the same time and place (roughly) as the others - Calixis sector or its nearby environs. Indeed, it takes place concurrently with the Deathwatch's Jericho Reach stuff, and the consequences of that major (but secret) Crusade drive alot of what happens in Only War. Namely some dude decides to rebel, Calixis doesn't have enough native military manpower to curb him, and so has to pull in strategic reserves from out-sector to bolster its forces. Out of universe this is more of an excuse to feature 'known' regiments like the Cadians, Catachans, valhallans, etc., but it is interesting for other ways in how the relationships between sector and segmentum authorities operate.
Since this is also Imperial Guard and I am, for all intents and purposes,a Guard fanboy, this will probably be my LARGEST ever FFG style update (and quite possibly my largest infodump ever.) coming in at nearly 500kb of quotes and analysis. Fortunately I am going to resist the urge to infodump it all at once and subsequent books coveered aren't even comparably larger than others (although Hammer of the Emperor is comparatively hefty - again IG fanboyism striking probably.) and it probably means I'll be at this for some time. I tenatively plan around ten or so updates (slightly under 50k apiece) to cover the main book, and then we'll see from there. Apart from the Ghosts and starting the other AdMech boko, I have one IG novel to cover (which won't take long) and IA12 (which I am not sure on because I dont know how I'll post it. Lump it into several like with the last one or what.) And of course 6th edition stuff but I still refuse to get into that.
Anyhow, on to Only War. Let us see how this goes.
Page 8
Implying perhpas at least 2 million worlds, since its unlikely this means 'a trillion'. But then again with the 'billions of hive worlds' who knowsOn a million, million worlds across thousands of light years of space, man fights endlessly for his survival agianst aliens, heretics and Daemons..
Although if that were the case there'd have to be far more than the hundreds of billions of worlds in the galaxy (way more, since humanity is supposed to own only a fraction of those stars.) Then agan maybe 'world' also counts various colonies, moonlets, orbital stations and whatnot. It could be including populations of a few thousand for all we know. Page 8
'billions upon billions' could again be interpreted in one of two ways "billions plus billions' or 'billions times billions' and googling doesn't reveal much help unless you ilke getting into biblical literary analysis. This is easier to swallow (for some at least) than the idea there are a trillion worlds in the Imperium, but its still not exact.Numbering untold billions upon billions of souls, the Imperium of Man sprawls across the stars under the watchful eye of its God-Emperor, its worlds unstable and its glory days long gone. It has sunken into a long twilight from which it may never emerge. Powerful alien empires strike at the Imperium from all sides..
Also the Imperium is in decline blah blah.. I just know the 'alien empires' includes the Tau, because 'dynamic' will be the Imperium's downfall!
Page 8
Thousands of internal fights at least, of unknown scale.within the Imperium, man turns upon man and thousands of civil wars rage constantly..
Page 8
Not wholly, but parts of it have known periods of prolonged peace for centuries or even millenia. The funny thing is this sounds pretty grimdark, but if one considers that our own world has hardly ever known total, universal peace in any way shape or form (only a form of 'mostly' peaceful in the sense there's no large scale world wars anymore.) its not quite that grimdark.Never in its existence has the Imperium known peace..
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While individual worlds and systems may often know times of relative safety and stability, this is only at the cost of thousands more teetering on the brink of oblivion...
IT is kind of amusing that the implication sit aht hundreds or thousands more worlds know war than peace, evne though that most cases its implied that the vast majority of worlds are at peace (100,000 worlds out of 1 million in conflict, etc.)
Page 8-9
I'm starting to think someone waxes poetic here. Yes there are cases of horrible loss and ignorance. When long-held worlds full of irreplacable tech and knowledge are lost or destroyed, things may chanve irrevocably, and it does happen. But its not as if the Imperium isn't going out and colonizing new worlds, expanding its borders, or rediscovering/reclaiming lost worlds either. Indeed it seems more like it goes through periods of expansion and contraction as depicted in 5th and 6th editions.Only its size and ancient power prevent the Imperium's complete destruction; that it may lose a hundred systems or a world of a billion faithful citizens and continue to fight on. Even so, it is slowly dying - the God Emperor's armies clinging desperately to what is left, as systems crumble from around its edges and the slow rot of sedition and heresy eat away at it from inside. Though it may be ten thousands more years before its death, the Imperium is in decline and every battle its armies win, every enemy it vanquishes or wipes from existence is but a single sandbag placed in front of a rising flood of death and decay.
There is a point about it being 'too big to easily topple' although this doesn' t account for the Imperium's lack of cohesion or coordination either.
Page 9
Devotion to big E is perhaps the ONLY thing they have standard, and even that isn't guaranteed given the whole 'million worlds' thing. Hell you even have to take the 'training' thing with a grain of salt.Either through choice or chance, these men and women are inducted into the God-Emperor's armies, trained to fight and sent off to far-flung stars and systems to hold the line against the coming night. Though they come from a million different worlds, each with its own unique superstitions, beliefs, and cultures, they are united against the enemies of Mankind by the God-Emperor..
On the other hand they note that joining the Guard is not ALWAYS conscription.
Page 9
It is possible to be raised (or recalled in the case of Armageddon and Cadia) and fight on yuor home world as the Guard, although it probably is only on important worlds. Also the usual 'every world provides troops' bit.It is the duty of every world in the Imperium to provide men and women for the Imperial Guard...
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'Lucky' Guardmsen may have the chance to fight on their own worlds or in their own star systems..
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More often, a Guardsman will leave his world behind, never to set eyes upon it again...
Page 9
Yes and no. We know of plenty of examples where worlds go long periods (Decades, even centuries) without raising a founding. SEems to depend largely on location, bureaucracy, situation and other factors (Hive worlds and modern ones seem more likely to be tapped in regular cases, whereas agri and feral/feudal might be less often due to lower populations and capabilities.)The Imperial Guard is a vast bureaucratic and logistical machine with Guardsmen endlessly being raised on practically every world within the Imperium and funneled into warzones, some near, some far..
PAge 10
Again millions of worlds in the Imperium mentioned twice on the same page. And more alarmist shit. Recall again that the Imperium goes through periods of expansion and contractio, gaining and losing territories (Such as the Sabbat Worlds crusade and Macharius' ventures. And losing worlds due to warp storm, sedition, alien invasion is not unusual now or earlier.Across thousands of light yeras, the Imperium maintains a tenuous hold over millions of worlds and counts every domain of men as it sown, whether they bow to the God Emperor on far away Terra or not.
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..as the centuries have slipped by, the Imperium's borders have continued to crumble - many of its worlds have broken away or been destroyed, and potent alien empires have begun to gnaw away at its insides.
...
Even in its faded glory, the Imperium still covers the majority of the galaxy, comprising millions of worlds and countless billions of humans.
PAge 10
YEs, its size is an advantage and a disadvantage, but I think they overstate the problem. Certainly any large scale (galactic or Segmentum) coordination is nigh impossible given the uncertain means of communcation and travel, but at sector level and lower they seem to do a reasonable job of handling things, and the sector level (or lower) conflict stend to represent the vast majority - major stuff like the Tyranid hive fleets or 13th Black crusade are relatively rare.Its ponderous size is both the source of its greatest strength and its greatest weakness: its size means it can suffer the loss of worlds and lives with little immediate effect on the greater Imperium, but it also makes it extremely difficult to defend. The logistics of an army which must cover the entire galaxy and protect an empire without distinct borders agianst dozens of foes at once is barely comprehensible to the mind of man.
That said its true losing worlds only is ignored in the short term, as different things (loss of industry, technology, trade) can have more serious, long term impacts for the greater Imperium (such as the loss of a Hive or Forge world.)
Page 10-11
They really don't have exact figures for most things, and given the nature of Warp travel and communication, as well as record keeping as a rule, keeping up with it would be an insane task. At best we can make approximations.Even the Administratum, the Imperium's vast bureaucratic network tasked with recording and keeping a tally of the armies of the God Emperor, has no real idea of the exact numbers of men and women serving in the Imperial Guard at any one time.
Page 11
PDfs basically serve two purposes: As a early bulwark to slow down invasion attempts and give the Imperium time to respond, and as a ready pool of recruits that can be inducted directly into the Guard. Plus, of course, a means of saving the Administratum the effort of having to train and standardize any sort of actual military.Nearly every world within the Imperium maintains its own standing planetary defence forces, though against a determined invasion or uprising, these limited forces often prove inadequate. It then falls to nearby regiments of the Imperial Guard, made up of soldiers raised from dozens of worlds, either near or far, to respond.
Page 11
Much of the 'response time' depends on the size of the force amassed, how far away its amassed from, whether they concentrate it on one location and then launch the assault or if they simply dispatch them to the trouble zone directly, etc. The nature of the raisings of regiments can also impact this - a regiment already raised and garrisoning nearby worlds is quicker to deploy than one that has to be raised from PDF forces (or even conscripted) - at least if they want more than warm bodies anyhow.Finding such regiments and then moving them to a warzone can take many months or even years to execute..
Page 11
Having them mobilized in holds is another way (Aside from Garrison duty) of keeping a ready reserve of forces on hand should a crisis arise (and thereby shorten response time.) Hell, the nature of the warp's time dilation (less time passing onboard than in realspace) coudl be considered an advantage in this regard...the regiments of the Imperial Guard are constantly fighting or in transit to warzones..
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It is the only way the Imperial Guard can exist; always mobilised for war, always ready for action.
Page 11
This is a statement with a great many qualifiers. For one thing, many of those races have hostility towards humanity because humanity were utter dicks to them, either through its own xenophobia or as a result of past actions (EG the Great Crusade.) That isn't to say there aren't plenty of alien races who are dicks as well, and either see humanity as something ot be conquered, destroyed, enslaved, or eaten, but its not just one street. Indeed, the xenophobia which drives humanity is more often than not a useful tool for those in charge, as it gives them an excuse to act as they do and provides a nice convenient threat to unify against. Because as far as the Imperium goes, its the perfect thing in the galaxy.Long ago, mankind realised there was to be no solace for him among the stars and no peace with those that shared his galaxy. All alien life is considered hostile to humanity and every race, no matter how vast or simple, is viewed as a threat to the stability and continued dominance of the Imperium.
Page 11
The 'equal or exceed Imperium's population' is not exactly new, but the specific number of worlds they are supposed to hold is, although I suspect they would hold far more than a mere million.Orks are everywhere: brutish, green-skinned aliens with tribes on a million worlds and a collective galactic population which may approach (or even exceed) that of humanity itself.
Page 11
Tyranids fights are (unsurprisingly) wars of attrition. Considering that one of the few known ways to defeat them is to deprive them of resources, this isn't surprising.AAs the endless advances of the Tyranids pour into the galaxy from the eastern fringe, the Imperial Guard must form a break wall against the alien tide.
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The result is a horrific and bloody war of attrition...
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Yet there is no choice for the Imperial Guard, lest the Tyranids overrun their defences and plunge even deeper into the Imperium; and so more and more reigments are fed into the alien meat-grinder.
Page 11
I'm not sure which is sillier, the idea that the Tau's 'true' threat is a philosophical one, ro that they're actually putting a noticable drain on the Imperium's resources. Yes, the Imperium's oppressive and exploitative approach to things tends to make such philosophies attractive, but its not like the tau are unique in fomenting dissent (Chaos does it much better, but virtually anyone rebelling will tend to embrace such beliefs, making the tau hardly unique in this regard as a threat.) And the tau are, territory wise, little better than an Imperial SEctor in terms of size and resources, which makes it hard for them to be a serious impediment on any truly galactic scale. RAther, they're representative of all those small threats biting at the Imperium's heels.. those minor xenos races that plague individual worlds and sectors like the Yu'Vath or Rak'Gol or Fra'al. With so many minor threats distracting the Imperium, it can be hard for them to concenterate on one and decisively crush it, which means that the Imperium's efforts are bled out literally by the death of a thousand cuts.As dangerous as their advanced weapons and void ships are, their philosophies of unity and collective endeavour with other races are even more so. Centered upon a belief in the 'Greater Good' and a common goal of balance and equality, many humans have been seduced by these alien lies. As the Tau empire continues to encroach on Imperial space, they have placed an increasing drain on the Imperium's already dwindling resources and become an increasing threat.
Page 12
It could be worse. Back in the old days contact with chaos was an instant death sentence. Nowadays its only a death sentence if the Inquisitor is a diehard puritan (or just paranoid) or if there are actual signs of corruptionMany times this has been the fate of regiments; winning great victories against the powers of the Warp and their thralls, only to be put to death themselves for fear that they have now been tainted and if left alive would themselves turn against the Imperium they once swore to protect.
Page 12
Scope of the IG's travails.Guardsmen have been laying down their lives to protect the Imperium for thousands of years in millions of conflicts across the galaxy.
Page 12
Suggesting the Sabbat Worlds region was in deed a sector...conflicts like the Sabbat Worlds Crusade to cleanse an entire sector from the clutches of heretics and Chaos worshipers, which lasted decades and consumed whole regiments in its many bloody battles.
Page 13
Wait, didnt they just get done telling us the Imperium was a crumbling, tottering edifice on its last legs, myriad enemies whittling away at its edges and taking away its precious worlds? Ah well, the Imperial Guard is key in pushing the 'Great Crusade' apparently, although we've heard the same of Rogue traders and Space Marines too...the Armies of the Imperium have been pressing back its boundaries and expanding its borders. As vital to the continued existence of humanity as protecting what has already been won is the task of winning more worlds in the name of the God-Emperor. This continuing war of expansion falls largely to the Imperial Guard...
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Periodically, the High Lords of Terra and the Segmentum Lords of the Imperial Guard will set their sights upon a new sector of space or a lawless boundary within the Imperium, either one which has fallen under the influence of xenos or Chaos and has been cut off, or one which has recently been revealed by shifting warp storms.
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..these regions are rich with resources and civilisations for the Imperium to absorb and add to its strength. Once such a sector has been identified, the High Lords will sanction a crusade to claim it, sometimes raising reigments from bordering worlds for the sole purpose of the endeavour.
Page 13
So much for Astelan's belief that the Great crusade has guttered out.. Its going on, just under new (and much less coherent) management. Anyhow, Crusades described.Crusades are massive undertakings comprising huge numbers of Imperial Guard regiments supported by Imperial Navy vessels, all manner of auxiliary support devisions, and even Space Marine Chapters. A crusade can last for years, decades, or even centuries.
Most of the Imperium has been forged from such crusades, new and old regions of space carved out from the dark..
Page 13
Amusingly, I remember the Calixis sector being a rather stable and peaceful part of the Imperium, and this suggests otherwise. It actually suggests the efforts Calixis are involved in pale in ocmparison to the 'might and resources' of the Imperium proper, as it is a world off on the edge. Considering what's going off into the Jericho REach crusade, that's saying something....the Calixis Sector has long been a very dangeorus place. Due to its position on the very edge of the Imperium...
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..it has struggled for surivval at every step of its existence. It is a testament to the stoic strength of the Imperium and the endless efforts of the Imperial Guard that the sector exists at all, so far from the light of Terra and the bulk of the God-Emperor's resources and might.
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In addition to these internal and extenral threats to his own sector, the Lord of Calixis must keep keen eyes turned outward to neighbouring sectors and regions, lest the fires of war and rebellion spill over into his own domain or the slow rot of sedition and heresy infect his far flung planets.
The internal and external threats are th usual suspects: eldar, orks, and other aliens, chaos and heretics and rebels and pirates, as well as political threats (rebellious Imperial commanders, nobles, the Inquisiton and other factions of the Imperium.,e tc.)
Page 14
Living a year (or even close to one) and only having a chance of not seeing home again is far better than you usually hear about the Guard."Most of you will probably not live to see your second year in the Imperial Guard and most of you will probably never see your home worlds again.."
Page 14
The IG basically.. millions of worldsImagine an army so vast that at any one time there is no exact record of its size, an army of such size that the resources of millions of worlds must constantly feed it with fresh recruits and new weapons..
Page 14
The industrial side of the Guard.Whole planets are also given over to the constant production of weapons and materiel for the Imperial Guard; forge worlds endlessly pumping out tanks and guns, while agri-worlds grow continent wide orchards to feed its troops. Such is the scale of the Imperial Guard that every world of the Imperium contributes to it in some way or another, no matter how remote or small, be they lonely penal worlds offering up condemned criminals, asteroid mining colonies tithing ore to make shells, or primitive feral worlds where savage tribesmen fight for the chance to join the sky men.
Page 14
I'd actually say that the bigger threats to Imperial logistics are the Munitorum/Adminsitratum itself (bureacuracy), general greed and politics (the leadership), and the usual travle and communications difficulties. In that order. Also even local conflicts can involve millions of men, which gives you an idea of the scale of 'small' conflicts.Given the ponderous size of the Imperial Guard and the nature of its perpetual state of war, it is constantly straining under the weight of logistical problems. Even for relatively close engagements, where a cluster of worlds are threatened and the Imperial Guard has regiments on hand to respond to the threat, moving the millions of men and the materiel needed to wage war from one world to another is a massive undertaking.
Page 14
Supposeldy the lasgun is the only constant, (evne flak armor isn't I guess?) but as a rule not evne lasguns are constant. In any case this is an interesting quote as it suggests two 'tiers' to the Guard - the forces it deploys from 'long distance' to prosecute its battles, and the 'local' stuff (men and mateiral) raised to bolster those forces. In practice I suspect this is referencing Crusades and their inevitably 'self sustaining' nature (Sabbat Worlds, Jericho Reach, etc.) but it could possibly be applied to defensive wars as well I imagine.While the Imperial Navy provides ships for the Imperial Guard regiments to reach their destination, the Imperium cannot always provide them with everything they need or with the manpower required to complete the often daunting task they are assigned..
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In these cases, the true ingenuity of the Imperial Guard comes to the fore and the nature of its military make up is tested as resources must be gathered from local worlds and systems. Because of the vast distances within the Imperium, often hundreds or thousands of light years separate conflicts from reinforcements, and the fickle nature of Warp travel, where ships may be lost or arrive years after setting out, the Imperial Guard will sequester whatever it can, whenever it can, to fight its wars. This means all the worlds within range of a warzone are often called upon to fight, offering up additional men and materials or whatever they can, lest their own worlds suffer the fate of their beleagured neighbours. It also means the quality and type of Imperial Guard regiments and equipment will vary hugely even within a single threatre of operation.
Another interesting aspect of the 'two tier' approach is that it implies that the 'long distance' forces dispatched may be more uniform, better trained, and better equipped/supplied than the locally raised forces - perhaps these reflect the 'famous' or 'named' regiments like Cadians, Tallarns, Vostroyans, etc. who seemingly fight all over the galaxy alongside more local forces.
The so called 'ingenuity' and 'sequestering', as I've noted before, seem to be the way the Guard circumvents its normally idiotic bureaucratic Munitorum and its parsimony - basically it expects local worlds and forces to provide whatever it can't get from the Munitorum assholes (and the Munitorum is happy to let them as long as its not coming out of their stockpiles and messing up their ledgers.) That whole 'theory vs practice' thing again.
Page 14
'adapt' sounds impressive, but I suspect it really means 'we couldnt be bothered to properly equip you, or the supply transport got eaten by the Warp, or some other Commander gobbled up all your supplies, so you'll just have to tackle that Chaos tank Division with your lasguns and bayonets. Good luck fellas!" Remember the Munitorum treats all regiments as if they are broadly equal regardless of their composition and cpabilities.In a galaxy of over a million inhabited worlds, the Imperial Guard must contend with all kinds of enviroments and battlefield conditions. It must adapt, overcome and triumph no matter the cost...
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Only through constant pressure, unceasing resistance and the continued action of countless millions of Guardsmen can the Imperium continue to exist, its foes kept in check, and its borders protected.
Page 15
The post Heresy breakup.. interesting that its implied that more 'divisions' than just the Guard/Navy may have occured. Also despite the 'additional' divisions, we know of quite a few cases where single regiments are combined arms inherently (fuck Imperial Armour did it all the time) rather than being 'specialized' as some sources say...the Imperial Army was split into different institutions so that no one commander could muster both fleets and armies with the ease which the traitors of the Heresy had. Primary amongst these changes was the division between the Imperial Navy and the Guard...
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In addition, the regiments of the Imperial Guard were divided, so that no single fighting force would incorporate armoured, infantry and specialised support elements, making it more difficult still to turn an entire army traitor.
Page 15
Hahaha no its not unlimited in anything. VAst, yes. Hugely supplied yes, but not unlimited. Its also hilarious how they basically say 'the IG succeeds and functions despite all the bullshit thrown on it by the bureacracy' as if the Imperium somehow doesn't want it surviving. I also like hwo they try to spin the 'no way of knowing its true size' as if this was somehow an advantage and a security measure - as if any one man could actually micromanage the Guard on a galactic scale even if they DID know its true size.Riddled with inefficiency and bureaucracy, it is often slow to respond and resistant to change, but it continues to function despite the rules laid down by the Adeptus Administratum to limit its power and use by untrustworthy commanders. That no one man can know the extent of the Imperial Guard's total strength at any time is part of this protection and part of its power, as in this way it is truly an army of unlimited size and resources..
Page 15
In other words, par for the course of 40K standardization. Hooray!Command and control of the Imperial Guard is carried out by a complex and byzantine web of advisors, officers and lords all working both together and against each other to determine the fate of the regiment.
Page 15-16
Which is another way of saying 'my god its fucked up'. Maybe I'm exaggerating, a bit, and maybe not. Its all confused as hell and prone to alot of infighting and politics and all those other bad things that can compromise a military's ability to get its job done efficiently, but thats pretty much the nature of the IG as a whole, there isn't anything really 'uniform' about them, and it takes some effort (politics, etc.) to overcome those problems and make things cohesive. It doesn't mean its IMPOSSIBLE, but the fragmented nature outlined above is an obvious drawback for the way the IG is set up, and we've seen this in action before (Hoare's Rogue trader novels and the Damocles Gulf crusade, the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, the Jericho Reach crusade.)Internally, an Imperial Guard regiment will usually have its own cadre of officers from lowly NCOs up to its own personal commander, all hailing from the same world and raised at the same time with direct control over those under their command. It is rare, though, for a regiment to fight alone and, when it is mobilised for war, a regiment will be one of many, sometimes from the same world but often form several worlds all grouped together for a single purpose. Added to this is the various support formations which accompany the Imperial Guard regiments, some from other arms of the Imperial Guard, some from powerful Imperial organisations like the Adeptus Mechanicus or the Ministorum, each with a vested interest in the endeavour. Finally no mobilization of the Imperial Guard could take place without the Imperial Navy and its fleets. Combined, this means that for every engagement the Imperial Guard participates in, there will be dozens of potential commanders either with direct control over its regiments or the influence to change their orders or alter their deployment.
One way around it may be to draw armies/multipel regiments of varying types from the same world (or actually making them combined arms forces despite what is often said about them being 'specialized.) which we know can happen at times. If time is not an issue (or they have long trips to the warzone) time can be spent training them togethre and building that unity. And the right kind of leader ALWAYS helps - a competent and charismatic (or politically savvy) leader can quite often smooth over shortcomings.
Note that alot of that cohesion applies only at 'higher than regiment' level.. regiments tend to be pretty self contained, and given that they can grow ludicrously large (tens or hundreds of thousands or more) it may be possible to circumvent those problems just by making one fuckhuge regiment (it works for the Krieg, after all.)
Page 16
The interesting thing about the weird fluff is how we get mention of 'System, Sector and Segmentum' lords, which is an interesting way of describing the characters (very feudal) but also makes me think that they implant Goa'uld symbiotes into Imperial CommandersIn principle, the armies of the Imperial Guard are under the direct control of the Segmentum Lords, each controlling the deployment and disposition of the Imperial Guard across a vast section of the galaxy and answering only to the High Lords of Terra. When a conflict arises in a Segmentum Lord's domain, he must then consider its overall importance in the overall defence of his region and dictate the Imperial Guard's response accordingly. In practice, though, Segmentum Lords have little time for every single brushfire war plaguing their command and in many cases only learn of the existing conflicts long after they have been resolved one way or another, such are the long and frail lines of communications involved.
Anyhow, its basically the 'theoretically the upper echelons have total control, but due to shitty communications and travel and information overload they tend not to involve themselves in minutae and delegate alot of lower-tier responsibility.' We also get hints of two 'tiers' of Imperial Guard response (long distance and local) as far as allocating troops go, which has some interesting things to say about tithing and troop allocations which parallel the 'material' allocation process descrbied in other sources.
Page 16
From the 'top down' perspective of things, we can say that the Segmentum Lords (which probably also is true to an extent for Sector Lords as well) focus on the 'broad' picture - conflicts above a certain level of threat (EG like Black Crusades or the Tyranid incursions) or offensive sto reclaim territory (Sabbat worlds Crusade, Macharian Crusades, etc.) which is where their allocations may come in. Everything else (at sector level or lower, for example) they leave to their subordinate System and Sector Lords. Likewise Sector Lords probably focus on stuff that is more than just the self contained conflicts of planets or planetary systems - stuff that involves multiple systems or subsectors, for example. Although having to deal with only scores or hundreds of worlds (as opposed to thousands or tens of thousands) over much shorter distances also means a Sector Lord can have greater 'situational awareness' of what happens in his domain than a Segmentum Lord is likely to have....while the Segmentum Lords focus on major crusades and lengthy on-going conflicts within their regions, it falls to sector and even system commanders to make frontline decisions about the deployment and mobilisation of the Imperial Guard regiments under their control. A Sector Lord can always call for outside assistance from his Segmentum Lord should the need be great, or he faces a threat too large for his own forces to handle, but the reality the Imperium and much of the Imperial Guard contends with is the fact that while reinforcements are always coming,it may be months or even years before they see the frontlines, ferried across vast stretches of space and only then once the right orders have been signed and the Segmentum Lord is satisfied they are needed.
We also get comment that 'beyond a sector' help can often be unreliable, due to the aforementiond comms/transit difficulties. It probably isn't so much that local sectors cannot respond readily, its that requests for more troops require the Segmentum Lord's permission. And if the dude is a long ways off that can mean the request (and response) as well as the mobilization and deployment, take a fucklong time to accomplish. Much of that is probably travel, as we know that segmentum-scale distances can take months to cover.
This is probably mitigated by the independent actions of Sector Lords in surrounding sectors - their responsibilities may dictate actions to contain or mitigate the possible threats (so that they themselves do not get in trouble) and may even involve deployment of troops into the trouble sector spontaneously. I imagine politics and relations between sectors (as well as the inclinations of the various organizations of the Imperium.) plays a huge role here.
Page 16
Which, for most conflicts is probably an advantage, as they don't have to worry about the lag and unreliability involved in long-distance micromanaging either from the Segmentum lords (and their politics) and the bureaucratic bullshit. Funny enough the 'local' (sector or system level) Munitorum shits are more likely to be effective, because its their necks on the line (depending on the scope of the involvement.)As a result of the disparate nature of the Imperial Guard's command structure, a great deal of responsibility and weight falls on Planetary Governors and Sector Lords and their local Cadre of Imperial officers. Such men can never be sure that their requests for aid, or their petitions for approval of a course of action, will be answered before it is too late, but they can be sure that should they lose worlds or sacrifice their regiments pointless,y they will be held accountable.
On the other hand, that lack of communication can create uncertainty from the 'politicla' side, as there is always the danger that if they do something 'wrong' or unpopular, even if they win, their positions or lives may be forfeit. The political bullshit is always a complication (hinderance)
Page 16-17
Again the higher echelons only intervene when situations get out of control or rise to a certain level (probably involving the 'stabilis mandates' mentioned in other sources. and there can always be risks or consequences for such an intervention. Politics is often the biggest hinderance to effective management of the Imperial army (although communcations and travel is a big one too of course.) due to the competing factions involved.Fortunately for such men, while the High Lords of Terra and their Segmentum Lords have the right to intervene personally in the actions of the Imperial Guard, they seldom do, only making their will known when events threaten significnat portions of the Imperium, or are set to spiral beyond the control of a single world or system.
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..where a sector-wide conflict draws the attentions of the Imperial authorities, the outcome can become unpredictable. Just as a System Lord might find himself sidelined when the hand of the Sector Lord intervenes, so too can whole sectors lose any pretence of independent control by their lords and nobles should armies raised by the Segmentum Lord arrive to 'deal' with a problem.
How can politics be a problem here? If a Sector Lord is afraid he will garner displeasure from the Segmentum Lord for 'bothering' them and not being able to effectively contain a threat (especially if they were incompetent at doing so) they may delay or refrain from taking that step (evne if it would solve the problem, it would mena losing their position or life. THey are, after all, only human, and such short sightedness is unsurprising. Look at how often it happens in real life.)
Alternately, the agendas of various organizations may create problems in effectively executing their duties depending on how their interests are impacted by a conflict (The Eccleiarchy wanting troops for its Wars of Faith agianst perceived 'heretics' may conflict with attempting to contain a rebellion in another subsector, whilst the Mechanicus may demand troops to help protect their 'vital' forge worlds and domains.) Or if you have people who 'profit' from military situations may want to prolong conflicts for various reasons. Money is always a big factor.
Page 17
As I said.. politics is what drives so many things in the Imperium (whislt fucking them up at the same time.) That's very much human nature, much as some people may dislike the 'illogic' that implies - we're not all transhuman hive mind cyborgs after all. We've seen how politics can affect things in the Ghosts novels, Damocles Gulf Crusade, Jericho Reach, etc.All of this amounts to a command structure which is as much about the politics of the Imperium as it is about the military command of the Imperial Guard. On the ground, frontline officers can bemoan the lack of support and orders which demand they dig in when they know they should manoeuvre or which call for a retreat when they know they should attack, but for their superiors, and for the lords and governors above them, waging a successful war means both actually fighting the enemy and being seen to be fighting the enemy, which can at once be the same and different things.
They also mention that many officers (at least high ranking ones) are often local nobility for the troops they lead, and this complicates matters when its those nobles they report to.
Page 17
Political acumen is the first requirement, competence the second for a high ranking officer. Again due to politics. The funny thing is, a competent commander could rise to high rank on his competence (or perceived competence), yet if he doesn't have the ability to handle the politicla side, all his competence may be useless (bureacrats caring only about their ledgers and logistical demands, officers worrying about their positions or fame, etc.) The truly great commanders are both, and their effectiveness in both arenas tends to be synergistic (a good politican can often obtain better support after all.) In other cases.. then politics is again a hinderance, as you have to worry about the enemy in front of you and the ones behind (those who will question your actions, or try to undercut them or cast blame on you, etc.)To even reach a high rank in the Imperial Guard, a commander must usually be a savvy political animal, acutely aware of the favour of his Sector Lord and the needs of system and planetary governors. Many of these men and women may also be shrewd tacticians and strategists, well-schooled in the arts of waging war, though to hold onto their posts they must also consider their actions, the orders they give and receive, and how they act upon them.
It is this political climate which is the bane of independence and initiative among many officers of the Imperial Guard. Far form the machinations of System, Sector, and Segmentum Lords, regimental commanders must tread with care, keeping one eye on the men under their command and the success of their campiagns, and one eye on their superiors and the favour their actions garner, lest they find themselves sent to the frontlines or their regiments posted to a remote and dismal world.
Page 17
Again this is why politics is considered more important than competence. Someone who is inept but politically competent will probably see you as a threat and use their connections to sideline you (or get you killed). Poliltics = survival in the Imperium.Some officers, often young and idealistic ones, will show initiative on the battlefield, taking matters into their own hands to secure victory and acting on the intent on their orders rather than slavishly following them to the letter. Whether or not this is rewarded or punished by those above these young, idealistic officers varies widely throughout the Imperium. In some areas, these kind of actions are quickly shut down, the offending officers getting sent off on suicide missions before they cause too much trouble for those higher in the chain of command. However, in other areas of the Imperium, such brave, unprompted behaviour can be rewarded, the young officer rising in command and perhaps eventually ascending high enough to lead a crusade across the star..
That said, we get that variability butting its head, and it can actually be an advantage here. In sectors where competence and iniative is rewarded the above may not be true. I suspect it depends on the conditions and climate of the region. A place where there are lots of threats or dangers may dictate that competence outweighs politics (you can't politick if you're dead or eaten or sacrificed to Chaos.) whilst the more 'peaceful' regions of the Imperium are prone to forget the importance of competence and fall to greater politicking.
Page 17
Politics strikes again. As if the politicking between officers within the Imperial Guard (and Munitorum) wasn't bad enough, the other organizations will all stick their fingers into the pie too, which only worsens the complications involved...there are numerous individuals [in addition to the direct chain of command] and organisations which exert considerable influence on the officers of the Imperial Guard. At every level, from companies up to whole army groups, the Imperial Guard is teeming with advisors of all kinds: from tacticians versed int eh secrets of the Tactica Imperialis and clerics of the Ministorum...
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..to Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus overseeing the use of ancient engines of war and psykers of the Scholastica Psykana to aid them in matters of the Warp.
They mention high ranking officers often having dozens of such advisors. Some organizations, like the Ministorum and AdMech will use their influence more forcibly to make advisements whether the officer wants it or not, and politics means he can't deal with it as he might normally wish to. Mind you some advisors are important (a psyker can be valuable if you come up against Chaos forces, for example. And givne the AdMech's control of technology, they're invaluable if you want to fight your war with more than guys with pointy sticks. Whether you consider Priests or the Administratum useful is a matter of opinion.)
Page 17
Commissars are, by this, sort of a glue to bind together the disparate elements of the Imperium by providing that common link, as well as overseeing the reliability and morale of their forces. As we've seen and I've commented on, this requires an extremely good grasp of psychology, although the more unimaginative Commissars probably figure pointing a gun at your men will solve all problems (unless they're Death Worlders or jungle fighters, in which case it earns you an early grave.)With so many worlds and cultures feeding the armies of the Imperial Guard, it can be a daunting task for commanders to unite and control the soldiers in their armies.
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Divided by language and customs, this can lead to disruption among regiments and more importantly poor morale within the regiments themselves, as Guardsmen forget why they have been torn from their home worlds and ferried across the void. The Imperial Commissar exists to ensure control over the regiments of the Imperial Guard and remind every Guardsmen of his duty both to the Imperium and to the God-Emperor.
Storm troopers (and other renowned/elite troops like the Krieg, Cadian, etc.) probably also play a role in this as well, as they provide a similarly 'unifying' link to the disparate military forces (and reliable troops for the Munitorum/Commissars to fall back on in instilling order.)
It's also mentioned that there is at least one present at the company level, and probably more.
Page 17
The interesting thing is it implies that a Commissar's independence only exists at the regimental level or lower. Higher level officers seem to be immune from this. Whether it is politics, or the fact higher level officers may come from (or be appointed by) that same Muniotrum, or something else entirely we don't know.As Commissars exist outside the command structure at the regimental level, answering instead to the Departmento Munitorum, they have the power to remove commanders if they are not performing their duty (often violently through the use of a bolt pistol.) However, a good Commissar knows when to use fear and when to use inspiration to motivate men, and alongside the many cruel and brutal Commissars there are those who lead by example...
Also note the requirements of a 'good' commissar, which again basically boils down to psychology - knowing what it takes to get the men he's responsible for motivated in a given situation. They can be fanatics, but they can't be stupid (the differences between Fanatical Krieg regiments and conscript farmers from an agri world, or hive gangers or feral worlders is massive, and each requires a different touch. Especially the Krieg, where Commissars are diplomats AND voices of restraint.)
Page 17-18
Navy Liaisons, yet another layer of complication added to the mix. Although its an unavoidable one since you pretty much *need* the Navy as much as you need the AdMech (or Navigators) to get from one place to another...Imperial Guard officers will often have naval liaisons and fleet advisors as part of their staff. In theory, the presence of such liaisons is to help co-ordinate operations between regiments on the ground and ships in close orbit, or in the case of regiments in transit, to ensure that they are not a threat to the ship. In practice, however, the presence of such men and women can be just as political as the presence of other advisors. A naval liaison may act as a strong influencing factor when naval presence outweighs that of the Imperial Guard (ensuring the objectives of the fleet commanders are met first), or as a spy to keep eyes on the Imperial Guard..
Spying is ostensibly to keep the Guard from being glory hogs (which 'rightfully' belongs to the Navy) but I suspect other, more politcal reasons may be involved.
Page 18
A bit on the equipping and logistics of the Guard. Again the nature of the world and the distances involved between the source and the frontlines makes a huge impact on the capabilities of an Imperial Guard unit, both in initial and continued deployments. The trade networks involved and sources of equipment matter too. Those micro beads, NVgs and nuclear powered chimeras are useful if you're close to the owrlds that make them, but if you're halfway acrouss the segmentum the chances of getting resupply for those things is low.In part, the arming and equipping of a regiment falls ot its founding world - at least initially, many of the possessions a Guardsman has will come from his home world, or nearby worlds in close trade alliances with them. Uniforms, personal arms, and armour often bear these local seals and are of local design. Thus forge worlds and hive worlds, with their massive manufacturing capabilities, can equip their regiments more lavishly, and it is no coincidence that most mechanised Imperial Guard regiments, such as the famed Steel Legion of Armageddon, where every platoon is outfitted with armoured troop transports and fully mobile support, hail from these kinds of worlds.
We also get mention of what qualifies as 'better equipped' units - the more industrialised the better, with forge and hive worlds being the best examples (either from their own populations or those of nearby worlds they trade and supply.) Indeed, it seems that the number of 'hive' worlds (at least of the Armaggeddon style, not necesarily the FFG definition) and forge worlds impacts their relative commaniltiy. Given 5th edition's implication on IG numbers from Hive worlds alone, that's fairly telling IMHO about the relative 'rarity' of mechanised forces.
The fact its implied forge worlds provide regiments (or at least certain 'kinds' do) is interesting in the extreme, as thats a throwback to the Gaunt's Ghosts stuff (Fortis Binary, Orestes, Urdesh, etc.)
Page 18
And.. the opposite end of the spectrum. The less important (and lower tech) worlds make do with hand-me-downs and castoffs, and that assumes there are any 'modern' weapons and armour available. Mind you some feral worlds (like Iocanthos) have some pretty impressive tech for tribals that they acquire from trade, so this isn't neccesarily a hard and fast rule.More rustic worlds, or feral backwater planets, often have to make do with whatever they have, Guardsmen leaving their world with a battered lasgun (still stained with the blood of its previous owner) and a tattered suit of flak armour (which doesn't appear to have done its previous owner much good either.)
...
..still wearing triblal furs and carrying spears and swords [as thy are loaded onto transports]. These poor unfortunates must scavenge what they can and make do with the castoffs of other regiments, until such time as they win glory for themselves and can gather spoils of the battlefield.
Page 18
Yeah right. They might provide it if they're forced to/it doesnt impact their quotas . Remember Vraks?Supplementing the often meagre kit that a Guardsman's home world sees fit to provide him with, the Departmento Munitorum, the military arm of the Administratum, may provide additional resources and resupply. Much of the bureaucracy that mires the entire Imperial Guard in paperwork stems directly from the Departmento Munitorum and its endless records and tallies of the Imperial army.
Page 18
millions of regiments. Previous statements re variability apply (EG they're not neccesarily armed troops lol)when a regiment is raised, the Administratum records its existence and it joins millions of others in the roll call of armies which can be called upon..
Page 18
An indication of how the communications issue can make their tasks pretty much useless at anything above a sector level or so...thousands of scribes and adepts work endlessly... ..to keep records as current as possible, funnelling their lists back to Terra where the Departmento Munotrum can store and collate them.
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..the vagaries of Warp travel and the truly vast distances between the worlds of the Imperium, most of which take years for messages to reach and more years for responses to be issued back, the files of the Departmento Munitorum are often hopelessly out of date and at any one time might contain thousands of regiments which no longer exist or fail to include thousands of others which have been newly raised.
Page 18
Alot of this, of course, depends on where those reinforcements come, and how big an area we're mustering over or deploying across, and such. Also again millions and millions of worlds in the Imperium.In an empire as thinly spread across the stars as the Imperium, reinforcements from the Imperial Guard can be slow to respond to cries for aid from planetary governors; with millions upon millions of worlds to protect, one world's woe might not even elicit a response by the Imperial Guard at all.
Page 18
PDFs. Not immune to the varaibility that plagues every other aspect of the Imperium. They also double as the Lord's private armies for all intents and purposes (such as if one Commander wages war against another, like in IAIX and the Hoare rogue trader novels.)Often referred to as a planetary defence force, these forces vary wildly from system to system. Some planetary governments maintain strictly regimented soldiers for their own defence, while others simply rely on the feral masses of their planets to fight back whatever threats may arise. Unlike the soldiers of the Imperial Guard, a planetary defence force is completely supplied and controlled by local authorities. Governors rely on these local forces as the first line of defence, crushing rebellions, protecting against orbital raiders and xenos infiltration, or hunting out heresy and sedition against their Imperial appointed leaders.
Page 18
Again whether or not the prejudice is warranted probably depeonds on the origins of the force and the conditions they operate under. PDF from more peaceful sectors probably differ from more militant regions. And one must remember most Guardsmen were probably PDF (or worse, militia or conscripts) at some point in their lives.Imperial Guardsmen usually look down on such forces, seeing them as lacking in training, experience, and morale, unfit for off-world service and consigned to babysit a local population. For the most part this is true, though some planetary defence forces are the equal of some Imperial Guard Regiments in skill and experience, either because of rigorous local training regimes or the unstable societies which they 'protect.'
Page 18
This is balanced by the fact that if the Munitorum feels the forces are sub-standard, they're likely to be deposed and/or executed, so a Commander has to be careful.When a governor is required to tithe men to the Imperial Guard, he may send a portion of his forces to meet the quota, though they are often loath to do so if their forces are particularly competent and thus valuable to the lord's continued position of power. For their part, members of such forces often aspire to join the Imperial Guard, especially the young and idealistic...
Page 18-19
Minor cases are stuff you don't immediately need but don't hamper your ability to fight - Infantry getting battle cannon shells, for example. More extreme cases below, but it basically illustrates some of the key problems in Guard logistics.In the field, especially once beyond the immediate support of its founding world, a regiment must often accept whatever aid it is issued.
Some MIU implants can be simplified to specialized tasks, like a MIU weapons interface (remote controlled weapons.)
