OT-Warhammer 40k Books

[Randallw]

Ahh Dawn of War, well the novels for that are basically just cheap tie ins as far as I know. What you want to read is the Fluff bible (235 pages. Come one it's been growing for 20 years )

www.electric-rain.net/w40kRPG/Warhammer%2040k%20FluffBible.pdf

It uses a lot of version 1 and 2 stuff but it's mostly up to date, well except for perhaps the Orks and Tyranids, oh and it won't mention the Tau or Necrons.

The closest you'll find to a "How it started" book will be Horus Heresy books, but keep in mind the Imperium of 10,000 years later is extremely different.

I shall endeavour to explain recent stuff, though one of the criticisms is that nothing really changes.

let's see. 13th Black Crusade. Abaddon (head of the Chaos Marines) invaded the Cadian gate which is sort of an area of space with ancient ruins that control the entrance/exit to the Eye of Terror, which is where the Warp (psychic hell/void/dimension) intersects the real universe. They sort of won and so are supposed to be stronger, not that it means much.

Tau. Thousands of years ago an explorer fleet from the Human Imperium discovered a planet with some primitive natives not considered worth anything, but then being aliens that's not much of a surprising decision. The fleet sent to basically exterminate them got lost in the warp and so the natives developed and 3000 years later meet the Imperium by which time they have space flight. They are weak compared to the Imperium but although the Imperium could exterminate them if they could spare the fleets the Imperium is too busy elsewhere.

Necrons. Think the Undead, but robots. After millions of years of sleep they have woken up and plan to exterminate all life in the galaxy.

Look it's extremely long and complex. Tell you what I'll ask my friends at the GW forums for ideas on what might be helpful and get back to you.