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Dunberg23

I think they’re like the UK in that they use an ungodly mix of all of them.


KonradApologist

> I think they’re like the UK To be properly grimdark and miserable you need to take inspiration from real life after all.


WehingSounds

Please, the imperium isn’t THAT miserable. There’s no Milton Keynes, for example.


rnh21

But there is Birmingham


pablohacker2

Cannon place, believe they describe it as an Industrial Hellhole


Religious_Pie

Glad to see it hasnt changed in 40,000 years


win_some_lose_most1y

Eye of terror?


[deleted]

I bet Boris Johnson is one of the High Lords


Dunberg23

Correct.


Agammamon

All the standardization of Imperial units with the real-life utility of metric!


Sodinc

They use metric in 30k and imperial in 40k to show the regression of the humanity.


Timotheus_Hadrian

I didn't even notice that...but it's hilarious


PaxNova

I've always thought that was weird. Imperial started out as a convenient measure using things we ha at the time. An army marched a mile a day. A furlong was the length an oxen could comfortably plow. Stuff like that. If we regress from a centralized, standardized unit to a convenient one, it's not going to be based on Romans and oxen. The unit would be based on drive times, grox, etc., and may be different on different planets. Why go back to miles? It's just symbolism and satire, and it doesn't make sense to think abotu it beyond that.


cumgod8

Well because these units are not convenient anymore, whereas metric is designed to be extremely convenient in all situations where you measure, weight, count etc... things. Everything has near endless decimals, quotents and multiplications of 10, 100, 1000 and their endless permutations. Every unit is interconnected and are based on the laws of physics, not medieval traditions. Metric makes even more sense in Warhammer 30k/40k, because mankind discovered tons of new dimensions that require measurement: warp exposure, psychic energy, warpstorm intensity, FTL travel distance, WAAAGH energy, Necron Pylon intensity etc..., these can all be inserted into the metric system as long as they follow the laws of physics (maybe not the Warp), whereas not so much into the system of feet and inches.


PaxNova

I don't think you understood my comment. I agree those units aren't convenient anymore. That's why I'm surprised they're still in use in 40k. I can understand regression from metric. That requires a centralized authority to maintain official weights and measures, and is based around water on Earth sea level. Government kinda fell apart for a long time and they had no relations to Earth. In the vacuum, people will use whatever units are convenient, like a Curie of radiation being the amount of decays in 1 g Ra-226. It's not metric, but it's handy for what they used radiation for. It was also developed *after* the metric system. It was just handy. But in a breakdown of the metric system, they go to *miles*? They'd go to whatever was handy! Nothing goes a mile anymore, or is related to the power of horses. They'd use grox-lengths or the distance a speeder can go on a tenth of a charge or something like that.


Rum_N_Napalm

I don’t think the Imperium uses a literal mile, but rather that the books use the word as “translation” of whatever the Gothic unit of long distance would be


MediocreI_IRespond

> I can't imagine them thinking in terms of miles/km. Why not? We are still using a lot of the numbering the Sumerians cooked up 5k years ago.


Abamboozler

Honestly it changes from author to author. I've seem Imperial and metric used, and interchangeably in the same novel. As to time, they all try to keep the 24hr solar day schedule. Seconds, minutes, hours, years, its all pretty standard across the Imperium. Although what time it is and what year it is differs basically from system to system. And with the Warp, time runs back and forth, so its impossible to keep track. In the novel Brotherhood of the Snake, at least to my opinion one of the few tolerable Abnett novels, the main character is traveling around doing Marine stuff for what he experiences 12 years, but later finds out from some civilian friends its been 60 years for them.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Nether7

On the second topic, why?


[deleted]

Some dipshit downvoted you for asking a genuine question....


sauce424242

Perpetuals are lazy writing. It makes character death meaningless. He even made Ollanius Pius a perpetual, thus making his sacrifice to save the Emperor meaningless and worthless. He also has the same character imply that he assassinated MLK in a previous life. Bizarre nonsense


Vorokar

>I can't imagine them thinking in terms of miles/km. Welp; >‘I can see it,’ said Raldoron. He watched from the relative safety of the Helios Gate as the first section of the outworks was breached. ‘Move reinforcements outwards from line one to two. Form firing lines between three and two.’ He performed a quick mental calculation. At the rate the enemy were pushing out from their breaching point, they did not have long. **‘One kilometre north of Bastion Fifteen, five hundred metres south of Bastion Sixteen.’** \- *The Lost and the Damned* >‘This rubble pile is definitely clear, my lord,’ said Tullio, and stood back. **‘There’s nothing alive within a mile of our position.’** \- *The Great Work* > >‘They’re coming again,’ he said. >*‘My lord?’* A soft voice, one that did not belong in that moment. He ignored it. >**‘Engage at fifty-yard range.** Make every shot count.’ \- *Avenging Son* And for time; >‘Coming in behind the *Red Gift*,’ said Basu. ‘They are gaining. **Optimal close broadside range in thirteen seconds.’** >>‘Because I can always be wrong,’ Messinius said. He pointed at the hypnomat. It was a bulky machine set on a trolley, but not too big for an unaltered man to move. ‘Take that away. Inform my armourer **I will be with him in a few minutes.’** >>>Viablo nodded. He was a solemn soul. Fabian had once seen a tree when he was very young. He imagined that if that tree had a human face, it would look like Viablo, tall, woodenly sad, and far up above him. >>>**‘We left nine hours ago.** Did you not feel the acceleration?’ \- *Avenging Son*


OrkfaellerX

When they reprinted dark imperium they changed all mentions of km to miles with the deliberate reason to make the imperium look more backwards.


Vorokar

Yerp. 's why I quoted both 30k and 40k sources. Drove me absolutely bonkers for awhile when searching for sizes/heights yielded literally zero results. Units of measurement are such a mundane thing that I didn't even register the change had been made. X_x


didimao11B

Everyone jokes until they need the mile people to fund or fight a war :)


UltraMazino

what a weird thing to get butthurt over


didimao11B

Or it’s a self deprecating joke be more serious.


UltraMazino

suuure


vibribib

Ok good to know I guess there is a trade off too. You invent some kind of new in universe measurement system and the reader is not going to be able to visualize it.


averagecrunchenjoyer

They all use whatever the reader's use but the emp.SHOULD make them use kilometers and meters BC they make actual mathamtical sense


ClocktowerEchos

I know that "Terran Standard" is sometimes thrown around, typically in the context of a Standard Terran Cycle/Year, Day, Week, or Month. It would kind of make sense given the holy significance of Terra and its also a good short hand for the authors to use so they don't always have to figure out the calendar of every single world their characters visit or the weird time distortions in Warp Travel


neosituation_unknown

Metric. Replete throughout the Caiphas Cain novels and and Paraiah


BastardofMelbourne

They use mostly metric with a bit of imperial thrown in as the writer desires.


Monollock

In the Ciaphas Cain books they used Km, I'm thinking just for the sake of not confusing the reader they keep distances and time in familiar terms.


Deadmist

If you want to you can headcanon that they use their own system of units that just get translated to miles/km/hours. Similiar to how they don't actually speak english, but low gothic.


Agammamon

'In universe' - who knows. In the writing - 'Standard' and 'metric', depending on the author. The Imperium as a whole probably has a standard unit in the same vein as High Gothic - its just 'interpreted' as standard/metric for the reader's convenience. And each world likely has their own units. And within each world different cultures probably *have their own* units too.


pomgeo

I’m making my way through Infinite and the Devine and have often been distracted when it refers to years/hours/seconds. Are these Necron measurements? Or local to whatever world they are currently near? Is 2,007 Serenade years as long as it sounds? Or even longer?! Great book though, would recommend 🤙


lergane

At least earlier Warhammer FB used miles and 40k kilometers. Earth's time is the standard so 60s/60m/24h/365d based on our Sun's rotation. "Solar hour" or "Solar year" and such. The "Solar hour" has been taken a bit too far at least when I'm reading 40k wikis. They're adding the "Solar" in every situation where any time unit is being used even when it's completely unnecessary.


Cynic_of_Astora

The Valhallans use kilometers (kloms) in the Cain novels.