40K questions

[frigidmagi]

Okay is Chaos is a big secret that the Inquisition will kill to keep?

Do Imperial Guard units get wiped out if they have contact with Chaos forces? Even if they win?

What happens to the Space Marines?

[Cynical Cat]

Early fluff had Chaos being a bigger secret and the Inquisition killing and mind wiping dudes who encountered it. What's out there for public consumption, in the places that know about it, is that it's a heretical religion that centers around monsters from the warp.

Okay is Chaos is a big secret that the Inquisition will kill to keep?

The existence of Chaos? No. Certain truths about it, like the true strength of the Ruinous Powers, what probably happens to a lot of people's souls after death, etcetera yes.

Do Imperial Guard units get wiped out if they have contact with Chaos forces? Even if they win?

No. The "heretic witches" covers most Chaos phenomena. In the older fluff they did, but that's changed.

What happens to the Space Marines?

Nothing. They're trusted to no more about the enemy. It used to be that they are mind wiped.

[frigidmagi]

what probably happens to a lot of people's souls after death,

What happens? And do the Imperials really know about that?

The "heretic witches" covers most Chaos phenomena

True, but how do they explain Chaos Space Marines and those damn daemons.

Nothing. They're trusted to no more about the enemy. It used to be that they are mind wiped.

I always wondered about that, how do you convince a bunch of Space Marines to get mind wiped if they don't want to?

[B4UTRUST]

The Astartes of course know. And the Inquisition would not kill a marine for knowing of it, since combating the forces of chaos and the heretical chapters is one of the big action items on the list of things for the Astartes to do. Hell, there's an entire chapter of the Astartes that are permanently attached to the Ordo Malleus, the Grey KNights

As for the IG. Yeah, wouldn't surprise me in some cases. After all, they're IG. They're disposable. If you kill 10,000 of them, there's a 100,000,000 to take their place and more born every day... But them you do have the Cadian regiments who live right there at the eye of terror and are tasked with defending and guarding the routes to and from it... So I'm sure they have some knowledge. Cyn would be better able to talk about them, I'm sure...

[Cynical Cat]

what probably happens to a lot of people's souls after death,

What happens? And do the Imperials really know about that?

Knowing that a fair chunk of the faithful don't spend eternity at the Emperor's side and instead end up a daemon chow would cause problems.

True, but how do they explain Chaos Space Marines and those damn daemons.

Marine chapters have gone rogue before, although mostly (but not all) chaotic. Heretic marines and nasty warp/xenos critters and witch craft. The true relationship between warp daemons and human emotions and souls is another thing entirely.

I always wondered about that, how do you convince a bunch of Space Marines to get mind wiped if they don't want to?

Inquisition orders, probably disguised as debriefing and counseling, and overwhelming force. We are talking about relatively small Marine detachments.

[frigidmagi]

So what does happen to an IG unit that survives combat with Chaos forces?

[Cynical Cat]

So what does happen to an IG unit that survives combat with Chaos forces?

Nothing, unless the higher ups fear that prolonged exposure has created a corruption risk. That's usually not an issue for combat, but being stranded on a chaos controlled world for a long time ala His Last Command would raise those issues.