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Author Topic: Pre-Astronomican Warp Navigation Question  (Read 2430 times)

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Offline DocBenway

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Pre-Astronomican Warp Navigation Question
« on: May 29, 2016, 12:49:12 PM »

Hello and thank you in advance for considering my question. I know of the Pharos device discovered on Sotha. However, my question is exactly how did Navigators chart longer courses through the warp during the Dark Age of Technology before the Astronomican was constructed at the beginning of The Great Crusade?

Did mankind have a similar warp beacon that was lost in the Age of Strife or did they actually use the xenos device discovered under Mount Pharos or one like it? Did Navigators simply have a more difficult time doing their job before the Astronomican? Did they simply chart shorter courses during Mankind's original expansion? I run a Rogue Trader game and my Navigator would like to know.   
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Offline Sir_Godspeed

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Re: Pre-Astronomican Warp Navigation Question
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2016, 04:21:00 PM »
From the background I know, which might be outdated nowadays, human warp travel during the Dark Age of Technology was a bit like Tau currently does things. The humans did have the benefit of having gene-engineered Navigators though, who even without the Astronomican allowed the humans to "skip" a bit deeper (and thus longer) than the Tau are currently doing.

Offline DocBenway

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Re: Pre-Astronomican Warp Navigation Question
« Reply #2 on: May 30, 2016, 01:09:33 PM »
Oh wonderful! Thank you so very much for the rapid response.

I understand. So before the construction of the Astronomican, Dark Age of Technology Navigators would sort of dip in and out of the warp like a dolphin swims and then comes to the surface for air? Neato. I looked this up on a wiki and it stated that this is sort of a mixed bag strategy as it is most certainly slower than full warp translation but doesn't expose the ship to the normal hazards presented by full submersal in the Immaterium. I know this is what a wiki says but I don't really have access to any primary sources except my rouge trader manual.   

My Rogue Trader group is collectively disinterested in the Tau which explains why I haven't heard of that warp navigation technique, seeing that my group hasn't prompted me to look anything up about them.   

Thanks again for your help. I am officially impressed with this forum.
« Last Edit: May 30, 2016, 09:57:32 PM by DocBenway »
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Offline Sir_Godspeed

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Re: Pre-Astronomican Warp Navigation Question
« Reply #3 on: May 30, 2016, 10:19:42 PM »
Yeah, the dolphin analogy isn't a bad one. :)

I really wish I could point you to a specific source of course, but this stuff is drawn from a lot of different pieces, and I can't really pin down which specific ones say what. Some of it probably came into being with the 3rd Edition Rulebook for 40k, and some other things was probably published in various White Dwarf articles under the general heading of Chapter Approved, which I don't think are available anymore, sadly. I think it there also might be some mentions of pre-Astronomican navigation for humans in the Tau Codex itself, as a comparison, but that might just be my faulty memory.

Anyway, thanks for the praise. I hope your game goes well and your group appreciates your dedication. :)
« Last Edit: May 30, 2016, 10:26:10 PM by Sir_Godspeed »

Offline Kage2020

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Re: Pre-Astronomican Warp Navigation Question
« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2019, 09:08:32 PM »
Oooh. Jumping into the whole problem of old and new 'fluff.' That's awesome because it gives you the latitude to do what you want for your own purposes.

...my question is exactly how did Navigators chart longer courses through the warp during the Dark Age of Technology before the Astronomican was constructed at the beginning of The Great Crusade?
No one really knows. The only thing that is clear that is, with the Astronomican, things got a whole lot easier because of the whole pulsing beacon that had a diameter that was variable enough to leave some guessing as to just how big the Eastern Fringe was.

Without the Astronomican, how might Navigators have plotted their course? I think that the answer lies with some of the older 'fluff' with respect to "warp sensors" and the like.

With that said, the whole "Mount Pharos" thing is a new bit of 'fluff' for me. Is this another example of GW attributing the advancements of humanity to alien beings, especially the C'tan?

However, my question is exactly how did Navigators chart longer courses through the warp during the Dark Age of Technology before the Astronomican was constructed at the beginning of The Great Crusade?
The wonderful thing to explore here is exactly how Navigators are an improvement over "calculated warp jumps" (back from the day of WD139/140), and just what this might mean.

There's a lot of cool fan intepreations out there, but, well, that's "fan w**k" according to the broader community.

Did mankind have a similar warp beacon that was lost in the Age of Strife or did they actually use the xenos device discovered under Mount Pharos or one like it?
One thing that is worth thinking about are the "micro-beacons" that are used on the Eastern Fringe to allow Rogue Traders to explore. Of course, some of that relies upon an Astrotelepath choir, but it's also worth remembering that: (1) astrotelepaths are a post-Golden Age thing; and (2) there's nothing saying that alternate options were not possible before.

Quote from: Sir_Godspeed
From the background I know, which might be outdated nowadays, human warp travel during the Dark Age of Technology was a bit like Tau currently does things.
"Calculated warp jumps," or warp jumps that were shorter, were a part of the 'fluff' from WD 139/140. It would be entirely reasonable if Navigators allowed human ships to jump "deeper" into the warp, but you're going to have to deal with the whole notion of "skip drives" and how they are, or are not, related to human technologies.

Quote from: DocBenway
I understand. So before the construction of the Astronomican, Dark Age of Technology Navigators would sort of dip in and out of the warp like a dolphin swims and then comes to the surface for air?
Not Navigators--just warp ships. Navigators offered an approach beyond this.

Quote from: Sir_Godspeed
I really wish I could point you to a specific source of course, but this stuff is drawn from a lot of different pieces, and I can't really pin down which specific ones say what.
As above, WD139/140 was the initial 'fluff' for the premise of the "calculated warp jump." This led to some of the various fan theoreis that tried to create some sense out of the "rule of cool" materials that tended to follow from that period.

Offline Sir_Godspeed

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Re: Pre-Astronomican Warp Navigation Question
« Reply #5 on: February 16, 2019, 12:16:09 AM »
Holy crap, it's a Kage.

Offline Kage2020

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Re: Pre-Astronomican Warp Navigation Question
« Reply #6 on: September 24, 2021, 01:16:08 AM »
I do crop up every now and again.

FWIW, I don't intend this as a necro, but I recently did something that I haven't done for years: bought GW minis. My hope is to get my son into them as something that we can share on the creative angle.

Put another way, feel free to weigh in on my questions on the Eldar forum about mini stuff. I haven't touched 40k in years. :D

Offline Sir_Godspeed

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Re: Pre-Astronomican Warp Navigation Question
« Reply #7 on: September 26, 2021, 06:22:44 PM »
lmao, I have been validated!

Offline Kage2020

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Re: Pre-Astronomican Warp Navigation Question
« Reply #8 on: September 27, 2021, 03:26:27 AM »
I do need someone to explain the whole "Triumvirate of Ynnead" set that I just bought. AFAICT, it's basically a Dark Eldar + Khainite = Slaaneshi hybrid?

That's based purely on the model. But what are the background--errr--"justifications" that are being used?

 


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