1.
Potassium-40
–
Potassium-40 is a radioactive isotope of potassium which has a very long half-life of 1. 251×109 years. It makes up 0. 012% of the amount of potassium found in nature. Potassium-40 is an example of an isotope that undergoes all three types of beta decay. About 89. 28% of the time, it decays to calcium-40 with emission of a particle with a maximum energy of 1.33 MeV. About 10. 72% of the time it decays to argon-40 by electron capture, with the emission of a 1.460 MeV gamma ray, the radioactive decay of this particular isotope explains the large abundance of argon in the earths atmosphere. Very rarely it will decay to 40Ar by emitting a positron, potassium-40 is especially important in potassium–argon dating. Argon is a gas that does not ordinarily combine with other elements, so, when a mineral forms – whether from molten rock, or from substances dissolved in water – it will be initially argon-free, even if there is some argon in the liquid. However, if the mineral contains any potassium, then decay of the 40K isotope present will create fresh argon-40 that will remain locked up in the mineral. Since the rate at which this occurs is known, it is possible to determine the elapsed time since the mineral formed by measuring the ratio of 40K. It follows that most of the terrestrial argon derives from potassium-40 that decayed into argon-40, the radioactive decay of 40K in the Earths mantle ranks third, after 232Th and 238U, as the source of radiogenic heat. The core also likely contains radiogenic sources, although how much is uncertain and it has been proposed that significant core radioactivity may be caused by high levels of U, Th, and K. 40K is the largest source of natural radioactivity in animals including humans
2.
Games Workshop
–
Games Workshop Group PLC is a British miniature wargaming manufacturing company. Games Workshop is best known as developer and publisher of the tabletop wargames Warhammer Age of Sigmar, Warhammer 40,000, the company is listed on the London Stock Exchange with the symbol GAW. L. The companys British operating subsidiary company is Games Workshop Limited, in order to promote their business and postal games, create a games club, and provide an alternative source for games news, the newsletter Owl and Weasel was founded in February 1975. This was superseded in June 1977 by White Dwarf and it opened its first retail shop in April 1978. In early 1979 Games Workshop provided the funding to found Citadel Miniatures in Newark-on-Trent, Citadel would produce the metal miniatures used in its role-playing games and tabletop wargames. For a time Gary Gygax promoted the idea of TSR, Inc. merging with Games Workshop, until Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone backed out. The companys publishing arm also released U. K. reprints of American RPGs such as Call of Cthulhu, Runequest, Traveller, and Middle-earth Role Playing, which were expensive to import. In 1984 Games Workshop ceased distributing its products in the U. S. A. through hobby games distributors, Games Workshop, and Games Workshop in general, grew significantly in the late 1980s, with over 250 employees on the payroll by 1990. Following a management buyout by Bryan Ansell in December 1991, Games Workshop refocused on their miniature wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000, the retail chain refocused on a younger, more family-oriented market. The change of direction was a success and the company enjoyed growing profits. A breakaway group of two company employees published Fantasy Warlord in competition with Games Workshop, but the new company met with little success, Games Workshop expanded in Europe, the U. S. A. Canada, and Australia, opening new branches and organizing events in new commercial territory. The company was floated on the London Stock Exchange in October 1994, in October 1997 all U. K. -based operations were relocated to the current headquarters in Lenton, Nottingham. Games Workshop later attempted to create a dual approach to appeal to customers while still attracting a younger audience. Previously, most of their characters and vehicles were cast in white metal or pewter. With this shift, Games Workshop has been able to offer variety in the armies offered with introductory box sets. This change brought about the creation of such as the Fanatic range. The Fanatic line was mostly dropped, leaving Games Workshop to concentrate more on younger users
3.
Dice
–
Dice are small throwable objects with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers. Dice are suitable as gambling devices for games like craps and are used in non-gambling tabletop games. A traditional die is a cube, with each of its six faces showing a different number of dots from 1 to 6. When thrown or rolled, the die comes to rest showing on its surface a random integer from one to six. A variety of devices are also described as dice, such specialized dice may have polyhedral or irregular shapes. They may be used to produce other than one through six. Loaded and crooked dice are designed to favor some results over others for purposes of cheating or amusement. A dice tray, a used to contain thrown dice, is sometimes used for gambling or board games. Dice have been used since before recorded history, and it is uncertain where they originated, the oldest known dice were excavated as part of a backgammon-like game set at the Burnt City, an archeological site in south-eastern Iran, estimated to be from between 2800–2500 BCE. Other excavations from ancient tombs in the Indus Valley civilization indicate a South Asian origin, the Egyptian game of Senet was played with dice. Senet was played before 3000 BC and up to the 2nd century AD and it was likely a racing game, but there is no scholarly consensus on the rules of Senet. Dicing is mentioned as an Indian game in the Rigveda, Atharvaveda, there are several biblical references to casting lots, as in Psalm 22, indicating that dicing was commonplace when the psalm was composed. Knucklebones was a game of skill played by women and children, although gambling was illegal, many Romans were passionate gamblers who enjoyed dicing, which was known as aleam ludere. Dicing was even a popular pastime of emperors, letters by Augustus to Tacitus and his daughter recount his hobby of dicing. There were two sizes of Roman dice, tali were large dice inscribed with one, three, four, and six on four sides. Tesserae were smaller dice with sides numbered one to six. Twenty-sided dice date back to the 2nd century AD and from Ptolemaic Egypt as early as the 2nd century BC, dominoes and playing cards originated in China as developments from dice. The transition from dice to playing cards occurred in China around the Tang dynasty, in Japan, dice were used to play a popular game called sugoroku
4.
Military tactics
–
Military tactics are the science and art of organizing a military force, and the techniques for combining and using weapons and military units to engage and defeat an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology have been reflected in changes to military tactics, in contemporary military science, tactics are the lowest of three planning levels, strategic, operational, and tactical. The highest level of planning is strategy, how force is translated into political objectives by bridging the means, the intermediate level, operational, the conversion of strategy into tactics, deals with formations of units. Military tactics answer the questions of how best to deploy and employ forces on a small scale, some practices have not changed since the dawn of warfare, assault, ambushes, skirmishing, turning flanks, reconnaissance, creating and using obstacles and defenses, etc. Using ground to best advantage has not changed much either, heights, rivers, swamps, passes, choke points, and natural cover, can all be used in multiple ways. Before the nineteenth century, many tactics were confined to battlefield concerns. Nowadays, specialized tactics exist for many situations, for example for securing a room in a building, technological changes can render existing tactics obsolete, and sociological changes can shift the goals and methods of warfare, requiring new tactics. Tactics define how soldiers are armed and trained, each – constrained by his weaponry, logistics and social conditioning – would use a battlefield differently, but would usually seek the same outcomes from their use of tactics. The First World War forced great changes in tactics as advances in technology rendered prior tactics useless, list of military tactics Combat arms Johnson, Rob, Michael Whitby, John France. How to win on the battlefield,25 key tactics to outwit, outflank, cS1 maint, Multiple names, authors list Muhm, Gerhard. German Tactics in the Italian Campaign, Gerhard Muhm, La Tattica nella campagna ass d’Italia, in LINEA GOTICA AVAMPOSTO DEI BALCANI, Amedeo Montemaggi - Edizioni Civitas, Roma 1993. Contemporary Marine tactics for war fighting Napoleons tactics and strategy Small Unit Actions during German Campaign in Russia
5.
Arithmetic
–
Arithmetic is a branch of mathematics that consists of the study of numbers, especially the properties of the traditional operations between them—addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Arithmetic is an part of number theory, and number theory is considered to be one of the top-level divisions of modern mathematics, along with algebra, geometry. The terms arithmetic and higher arithmetic were used until the beginning of the 20th century as synonyms for number theory and are still used to refer to a wider part of number theory. The earliest written records indicate the Egyptians and Babylonians used all the elementary arithmetic operations as early as 2000 BC and these artifacts do not always reveal the specific process used for solving problems, but the characteristics of the particular numeral system strongly influence the complexity of the methods. The hieroglyphic system for Egyptian numerals, like the later Roman numerals, in both cases, this origin resulted in values that used a decimal base but did not include positional notation. Complex calculations with Roman numerals required the assistance of a board or the Roman abacus to obtain the results. Early number systems that included positional notation were not decimal, including the system for Babylonian numerals. Because of this concept, the ability to reuse the same digits for different values contributed to simpler. The continuous historical development of modern arithmetic starts with the Hellenistic civilization of ancient Greece, prior to the works of Euclid around 300 BC, Greek studies in mathematics overlapped with philosophical and mystical beliefs. For example, Nicomachus summarized the viewpoint of the earlier Pythagorean approach to numbers, Greek numerals were used by Archimedes, Diophantus and others in a positional notation not very different from ours. Because the ancient Greeks lacked a symbol for zero, they used three separate sets of symbols, one set for the units place, one for the tens place, and one for the hundreds. Then for the place they would reuse the symbols for the units place. Their addition algorithm was identical to ours, and their multiplication algorithm was very slightly different. Their long division algorithm was the same, and the square root algorithm that was taught in school was known to Archimedes. He preferred it to Heros method of successive approximation because, once computed, a digit doesnt change, and the square roots of perfect squares, such as 7485696, terminate immediately as 2736. For numbers with a part, such as 546.934. The ancient Chinese used a positional notation. Because they also lacked a symbol for zero, they had one set of symbols for the place
6.
Miniature wargaming
–
The hobby got its start around the beginning of the 20th century, with the publication of Janes naval war rules and H. G. Wells Little Wars in 1913. A similar book titled Shambattle, How to Play with Toy Soldiers was published by Harry Dowdall, commercial products just for miniatures wargamers and awareness as a single community of people with similar interests date back to the 1950s with the efforts of Jack Scruby. Miniature wargaming is a hobby where players simulate a battle. Many miniatures games are played on a floor or tabletop, with terrain represented by miniature scenery, movement of the miniatures is regulated using a measuring device such as a ruler, tape measure, cut sticks or other prepared standardized-length instruments. However, like boardgames, miniature games can also be played using gridded terrain or even gameboards, additionally, many hobbyists enjoy the challenge of painting miniatures and constructing scenery. In many ways, miniature wargaming may be seen as combining many of the aesthetics of tabletop train modelling with a strategy game predominantly, though not exclusively. There is also a social component to wargames as very often games are played with several participants on a side. The miniatures and scenery used vary greatly in scale, from 6mm figures up to 54mm or larger, the miniature figures are typically plastic or metal and are often sold unpainted. Scenery is often home-made, and figures are painted by the players, there are any number of sets of miniature wargaming rules, some of which are available without charge on the Internet. Scenarios may depict actual historical situations and battles, or they may be hypothetical what if, there are also fantasy and science fiction games with attendant wizards, spacecraft and other genres. Generally, these games are turn based strategy, like chess, popular sizes and roughly equivalent scale ratios For more detailed information on common scales see miniature scale. The naval wargaming branch of the hobby almost exclusively uses ratios, O, HO, and N scale are popular among model railroad hobbyists. Some model railroad scales are close enough to the figures to provide usable structures and/or vehicles. For example,1,144, N Scale, and 10mm miniatures typically mix well on the game table, some wargamers use paper model structures because of their economy and the ease of scaling them to appropriate sizes, and many wargamers scratchbuild their structures. 1,144 scale is not very common for wargames but notable exceptions like Dream Pod 9s Heavy Gear do exist along with Dropzone Commander by Hawk Wargames and Planetfall by Spartan Games. Part of the reason for the profusion of miniature sizes is the need for manufacturers to differentiate themselves in what is a niche market. This results in what has been termed scale creep where miniatures listed in a catalog may be identified by a measurement and this is to encourage the purchaser into brand loyalty based on the aesthetic desire to maintain a look of uniformity on the tabletop. Over the years the size of new miniatures has tended to increase, for example,25 mm figures from the 70s are visibly smaller than the 25 mm figures today
7.
Science fantasy
–
Science fantasy is a mixed genre within the umbrella of speculative fiction which simultaneously draws upon and/or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. It also sometimes incorporates elements of horror fiction, distinguishing between science fiction and fantasy, Rod Serling claimed that the former was the improbable made possible while the latter was the impossible made probable. As a combination of the two, science fantasy gives a scientific veneer of realism to things that simply could not happen in the world under any circumstances. Where science fiction does not permit the existence of fantasy or supernatural elements, all were relatively rationalistic stories published in John W. Campbell, Jr. s Unknown magazine. These were an attempt to apply the techniques and attitudes of science fiction to traditional fantasy subjects. The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction published, among other things, all but the last of the Operation series, henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore published novels in Startling Stories, alone and together, which were far more romantic. These were closely related to the work that they and others were doing for outlets like Weird Tales, ace Books published a number of books as science fantasy during the 1950s and 1960s. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction points out that as a genre, science fantasy has never clearly defined. The Star Trek franchise created by Gene Roddenberry is considered an example of science fantasy, writer James F. Broderick describes Star Trek as science fantasy because it includes semi-futuristic as well as supernatural/fantasy elements such as The Q. According to the science fiction author Arthur C, clarke, many purists argue that Star Trek is science fantasy rather than science fiction because of its scientifically improbable elements, which he partially agrees with. Jack Vances Dying Earth stories are sometimes classed as science fantasy because the cosmology used is not compatible with that accepted by science fiction. Other stories in the Dying Earth subgenre such as M. John Harrisons Viriconium novels or Gene Wolfes Book of the New Sun are usually classed as science fantasy. Terry Brooks Shannara books represent a world as the far future of Earth after supernatural events cause the downfall of civilization. The last two films in George Millers post-apocalyptic Mad Max franchise, while science fiction films, contain fantastical elements to their depiction of a devastated world. The works of Edgar Rice Burroughs and E. R. Eddison are probably the earliest examples of this genre, C. S. Lewis Out of the Silent Planet is an example of the same type of story, though in its case the preoccupations are theological. In both cases the elements are barely rationalized, and in Lewis case stand in stark contrast to the pseudo-scientific machinery that frames the story. In Andre Nortons Witch World series, the world is excused as a parallel universe. There are a few fictional elements in the earlier stories of this series
8.
Warhammer Fantasy Battle
–
Warhammer, The Game of Fantasy Battles is a tabletop wargame created by Games Workshop. It is the origin of the Warhammer Fantasy setting, the Warhammer World is a high fantasy setting. The game is designed for regiments of fantasy miniatures and it uses stock fantasy races such as humans, Elves, Dwarfs, Undead, Orcs and Goblins, as well as some more unusual types such as Lizardmen, Skaven and the daemonic forces of Chaos. Similarly, the High Elves are very powerful in combat, but have weak armour. Warhammer has been updated and re-released since first appearing in 1983, with changes to the gaming system. The eighth edition, released on 10 July 2010, was the final version, a series of releases during 2014–2015 focused on the End Times and followed a plot that lead to the cataclysmic destruction of the games fictitious world and the game was discontinued. Warhammer 40,000, a companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, was released in 1987. Warhammer is a tabletop wargame where two or more players compete against each other with armies of 25 mm -250 mm tall heroic miniatures. The rules of the game have been published in a series of books, Games may be played on any appropriate surface, although the standard is a 6 ft by 4 ft tabletop decorated with model scenery in scale with the miniatures. Any individual or group of miniatures in the game is called a unit, whether represented by a single model, the current core game rules are supplied in a single book, with supplemental Warhammer Armies texts giving guidelines and background for army-specific rules. Movement about the surface is generally measured in inches and combat between troops or units given a random element with the use of six-sided dice. Army supplements also assign points values to each unit and option in the game, an average game will have armies of 750 to 3,000 points, although smaller and larger values are quite possible. The geography of the Warhammer world closely resembles that of Earth because of manipulation by ancient spacefaring race known as the Old Ones and this mysterious and powerful race visited the Warhammer World in the distant past. Establishing an outpost, they set about manipulating the geography and biosphere of the planet, with the assistance of their Slann servants, they moved the planets orbit closer to its sun, and arranged the continents to their liking. To travel between worlds, the Old Ones used portals to another dimension, which they built at the north and south poles of the Warhammer World. Eventually, however, these gates collapsed, allowing raw magical energy, at this point, the Old Ones disappeared. Before leaving however, they had established the Lizard men as their servants, in addition they had created the races of Elves, Dwarfs, Humans, Ogres and Halflings. Orcs and Goblins were not created by the Old Ones, or part of their plan, beastmen and Skaven were the result of mutation from raw magical energy at this time
9.
Soldier
–
A soldier is one who fights as part of an organised, land-based armed force. A soldier can be a person, a non-commissioned officer. The word soldier derives from the Middle English word soudeour, from Old French soudeer or soudeour, meaning mercenary, from soudee, meaning shillings worth or wage, from sou or soud, the word is also related to the Medieval Latin soldarius, meaning soldier. These words ultimately derive from the Late Latin word solidus, referring to an Ancient Roman coin used in the Byzantine Empire. In most armed forces use of the soldier has taken on a more general meaning due to the increasing specialization of military occupations that require different areas of knowledge. In many countries soldiers serving in specific occupations are referred to by other than their occupational name. For example, military personnel in the British Army are known as red caps because of the colour of their caps. Infantry are sometimes called grunts or squaddies, while US Army artillery crews, or gunners, are referred to as redlegs. U. S. soldiers are often called G. I. s, members of the Marine Corps are typically referred to as marines rather than soldiers. In the United States, the term warfighter is often used to refer collectively to all whose job it is to do the actual fighting, the army has not completely phased out this terminology and still uses warfighter in various contexts such as the Project Manager Warfighter Information Network-Tactical. French Marine Infantry are called marsouins because of their amphibious role, Military units in most armies have nicknames of this type, arising either from items of distinctive uniform, some historical connotation or rivalry between branches or regiments. Some soldiers, such as conscripts or draftees, serve a limited term. Others choose to serve until retirement, then receive a pension. In the United States, military members can retire after 20 years, in other countries, the term of service is 30 years, hence the term 30-year man. Airman Marine Military use of children Seaman Media related to Soldier at Wikimedia Commons
10.
Monster
–
A monster is any creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is often hideous and may produce fear or physical harm by its appearance or its actions. The word monster derives from Latin monstrum, meaning an aberrant occurrence, usually biological, the word usually connotes something wrong or evil, a monster is generally morally objectionable, physically or psychologically hideous, or a freak of nature. It can also be applied figuratively to a person with similar characteristics like a person or a person who does horrible things. The root of monstrum is monere—which does not only mean to warn but also to instruct, thus, the monster is also a sign or instruction. This benign interpretation was proposed by Saint Augustine, who did not see the monster as inherently evil, but as part of the design of the world. Well known monsters in fiction include Count Dracula, Frankensteins monster, werewolves, mummies, among newborn young and embryos of humans and most species of animals are found occasional individuals who are malformed in whole or in part. No sharp line separates these grades of malformation, all being due to various kinds, the study of these deviations forms the subject of teratology, a branch of morphology or embryology. A knowledge of the kinds of abnormalities and their causes may, like deliberate experiments, classic monsters spawn from legends and fictional stories. Well known monsters include Dracula, Frankensteins creation, werewolves, mummies, giants and dwarfs are often classed as monsters, probably because of the prominent places they occupy in mythology. Since in humans they generally result from growth, they cannot usually be recognised as abnormal at birth. In all these cases, abnormal characteristics are inherited together, cases where this type of dwarfism in a human family behaves as a simple hereditary characteristic have been reported. It may also be due to other causes, rudolf Virchow long ago noted the familial association of the chondrodystrophic type of monster with another type in which the limbs except for digits are nearly absent. It has since been shown by Walter Landauer that the fowl phocomelus and chondrodystrophia result from the same factor, the former representing the homozygote. Gigantism usually expresses itself during early growth, in humans it often arises from endocrine imbalance. It may declare itself at birth in greater size, and sometimes in lower animals, repetition or deficiency of single parts such as fingers or toes are frequent anomalies in humans and other mammals. Absence or abnormality of whole limbs is less common and includes besides club-foot and it is probable that endogenous abnormalities of the bone are more frequent causes of such amputations than are strangulations. Cases are recorded of human identical twins in both members have the same type of limb abnormality, suggesting an hereditary predisposition to this type of malformation. In other cases injury and malposition are probably responsible, in addition to monsters with rudimentary limbs, others are known with incomplete or underdeveloped extremities
11.
Armoured fighting vehicle
–
An armoured fighting vehicle is a combat vehicle, protected by strong armour and generally armed with weapons, which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked and it is not uncommon for AFVs to be simply referred to as armour. Armoured fighting vehicles are classified according to their role on the battlefield. This classification is not absolute, at different times different countries will classify the vehicle in different roles. For example, armoured carriers were generally replaced by infantry fighting vehicles in a similar role. Modern armoured fighting vehicles are the realization of an ancient concept, War machines with rudimentary armour have been used in battle for millennia. These designs historically struggled between the paradox of exposed-mobility, effective-firepower and cumbersome-protection, Siege engines, such as battering rams and trebuchets, would often be armoured in order to protect the crews from the defenders. Very large movable siege towers, helepolis were developed by Polyidus of Thessaly, the idea of a vehicle with a tortoise like cover has been known since antiquity. Frequently cited is Leonardo da Vincis 15th century sketch of a mobile, protected gun platform, the machine was to be mounted on four wheels which would be turned by the crew through a system of hand cranks and cage gears. Leonardo quoted I will build armored wagons which will be safe, there will be no obstacle which it cannot overcome. Modern replicas have demonstrated that the crew would have been able to move it over only short distances. The war wagon were medieval weapon-platforms developmed during the Hussite Wars around 1420 by Hussite forces rebelling in Bohemia. These heavy wagon were given protective sides with firing slits and heavy firepower from either a cannon or a force of hand-gunners and crossbowmen, supported by infantry using pikes, heavy arquebuses mounted on wagons were called arquebus à croc. These carried a ball of about 3.5 ounces, the first modern AFVs were armed cars, dating back virtually to the invention of the motor car. The Motor Scout was designed and built by British inventor F. R. Simms in 1898 and it was the first armed petrol engine powered vehicle ever built. The vehicle was a De Dion-Bouton quadricycle with a mounted Maxim machine gun on the front bar, an iron shield offered some protection for the driver from the front, but it lacked all-around protective armour. The armoured car was the first modern fully armoured fighting vehicle, the first of these was the Simms Motor War Car, designed by Simms and built by Vickers, Sons & Maxim in 1899. The vehicle had Vickers armour 6 mm thick and was powered by a four-cylinder 3. 3-litre 16 hp Cannstatt Daimler engine giving it a speed of around 9 miles per hour
12.
Turn-based tactics
–
The gameplay of turn-based tactics game is the stop-action counterpart to that found in the real-time tactics genre, and as such contrasts with other current wargame genre. As suggested by the name, also fundamental to turn-based tactics is turn-based gameplay. The genre has its roots in tactical and miniature wargaming, the recreation of battle scenarios using miniatures or even simple paper chits using relatively intricate rules, further, in most turn-based tactics games a players force is maintained between battles. During the 1980s, as microcomputers and personal computers became powerful and more common. Some early tactical wargames for the computer included Gary Grigsbys series of games for the Commodore 64 and Apple II, Panzer Strike, Battle Isle is a series of games developed starting in 1991 by Blue Byte Software. Set on a planet, Chromos, and inspired by the Japanese game Nectaris. Battle Isle also spawned a man-to-man wargame, Incubation, Time Is Running Out, two sequels followed, Steel Panthers II, Modern Battles in 1996 and Steel Panthers III, Brigade Command 1939-1999 in 1997. Another group, SP-Camo, developed and released Steel Panthers, World War II, the SP-Camo games were based on the Steel Panthers II engine. Both the Matrix Games and SP-Camo versions had many fans and resulted in several releases with enhanced graphics, program code changes, another game originally scheduled to be a computerized Squad Leader/ASL was Combat Mission. While not the first 3-D tactical warfare game, it set a standard for realism. Combat Mission, Beyond Overlord received critical acclaim upon release in 2000, two follow up games were released in 2002 and 2004, which improved the infantry game with better suppression and automatic fire modelling. The game featured a WEGO system, where orders were entered sequentially, and this type of system had been what the original board wargame designers of Firefight et al. had dreamed of, but were restricted to creating manually. Tactical wargames are a type of wargames that models military conflict at a level, i. e. units range from individual vehicles. These units are rated based on types and ranges of individual weaponry and this subgenre is principally used to refer to RPG-derived games as an alternative to the traditional turn-based system. In such titles, the system has been tailored to incorporate role-playing game characteristics, there are several turn-based tactical games with multiplayer online gameplay featuring large numbers of players, such as Dofus, Gunrox, and Poxnora. Darkwind, War on Wheels, an auto racing simulation, is the only turn-based tactical game currently to have a persistent world. It is also one of the few games to simulate turn-based auto racing, some role-playing video games, such as The Temple of Elemental Evil and the Gold Box games of the late 80s and early 90s, also feature tactical turn-based combat. Some turn-based tactics titles, such as Jagged Alliance 2 and the X-COM series, feature a strategic layer in addition to tactical turn-based combat
13.
Black Library
–
The Black Library is a division of Games Workshop which is devoted to publishing novels and audiobooks set in the Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes. The publishing company took their name from the fictional Black Library in Warhammer 40,000, where the Eldar race keep their knowledge of Chaos. Some of Black Librarys best known include the Gaunts Ghosts and Eisenhorn series of novels by Dan Abnett. The authors of novels, graphic novels, and comics created original storylines and characters that are based on playable armies in the main Warhammer 40,000 game. These works are then promoted with contributions of stories, plot synopses, the result is a fusion of tabletop gaming with science fiction and fantasy writing. The Black Library was founded in April 1997 to publish Inferno, magazine, a bi-monthly digest-sized anthology of short stories, comic strips and features from the Warhammer worlds. Black Library began as team at Games Workshop brought together to INFERNO, Inferno. s success spawned Warhammer Monthly comic books, and then from September 1999 a lengthy series of fantasy and science fiction novels. Their first art book, Inquis Exterminatus was published in May,1999, Black Librarys catalogue now runs to well over two hundred titles, with a Warhammer and a Warhammer 40,000 novel appearing every month. In 2006, Black Flame produced the novel for the New Line Cinemas feature film Snakes on a Plane, in the summer of 2005 BL Publishing announced another fiction imprint, Solaris Books, that will publish original science fiction and fantasy. Solaris Books has subsequently been sold to Rebellion who also own Abaddon Books, later, these evolved into larger novels and other works. A series of Warhammer 40,000 comics were first created for the Games Workshop magazine, in 1999, the first miniature and game tie-in was released as a joint project of Warhammer Monthly and its publisher, the Black Library. This model was the bounty hunter Kal Jerico of the Specialist Game Necromunda, including rules and a certificate of authenticity, the Black Library created many more limited edition miniatures and expanded the small comics into larger collections while adding many new ones. These novels and graphic novels are accompanied by articles that connect the characters from the novels to the Warhammer 40,000 miniatures game. While Warhammer Monthly was discontinued in 2004, there was a short lived continuation under the title Warhammer Comics, however, with the discontinuation of these magazine projects, the Black Library still continues to produce graphic novels and collections that expand upon the fiction behind the tabletop game. They are collaborated efforts between the authors of the Warhammer 40,000 game rules and the writers of the background and these works expand on the storylines, characters, armies, and organizations discussed in the Codexes. Alongside of the Warhammer 40,000 game was a game called Warhammer Warriors. The system was created by Rick Priestley and based on the style of LostWorlds. Many of the characters released for the game were given rules
14.
Timeline of the far future
–
While predictions of the future can never be absolutely certain, present understanding in various fields allows for the prediction of far-future events, if only in the broadest outline. Stars will eventually exhaust their supply of fuel and burn out. Close encounters gravitationally fling planets from their systems, and star systems from galaxies. Eventually, matter itself is expected to come under the influence of radioactive decay, the timelines displayed here cover events from the beginning of the 11th millennium to the furthest reaches of future time. To date five spacecraft are on trajectories which will take out of the Solar System. Barring an extremely unlikely collision with some object, the craft should persist indefinitely, long term astrophysical processes, in Bostrom, Nick, Ćirković, Milan M. Global catastrophic risks, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-857050-3
15.
Imperium (Warhammer 40,000)
–
The Imperium of Man or Imperium of Mankind is a galactic empire in the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000. It is a theocratic, industrial, militaristic, and totalitarian regime that rules over almost all of humanity, the game systems setting is a dystopian far future fictional universe that is extensively described in numerous rulebooks, tie-ins, and other official sources. The fictional empire is variously called Imperium, Imperium of Man,27,000 years in the future, the Imperium rises from the ruins of a more prosperous and enlightened human civilization. When the storms abate, the Emperor embarks on a Great Crusade to unite all human-settled worlds in the galaxy under his banner. Over the course of two centuries, his armies conquer more than a million worlds stretching across 50,000 light years from Earth, according to Imperial propaganda, it is humanitys Manifest Destiny to rule the galaxy. Early in the 31st millennium, the Great Crusade comes to a halt when half of the Emperors Space Marine Legions convert to the worship of the four Chaos Gods. The resulting civil war known as the Horus Heresy and nearly destroyed the Imperium. In the absence of his guidance, the Imperium becomes a brutal totalitarian regime. The Imperium endures for 10,000 years and it still claims lone dominion over the Milky Way Galaxy and all humanity. The founder and nominal ruler of the Imperium is an enigmatic and he is a human psyker of immeasurable power, an immortal who has secretly guided humanity since the dawn of civilization on Earth, then rising to absolute power towards the end of the Age of Strife. He is worshiped as a god by the Imperium, shortly after founding the Imperium, the Emperor was critically injured in battle and never recovered. Since then he survives on life support in an unresponsive and immobile state, what little presence the Emperor does retain is devoted to projecting a psychic beacon, the Astronomican, so that human starships may navigate the Warp. His worshipers believe he is fighting a constant spiritual battle in the Warp against the Chaos Gods, because of his condition, the Emperor cannot participate in affairs of state. It is believed that he communicates vague visions of the future that trained psykers may augur through special tarot cards from time to time, the High Lords of Terra govern his empire according to a distorted memory of his words and deeds from ten millennia before. The Emperor wanted to build a secular and enlightened society, but the Imperium instead became mired in brutality, superstition, recent gamebooks hint that his life support system is starting to fail near the end of the millennium, and thus he may soon die. The Imperium of Man divides the galaxy into five distinct sections called Segmentae and they are as follows, Segmentum Solar, Segmentum Obscurus, Segmentum Pacificus, Segmentum Ultima, and Segmentum Tempestus. Each Segmentum stretches across vast regions of space, containing hundreds of thousands of inhabited planets, most worlds in the Imperium are ruled by a planetary governor. The cultures and governments of the Imperial worlds are very diverse, a few are even democratic and prosperous, though these are rare islands of happiness in a generally grim empire
16.
Ork (Warhammer 40,000)
–
In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Orks are a race and a playable army in the tabletop miniatures wargame. Alongside the Space Marines, Orks are one of the most iconic elements of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, Orks revel in violence for its own sake, their entire culture revolves around warfare. Their simplistic personalities, reckless tactics and ramshackle technology make them the comic characters of the setting. The Orks are oriented towards melee combat, their units are rather weak. Most of their units have weak armor and are easy to kill. A favorite strategy is the Green Tide, the fields as many Orks as he can. Orks do have a number of specialized units who can cast spells and attack vehicles, Ork gameplay is viewed as being fairly forgiving of tactical errors or bad die rolls. The general appearance of Warhammer 40k orks is fairly typical of other orcs, much like other races of Warhammer 40k, the Orks are divided into divergent armies with their own color schemes, background, and play-style. For the orks, these armies are called clans and they mostly take on the appearance of Pirates. In addition to the colors, some players will also paint the faces of their ork armies blue in a Woad fashion. While these colors are mainly aesthetic, the ork codex does feature some rules such as Da red wunz go fasta. with the exception of army colors, ork armies are largely green with varying shades of hair colors and teeth. Color schemes for orks are typically very rough and sloppy with lots of rust, Ork technology is sometimes referred to as junkyard tech. This is mainly due to orky armor/structures/vehicles having a look to them. Ork body armor takes the form of bulky and ill-fitting metal plates being crudely strapped to its user, Ork vehicles also carry the theme. Weapons such as Big Shootas and Heavy weapons like the Boomgun, in the fictional universe of Warhammer 40k, Orks are green-skinned, a side effect of their blending on a genetic level with fungi and photosynthetic organisms. Orks are genetically engineered for combat and they are extremely strong and immensely resilient, fortunate due to their lifestyle of constant warfare and primitive medical technology and techniques. Orks live for combat, and regard fighting as the highest form of worship for their gods, Orks are generally indifferent as to whom they fight, being as content to fight one another as any of the various other races inhabiting the Warhammer galaxy. As such, Orks are extremely disorganized and fractious and they eat fungi of all kinds as well as meat, whether the source is sapient or not
17.
Eldar (Warhammer 40,000)
–
In the fictional setting of Warhammer 40,000, the Eldar are a race and playable army in the tabletop miniatures wargame. They are patterned after the High Elves of fantasy fiction, long-lived, arrogant, the Eldar once ruled the galaxy and seek to reclaim their old dominions from humanity and the other Warhammer 40,000 races. Unlike some other armies which have units, the Eldar have many specialists. In contrast, the Eldar Dark Reaper excels at long range fighting, however, Dire Avengers can be outfitted for either melee or ranged combat, though they will not be as able as a more specialized aspect. Eldar vehicles, unlike their counterparts, are very tough and hard to kill because of many evasive. While no Eldar vehicle has the maximum value, they often have upgrades and special abilities which can compensate for this. Most Eldar vehicles can also be equipped with weapons designed for various purposes, some examples include the Brightlance, the Star Cannon, and the Scatter Laser. This is in addition to other upgrades, such as the Star Engines, Holo-Fields, and Spirit Stones. With the exception of walkers, all Eldar vehicles are skimmers which allow them to move freely across the board and, with upgrades, at speeds only matched by the Dark Eldar, the drawback is that Eldar vehicles are expensive to field in game. An example is the Eldar Wave Serpent, which is one of the dedicated transport vehicles in the game. This is also the cause of Eldar game play being regarded as unforgiving, unlike Space Marines or Necron, who boast heavy armor, high toughness and some form of wound-resistance, the Eldar do not. Because of this lack of staying power, Eldar infantry is often subject to severe, in some terms, they play the role of a glass cannon. Millions of years ago, the Eldar once ruled the galaxy, after the defeat of the Necrons and the decline of the Old Ones, with no serious enemies to challenge them or labors to burden them, they became the solitary masters of the galaxy. However, over the course of millennia, the unchallenged Eldar fell into the most extreme kind of decadence imaginable, because the Eldar are highly psychic, this behavior led to the creation of the Chaos God of excess and hedonism, Slaanesh. When Slaanesh was finally born, the psychic shockwave killed most of the Eldar race, truly gargantuan in size, these Craftworlds were capable of housing hundreds of thousands of Eldar and their technological wonders, and would become their refuge from the turbulent times to come. While some craftworlds did not get far enough to escape the psychic shockwave,10,000 years on, the Eldar have yet to recover due to their extremely low birthrates and conflicts with the other powers of the galaxy, such as the Orks and Imperium of man. Some limited edition models have been produced for the Craftworld Eldar, although as of February 2012, models and rules for Super Heavy units and Eldar Titans are only available via Forge World. The company Games Workshop does supply to independent retailers, also, a few of these distributors whose primary focus is tabletop wargaming can order the more-complex resin kits from Forge World
18.
Daemon (Warhammer)
–
In the Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes, the Daemons are malevolent spirits born out of the destructive power called Chaos. The daemons found in both universes are very similar, although the precise natures of their creation and existence vary slightly and they are used in both Warhammer and Warhammer 40000. This magical energy is affected by the minds of men, their thoughts, fears. According to the Daemons of Chaos Army Book, there can also be other, smaller rifts in the world, caused by excesses of the emotions. The smaller the rift, the fewer and lower power the demons that pop out of it will be, Furies, winged monsters that are not linked with any god, come first, followed by small demons like Nurglings, followed by stronger and stronger demons. These demons will stay in the realm until all of the magic that created them is used up. In the realms of the Empire this is less than a week. This is one reason why the expansion of the Chaos Wastes that heralds an incursion of Chaos into the world is very important to the success of the incursion. Some of these entities have become immensely powerful over time, becoming the Chaos gods, presumably these gods could manifest if there was a big enough rift, but this has not happened in recorded history. Less powerful entities became daemons, these are tied to the will of the Chaos Gods. As most daemons serve one of the gods, when the armies of that god go to war, in both of the Warhammer realms, there are four major gods of Chaos, each with its own personality and units. Khorne is the god of war and violence, Khorne believes in honour and will not reward those who kill the weak or puny. Unlike the other gods, there are no cults to Khorne in the empire and this is because Khorne does not see the use of building places of worship when his followers could be practicing their worship of him in battle. The only religious practices of his followers are the shouts of Blood for the god, skulls for the throne of Khorne. Simply put, every battlefield is a monument to the destruction that Khorne brings and he is portrayed as a large muscular form clad in armour of black and brass with a visage that of a fierce and snarling dog with ravaged lips. He is a forger of armor and weapons, so much so that his armor survived an attack from the Bloodthirster Skarbrand who cut the smallest of chinks in the Blood gods armour. He is constantly angry, with a mood that ranges from simmering rage to epoch-ending fury and he is also noted as being the God most willing to engage in combat inside the Realm of Chaos. Khornes territory in the realm of chaos is a vast and hellish blood-soaked desert, Tzeentch is the god of scheming, ambition and trickery
19.
Codex (Warhammer 40,000)
–
A codex, in the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop wargame, is a rules supplement containing information concerning a particular army, environment, or worldwide campaign. Codexes for particular armies were introduced for the edition of the game. The third edition rendered these obsolete, and a new series began, including introducing codexes for battlezones, until superseded by newer versions, the 3rd edition and later codexes remain valid for the newer editions of Warhammer 40,000. Games Workshop no longer produce campaign or battlezone codexes, instead releasing expansions, Codex is now a term solely used for army books. A codex normally contains, Background - Information about the force and this includes artwork, short stories, and copies of fictional documents from the future. Bestiary - A description of the units, characters and vehicles that can be chosen for use in a battle and this includes their characteristic values, information on their weapons, and any limitations on their use, as well as background information on the unit. The armys special psychic powers and wargear is also listed here, showing the rules for each item, Hobby section - Information on collecting, building and painting an army from the codex. This features outstanding example models painted by hobbyists and Games Workshops Eavy Metal team. Army list - The items in the bestiary are arranged by type and given a value, with more powerful units costing more points. Options are also given here along with their cost, in June 2013 Games Workshop introduced new codex supplements. Codex supplement books are additional rules and options for an armys standard Codex and these options often include new relic lists, warlord traits, and Special Characters to be used within the detachment. A detachment using a codex supplement may also ally with the parent codex, the parent Codex is required to use the supplement. For example, Iyanden is a supplement to Codex, Eldar that allows Craftworld Iyanden specific rules to be used in an Eldar army, in June 2014 Games Workshop redesigned the basic layout of the codex, as standard for 7th Edition. New 7th Edition codexes will now contain, Background - Information about the force and this includes artwork, short stories, and copies of fictional documents from the future -. Showcase - This is the old Hobby Section that now contains just pictures of the Citadel Miniatures, army List - This contains datasheets for every unit and a wargear list. A datasheet contains the rules and points values needed to field a unit. It also includes a description of the unit, as per the old bestiary, appendix - This contains a complete, detailed list of all the armys weapons, special rules, psychic powers, warlord traits and any detachments or tactical objectives it may have. It also contains a reference sheet at the very back
20.
White Dwarf (magazine)
–
White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop serving as a promotions and advertising platform for Games Workshop and Citadel Miniatures products. Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone initially produced a newsletter called Owl and Weasel, the magazine was hugely influential in the 1980s when it helped popularise role-playing games in the UK. This included material for the big three role playing games of the time, AD&D, RuneQuest and Traveller, in addition to this a generation of writers passed through its offices and onto other RPG projects in the next decade, such as Phil Masters and Marcus L. Rowland. This would often be in the form of an attractive and interesting single task for either existing or new characters to resolve. These could either be slipped into existing campaign plots, or be used stand-alone, just for a fun evening, the last Dungeons and Dragons article appeared in issue 93, with the changeover being relatively abrupt and obvious by issue #100. In this respect it took some of the aspects of the Citadel Journal. The magazine has always been a conduit for new rules and ideas for GW games as well as a means to showcase developments and it often includes scenarios, campaigns, hobby news, photos of recently released miniatures and tips on building terrain and constructing or converting miniatures. Today, the magazine exclusively on miniature wargames and thoroughly covers the models, miniatures. Grombrindal the White Dwarf is also a character for the Dwarf army. It is never stated who exactly the White Dwarf is, but it is implied that he is the spirit of Snorri Whitebeard, the image of the White Dwarf has graced the covers of many issues of the magazine. The image was used on the character sheet for the Dwarf character in HeroQuest. In December 2004, White Dwarf published its 300th issue, in the United Kingdom and North America. Each issue contained many special freebies as well as articles on the history of the magazine, the magazines content is divided among the three core games, focussing on that months new releases from Games Workshop. The monthly battle reports are a regular feature, Battle reports detail a battle between two or more forces, usually with their own specific victory conditions. The reports follow the gamers through their selection, tactics and deployment. The format varies - ranging from a simplified, generalized style to a more detailed, on 26 May 2007, White Dwarf celebrated its 30th birthday with celebrations in Games Workshop stores around the world. In June 2010 Andrew Kenrick replaced Mark Latham as editor, Andrew had previously been sub-editor, as well as sub-editing other Games Workshop material such as the most recent edition of Codex, Space Marines. Jes has previously edited the Battle Games in Middle-earth magazine, on 1 February 2014, White Dwarf moved to a weekly release
21.
Imperial Armour
–
Imperial Armour is a series of rules supplements to the Warhammer 40,000 table-top game, along with an associated range of vehicle-size resin model kits. Both are produced by Forge World, a company of Games Workshop. These include super-heavy vehicles, specialised variants of vehicles, aircraft, immobile defenses. Early Imperial Armour rules supplements are written by Warwick Kinrade, later ones by Warwick Kinrade and/or Alan Bligh, starting in 2015, Forgeworld stopped using the Volume X notation, using just Imperial Armour and the title of the book. Imperial Armour Imperial Armour II Imperial Armour Update, notable for inclusion of new battle formations for all races, as well as large apocalypse-scale scenarios
22.
Citadel Miniatures
–
Citadel Miniatures Limited is a company which produces metal, resin and plastic miniature figures for tabletop wargames such as Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000. In the past Citadel Miniatures was a company but it has become a brand for Games Workshop miniatures. Although its models are used for the hobby, the painting of its miniatures is a hobby in itself. Ral Partha are already in production, but Citadel will also be producing own ranges, including the Fiend Factory figures, Fantasy Adventurers, Citadel will not be limiting production to SF/F figures, but also new ranges of historical wargaming figures. The following issue of White Dwarf contained the first advertisement for Citadels forthcoming figures, originally miniatures were produced using a white metal alloy including lead, although in 1987 Citadel began to produce plastic miniatures as well under the name Psychostyrene and Drastik Plastik. These were made of a harder plastic than other plastic miniatures at the time, Citadel has continued to produce white metal miniatures as the economics of plastic make it only suitable for large runs. Some models are a combination of materials, with the arm-less bodies and heads metal and the arms, weapons and other accessories plastic. In 1997 Citadel switched to a white metal because of concerns about lead poisoning particularly in children. Most of the created by Citadel require some form of construction after purchase. With smaller models this usually involves attaching arms, weapons and the base, larger models come in many pieces and require more construction. On May 16,2011, Games Workshop announced a new range of Citadel models known as Citadel Finecast, Finecast has had mixed reviews by modellers. If in doubt please do not purchase, from 1979 to 1984 Citadel had a reciprocal distribution and manufacturing deal with Ral Partha to bring each others products to Britain and North America respectively. Iron Claw Miniatures were a range of miniatures designed, manufactured and distributed by Citadel in 1987 and 1988, many of the designs were later incorporated into the main Citadel range. Marauder Miniatures was a company set up by two former Games Workshop/Citadel sculptors in 1988 and promoted alongside Citadel Miniatures in White Dwarf. The miniatures were cast and distributed by Citadel, and the company was absorbed into Citadel in 1993, over the years, as well as producing their own original miniatures, they have produced licensed ranges based on characters from games, movies, TV and books. Full list of Citadel Miniatures Paints Forge World Miniature conversion Citadel Miniatures Hall - A Museum of Citadel Miniatures, Citadels page on the hobby site The Stuff Of Legends - features many scanned advertisements of Citadel Miniatures products from old White Dwarfs. CCM wiki - A site maintained by members of the Yahoo. group for research of poorly, Delcam PR on use of Delcam 3D modelling and machining tools for creation of Citadel Miniatures
23.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
–
Warhammer 40,000, Rogue Trader is the first edition rule/source book for the Warhammer 40,000 miniature wargame by Games Workshop. The subtitle refers to a class of character within the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Created by Rick Priestly, The game was sub-titled Warhammer 40,000 in order to differentiate it from 2000 ADs Rogue Trooper comic series. The game featured rules that were modelled on those of its older fantasy counterpart. The majority of the book was written by Rick Priestley who was responsible for WFB. Rogue Trader game introduced some races that were removed from the Warhammer 40,000 setting, such as Squats, Zoats. Models which were released for Rogue Trader are no longer produced and are available in collections with limited remaining stocks available on the Games Workshop online store. Like many later incarnations the Rogue Trader rulebook mostly contained what is often termed fluff, i. e. the historical background of the Imperium, only a small portion of the book contained rules, with a large number of pages devoted the background of the universe. The fact that the current edition still contains an amount of fluff is a testament to the popularity of this arrangement. However, the text was nonetheless highly similar to the later editions. Also illustrative of the style is that the covers of the book were decorated with caricatures of members of Games Workshop staff. Additionally, the rule book, itself, was also notorious for poor construction. In addition, supplemental material was published in White Dwarf magazine. These articles were from time to time released in expansion books along with new rules, background materials, the Realm of Chaos books were hefty hardback tomes which included rules for Chaos in Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and Warhammer Fantasy Battle. The rule book originally described Rogue Traders as being freelance explorers employed by the Imperium to search for planets outside of the established borders. A Rogue Trader is a trusted Imperial servant, given a ship, a crew, a contingent of marines and they generally survey uninhabited worlds near to the fringes of Imperial space and on the Eastern Fringes where the Astronomican does not reach. The potentials of new worlds, such as wealth or knowledge, has stimulated the growth of the Rogue Trader section of society. Some have even gone so far as to try to cross intergalactic space, when encountering new alien species, the Rogue Trader is very much a separate organisation from the Imperium, so they must decide how to react to these new creatures
24.
J. R. R. Tolkien
–
He was at one time a close friend of C. S. Lewis—they were both members of the informal literary discussion group known as the Inklings. Tolkien was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II on 28 March 1972, after Tolkiens death, his son Christopher published a series of works based on his fathers extensive notes and unpublished manuscripts, including The Silmarillion. Between 1951 and 1955, Tolkien applied the term legendarium to the part of these writings. While many other authors had published works of fantasy before Tolkien and this has caused Tolkien to be popularly identified as the father of modern fantasy literature—or, more precisely, of high fantasy. In 2008, The Times ranked him sixth on a list of The 50 greatest British writers since 1945, forbes ranked him the 5th top-earning dead celebrity in 2009. Tolkiens paternal ancestors were middle-class craftsmen who made and sold clocks, watches and pianos in London, the Tolkien family had emigrated from Germany in the 18th century but had become quickly intensely English. According to the tradition, the Tolkiens had arrived in England in 1756. Several families with the surname Tolkien or similar spelling live in northwestern Germany, mainly in Lower Saxony, however, this origin of the name has not been proven. A German writer has suggested that the name is likely to derive from the village of Tolkynen near Rastenburg. Although that village is far from Lower Saxony, its name is derived from the now-extinct Old Prussian language. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on 3 January 1892 in Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State to Arthur Reuel Tolkien, an English bank manager, the couple had left England when Arthur was promoted to head the Bloemfontein office of the British bank for which he worked. Tolkien had one sibling, his brother, Hilary Arthur Reuel. In another incident, a family servant, who thought Tolkien a beautiful child, took the baby to his kraal to show him off. When he was three, he went to England with his mother and brother on what was intended to be a family visit. His father, however, died in South Africa of rheumatic fever before he could join them and this left the family without an income, so Tolkiens mother took him to live with her parents in Kings Heath, Birmingham. Soon after, in 1896, they moved to Sarehole, then a Worcestershire village, Mabel Tolkien taught her two children at home. Ronald, as he was known in the family, was a keen pupil and she taught him a great deal of botany and awakened in him the enjoyment of the look and feel of plants. Young Tolkien liked to draw landscapes and trees, but his lessons were those concerning languages
25.
H. P. Lovecraft
–
Howard Phillips Lovecraft was an American author who achieved posthumous fame through his influential works of horror fiction. He was virtually unknown and published only in magazines before he died in poverty. Lovecraft was born in Providence, Rhode Island, where he spent most of his life, among his most celebrated tales are The Call of Cthulhu and The Shadow over Innsmouth, both canonical to the Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft was never able to support himself from earnings as author and editor and he saw commercial success increasingly elude him in this latter period, partly because he lacked the confidence and drive to promote himself. He subsisted in straitened circumstances in his last years, an inheritance was completely spent by the time that he died at age 46. Lovecraft was born on August 20,1890 in his home at 194 Angell Street in Providence. Both of his parents were of entirely English ancestry, and most of his ancestors had been in New England since the colonial period and his great-grandfather Joseph Lovecraft Jr. emigrated to Rochester, New York from Devon, England in 1831. Lovecraft maintained throughout his life that his father died in a condition of paralysis brought on by nervous exhaustion. It has been suggested that his fathers mental illness may have been caused by syphilis, all five resided together in the family home. Lovecraft was a prodigy, reciting poetry at the age of three and writing complete poems by six. His grandfather encouraged his reading, providing him with such as One Thousand and One Nights, Thomas Bulfinchs Age of Fable, and childrens versions of the Iliad. His grandfather also stirred the boys interest in the weird by telling him his own tales of gothic horror. Lovecraft was frequently ill as a child, and he attended school until he was eight years old because of his sickly condition. He read voraciously during this period and became enamored of chemistry. He produced several hectographed publications with a circulation, beginning in 1899 with The Scientific Gazette. Four years later, he returned to school at Hope High School. Beginning in his life, Lovecraft is believed to have suffered from sleep paralysis. Much of his work is thought to have been directly inspired by these terrors
26.
Dune (franchise)
–
Dune is a science fiction media franchise that originated with the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert. Dune is frequently cited as the science fiction novel in history. It won the 1966 Hugo Award and the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel, and was adapted into a 1984 film. Herbert wrote five sequels, and the first two were presented as a miniseries in 2003, the Dune universe has also inspired some traditional games and a series of video games. Since 2009, the names of planets from the Dune novels have been adopted for the nomenclature of plains. Beginning in 1999, his son Brian Herbert and science fiction author Kevin J, the political, scientific, and social fictional setting of Herberts novels and derivative works is known as the Dune universe, or Duniverse. Set tens of thousands of years in the future, the saga chronicles a civilization which has banned artificial intelligence but has developed advanced technology. Vital to this empire is the desert planet Arrakis, only known source of the spice melange. Dune won the 1966 Hugo Award and the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel, a sequel, Dune Messiah, followed in 1969. A third novel called Children of Dune was published in 1976, Children of Dune became the first hardcover best-seller ever in the science fiction field. In 1981 Herbert released God Emperor of Dune, which was ranked as the #11 hardcover fiction best seller of 1981 by Publishers Weekly. 1984s Heretics of Dune, The New York Times #13 hardcover fiction best seller of that year, was followed in succession by Chapterhouse. Herbert died on February 11,1986, using some of Frank Herberts own notes, the duo wrote Dune, House Atreides, Dune, House Harkonnen, and Dune, House Corrino. The series is set in the immediately prior to the events of Dune. This was followed with a prequel trilogy called the Legends of Dune, consisting of Dune, The Butlerian Jihad, Dune, The Machine Crusade. These were set during the Butlerian Jihad, an element of back-story which Frank Herbert had previously established as occurring 10,000 years before the events chronicled in Dune. Herberts brief description of humanitys crusade against computers, thinking machines, the Heroes of Dune series followed, focusing on the time periods between Frank Herberts original novels. The first book, Paul of Dune, was published in 2008, sisterhood of Dune was released in 2012, followed by Mentats of Dune in 2014
27.
Paradise Lost
–
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. The first version, published in 1667, consisted of ten books with over ten lines of verse. A second edition followed in 1674, arranged into twelve books with minor revisions throughout and it is considered by critics to be Miltons major work, and it helped solidify his reputation as one of the greatest English poets of his time. The poem concerns the Biblical story of the Fall of Man, Miltons purpose, stated in Book I, is to justify the ways of God to men. In his introduction to the Penguin edition of Paradise Lost, the Milton scholar John Leonard notes, John Aubrey tells us that the poem was begun in about 1658 and finished in about 1663. But parts were almost certainly written earlier, and its roots lie in Miltons earliest youth, Leonard speculates that the English Civil War interrupted Miltons earliest attempts to start his epic that would encompass all space and time. Leonard also notes that Milton did not at first plan to write a biblical epic, however, in the 1672 edition, Paradise Lost contained twelve books. Having gone totally blind in 1652, Milton wrote Paradise Lost entirely through dictation with the help of amanuenses, the poem is separated into twelve books or sections, the lengths of which vary greatly. The Arguments at the head of each book were added in subsequent imprints of the first edition, originally published in ten books, a fully Revised and Augmented edition reorganized into twelve books was issued in 1674, and this is the edition generally used today. The poem follows the tradition of starting in medias res. Miltons story has two narrative arcs, one about Satan and the other following Adam and Eve and it begins after Satan and the other rebel angels have been defeated and banished to Hell, or, as it is also called in the poem, Tartarus. In Pandæmonium, Satan employs his rhetorical skill to organise his followers, he is aided by Mammon, belial and Moloch are also present. At the end of the debate, Satan volunteers to poison the newly created Earth and Gods new and most favoured creation and he braves the dangers of the Abyss alone in a manner reminiscent of Odysseus or Aeneas. After an arduous traversal of the Chaos outside Hell, he enters Gods new material World, at several points in the poem, an Angelic War over Heaven is recounted from different perspectives. Satans rebellion follows the convention of large-scale warfare. The battles between the angels and Satans forces take place over three days. At the final battle, the Son of God single-handedly defeats the legion of angelic rebels. Following this purge, God creates the World, culminating in his creation of Adam and Eve
28.
2000 AD (comics)
–
2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-orientated comic. As a comics anthology it serialises stories in issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary which was sold to Robert Maxwell in 1987 then Egmont UK in 1991, Fleetway continued to produce the title until 2000, when it was bought by Rebellion Developments. Other characters in 2000 AD include Rogue Trooper, Strontium Dog,2000 AD has been a successful launchpad for getting British talent into the larger American comics market. A long-running theme is that the editor of 2000 AD is Tharg the Mighty, Tharg uses other unique alien expressions and even appears in his own comic strips. Another running theme is Thargs use of robots to draw and write the strips, a fictional reason for Tharg to use mechanical assistance was given when the robots went on strike. Tharg wrote and drew a whole issue himself, but when he ran it through the quality-control Thrill-meter, the offending issue had to be taken away, by blindfolded security guards, to a lead-lined vault where there was no danger of anyone seeing it accidentally. IPC asked Pat Mills, a writer and editor who had created Battle Picture Weekly and Action. Mills brought fellow freelancer John Wagner on board as script adviser, the then-futuristic name 2000 AD was chosen as no-one involved expected the comic to last that long. Mills experiences with Battle and Action in particular had taught him that readers responded to his anti-authoritarian attitudes, meanwhile, Mills had developed a horror strip, inspired by the novels of Dennis Wheatley, about a hanging judge, called Judge Dread. The idea was abandoned as unsuitable for the new comic, but the name, the task of visualising the newly named Judge Dredd was given to Carlos Ezquerra, a Spanish artist who had previously worked with Mills on Battle, on a strip called Major Eazy. Wagner gave Ezquerra an advertisement for the film Death Race 2000, showing the character Frankenstein clad in black leather, Ezquerra elaborated on this greatly, adding body-armour, zips and chains, which Wagner originally thought over the top. Wagners initial script was rewritten by Mills and drawn up by Ezquerra, the hardware and cityscapes Ezquerra had drawn were far more futuristic than the near-future setting originally intended, and Mills decided to run with it and set the strip further into the future. By this stage, however, Wagner had quit, IPC owned the rights to Dan Dare, and Mills decided to revive the character to add immediate public recognition for the title. Paul DeSavery, who owned Dares film rights, offered to buy the new comic and give Mills and Wagner more creative control, the deal fell through, however, and Wagner walked. Mills was reluctant to lose Judge Dredd and farmed the strip out to a variety of freelance writers, the story chosen was one written by Peter Harris, extensively rewritten by Mills and including an idea suggested by Kelvin Gosnell, and drawn by newcomer Mike McMahon. The strip debuted in prog 2, but Ezquerra, angry that another artist had drawn the first published strip, quit, Mills had created Harlem Heroes, about the future sport of aeroball, a futuristic, violent version of basketball with jet-packs. Similar future sport series had been a fixture of Action, wanting to give the new comic a distinctive look, Mills wanted to use European artists, but the work turned in on Harlem Heroes by Trigo was disappointing
29.
Michael Moorcock
–
Michael John Moorcock is an English writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published literary novels. He is best known for his novels about the character Elric of Melniboné and his publication of Bug Jack Barron by Norman Spinrad as a serial novel was notorious, in Parliament some British MPs condemned the Arts Council for funding the magazine. He is also a recording musician, contributing to the band Hawkwind. In 2008, The Times newspaper named Moorcock in its list of The 50 greatest British writers since 1945. Michael Moorcock was born in London in 1939 and the landscape of London, particularly the area of Notting Hill Gate, Moorcock is the former husband of Hilary Bailey. He is also the husband of Jill Riches, who later married Robert Calvert. She illustrated some of Moorcocks book covers, including the Gloriana dustjacket, Moorcock was the subject of two book-length works, a monograph and an interview, by Colin Greenland. In 1983, Greenland published The Entropy Exhibition, Michael Moorcock and he followed this with Michael Moorcock, Death is No Obstacle, a book-length interview in 1992. In the 1990s, he moved to Texas in the United States and he spends half of the year in Texas, the other half in Paris. Moorcocks works are noted for their nature and content. In one interview, Moorcock states, I am an anarchist and my moral/philosophical position is that of an anarchist. Further, in describing how his writing relates to his philosophy, Moorcock says, My books frequently deal with aristocratic heroes, gods. All of them end on a note which often states quite boldly that one should serve neither gods nor masters, besides using fiction to explore his politics, Moorcock also engages in political activism. Moorcock began writing whilst he was still at school, contributing to a magazine he entitled Outlaws Own from 1950 on. In 1957 at the age of 17, Moorcock became editor of the Tarzan Adventures where he published at least a dozen of his own Sojan the Swordsman stories during that year, at age 18, he wrote the allegorical fantasy novel The Golden Barge. This remained unpublished until 1980, when it was issued by Savoy Books with an introduction by M. John Harrison, at 19 years of age he also edited Sexton Blake Library and returned to late Victorian London for some of his books. Writing ever since, he has produced a volume of work. His first story in New Worlds was Going Home, Moorcock replaced Carnell as New Worlds editor from the May–June 1964 number
30.
Role-playing game
–
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines. There are several forms of RPG, the original form, sometimes called the tabletop RPG, is conducted through discussion, whereas in live action role-playing games players physically perform their characters actions. In both of these forms, an arranger called a game master usually decides on the rules and setting to be used, acting as referee, while each of the other players plays the role of a single character. Several varieties of RPG also exist in media, such as multi-player text-based MUDs and their graphics-based successors. These games often share settings and rules with tabletop RPGs, despite this variety of forms, some game forms such as trading card games and wargames that are related to role-playing games may not be included. Role-playing activity may sometimes be present in games, but it is not the primary focus. The term is sometimes used to describe roleplay simulation games and exercises used in teaching, training. Both authors and major publishers of tabletop role-playing games consider them to be a form of interactive and collaborative storytelling, events, characters, and narrative structure give a sense of a narrative experience, and the game need not have a strongly-defined storyline. Interactivity is the difference between role-playing games and traditional fiction. Whereas a viewer of a show is a passive observer. Such role-playing games extend an older tradition of storytelling games where a party of friends collaborate to create a story. Participants in a game will generate specific characters and an ongoing plot. A consistent system of rules and a more or less realistic campaign setting in games aids suspension of disbelief, the level of realism in games ranges from just enough internal consistency to set up a believable story or credible challenge up to full-blown simulations of real-world processes. There is also a variety of systems of rules and game settings. Games that emphasize plot and character interaction over game mechanics and combat sometimes prefer the name storytelling game and these types of games tend to minimize or altogether eliminate the use of dice or other randomizing elements. Some games are played with characters created before the game by the GM and this type of game is typically played at gaming conventions, or in standalone games that do not form part of a campaign. Tabletop and pen-and-paper RPGs are conducted through discussion in a social gathering
31.
Skirmisher
–
Skirmishers are light infantry or cavalry soldiers stationed to act as a vanguard, flank guard, or rearguard, screening a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They are usually deployed in a skirmish line — an irregular open formation much more out in depth and breadth than a traditional line formation. Their purpose is to harass the enemy — engaging them in light or sporadic combat in order to delay their movement, disrupt their attack. Skirmishers can be either regular army units temporarily detached to perform skirmishing, light infantry, light cavalry, and irregular units often specialize in skirmishing. Though often critical in screening the army from sudden enemy attacks. In modern times, following the obsolescence of such heavy troops, all infantry has become indistinguishable from skirmishers, and those acting as skirmishers are said to skirmish. A battle with only light, relatively indecisive combat is called a skirmish. In ancient and medieval warfare, skirmishers typically carried bows, javelins, slings, skirmishers could also be effectively used to surround opposing soldiers in the absence of friendly cavalry. Once preliminary skirmishing was over, skirmishers participated in the battle by shooting into the enemy formation. Due to their mobility, skirmishers were also valuable for reconnaissance, in classical Greece, skirmishers originally had low status. Often Greek historians ignored them altogether, though Xenophon distinguished them explicitly from the statary troops and it was far cheaper to equip oneself as lightly armed as opposed to a fully armed hoplite – indeed it was not uncommon for the lightly armed to go into battle equipped with stones. Hence the low status of skirmishers reflected the low status of the sections of society who made up skirmishers. Additionally, hit and run tactics contradicted the Greek ideal of heroism, plato gives the skirmisher a voice to advocate flight without shame, but only to denounce it as an inversion of decent values. Skirmisher infantry would gain respect in the subsequent years as their usefulness was more widely recognised. Celts did not, in general, favour ranged weapons, the exceptions tended not to include the use of skirmishers. The Britons used the sling and javelin extensively, but for siege warfare, among the Gauls likewise, the bow was employed when defending a fixed position. The Celtic lack of skirmishers cost them dearly during the Gallic Invasion of Greece of 279 BC, in the Punic Wars, despite the Roman and Carthaginian armies different organisations, skimishers had the same role in both, to screen the main armies. The Roman army of the republican and early imperial periods frequently recruited foreign auxiliary troops to act as skirmishers to supplement the citizen Legions
32.
Laserburn
–
Laserburn is a set of wargaming rules written by Bryan Ansell in 1980. The rules consist of Laserburn and four other supplements, still available, a range of 15mm metal figures were produced for use with Laserburn and are still available. There is a small, but active, internet group promoting and expanding on the limited Laserburn background and rules
33.
Space Marines (Warhammer 40,000)
–
In the table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000, the Adeptus Astartes are genetically modified superhuman soldiers, the elite warriors of the Imperium of Man. Space Marines have been one of the armies in every box edition of Warhammer 40,000, Space Hulk. They also feature heavily in other Games Workshop products, such as books, films, and video games, from the time of their initiation to their deaths in battle, they spend their entire multi-century lives fighting in the name of the immortal God-Emperor of Mankind. They have been genetically and physically enhanced with gene-material and organ implants that ultimately derive from the Emperors own flesh and they wear power armor and wield the finest weaponry available to the Imperium. In the distant future, the Emperor of Mankind creates the twenty Primarchs, genetically engineered superhumans possessing immense physical and psychic power. Created from modified stocks of his own DNA, each Primarch was, in essence, one of his sons, however, they were separated from him and their legions by the Chaos Gods while they were still in incubation and scattered on worlds spread through the galaxy. This would have a impact on each Primarch and their Legion. The rebels are defeated and banished, though they continue to harass the Imperium as Chaos Space Marines. The Legions of Space Marines who remained loyal to the Emperor are restructured into units called Chapters to make a future mass rebellion unlikely. Recruits are chosen from the best warriors among humanity, however, they must be young adolescent males as deviating age or gender will result in guaranteed death if the subject in question has augmentation attempted. Naturally, this makes Feral Worlds prized recruitment grounds, as such harsh, however, Hive Worlds are considered the ideal source of potential recruits, the populace of the lower levels composed of some of the most murderous scum in the human Imperium. Whole gangs of hive scum are sometimes hunted down and captured for recruitment, among the most valued traits in a recruit are aggression and psychotic killer instinct. Much more rarely, certain Civilised Worlds are also recruited from, the potential recruit is first subjected to testing, including tissue compatibility tests and psychological screening. Relatively few get past this initial selection process and those that do pass are termed neophytes, and the process continues with the surgery, indoctrination, conditioning, and training that will make them Marines. The surgical process takes a deal of time and can be lethal. The recruit receives gene-seed implants, along with chemical- and hypnotherapy, the implants transform their bodies and minds and give them inhuman abilities. After this implantation process is initiated and after associated training is taken, the recruit becomes a Scout Marine and charged with sniping, infiltration, intense indoctrination and conditioning strengthens the recruits resolve and increases mental capabilities, honing them into dedicated and merciless warriors. After more general training and the completion of their augmentations, they join the Chapter as full battle brothers, Space Marines are organized into Chapters, which conventionally contain about a thousand Space Marines plus an unspecific number of Initiates and support staff
34.
Tyranids
–
In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Tyranids are a race and a playable army in the tabletop miniatures wargame. The Tyranids are aliens from outside the galaxy who have come to all life. Though they collectively possess a powerful intelligence, they cannot be reasoned with, Tyranids come in diverse forms, each individual having been engineered to fulfill a specific role. All of their technology is biological, named in the Universe as biomorphs due to their components being alive, Tyranids were first described in Rick Priestleys Rogue Trader, the first edition of the Warhammer 40,000. At that time they were not a race in the game. Their physical appearance was not imposing or especially horrific, they were depicted as six limbed, in later iterations of Warhammer 40, 000-related products the Tyranids were given a complete makeover and became a major race, popularized by a number of successful expansions. Tyranids often form a fast-moving close-combat army that relies on overwhelming its enemies through waves and waves of mostly small and they may also rely heavily on ranged combat, if different selections are made, or field an impressive but small array of monstrous titans rather than a typical swarm. Tyranid armies are therefore able to bring a varied threat to bear on their opponents, Games Workshop has introduced three main hive fleets, called Behemoth, Kraken, and Leviathan. It is noted that names are given by the scholars of the Imperium. In fact, there is no evidence in the fiction that Tyranids have language or civilization, in many stories, they communicate with a complex array of insectoid clicking and buzzing noises, as well as reptilian war cries, growls, and hissing sounds. Tyranids are thought to communicate primarily via a strong link to the so-called Hive Mind. Games Workshop introduced Genestealers in 1989 in the game Space Hulk, the first recognizable incarnation of Tyranid warriors appeared in Advanced Space Crusade in 1990, featuring biological weaponry such as boneswords and deathspitters. Tyranids were first mentioned under the heading Tyranids and the Hive Fleets in Warhammer 40,000, Rogue Trader, the first Tyranids used conventional, non-biological equipment such as lasguns and flak armor. The principal unit available to the Tyranids was the Zoat, a centaur-like creature enslaved to fight on the behalf of their Tyranid masters. Second Edition Warhammer 40,000, released in 1993, featured the Tyranids in the supplemental books Wargear and Codex Imperialis, an extensive model range was released, representing most of the units described in these publications. The army was, however, very different from the previously seen in the game. The supplement did however add some new units and adjust the behavior of others, a brand-new model range, somewhat different from the older one, was released to coincide with the new publication. New units included, the Tyrant Guard and Raveners, unit types noted as a Mutable Genus in the main army list were permitted to be extensively modified by choosing from numerous options in the Custom Hive Fleet section of the book
35.
Resin
–
In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. They are often mixtures of compounds, principally terpenes. Many plants, particularly woody plants, produce resin in response to injury, the resin acts as a bandage protecting the plant from invading insects and pathogens. Plants secrete resins and rosins for their protective benefits, the resin produced by most plants is composed mainly of terpenes and derivatives. Some resins also contain a proportion of resin acids. The individual components of resin can be separated by fractional distillation, rosins on the other hand are less volatile and consist, inter alia, of diterpenes. Amber is fossil resin from coniferous and other tree species, copal, kauri gum, dammar and other resins may also be found as subfossil deposits. Subfossil copal can be distinguished from genuine fossil amber because it becomes tacky when a drop of a solvent such as acetone or chloroform is placed on it, african copal and the kauri gum of New Zealand are also procured in a semi-fossil condition. Solidified resin from which the volatile terpene components have been removed by distillation is known as rosin, typical rosin is a transparent or translucent mass, with a vitreous fracture and a faintly yellow or brown colour, non-odorous or having only a slight turpentine odor and taste. Rosin is insoluble in water, mostly soluble in alcohol, essential oils, ether and hot fatty oils, and softens and melts under the influence of heat, rosin consists of a complex mixture of different substances including organic acids named the resin acids. These are closely related to the terpenes, and derive from them through partial oxidation, Resin acids can be dissolved in alkalis to form resin soaps, from which the purified resin acids are regenerated by treatment with acids. Examples of resin acids are abietic acid, C20H30O2, plicatic acid contained in cedar, and pimaric acid, C20H30O2, a constituent of galipot resin. Abietic acid can also be extracted from rosin by means of hot alcohol, it crystallizes in leaflets, pimaric acid closely resembles abietic acid into which it passes when distilled in a vacuum, it has been supposed to consist of three isomers. Rosin is obtained from pines and some plants, mostly conifers. Propolis, consisting largely of resins collected from such as poplars and conifers, is used by honey bees to seal gaps in their hives. Shellac and lacquer are examples of insect-derived resins, asphaltite and Utah resin are petroleum bitumens, not a product secreted by plants, although it was ultimately derived from plants. These were highly prized substances, and required as incense in religious rites. The word resin has been applied in the world to nearly any component of a liquid that will set into a hard lacquer or enamel-like finish
36.
Primarch
–
In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Primarchs were engineered superhumans created by the Emperor to command his future Legions of Space Marines. Originally twenty in number, they were said to have created using the Emperors own DNA. Of the 20 Primarchs,18 are known while two remain mysterious and their genetic material was also used to form the basis of the Legions they would command. All were created in genetic laboratories hidden on Terra, and were almost completely matured before their incubation pods were scattered across the galaxy, according to the novel False Gods, The Emperor might have allowed the forces of Chaos to scatter the Primarchs across the Galaxy for purposes unknown. Also, according to Chaos, the Emperor might have procured the power needed to create the Primarchs from the Chaos gods via unknown means. As the Great Crusade progressed, the Emperor was reunited with each of them as his armies re-established contact with the worlds on which the Primarchs had come to rest. Most had, in the time, risen to positions of power or infamy as a result of their remarkable physiology. The Primarchs were the twenty genetically-engineered sons of the Emperor, the Emperor used his own DNA in their creation, and they were designed to be far superior to the average human, immensely larger, stronger, hardier, faster, and more intelligent. They were also incredibly charismatic, as their role was to be generals. In addition, their material was used to create their own sons. But while the Space Marines are known to be better in every aspect compared to humans, they are. During their creation, a vortex caused by the Chaos Gods collected the infant Primarchs incubation pods. Sensing that the Primarchs still lived, the Emperor of Mankind created 20 Space Marine Legions, each based on the DNA of a single Primearch, to go into the galaxy to find their lost leader. After the end of the Horus Heresy, half of the Primarchs, the overall order of the rediscovery of each Primarch by the Emperor is as follows. His body was misplaced several times before being destroyed by his second, Abaddon, Magnus rose to the rank of Daemon Prince of Tzeentch. Angron rose to the rank of Daemon prince of Khorne, mortarion rose the rank of Daemon Prince of Nurgle. Fulgrim rose to the rank of Daemon Prince of Slaanesh, lorgar rose to the rank of Daemon Prince of Chaos Undivided. Perturabo rose to the rank of Daemon Prince of Chaos Undivided, konrad Curze was assassinated by the Callidus assassin Mshen
37.
Warhammer 40,000 species
–
The Warhammer 40,000 game, and consequently the fictional universe, is made up of many races and species. Many of these species are represented in the game through armies and figurines. However, not all of the species that are important to the game, the major ones are, The same familiar species, Homo sapiens, has in the millennia passing after the present day spawned a number of minor subspecies referred to as abhumans. The two most seen abhumans are the ratlings and ogryns, the vast majority of humans in the galaxy are nominally citizens of the Imperium of Man. It was created by the Emperor, an extremely powerful psyker, the Emperor is now worshiped as a deity by the citizens of the Imperium. Currently the Imperium is controlled by a body of 12 of the most influential and powerful men in the galaxy. The Capital of the Imperium is the planet Terra, inquisition, Well known for their ruthlessness in battle. Inquisitors of the Ordo Malleus The Grey Knights Ordo Hereticus The Sisters of Battle Ordo Xenos The Deathwatch As well as other Orders, Officio Assassinorum, human assassins of the Imperium. Adeptus Arbites, Unflinching enforcers of Imperial secular law, others, like the Arbites and the Officio Assassinorum, function as allies for existing armies, such as an Ordo Hereticus army including a Culexus Assassin. Forge World also produces a range of resin Titan models for use in Warhammer 40,000, there are also human settlements outside of the Imperium, worlds cut off from the Imperium for generations, those that have rebelled against the Imperium, or that have merely been overlooked. The only non-Imperial humans playable in the game are, Guevesa, Humans who have rejected the Imperium and joined the Tau Empire, lost and the Damned, Humans and mutants who worship and fight for the Chaos Gods. Chaos Space Marines, Those Space Marines who rebelled during the Horus Heresy, Daemons, Warp-spawned Daemons who serve Chaos. Lost and the Damned, Mutants, human renegades and other outcasts sometimes led by Chaos Marines or supported by Daemons, traitor Guard, Imperial Guard who have turned to Chaos. Dark Mechanicum, Sects of the Adeptus Mechanicus who rebeled against the emperor in the way the adeptus astartes legions did. Eldar are an ancient, elf-like race, who once were the dominant force in the galaxy, however, at some time in the past the Eldar race experienced a dramatic catastrophe known to them as The Fall. The Eldars highly psychic nature as a species had caused significant repercussions in the Immaterium, there are four main factions of Eldar, Craftworld Eldar, Those Eldar who fled before the Fall on massive ships known as Craftworlds. Dark Eldar, Those Eldar who have embraced the fall, exodites, Eldar who fled to the edge of Eldar space before the Fall and have embraced a more primitive lifestyle. They live within the Webway, are highly adept warriors, and their actions are unfathomable to all but those of their order - even to other Eldar - making them extremely unreliable allies, even to those of their own kin
38.
Tau (Warhammer 40,000)
–
In the fictional setting of Warhammer 40,000, the Tau are a race and a playable army in the tabletop miniatures wargame. A single Tau Fire Warrior is capable of precise and long range shooting but are weak in melee combat. The Tau rule an interstellar empire on the very fringe of Imperium space. They are a new power on the galactic scene. The Tau dream of uniting the races of the galaxy under their benevolent rule, the Tau already rule a number of client races, including some annexed human worlds. The Tau are oriented towards ranged combat and generally die quickly in close quarters and they have some of the most powerful ranged weaponry in the game in terms of both range and stopping power, with their railgun being the most powerful of all. The Tau do not have any psykers or units that specialize in countering psykers, all Tau vehicles are classified as flyers, skimmers, or jet pack infantry, meaning they can all move swiftly over difficult terrain. The Tau are the army in the game that routinely incorporates aliens. Kroot warriors provide melee support, while the insectoid Vespids serve as jump infantry, the Tau were released in October 2001. The Warhammer 40,000 Design Team selected the Tau as one of three new ideas from hundreds of possible concepts. This list permitted the Kroot to be used as mercenary forces for a selection of races or as a stand-alone army. According to Andy Chambers, the designer at the time. This development was seen as too disparate from the traditional dystopic atmosphere of the rest of the setting. Tau miniatures were designed to display the high-tech science fiction and robotic concepts that had resulted in the choosing of the Tau as the new army-race. The reflection of the Taus high-technology status was reflected by the lack of cabling and links modeled onto the weapons, the Tau Infantry models, according to sculptor Jes Goodwin, were designed to have subtle influences taken from Chinese foot soldiers. The Battlesuits and vehicles drew from science fiction exo-suits, and were designed to resemble a faster. Both of these weapons function by firing particles that break down into plasma pulses as they are fired, notably, the Tau are at an extreme disadvantage when it comes to close combat, as their standard infantry lacks any melee weapons. The Rail Gun is the most iconic, and feared, of Tau weapons, Codex, Tau Empire was the first publication to incorporate the impact of this game event on the 40k universe
39.
Ancient Egypt
–
Ancient Egypt was a civilization of ancient Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. It is one of six civilizations to arise independently, Egyptian civilization followed prehistoric Egypt and coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh Narmer. In the aftermath of Alexander the Greats death, one of his generals, Ptolemy Soter and this Greek Ptolemaic Kingdom ruled Egypt until 30 BC, when, under Cleopatra, it fell to the Roman Empire and became a Roman province. The success of ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its ability to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River valley for agriculture, the predictable flooding and controlled irrigation of the fertile valley produced surplus crops, which supported a more dense population, and social development and culture. Its art and architecture were widely copied, and its antiquities carried off to far corners of the world and its monumental ruins have inspired the imaginations of travelers and writers for centuries. The Nile has been the lifeline of its region for much of human history, nomadic modern human hunter-gatherers began living in the Nile valley through the end of the Middle Pleistocene some 120,000 years ago. By the late Paleolithic period, the climate of Northern Africa became increasingly hot and dry. In Predynastic and Early Dynastic times, the Egyptian climate was less arid than it is today. Large regions of Egypt were covered in treed savanna and traversed by herds of grazing ungulates, foliage and fauna were far more prolific in all environs and the Nile region supported large populations of waterfowl. Hunting would have been common for Egyptians, and this is also the period when many animals were first domesticated. The largest of these cultures in upper Egypt was the Badari, which probably originated in the Western Desert, it was known for its high quality ceramics, stone tools. The Badari was followed by the Amratian and Gerzeh cultures, which brought a number of technological improvements, as early as the Naqada I Period, predynastic Egyptians imported obsidian from Ethiopia, used to shape blades and other objects from flakes. In Naqada II times, early evidence exists of contact with the Near East, particularly Canaan, establishing a power center at Hierakonpolis, and later at Abydos, Naqada III leaders expanded their control of Egypt northwards along the Nile. They also traded with Nubia to the south, the oases of the desert to the west. Royal Nubian burials at Qustul produced artifacts bearing the oldest-known examples of Egyptian dynastic symbols, such as the crown of Egypt. They also developed a ceramic glaze known as faience, which was used well into the Roman Period to decorate cups, amulets, and figurines. During the last predynastic phase, the Naqada culture began using written symbols that eventually were developed into a system of hieroglyphs for writing the ancient Egyptian language. The Early Dynastic Period was approximately contemporary to the early Sumerian-Akkadian civilisation of Mesopotamia, the third-century BC Egyptian priest Manetho grouped the long line of pharaohs from Menes to his own time into 30 dynasties, a system still used today
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small}
