40k Horus Heresy - What if?

[Deepcrush]

What if...

The Horus Heresy has been defeated at Holy Terra. History plays out to this point as normal with one exception. YOU are the one in place to decide the future of the IoM. How would you handle the Fall of Horus, the Ascension of the Emperor to the Golden Throne and control of the Imperium during the closing year of the Civil War?

[Mikey]

Wait... the Heresy was defeated. If you mean Pius, Sanguinius, and the Emperor were NOT struck down on the Emperor's barge, then there wouldn't be any ascension to the Golden Throne at all.

[Captain Seafort]

Wait... the Heresy was defeated. If you mean Pius, Sanguinius, and the Emperor were NOT struck down on the Emperor's barge, then there wouldn't be any ascension to the Golden Throne at all.

I think he's talking OOU with you as the author.

[Mikey]

Yeah, I got it now. The defeat of the Heresy was part of the set-up, not part of the "what if." Well, for starters I'd have Malcador tell everyone to STFU and stop acting like they knew what the Emperor would have wanted. Have him take the Emperor's directive to form the Inquisition and set it up, not superimposed on the various adepti, but in direct oversight of them. Instead of an Imperium-by-committee, have the different organizations of the IoM be part of a functional but supervised body.

[Deepcrush]

What about the Imperial Army, Imperial Navy and Astartes Legions?

[Mikey]

What about the Imperial Army, Imperial Navy and Astartes Legions?

Army and Navy: well, the mass defection of huge amounts of each is definitely a concern... I just don't see how turning them (the Army in particular, in becoming the IG) into a huge morass of incoherent and less-manageable individual units helps. As it turned out, it didn't. There are still renegades, not to mention the gue'vesa. The Emperor's final instructions to Malcador were specifically and directly made toward the prevention of such things - as such, the group which Malcador created in response to those instructions could have alleviated such concerns if placed in a superintendent - rather than skulking watchdog - role. I also like to think that Malcador taking over more firmly would have led to another of the Emperor's wishes being carried out - that is, the practice of never turning the ascended Emperor into a popular deity.

Astartes: Same thing, mostly. First, Guilliman and the Codex Astartes should never have had any particular say over the deployment of another primarch's legion. Again, dividing the legions into chapters has just meant that renegade chapters go traitor 1,000 at a time.

[Deepcrush]

Wait... the Heresy was defeated. If you mean Pius, Sanguinius, and the Emperor were NOT struck down on the Emperor's barge, then there wouldn't be any ascension to the Golden Throne at all.

I think he's talking OOU with you as the author.

I meant as you being in charge. GEoM heads up to face Horus and when he does points to you and says "if I don't come back, show them the way".

[Atekimogus]

Astartes: Same thing, mostly. First, Guilliman and the Codex Astartes should never have had any particular say over the deployment of another primarch's legion. Again, dividing the legions into chapters has just meant that renegade chapters go traitor 1,000 at a time.

Have you by any chance read the latest Horus Heresy books? Especially "Age of Darkness"? I must say I really like how they are setting things up for the Ultramarines there. First there is a nice short-story which describes the Codex Astartes (as it is currently developed by Guilliman) completely different to what we have in the 40th millenium, less bible, more military supercomputer analysis tool.

Also there are quite a few hints about Guilliman, his views as to what HE thinks who the heir of the Emperor should have been as well as hints as to why the Ultramarines where a bit late to the siege of terra ("ups, well now that we are here we take over, everyone ok with it?").

In short, I like the direction they are taking there, adding a bit much needed depth to the archetypical arch-loyal goody two shoes chapter, and managing to make the arguable most boring primarch quite interesting and cool.

[Mikey]

I haven't.. but I do like this take on the Codex:

While the Codex Astartes has a few good points on how Space Marines should fight, it contains a truckload of a lot of bad points on even how an army should be. Due to Guilliman's unending paranoia over the fact that none of his brothers are possibly loyal anymore (and to cover up on how fucking useless he was during most of the Horus Heresy), he made it so that he ruined the Space Marines entirely...

[Deepcrush]

I don't think that Guilliman ruined the Astartes. A lot of what he did does make sense, setting up a uniform ideal and tactical doctrine for the Imperium as a whole is a good thing. Splitting the Legions is also not a major problem since even after ten thousand years the different chapters do rather well with working together on large scales.

The problem with the Codex is the attempt by Guilliman to make it Law, rather then just a guide. The problem by extension is Guilliman and his belief that its his will or nothing at all. Though Russ showed him his place nicely...