Agri worlds: Probably one of the more pleasant places to grow up in the Imperium, Agri worlds are the breadbaskets of the Imperium. They are essentially planet sized farms every aspect of the planets ecology having been altered to better produce abundant harvests. Unlike many soldiers in the guard its quite likely that you've actually had a few days of leisure in your life, even if you're not from the upper classes.

Forge worlds: Mechanisation taken to the extreme, these giant factories churn out the endless goods required to keep the Imperium running. From buttons and flasks, to las rifles and artillery shells these words produce it all. Coming from a Forge world has its pros and cons. On the one hand you'll be a natural with almost any form of machinery (spending 15 hours a day on production line has that effect). However, it's quite likely that you've never seen the sun before and you'll certainly have to get used to all the open spaces that you'll be confronted with.

Death worlds: As the name suggests planets of this nature are for one reason or another almost completely impossible to survive on. Those that do call these worlds home are only able to survive either through use of specialised technology, or by sheer tenacity and an implacable will. Growing up on a death world you quite literally drew the shortest straw the game of life could offer you. On the one hand it means that life in the Guard should be a cakewalk, however, you've done little than survive your whole life no time for a fancy education or learning any trades.

Mining worlds: Mining worlds share some similarities with Forge worlds, in that they are both full of machinery and don't tend to be very pleasant places to be. Growing up on a mining world you'll have spent nearly your entire life underground, in small, cramped conditions, perpetually hoping that the ceiling doesn't fall in. On the one hand you're pretty used to the dark small spaces, and know a thing or two about explosives. However, you it's quite probably that you've never seen the sky before and bright lights probably won't put you in the best of moods.

Despite the various planets that make up the Imperium they all adhere to somewhat similar social structures.

Nobles: Possibly the few who truly benefit from the Imperium this class of society is living at the peak of human civilisation. Gene therapy, super-computers, inter-stellar travel rests at the finger tips of the fortunate few. Having grown up amongst the nobility you've had an expansive education. You've had to study everything: literature, rhetoric, biology, etiquette for high society, how to shoot, how to duel if you're lucky. Overall your life's been pretty good, you've certainly never gone to bed hungry at any rate. That being said, life's never going be all that exciting with everything that's expected of you.

Administrators: Whilst not as well off as the Nobles Administrators still live a pretty good life. Whilst you are expected to work and work hard, you do get a week off every year, something that makes you the envy of everyone beneath you in the social hierarchy. Depending on the world you grew up on you will have acquired any number of different skills. Administrators on mining worlds typically deal with the shipping of raw materials off world alongside the use of mining ordinance. Agri world Administrators by contrast a responsible typically for the management of a few square miles of land, ensuring that it meet its quota by any means necessary. Forge world Administrators are a mixed sort. Some are responsible solely for shipping products off world, others design new items, whilst yet others are simply responsible for ensuring that the workers keep trudging away on the assembly lines. (Death worlds don't tend to have administrators, what with their penchant for getting them killed very quickly.) As such your skills will largely be dictated by the planet you grew up on, although its certain that you will have had a basic education at the very least and you'll certainly be literate if nothing else.

Prols: The bottom of the barrel, the silent majority of humanity that keeps the Imperium shuffling along. It's quite likely that you've never had a day off in your life, you certainly won't have received an education of any sort, and reading and writing will be utterly beyond you. However, what you lack in intellectual skills you more than make up for with street-smarts Years spent living a hard life have taught you many lessons from how to scavenge, to who not to pick fights with, to how keep going when everything seems utterly hopeless.

Every world in the Imperium is expected to provide soldiers to serve in the Guard. Upon recruitment all Guardsmen are transferred to fortress worlds, here they undergo all the training necessary to turn them into soldiers. They learn everything from how their regiment expects them to dress on parade, to how to use a bayonet. Regiments play a big part in the identity of a guardsmen, everything from their uniform, manner of speech and training is determined to no small extent by their regimental training.

Praetoria Cohortis aka 'The Thin Red Line'


Well trained, well dressed, and well armed. These 'fine chaps' as they're fond of saying may look like toy soldiers, but they're most certainly not. Behind their crimson coats, domed hats and white carapace plates are some of the most disciplined soldiers in the Imperium. Members of the Praetoria Cohorits regiment are renowned for their uncanny marksmanship abilities. Members of the regiment are famous for making shots that seem impossible, to the extent that members of the regiment simply consider such shots ordinary. That being said, for the most part the Praetoria Cohortis regiment relies on well controlled volley fire to reduce its enemies to smoking piles of ash. Lines of crimson coated Guardsmen stand ready, just waiting for their officers to give the command to open fire.

Equipment:
Red Battle Tunic
Carapace Battle Plate
Semi-Auto Las-rifle
Bayonet
1 Anti-Personnel Grenade
1 Anti-Tank Grenade

Ardent Scions


The best armed soldiers in all of the Imperium these soldier are able to fight in almost any environ at a moments notice. Decked out in heavy carapace plates, full face re-breather helms, and sealed environment suits these soldiers are happy to trudge, climb or swim through whatever it takes to complete their mission. Armed with fearsome autoshot las-rifles these troopers are able to scythe down the enemies of the Imperium with impunity. Whether they're holding a trench, or storming a command bunker there's little these soldiers can't handle.

Equipment:
Sealed Environment Suit
Heavy Carapace Plate
Full face re-breather helms
Infrared goggles (built into the re-breather helm)
Autoshot las-rifle
Combat Sword
1 Anti-Personnel Grenade
1 Anti-Tank Grenade

Crusaders


The Crusaders are probably one of the more morbid regiments in the Imperium. Whilst other regiments take part in one glorious action after another the Crusaders deal with those missions that call for sheer numbers above all else. Each Crusader knows better than his fellows in other regiments that he's utterly expendable, just another cog in the vast machine that is mankind. Whilst this would shatter the courage of most men, the Crusaders embrace this understanding. These soldiers are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure the Imperium to survive. Men will march through salvos of artillery, charge machine guns with nothing but combat knives all to ensure that the mission is completed, whatever the cost.

Equipment:
Gas mask
Carapace Armour
Trench coat
Las-rifle
Bayonet
Combat Sword
1 Anti-Personnel Grenade
1 Anti-Tank Grenade

Watchers


Whilst other members of the guard fight for glory, the Imperium, or simply in a vein hope of seeing home again the Watchers are true citizen soldiers. Every Watcher understands that it is their duty to lay down their lives so that the common people of the Imperium may live. To this end it is they who conduct the rearguard and convoy operations. It is they who are called for, when civilians need extraction from hostile territory, for these soldiers truly fight for their fellow man above all else.

Equipment:
Carapace Armour
Las-rifle
Auto-Pistol
Bayonet
1 Anti-Personnel Grenade
1 Anti-Tank Grenade

Reavers


Members of the Reavers are stealth operatives beyond compare. If a target needs to be killed quietly, a depot behind enemy lines need to disappear or intel needs acquiring it is to the Reavers that Imperial Commanders turn. These covert troopers are renowned for their ability to cover almost any terrain completely undetected before using their signature long las-rifles and occular goggles to dispatch the foe before their even aware they're being watched.

Equipment:
Chameoleon Cloak
Carapace Armour
Occular Goggles
Long Las-rifle
Combat Sword
1 Anti-Personnel Grenade
1 Anti-Tank Grenade

Name: Esta Lombardino
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Homeworld: Mining
Social Class: Administrator
Regiment: Reaver
Bio: The child of an Explosives Ordinance Administrator on a Mining Planet, Esta grew up surrounded by people and things from that line of work, and so picked up the skills related to explosives, and how to use them to best effect, almost naturally, and worked doing that since she was old enough to start working, until, at the age of 27, she joined the Astra MIlitarium, and was recruited into the Reavers Regiment.

Name: Ralph Coventry
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Agriculture
Social Class: Administrators
Regiment: Praetoria Cohortis
Bio: Ralph is the fourth son to a barrister-at-law turned recorder or circuit judge in the city of Portsmouth. With no intention of studying law, Ralph turned to the Guard for excitement and adventure. His mother wept incessantly over the loss of her son, believing his fate lay in the hands of God. Unskilled, naive and upbeat, this physically fit whelp is heading into a world outside his comfort zone who can only be described as in for a rude awakening. At first impression, Ralph admires the bright red carapace and pith helmets of his new family. He aspires to be a first rate chap in The Thin Red Line.