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How do dates work in the 41st millenium?

Started by Acolyte Havlan Tome, August 28, 2010, 12:06:04 PM

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Acolyte Havlan Tome

How do dates work in the 41st millenium? I've only just realised that i don't actuall know :-[

Please could you enlighten me
If you catch sight of me twice your either lucky or not worth exterminating

Jamas Orian

Dates are taken from standard terran years, and are split into 1000 segments (I can't remember the precise names). They then append the millennium to the end of that date.

So, the year might be 40995 for example. That'd be written as 995.M41. If you were being precise, you'd write it out as 000995.M41 (new years day, 40995)

Acolyte Havlan Tome

Thanks :)
I also keep hearing people say about getting the present date by adding a certain amount of years to the present day. How does that work

Thanks again
If you catch sight of me twice your either lucky or not worth exterminating

Koval

We're currently in 010.M3 -- to get what seems to be called 'Clave Time from that, just change that to M42 (or M41 if you really don't like 42nd Millennium shenanigans, but that sorta means that most recent events haven't happened yet)

Acolyte Havlan Tome

If you catch sight of me twice your either lucky or not worth exterminating

Kaled

There's a little more to it than that - there's also a check number at the start which denotes how reliable the date is.

http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Imperial_dating_system
I like to remember things my own way... Not necessarily the way they happened.

Inquisitor - Blood Bowl - Malifaux - Fairy Meat

Koval

For most campaign purposes on player-made worlds, though, the check number is pretty well near arbitrary.

Kaled

True, but it can be used to good effect if you want to add a bit of ambiguity and confusion into your character's timeline.
I like to remember things my own way... Not necessarily the way they happened.

Inquisitor - Blood Bowl - Malifaux - Fairy Meat

Shannow

This is very interesting, and not something I had ever thought over previously. Will be using it in future character backgrounds I think, seems to add a greater degree of solidity to a person, rather than vague 'and then this happened sometime when he/she was x years old'

Cheers!

Rob
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.

Time to die.

DapperAnarchist

This may be more DH than Inquisitor - but you could use the date check to subtly give information, such as what sort of world it is. The date check tells you if its a central administrative centre, a well connected subsidary world, or out in the dark and shadow...
Questions are a burden to others, answers a burden to oneself.

The Keltani Subsector  My P&M Thread - Most recent, INQ28!

Kaled

Quote from: Shannow on August 29, 2010, 02:38:40 AM
Will be using it in future character backgrounds I think, seems to add a greater degree of solidity to a person, rather than vague 'and then this happened sometime when he/she was x years old'
At first I used to give dates for when things happened in my character's lives, but then realised it was more trouble than it was worth because keeping things consistent was a load of hassle - and then you get more hassle when writing up stories of when your characters interact with those of other people and the dates don't match at all.
I like to remember things my own way... Not necessarily the way they happened.

Inquisitor - Blood Bowl - Malifaux - Fairy Meat

N01H3r3

Quote from: Kaled on August 29, 2010, 10:25:16 AM
Quote from: Shannow on August 29, 2010, 02:38:40 AM
Will be using it in future character backgrounds I think, seems to add a greater degree of solidity to a person, rather than vague 'and then this happened sometime when he/she was x years old'
At first I used to give dates for when things happened in my character's lives, but then realised it was more trouble than it was worth because keeping things consistent was a load of hassle - and then you get more hassle when writing up stories of when your characters interact with those of other people and the dates don't match at all.
Hence the check/accuracy digit... no date, save those determined on Terra itself, is 100% accurate anyway...
Contributing Writer for many Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay books, including Black Crusade

Professional Games Designer.

Kaled

True, but it only gets you so far - the more detail you add about dates the more likely you are to end up with contradictions. A certain amount of inconsistency is good, but given that not everyone has their characters in the same millenium it can stretch credulity a little too far.
I like to remember things my own way... Not necessarily the way they happened.

Inquisitor - Blood Bowl - Malifaux - Fairy Meat

Shannow

I still like the depth it would add, when playing games I don't think the fact that my character is placed in a different year would matter muchly as its something that could be glossed over and an assumption of them being in the same timeline could be made. I do like the idea of using them in background though, along the lines of 'captains log, stardate xxxx' sort of idea :P
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.

Time to die.