I am an avowed 'fluffy phobe' as you all know, but I wonder whether we can take a lead from real history in terms of direction. IMO it would help significantly if we had some concept of the following,
HISTORICAL EPOCsThe equivalent of the Stone age, Bronze age, Iron age through to the Industrial age, Space age, Computer age. These represent periods of time where some significant inovation changes the way the whole 'world' works. This can be the result of some change of religion, self image, invention or catastrophic disaster of epic proportions.
So what are the Epocs in the E:A universe?.
EMPIRES and INDIVIDUALSThink of the rise and fall of the Greeks, Romans, Franks, Normans, Arabs, Otterman Turks, Mongols, etc.
Or the rise and impact of particular individuals Alexander, Julius Caesar, Charlemane, Attila, Saladin, Ghengis, Napoleon. And intertwined with them are the ebb and flow of various religions and sects, national and religious leaders.
So what are the Empires within these Epocs, which are contemporary with each other, who are the leaders and what impact did they have?
IMPORTANT BATTLES and EVENTSThe battles of Gaugamella, Cannae, Arsuf, Hastings, The Armada, Leipzig, Overlord, Vietnam
Or long term events and movements like the rise of particular sects, changes in direction caused by schisms in leadership or assasinations, or even natural events like Typhoons, plagues, volcanic eruptions and 'space events'
So what significant battles and events have shaped the empires?
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IMO E:A would benefit significantly from having this kind of structure in mind when developing things. It really does not have to be encyclopaedic. On the contrary I am thinking of something that could be presented as a short thread on these boards by one or two of the more knowledgable individuals, possibly in the form of a "Rise and fall of the Imperium" style documentary.
This would allow us to structure our development by tailoring units and formations to particular Epocs and Empires while tailoring armies to particular Empires and Events. The whole development cycle should thus become a little easier, and we can intriduce the new W40K units into appropriate points of the narrative;
- Storm Talons were first introduced by (insert name) in the (xxxx) campign, conducted in the reign of the 4th emperor.
- The (xxxx) variant of the Leman Russ was created to counter the (xxxx) units of the (xxxx race) which had proved particularly effective in the (xxxx) sector of the Imperium
From this approach we can concentrate on certain parts of the E:A universe - think 'Battle book' - that relates to particular armies and races. We could devlop campaigns to drive the history, enhancing the background structure, and equally particular supplements to cover them with an enhanced bit of 'history'. Finally we can continue to drive internal and external balance, but within the context of the structure rather than trying to do it across the entire E:A piece which is becoming near-impossible
Etc