The Imperial Guard

In a universe filled to the brim with monstrous threats from demonic armies and hordes of aliens,

what can one person do?

In the case of the Imperial Guard, a person can grab a mostly unimpressive weapon,

strap on some mostly unimpressive armor, and stand beside

their brothers and sisters against the hordes. Members of the guard don't possess the genetic

superiority of the space marines, or the fearsome technology of the mechanicus, but what they

possess in spades is courage. The guard is a large part of what

keeps the Imperium of Man going in the 41st millennium, assisting in defeating the Imperium's

enemies, and more importantly, holding territory, something the much less numerous space marines

are generally incapable of doing.

The Imperial Guard have a storied history, participating in many of the Imperium's greatest battles.

The Imperial Guard got its start as the Imperial Army during the Great Crusade led by the Emperor of Mankind.

Large numbers of new planets were being conquered, reclaimed, or rediscovered, during the Crusade,

and the Space Marine chapters were spread too thin to be able to hold them all effectively.

The Imperial Army was formed as a collection of volunteers, mercenaries, and other soldiers that

now belonged to the Imperium.

Planets, now part of the Imperium, would be forced to continually supply new recruits to the

army.

And eventually, the Imperial Army became more than a defensive body and turned into a full

branch of Imperial military might.

The army controlled their own warships, and became capable of conquering entire worlds by

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