Board Thread:Warhammer 40k General Discussion/@comment-7232811-20130620224607/@comment-69.35.168.115-20140601053349

First off:  There are no "Good Guys". The best of these Empires are essentially authoritarian states who wish to destroy the others, and when studying an authoritarian state the only difference is how the people inside and outside are treated subtly different. For the purpose of this I am only going to look at the humanoid empires: Tau, Imperium, and various Eldar. The other species are, as stated by others, to different to impose our scale of morality upon. I will rate with Destructiveness (How likely the race is to destroy a peaceful planet that does not retaliate), Repression (How free the people are inside), Aggression (How likely the empire is to attack others in this study if they resist).

First up are the Tau. They have a strict government that wishes to control all life. But, they also give freedom of beliefs. And that thing where they are more likely to save a species by integrating (read, "Conquer it") than by destroying. What we essentially have is an Aggressive Communism, but with more freedom of beliefs and work. This nation, were it a contemporary nation, would only conflict with others because it would try to integrate them. And, to be honest, it would probably convert a large amount. One of the most efficient in terms of Destruction.

Ratings. Repression: 2/10- while required to work for the Tau, the people enjoy more freedoms than many current day peoples. Very odd for a Warhammer group.

Destructiveness: 2/10- if the victim planet does not retaliate against a diplomatic force, the Tau are likely to keep trying diplomacy, assuming no hostile signs are present.

Aggression: 10/10- the Tau, being a small empire, are in need of expansion, and their beliefs promote it. They are not on the defensive, and it's obvious.

Overall: 14/30, or 4.67/10. Neutral, leaning slighlty towards "Good". If it weren't for the fact that the Tau practice active domination of outsiders, their empire would be a model for humanity. As it is, it is a helpful example, but not a role-model.

Next is the Imperium. They have a xenophobic (literally) attitude towards outsiders, and a horribly repressive attitude towards its people. The human empire is more prone to smash a peaceful alien orphanage than they are to ignore it. While it is unknown if the Emperor would have tolerated the open slaughter that is present today, it is certain that he hoped for a more enlightened empire. The empire focuses on its Emperor as a god, while he fought for truth and secular progress. Were it put on the Earth as a comparative nation, even the North Koreans would step back and cry "Woah man, that ain't cool". Imagine a nation that took up a large amount of land, would not let its people waver in their worship without killing them, sacrificed vast amounts of people each year in order for their wars and their networks, repressed all science under the belief that it was unholy, killed EVERY other nation's races, and still managed to believe itself the greatest. This country makes Hitler look like Sir Isaac Newton, the Pope to look like a Pastafarian, and Charles Manson look like the hippy version of Charles Manson (no deaths and protesting war).

Ratings: Repression: 10/10- The people are not only not given freedom from their rulers, the rulers are given the ability to do anything at any time, as long as the rulers are following their higher leaders' wishes. It is essentially a giant Cluster-F where nobody really wants to be there.

Destructiveness: 9/10- The only reason the Imperium did not score a perfect 10 is because they rarely (very) save mutations and the odd Xeno. But considering they slaughter everything else, even if the aliens are peaceful, I think the rating is obvious.

Aggression: 4/10- Most people at this point are confused at why I gave them a small Aggression score. Humanity is currently on the defensive, whether they wish to be or not. They aren't actively expanding their Empire half as fast (in proportion) as the Tau. Most of their missions seem to be retaking or guarding. That said, they don't seem gunshy when it comes to conquering, it just seems that others do more offense.

Overall: 23/30 or 7.67/10. Halfway between Neutral and Evil. The Imperium has slowly degraded to overall selfishness. Individual Marines, and even large groups of Marines, are obviously honorable, but they are not in charge. When taken as a whole, the Imperium is certainly a threat to innocents of the Galaxy.

The Eldar. Starting with Craftworld Eldar. They are obviously arrogant, rascist individuals. They seek to reclaim their Empire through war, but more importantly to keep the hand of Chaos away from themselves. To this end they will allow as many others to die as is necessary. But, then again, they are essentially passive in their murders. They would not kill that earlier Alien orphanage. Instead they would let the forces of Chaos destroy it while they ran. Their people aren't terribly free, but certainly they aren't oppressed. Their "Paths" while rigid, are an attempt to help the individual not be consumed by the all-too-real emotions the Eldar feel. In addition, many Eldar seem to leave their Craftworlds and return when they are ready. In this was the Eldar as a race may be considered the least repressive of all the races, but when looking at the Craftworld Eldar it seems as though they are certainly repressive. If embodied as a current Earthly nation, they would have a required philosophical path to take, but you always have the option to leave. They would be small, patchy gatherings and quite egotistical, perhaps with what we would call a Nietcszhe Nihilistic view.

Ratings: Repression: 5/10. While the racial rating is much lower, the strictness of the paths artificially increases the modifier.

Destructiveness: 4/10- The Eldars appear content to leave the other Humanoid races in this study alone, to the point of isolationism. You don't attack me, I won't you. But...there is an optional perspective. The Eldar will also manipulate and let others suffer in order to gain. This passive destruction still leads to the destruction of outside innocents, though not for the lulz.

Aggression: 5/10-  Another enigma. The Eldar have no use for other planets, in general. That said, if they need something another race has, and they other will not give, the Eldar will simply destroy them. This overcompensation mixed with the rarity of the Eldar in general paint a much more aggressive per person than could be previosly thought, though the rarity lowers the score.

Overall: 14/30, or 4.67/10. While seemingly on the same plane or lower as the Tau, the difference is one of motive vs chance. The Eldar would do any immoral act, but are unlikely because of unmotivation. The Tau are much more likely to invade, but less likely to kill you because it is convenient.

Other Eldar: Dark Elder- Sadistic, but in order to stave of an Evil being of Chaos. Unknown if they are too alien to consider. Still more likely to get along with other races than the Imperium. If you meet one, they may torture you to death, but you may find yourself useful to them. Meeting the Imperium as an alien will almost certainly end in death. The repression is higher than the Imperiums, and equal Aggression and lower Destructiveness. Recommend near Imperium score.

Exodites- Very variable due to limited content. Possilble lower "Evil" score than Tau/Eldar, due to extremely low Aggression in comparison, although possible Destructiveness is unknown. Repression is also unknown, though IMO lower than the Eldar of Craftworlds.