Board Thread:Warhammer 40k General Discussion/@comment-99.166.166.141-20151227031941/@comment-5832352-20151229065254

Current incarnation? Yes. Attank had a good point. Look at the size of the Imperium. A million worlds?

Even if the Necrons, Tyranids, and Chaos did a complete scorched earth campaign across space, it's going to take a long long time to wipe out every bastion of humanity.

The other issue is, how many fragments of humanity don't even live on worlds? Rogue Traders, entire chapters of Space Marines, a few other groups travelling about. You'd also have to hunt them down.

While Terra will fall, you'd end up with something like the fall of the Roman Empire. Even that, in decline, took centuries. Even if Terra was wiped out, you have a literal cult personality maintaining order. The Ecclisary or other ministry groups would maintain what power they have, under any means necessary. Some would say that even though Terra fell, the Emp (or whomever) is still out there, and they should continue on in the face of whatever in the name of the Emperor. Others would probably just say nothing, and keep it secret. After all, as long as the populace works and is fed, they don't need to know right? If you can keep the real news from getting to them for a few centuries, the people would believe whatever is told to them. In some cases, who'd care? Many leaders are cut throat opportunists. They no longer need to divert manpower or materiel to a now defunct state. They'll horde it themselves to maintain their powerbase.

In the end, you'll still have a few strongholds loyal to the Imperium either out of fear of retribution (something that has definitely happened) or true belief that it would come back.

Until each of those are wiped out, the Imperium can't truly lose.

But it could take a few centuries or millennia.