Speys Mahrins, for te emprah!... I feel like writing a story where a company of space marines is calling for backup and the proud men and women of the PDF rescue them
Well, that's just the thing. They will only ever achieve Planetary Defense, because that's their sole purpose. They defend a planet when they can, or otherwise become a speedbump to slow the invasion until the big boys get around to helping them.
Well, what I mean by "achieving anything" is that they successfully defended something on their own, not just stopped it until someone shows up who knows how to deal with these issues, since they are called Planetary Defense Forces my first impression was that their job was to defend it on their own, not just be a little annoyance until Astartes or the Imperial Guard makes up for it. But I guess we've discussed the difference between what I associated with their name and what they actually do, since you've already mentioned that there are other duties they can fulfill.
PDF/IG stuff PDF are usually/often made up of the dregs that didn't get taken for the IG tithe that most planets "pay". Due to this you have men/women of varied age, no standard set for the quality of equipment, no real training other than the odd mandatory muster. It's also common for the children of the nobel families to serve as officers (due to high-birth and not experience) which leaves you with a poorly equipped, ill-maintained force that severly lacks proper command structure. Exceptions are the worlds of Ultramar (which do not, far as I know, support any IG regiments at all but have a standing army that makes a Mordian look like a girl-scout), Forgeworlds (which are under the Mechanicus' mandate and have vast armies of Skitarii, various mechanical constructs and sometimes even Titan Legions to defend them) and Space Marine Chapter homeworlds (which would be guarded by at least one Company + the reserves and any Scouts in training). Usually a planet will be policed by the Arbites, the PDF are a planetery response to imminent invasion (Orks, Space hulks, Tyranids, awakened Necrons... what have you). However, the harsh truth would be that they are run by the standing government of their world and would often be deployed as a over-the-top anti-riot messure. You'll probably never see a story where a PDF force "rescues" Marines but there are several books that portray both individuals, groups and companies of the PDF as both as honourable, dutibound and willing to serve as their "betters". Space Travel The Warp is "bad". For everyone. The only race, currently, to master space travel is the Eldar with the Webway. (One could argue the Necrons too but seeing as they just fly there 'cause they don't age and lack all connection with the Warp...) PS: Hi! I am new.
Welcome to the forums, in that case I should urge you to open an introductionary thread in the introduction sub forum so everyone can throw their welcomes at you Isn't the Arbites more over the top than PDF, seeing as Arbites are the Judge Dredd of every planet, often equipped well enough to stop riots, rebellious governors and, as far as I'm informed, even to stop renegade armies of the Imperial Guard to some measure? In comparison to the PDF, the arbites at least find their way into some stories where they are fending off riots and stuff. I can understand why any planetary government uses them as their own private police once people start rioting against them, it's pretty standard for an Imperium which is fond of most tactics any military regime uses. I've also read, in some books of the Dark Heresy Roleplay, that there are some planets where private armies, which are better trained and equipped since they are financed by the elite of society, often are the main fighting force themselves, whereas the PDF becomes a very insignificant group of hobby-militia which noone really expects to do the job the noble houses can provide with their grunts. But that's probably an exception, the rule being that nobles get the rank of an officer. Also, yes, the warp is bad for everyone. But everyone uses warp travels, I just wanted to make sure that it would be more risky to travel that way before you get to the Cadian Gate (and therefore bypass the whole defense there).
Ciaphas Cain managed to accidentally use PDF troops and civilians to crack apart an Ork WAAAAGH that had taken half a planet and bottled up the Imperial guard on the other half. From my read on the lore, the PDF act as a cross between a standing army and a militia. They're intended to be an effective defence against internal threats and will support the arbites as required, but also act as the first line of defence against external threats. Problem they have is that they don't get the same combat experience as the IG, or tend to get the same quality of weapons. Their decent recruits are often swept up into the IG on recruitment drives, and the quality of any PDF regiment is very much in the hands of the local governor. They are also prone to loyalty problems, and have turned to chaos or been subverted by genestealers on occasion. In reality, this means that they aren't equipped to stand up to powerful external threats like a chaos invasion on their own, but they can slow down the attack until reinforcements from the IG or other imperial forces can arrive, meaning that the planet hasn't fallen and been fortified against the rescuers by the time they arrive. In the words of dear old George Washington: "To place any dependence upon militia is assuredly resting upon a broken staff. Men just dragged from the tender scenes of domestic life, unaccustomed to the din of arms, totally unacquainted with every kind of military skill ... makes them timid and ready to fly from their own shadows."
It is, which is why the Cadian Gate is such a critical target for the Black Crusades and why the Imperium is so deseparate to defend a world that sits just in the shadow of the Eye of Terror and is a nightmare to keep under control. However, its not the only exit - just the most stable. There's a reason that the space marines have several chapters stationed around the Eye of Terror. For example, these are the core routes of the first 12 of Abaddon's Black Crusades. Cadia is the most common exit point, but they've also broken out to the east, and used warp sorcery to transport the fleet well beyond the Eye (although, in fairness, that hasn't always gone according to plan).
nothing in the war 40k is "standard" all pdf are different a planet can have savage tribesman roughrider with spear other can have carapace and hellgun for all the soldier with a baneblade in all parking
That's quite a bit of interesting information there. I'd especially like to thank yo for the map that shows the routes of the Black Crusades, since it shows at least an opportunity that you can get out somewhere else too. I guess we'll have to prepare for the next attack on Cadia then Well, there are standards, for example how a lasgun should work, what a mars-pattern is, the Codex Astartes, but I agree with you that there is no obligation that they are always in place, especially when it comes to the customs of a specific planet. Having said that, I very very strongly think that the use of Baneblades is way more limited. There may be planets where some are stationed, but they are usually Fortress worlds wih IG presence, not some PDF. But I catch your meaning about how different they can be in their equipment (especially since the savage tribesman uses the surely superior spear )
