40K - Should I .... or not? Where to start?

It is horribly inefficient.

Ponder the low speed of a jet bike for a moment, or a two-man 'speeder'...for inefficiency on the local scale.

Inefficiency is the Imperium's middle name, nickname, secret name, etc.

Sort of back to the topic: Space Marines, not enough of them; half went traitor, sided with Chaos; so there is The Imperial Guard, in their millions.

(There even used to be "Cadians", but one of you lot said they blew that planet up? )

( What is it with Games Workshop that they're blowing up their game settings one planet at a time??)

 

Correct name.

I don't know if they can be part of a Tau army.

 

Well, when the Emperor was still around the Imperium was quite good, and MANY times better than its current state. Technology was held in high regard and people didn't have to pray to their toaster too make it work. You had 18 legions of super soldiers each led by a demigod to defend you and a massive interplanetary militia.

Capital worlds and systems were pillars of technological advancement and titans of industry. Though frontier worlds, rural systems and planets tended to be relatively underdeveloped in comparison.

The Imperium still had it's flaws and the most obvious one was 'The Imperial truth'. The Emperor believed that all beliefs and religions were the embodiment of evil, and he went on a crusade to purge Terra (earth) of all religions. After he finished that he decreed that religion was banned and you can only belief in humanity's greatness. This made the Imperium militantly atheistic and you either got executed or sent too re-education to learn the true benevolence of the Imperium if you were religious. Another thing wrong with 'The imperial truth' was that it decreed that ALL that believed that the Imperiums way wasn't the right way must get "removed". Entire xenos species, even the friendly ones went extinct because they wanted to live their own way and many human empires that had formed outside of the Imperium were destroyed aswell.

 

That's the beauty of 40k, its a ludacris setting with as much bullsh*t crammed into it as possible. It tells the most insane stories, does the weirdest things and is super GRIM DARK to the point that even edgy emo kids can't take it seriously, and it does it all with a straight face.

 

Another amazing army! So many conversion opportunities out there, even more now that the Adeptus Mechanicus armies are a thing now!

 

Iron Hands are a Space Marine army, formerly one of the original 18 Legions, that in the last few millenia have begun replacing many of their biological body-parts with mechanical components instead. Very heretical in the eyes of the broader imperium, BUT not with the Adeptus Mechanicus, who are techno-mages from Mars who do that sort of thing all the time. They are often depicted in the fluff between the extremes of RAGE against impurity, mutants, and chaotic taint, and stone-cold killers with the emotions of machines (except for the RAGE).

In conversion terms, you often see these marines depicted with mechanical parts or cog-emblems of the Adeptus Mechanicus. It makes for a pretty cool looking army on the tabletop. The also often have lots of dreadnoughts (walking tanks with an almost-dead space marine put inside in order to keep them alive thanks to mechanical means) and tanks. Lots of tanks.

You are right about the Adeptus Mechanicus, they also are big on technology and biological replacement.

Spoiler: Iron Hands pictures

Some artwork:


One example of a nicely converted Iron Hands Army, made to look like the BORG from Star Trek (resistance is futile)



Converted Iron Hands biker, they do look great on snow bases:



Another epic conversion of an Iron Father (Leader of the chapter, combination of a techmarine and a chaplain)



AWESOME conversion of their primarch: Ferrus Manus

 

The Adeptus Mechanicus are the techno mages and the Iron hands are a chapter, one of the original 18, that is closely allied with the Mechanicus. The Iron Hands are real big on cyber enhancements to the point that some of their marines are more machine than man. The greater Imperium doesn't like how mechanic they have become after their Primarch, Ferrus Manus, died (10.000 years ago). The Mechanicus do like cyber enhancemets quite a bit, so they have a great bond with the Iron Hands, but it isn't just the mutual hate for flesh that keeps these factions together, it's the political power they grant each other. Having the Mechanicus, the weapon dealers of the Emperium on your side makes you completely immune to all sorts of political and ethical discourse. Having one of the 9 loyalist legions on your side grants plenty military protection and a greater claim to ressources.

Because they love cyberenhancements so much, you can add close all maner of mechanical parts to your marines without having it look out of place.

They're also massive assh*les that dislike everybody, you're more likely to get help from the tyranids than the Iron Hands.