Given that some of the material we've been putting together for the game includes dates written in the Imperial format. I thought I would give a quick explaination of how Imperial date works.

First off there are two formats - the simple version (ie 998.M41) or the long version (ie 4116998.M41).

The short date is the simplest - the number after the M is the millennia and the number before is the year of that millennia. So 998.M41 is actually the year 40,998 AD.

The longer date is a little more complicated. The first number is the check number, and is used because many worlds in the Imperium have poor at best communication with the rest of the Imperium and therefore their times often fall out of alignment. Long dates are normally used by the Administratum to record a major event such as a battle, or the construction of a ship etc.

Here are the basic check numbers:

0 or 1 = The event occurred on Terra or in the Sol system.
2 = The event occurred somewhere that a person or organisation was in direct psychic communication with Terra or the Sol system.
3 = The event occurred somewhere that a person or organisation was in contact with a source 2 person or organisation.
4 = The event occurred somewhere that a person or organisation was in contact with a source 2 or 3 person or organisation.
5 = The event occurred somewhere that a person or organisation was in contact with a source 4 person or organisation.
6 = The event occurred somewhere that a person or organisation was in contact with a source 5 person or organisation.
7 = The event occurred somewhere that the date could only be confirmed to an accuracy of within 10 years.
8 = The event occurred somewhere that the date could only be confirmed to an accuracy of within 20 years.
9 = The event occurred somewhere that the date could only be approximated with no real checks (ie – during Warp travel).

Most Administratum complexes are considered to be source 4 organisations at most times unless a world is cut off from the Imperium by a Warp storm or something similar.

The next three numbers in the date are a fraction of the year. The year is divided in to 1000 equal fractions (8 hours 45 minutes roughly each not factoring in leap years). The subsequent numbers follow the same rule as the short date format.

So given that this post was done on Earth at roughly 1300 on January 6th, 2011, the Imperial date for that would be 0048011.M03.

I hope this lesson has been helpful.

So i take we'll be using the simple version?

Please god's let us be using the simple version.

Even with the full explanation I'm having issues working the post's date out.

That's correct... pretty much any time PCs or NPCs discuss the date, it will be in the short format (999.M41 at the start of the game for reference).

I was just eluding that some props such as correspondance from the Administratum or the like may have full date format on them, in which case people will at least know that there is a way of working it out.

What is the current game date?

My understanding is that as of the end of 'Lines Drawn in Blood' it's around 995999.M41 and should kick over into M42 before the conclusion of the next round of tabletop games. Does that seem correct to everyone else?

Damon.

your Chrono is fast, on the station using todays date (but not year) its 4321999.M41

But game time is faster than real tiime. Thanks Damon, ill go with that. It would be cool to make a little counter on the site.