Review: The Imperial Munitorum Manual by Graham McNeil

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Imperial Munitorum Manual (Warhammer 40, 000)
Author: Graham McNeil
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: Black Library
ISBN-10: 1844165027
Reading Time: 28/11/2007 (one day)

This book is a companion to the The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer. This book focus mainly on the equipment used by the Imperial Guard. As the other book it his highly amusing (over-the-top) in it’s harshness as was the Uplifting Primer. The list of punishable offenses regarding the treatment of equipment is so extensive, some of it seems to contradict well-established 40K background material. For example, putting kill markings on your rifle is listed as an infraction, yet Warhammer 40,000 stories, miniature imagery and artwork have prominently featured kill markings on Guardsmen's equipment for years. Perhaps the author was a bit stretched for material or perhaps it's a bit of intentional contradiction humorously showing the disconnect between the rules and how the Imperial Guard actually operate in the field. In either case, the book is a bit of dark, fluffy fun for 40K fans.

If you enjoyed the Uplifting Primer and want more of the same or if don't own a copy of the previous book and are looking for some Imperial Guard related reading, this book will amuse and entertain Imperial Guard and 40K fans, but don't expect anything terribly ground-breaking or new, because the Uplifting Primer, shortly to be re-printed, already covered that ground.

The Book it's devided in 9 parts:
  • History and procedures.
  • Regiments, Raising and Structure, Supply Needs, Shipping of Equipment for the Cadian 91st (Sentinels).
  • Requesting of Equipment.
  • Care and Maintenance of Equipment, Unauthorized Modifications, Procedures and Punishments for Laxity in Maintenance.
  • Identification of the items for front line troopers.
  • Identification of the weapons for front line troopers.
  • Identification of the items issued to support platoons and squads.
  • Identification of the items issued to senior officers and specialist personnel.
  • A selection of forms for the many and varied situations likely to arise and how to deal with them.

There are several sections with paintings and badges and insignias or information about famous people. There is several phrases stressing the problem if the maps inside fall into unauthorized hands.There are several quotes that every W40k fan knows such "Ammunition isn't free - make your shots count!"
The only setback it's the lackof coherent and authentic narrative voice. While much of it was as offious as I would have expected, some of it had the wrong tone for a Departmento Munitorum bureaucrat. One minute it would be providing a dispassionate run down of impossibly harsh punishments for the slightest infraction and the next talking about something completely unofficial that simply would not have made it into the final text (and would probably have resulted in one or more of the punishments previously described being performed on the author himself). The metals section was the worst with this.

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