Hi all,

I hope someone can help!? How are dates written in the 40K timeline?

In Titanticus, a date of birth is written as "322.760.M41". I would take this as meaning the 322nd day of the 760th year of the 41st Millennium...

However, in the IG dex, there are dates with 7 digits before the 'M41', eg "2975999.M41" (the Battle for Tyrok Fields, in case you were wondering!). What would this date be? Which is the correct way to write a date? I only ask, because I would want to know how my date of birth would be written...

Is there an additional digit to indicate some sort of time lag in relation to the event's distance from the Solar System (which ofc would be 0 in Titanicus as it's in the Solar System)?

Emperors phone number?

Herne wrote:Emperors phone number?

But it's missing the area (or country) code.

Oh, wait, the Emperor's not in an area or a country.

Ah! I've just remembered - it's not the emperors. He's ex-directory. Horus kept prank calling him too much.

Ask and yea shall receive:

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Imperial_Dating_System

Thanks LH.

Interesting that Dan Abnet did not put the check number for a date of birth. Maybe this is because it is an 'undispted' event??

@Bara: the DOB was for a Princeps born on Oreste, not in Sol system??

Ok, strange that the year fraction is divided by 1000 and is not simply the day within the year...

I need a mathematician now!? What would the early hours of the 21st December be as a year fraction?

EDIT: Just been sent a link to a download on B&C that have a live running time-date converter file. Now is 971 and this time on the 21st is 974 (there is a calendar/date drop-down; makes sense that it roughly 3 per day). Should, in theory, make the early hours of the 21st 972! I might stay up and check...

Red Devil wrote:Thanks LH.

Ok, strange that the year fraction is divided by 1000 and is not simply the day within the year...

This is one area where 40k actually make sense.

Firstly its been tried here before en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal_time.

Secondly it makes more sense when your on different planets with different orbital periods.

1 earth year is a fixed unit, decimalising it gives you a common reference frame (earth years are 365.24 days so can't be relied upon) whether your own orbital year is less than or more than earth (eg Nocturne which has an orbital period of 15 Earth years.)
Also you can't call the division days when local days might be month or more (eg Mercury - 155.88 Earth Days) or less (eg that planet from one of the Commissar Cain books which doesn't rotate and all life lives in the Twilight band between a desert sun side and an iceworld dark side.)

When u put it like that... Thanks!

Well, I now know my DOB: 0974981.M2. Should make my next bit of body art look a bit more cool

IIRC the additional Digit is the source of the comms pertaining to the date - the system is used where Astropathic communication used to pass information. Due to the temporal and fluctuating time of the warp - the further a message travels the more uncertain the ultimate recipient is of its true time of sending.

So a 2 would be a message sent via 1 or 2 other Astropaths and not in the Sol System

The 3 digit 'day' stamp is actual refering to a Terrain Year / 1000 so each digit represents 7.2 earth Hours

So today would be referred to as 0.978.011.M2

I think you mean 'M3', as we are in the third millennium??

Red Devil wrote:I think you mean 'M3', as we are in the third millennium??

Well done it is M3 - Extra Pie for you

As long as it's not a mince pie