Who are the Praetorian Guard in ‘Warhammer 40,000?’

Hailing from the stinking, overpopulated hive cities of Praetoria, the soldiers of the infamous Praetorian Guard have little to lose and much to gain by serving as shock troops for the Emperor in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

With their pith helmets and striking red coats, the Praetorians resemble the Victorian British soldier. And much like the British soldier of the 19th Century, they choose to fight in straight lines, using perfectly timed volley fire from their lasguns to break up the Ork and Chaos hordes assaulting them.

Most Guardsmen grew up in horrific squalor and poverty, eking out a kind of childhood on a starvation diet. Each had a simple choice — be worked to death as slave labor in the grimy factories of Praetoria, or join the army and kill for the Emperor. The Guard becomes their home — few, if any, would want to return to their previous lives in the gutters of the mega-cities.

Notable units include the XXIVth Praetorian Guard — a regiment that fought to the death against an overwhelming Ork war party at the Massacre of Big Toof River, slaying countless Orks in the process. This is the standard set for the Praetorian Guard. When confronted by unbeatable odds, its soldiers are expected to fight and die (preferably in as neat a line as possible). There can be no retreat and no thoughts of surrender.

Training and equipment

When a young lad signs on with the Guard, he is immediately thrown into a world of intense physical training and ruthless, draconian discipline. Even the most minor infractions are severely dealt with. Punishments range from a simple flogging all the way to death. Guard commanders want the majority of their soldiers to be unthinking, unfeeling automatons, capable of standing or charging in a line against the enemy. Most Praetorians are more afraid of their officers than they are of the enemy.

Each Praetorian uses the M36 Pattern Lasgun, a tried and tested weapon designed to be as reliable as it is deadly. Spare ammunition is contained in pouches on the soldiers’ webbing, and each man carries four grenades as standard — two frag grenades that tear through flesh, and two Krak grenades that can penetrate armor. When all else fails and things have gone horribly wrong, each Praetorian carries a combat knife. Other equipment includes a flak vest, respirator, comm unit, survival kit, a basic toolkit, poor weather cape, and, perhaps most importantly, a grooming kit to keep those fine beards and outlandish mustaches perfectly trimmed.

All this gear makes each Praetorian a crack all-round soldier, capable of sustaining themselves on long campaigns in atrocious foreign climates.

With such a ferocious disregard for their own lives and an endless supply of manpower, the Praetorian Guard is a cut above the normal fighting units in the Imperium of Man.