[ParadoxRifts]

I've got a battered old 2nd edition Imperial Guard codex that tells me that regiments see ten years of service before earning the chance to conquer and settle a planet in the Emperor's name, but is that still the case circa present fluff?

[Vallessian]

Nothing in the codexes has stated otherwise. Macharius's men actually demanded this right after conquering over 1000 worlds.

[ForbiddenKnowledge]

It was the case as of the first Gaunts Ghosts, IIRC. There was mention of instead of dying with Tanith, they could fight and earn right of settlement on one of the newly liberated worlds.

So I think it is still alive and kicking, but due to the immense administration of the Imperium, I doubt all regiments get the offer after ten years.

[Zen]

Seems so; their will settle on a world that their commander conquers or join an explorator fleet but they also have the option of continuing their service even longer.

[Tom Norman]

I don't think it's a right to autonomously conquer a world of their choosing. My understanding of the system Rafe touched on there (as is described in Gaunt's Ghosts) is that a regiment named as the principal fighting force most central to an Imperial victory over a world may claim the right of settlement and declare it their new homeworld. They cannot simply lay claim to a newly conquered world (I like your superimposition of the word 'liberated' there, Rafe...very American ); they have to fight for it, and not in a mere 'supporting' capacity.

I think it's also worth noting that at the time Dan Abnett established the 'Right of Settlement' the Tanith 1st was a newly formed regiment with significantly less than ten years service history.

[ParadoxRifts]

Thanks for the speedy responses, but I've got another question!

How long do guardsmen have to serve in the imperial guard if his regiment doesn't get the opportunity to settle a new world?

[legio mortis]

Originally Posted by ParadoxRifts

How long do guardsmen have to serve in the imperial guard if his regiment doesn't get the opportunity to settle a new world?

If the regiment was raised for a single campaign, it's quite possible that the regiment will be disbanded afterwards, and the surviving soldiers will return home. I'd also suspect that if a Guardsmen got too old or severely crippled in some way, they might be let go.

[Tom Norman]

In regards to those regiments not raised by way of conscription in times of dire need, I imagine lowly soldiers of the Imperial Guard are likely expected to serve until they are no longer able to do so, whether it be crippling injury, old age or death that renders them incapable. Though I rather doubt Guardsmen of active regiments ever reach such an age that they are deemed unfit for service (in that they are killed or crippled long before they grow old).

In regards to the right of settlement, I'm not really sure what it actually means for an Imperial Guard regiment. I don't think Dan Abnett was ever clear by what it meant for the Ghosts of Tanith to earn a new world. Does it mean that they may lay down their arms and start life anew as civilians? Or does it simply mean they'll have a homeworld again that will serve as their base of operations and place of dwelling between campaigns; a world from which they may draw new recruits?

[Ge. Stankov]

Well, as much as I love the Gaunts Ghosts books, I think the situation is a bit unique. The 1st is, after all, knee deep in a campaign that, for almost the whole series, is just barely winning or just barely losing to the tide of Chaos. Therefore, I find it very unlikely that the Tanith would indeed be allowed to settle a world of their choosing, even if they did meet the base requirements for said settlement.

However, I forget which book, but I believe in the second novel, the men are on a world previously inhabited by a regiment that was granted settlement rights, a regiment whose mascot was a large, toothed hog. This causes the men to reflect on their own promise of a new home world, and their likeliness of getting one.

Just my analysis...

Stankov

[Vallessian]

It probably depends on the planet they are from. Cadians are in there until they die, but more "peaceful" worlds might not have such a heavy requirement.