The Warhammer 40K takes place In 41st millennium, as implied by the "40,000" in the name. The nature of humanity in the 41st millennium is exemplified by the game’s tagline: In the Grim Darkness of the Far Future, There is Only War. Every part of the human experience from science and research, to industry, to religion, is entirely dedicated over to warring with the various factions in the Warhammer 40K universe. Players fight enemies that react in real-time, without the delay that is characteristic of a turn-based game, where players wait until other players are finished moving before they can attack or react to changes on the battlefield.Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II was published on February 21, 2009 by Relic Entertainment and THQ. It is based upon the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop miniature war game created by Games Workshop in 1987. In the tabletop game, players assemble armies of small and often elaborately painted pewter figurines to slug it out in a variety of environments, with battles taking hours or even days to play out.

 All aspects of life in the human Imperium are dedicated to the war effort. In fact, the soldiers themselves comprise not brigades and battalions, but legions and chapters. Warhammer 40K Space Marines have more in common with the Knights Templar than with current era soldiers. They are fanatical crusaders with unwavering faith and dedication, destroying vast swaths of the universe in the name of the long dead and deified Emperor.