Economica Imperialis
Or
Finances In Grimdark And Why They Matter, by MetalSlimeHunt
IntroductionThe Imperium of Man is amongst the largest and most dystopian polities ever conceived of, and for such a society there is no better match than the dismal science, economics. As a hegemonic anocratic empire, the Imperium is utterly dependent upon maintaining its economic solvency, even if that economy is far vaster than any human being could ever comprehend and who's interactions spell the difference between life and death for quadrillions of humans. Not that many of those lives are worth living. This document is intended to serve a similar purpose to Kid Kyoto's
Civilian Life in Warhammer 40,000 AD, as a conceptual guide to how the material properties of the Imperium might function in a time where there is only war. Though it is nearly impossible to go into literal measurements of a polity spanning most of the Milky Way (I calculated an approximate Gross Galactic Product of 55 Quintilion USD through a
base match to population, let alone accounting for technological advancement or what this looks like in Imperial Thrones), through a combination of existing sources on the Imperial economy and logical extrapolation we can gain a grasp over just how the Imperium continues to take its final but mighty steps before the fall of night.
Imperial TitheAs with many things about the Imperium, the economy is heavily stratified between planetary and galactic concerns, with only a few forms of planetary society able to actively engage with the wider Imperium. Even so, the presence of these planetary economies serves as, if not the heart of the Imperial economy, at least its lungs and liver. They create not only the critical population necessary for the Imperium to undertake large-scale actions in the galaxy, but function as an autonomous method of concentrating resources on scales the Imperium cares not for except in the most critical of sectors and rarest of materials. Indeed, in the vaunted halls of the Administratum you will find no references at all to the gathering of the metals and ceramics to be forged into the gears of the Mechanicus or the armors of the Imperial Guard which extend beneath the first point of reference, the Imperial Tithe.
For the Imperium, the Tithe constitutes the primary method of galactic resource management. All worlds are assigned a grade of tithe ranging from Aptus Non (no tithe) to Exactus Extremis (devastating outside of Hive Worlds) that determines what the size of the tithe must be. Tithes are often collected irregularly due to administrative lag and the urgency to which the world's resources are needed, and so more than one Governor has awoken to find his skies filled with Imperial warships and his palace occupied by an impatient Administratum official. Sometimes worlds will go many years without demands for a tithe, forgotten due to a typo committed by an adapt a century dead, only to suddenly be rediscovered and shaken from their resource wealth by an unexpected demand. Other worlds may have the timing of the Tithe be known to them with a grim certainty, constantly stockpiling all resources they can manage to fulfill a too-frequent and too-large obligation on pain of destruction, starving in famine while surrounded by miles of warehouses stuffed with food and gold.
The exact goods requested from a world's tithe are individually assigned to that world's file with the Administratum, but in most cases a policy of general fulfillment is permitted. So long as an equivalent worth is provided to the Administratum the official tithe may be altered or even ignored. This is a strict necessity as worlds only rarely receive new resource audits from the Administratum, and the provisions of yesteryear may be depleted or extinct centuries later. However, this practice is a dangerous one as well, as there are no clear lines of comparison between the official tithe and what wealth the world offers up instead, leaving this up to the judgement of the tithe Ordinate. More than one world has been stripped bare of every resource by a vengeful or insane Ordinate, including its inhabitants, and left fallow for a colonization fleet to find again millennia later. The Administratum does discourage this outcome due to the high amount of paperwork it creates for a number of otherwise uninvolved departments, but as it is wont to be in the Imperium there are few things preventing it. Even hive worlds such as the unfortunate planet of Landunder have been nearly emptied of residents by the Tithe, and as the Imperium's war effort boondoggles in M42 there have been increasing spates of sectors cannibalizing themselves to defend against threats from beyond.
It would be inaccurate, however, to say that the Imperium is a planned economy. Resources, once tithed, are not centralized in any meaningful way. Rather, they proceed directly along the routes defined for the Hereditary and Fleet Chartist Captains who run most such ships. These craft proceed to whatever worlds are on their routes of trade and offer the tithe to them, at rates typically defined by standing agreements between the families of the merchants and the governors. It is not an uncommon event for one or the other to have been deposed between their last meeting, and these scenarios typically create dramatized renegotiations as both sides attempt to claim a better deal than the one that proceeded it. However, despite what threats may be leveled it is rare for a new agreement not to be met in due time - the governors have little choice but to feed the worlds they rule, and the merchants have nowhere else they may deposit their goods. But despite all of this there is no hand, be that of the Imperium or of profit, guiding these arrangements. They are established and disestablished constantly by the Administratum as appeals for or against them are processed, and nobody truly possesses comprehension or control of the larger picture.
Imperial CurrenciesThe official currency of the Imperium of Man is the Throne Gelt [THG], a golden coin containing a sliver of adamantium and bearing the visage of the God-Emperor. And if you believe that I've got some fine real estate in sunny Commorragh to sell you. What is true is that, in space and capital cities, you will typically have a currency known as Throne Gelt recognized. This currency will be made of a golden metal. If you are somewhere very, very wealthy, it may even have increasingly large slivers of adamantium within.
However, the actual composition and worth of Throne Gelt is wildly inconsistent. It's value is best predicted by, no matter its origin, the worth of the local economy. Throne Gelt's basis is in the authority of the Imperium, but there is no bank to guarantee it and gold is a fairly worthless material outside of the Mechanicus. Those versions truly containing adamantium are often subject to smelting to create slabs of the valuable compound, though this activity is both illegal and heretical due to destroying the image of the Emperor and can invoke response from the Arbites or (if one is truly unfortunate) the Ecclesiarchy.
This is not to say that Throne Gelt is without worth, however. It is undoubtedly true that a traveler weighed down by Thrones could buy a village and all of its people without appreciably lightening their pouch. But when dealing with matters of true importance, that is, matters not concerning the impoverished planets of the Imperium; Thrones are ultimately only the most accepted currency, and almost never the most powerful.
Even in space, there are pretenders, most notably Imperial Credits [IMC], Aquilas [AQL], and Terran Crowns [TCR]. All of these are likely to have originated as movements by the Administratum to establish a unified currency, but were doomed by the vastness of the Imperium and the mortality of all men, no matter how powerful. Fallen from favor, some sections of the Administratum continue to produce these currencies in place of Throne Gelt, even as others denounce them. Ironically, the smaller pool of existing hard currency means that these pretenders are frequently of superior worth to Throne Gelt, though their use comes with risk. It is hard to predict in advance when Imperial officials will choose to take umbrage with a pretender currency, and such errors can range from annoying to fatal.
Planetary societies rarely are able to make much use of galactic currencies, and instead will have a planet-exclusive pretender currency of their own, issued by the bank of the governor's palace. They are often named in a manner meant entice the population to believe it is the normal currency of the whole Imperium, though this illusion cannot withstand the ostentatious wealth of offworlders bearing a different breed of coin. Less advanced worlds are unable to sustain currency at all and revert to primitive barter, but even hive worlds are sometimes bound by systems of peonage or role economies that make currency the concern of the nobility alone.
Of course, commodity trade is hardly uncommon both spaceside and planetside, sidesteping many issues with currency altogether. Frequent commodity trades are made in slaves, servitors, weaponry, warp drives, xenotech, religious relics, adamantine, ceremite, diamantine, small spacecraft, cogitators, and narcotics.
Gross Galactic ProductThe gross production of the Imperium is impossible to quantify.
But if you were to try, you would find the following estimations:
By Sector: Agriculture 33%, Mining 24%, Military Industry 16%, Aerospace Industry 8%, Services 5%, Information Technology 4%, Textiles 4%, Consumer Goods <1%, Luxury Goods <0.01%, All Other Sectors 7%.
By World Class: Agri Worlds 32%, Forge Worlds 29%, Hive Worlds 14%, Industrial Worlds 7%, Civilized Worlds 3%, Mining Worlds 3%, Knight Worlds 2%, Death Worlds 2%, Feudal Worlds 2%, Penal Worlds 2%, Paradise Worlds 1%, Cardinal Worlds 1%, Fortress Worlds 1%, Shrine Worlds 1%, Research Stations ~0%, Feral Worlds ~0%, Astartes Homeworlds ~0%, Dead Worlds 0%.
Planetary Economy By ClassAgri Worlds: The heart of Imperial economy by dint of feeding the endless mouths of humanity otherwise unsustainable, Agri Worlds are economically uncomplicated. They import hydroponics, farming machinery, fertilizer, livestock machinery, and watercraft while exporting agriculture products, meat, fish, and soldiers. Agri World currencies are frequently bushels of a staple crop, livestock of high quality, land deeds, and legal tender issued by influential farming clans.
Astartes Homeworlds: Astartes Homeworlds, while bastions of might, do not contribute meaningfully to the Imperial economy (except perhaps the intangible value of being the bulwark against terror). They are but a drop amongst the million worlds of the Imperium, and only a minority amongst them have human populations who engage in trade with the galaxy, the remainder being too primitive or too isolated so that they may be a crucible of fire for young aspirants. Space Marines do not engage in trade outside of ritualized or fraternal exchanges of relics, and produce nothing outside the forges of the Techmarines. These worlds rarely import weaponry, armor, and spacecraft while exporting the occasional traded asperant or chapter serf militants. The human population of Astartes Homeworlds frequently use currencies appropriate to the world's other qualities but with the addition of imitation (or rarely, real) Astartes items such as bolter shell casings and purity seals.
Cardinal Worlds: The few worlds of the Imperium so dominated by the Ecclesiarchy to be designated Cardinal Worlds are typically not economically solvent. Most sectors of the economy are hobbled by intrusion from religious regulations and as much of a planet's landmass and workforce as possible are directed into serving the Ecclesiarchy's interpretations of virtue. The most successful of these worlds simply co-opt the existing economic structure with Ecclesiarchy-employed nobles overseeing the process, while the least successful attempt to enforce increasing degrees of asceticism on the population and dismantle large sectors of industry as unnecessary and sinful. They primarily import cogitators, flame weaponry, and slaves while exporting religious relics, scripture, Cherubim, and Ecclesiarchy-approved luxury goods. Cardinal World currencies are frequently relics, tokens of piety, or representations of various virtues and sins. The last creates an odd duality whereby the inhabitants attempt to become literally rich in virtue and impoverished in sin, lest they be called for judgement and be found wanting.
Civilized Worlds: These worlds exist in a state of constant uncertainty, caught between the barbarous inefficiency of feudal worlds and the all-consuming urbanization of hive worlds. Civilized Worlds are usually self-sustaining but ecologically unstable, and their populations unless depleted by war or tithe will eventually grow large enough to kick off irreversible climate collapse, leading to either hive world or dead world reclassification. But until the balance is finally broken, Civilized Worlds are notable as the most diverse elements of the Imperial economy. One world may have presences of Hive World-like factory blocks and highly advanced Mechanicus tech centers alongside the crop rows of Agri Worlds and the shot-through mountain ranges of Mining Worlds. Some such worlds will even have soft shores and wild fields set aside and protected from external ecology changes, a preserved redoubt for local nobility that serves as at least a passable replacement for a Paradise World. They primarily import arcology construction equipment, food when in deficit, and cogitators while exporting soldiers, food when in surplus, and rare earth metals. Civilized World currencies are most likely to involve the oddity of currency backed by some locally precious commodity or authority, but only traded in a representative tender, sometimes only on cogitator networks dedicated to this purpose. Such systems are laughable to any learned Adept of the Administratum, doomed to inevitable disintegration as the population stretches its capacity too thin to be useful. The simultaneous ecological and financial failure of a Civilized World is used by the Administratum as a metric for impending reclassification, one way or another.
Dead Worlds: Life in the Imperium is besot by the constant awareness, even in places one would believe sheltered, of death. Death is everywhere, the popular consensus of the galaxy, joined only by a shrunken minority of those who claim for now to be alive. Dead Worlds are numerous in the Imperium, and are often not fit to be resettled or in unprofitable circumstances for even the most desperate colonization fleet. The dead import nothing and export nothing. They are serene in their perfect stasis. Those few Dead Worlds still proffering something of worth are settled by Research Stations, but most serve only to preserve in a blasted and airless landscape the evidence that it once hosted the ephemeral presence of the living.
Death Worlds: But as much as one may recoil at the mark of death, there is also fear to be had at the bloody struggle of overwhelming life. The economy of a Death World is quantified by a single word: struggle. Even when colonies are given the full support of advanced orbital capitals (and they often are not), the dammed souls of these worlds are never able to rise above the smallest degrees of complacency. Even a lapse in conflict against the ecosystem that on another world would constitute a minor recession would lead to the physical annihilation of all human life on a moderately dangerous Death World. There are Death Worlds who's hardy life mired in constant death have survived and recovered from lesser forms of Exterminatus. They commonly import weaponry, flame weaponry, chemical weaponry, biological weaponry, atomic weaponry, and advanced medical equipment while exporting rare minerals, xenos beasts, and the harshest breeds of soldiers. Currencies are disdained by some Death Worlders as treacherous and disloyal, but when they do exist they are usually of some rare flora, fauna, or trophy that can only be acquired in feats of danger. These sometimes are used as non-tradable signs of reputation rather than true currency.
Feral Worlds: There are a great many worlds in the Imperium where even the simple arts of metallurgy and agriculture have been lost. These Feral Worlds are, due to their lack of both industrial capacity and population, usually useless to the wider Imperium. However, much like Death Worlds, ecosystems of Feral Worlds very frequently create rare biological materials that cannot be synthesized or even transferred to a less barbarous planet. It is these worlds, and those that produce usable soldiers for the Imperial Guard, that are meaningful for the Imperium. When not utterly impoverished they import weaponry, basic generators, forges, and farming equipment while exporting rare drugs, xenos beasts, tribal novelties, and soldiers. Feral World currencies are frequently pelts, livestock, wives, or blades.
Feudal Worlds: Ironically, while they are more fit to provide for the Imperium than their feral cousins, Feudal Worlds produce a lesser stock of warriors and so are even more ignored by Imperial authorities. Honorbound and preindustrial, they are sometimes targeted by the Adeptus Astartes for their mindset but are otherwise tapped mostly for food and minerals in the Tithe. Feudal Worlds often suffer harshly under the Tithe, being just advanced enough to whet the appetites of Administratum Ordinates but possessing little surplus. Feudal Worlds commonly revolt when the Tithe Famines come but their lack of even proper firearms, let alone orbital assets, makes the outcome a foregone certainty. It is for this reason that a Feudal World only rarely rises high enough above its station to industralize and be reclassified as a Civilized World. When possible they import weaponry, basic cogitators, and advanced materials while exporting food, minerals, soldiers, and art. Feudal World currencies are frequently soldiers, gems, rare metals, or staple crops.
Forge Worlds: One of the great engines of the Imperium, Forge Worlds reflect the philosophy of their masters, the Adeptus Mechanicus. Where Hives Worlds are vertical Forge Worlds are horizontal, stacking factories atop one another only as far as heat dispersal can permit. No space on a Forge World exists unless it is for the purpose of production. There is almost nothing that Forge Worlds cannot or will not create, but they are primarily given over to the creation of the Imperium's fleets and arms. Forge Worlds have the distinction of being even more uninhabitable than Hive Worlds, merely less populated. It is only by the grace of the Machine God's augments that most can continue to sustain life in these industrial lands. They primarily export weapons of all kinds, starships of all kinds, vehicles of all kinds, Titans, Machine Cultists, and Skitarii while importing food, water, air, metal, industrial chemicals, and slaves. Forge Worlds are actually wealthy enough to engage in direct use of galactic currencies, but their non-Mechanicus populations subsist on factory scrip and various experiments by local Magi to create a currency that is most pleasing to the Machine God.
Fortress Worlds: The Imperium's constant war effort is such that entire planets are sometimes given over to be forward operating bases, and it is these that are designated Fortress Worlds. Even though Fortress Worlds are sometimes resource-rich, they almost never are able to engage in normal commerce. This is because any world with the misfortune to meet the classifications of a Fortress World is the speartip of an Imperial front, be that against xenos, traitors, or worst of all daemonic incursion. Nearly the whole of the population will be involved in holding off invasion forces at any given time, for this is the singular purpose of a Fortress World: to be an unguarded target for constant invasion so that the Imperium's enemies cannot muster to breach held regions of space. They import weaponry of all kinds, vehicles of all kinds, planetary void shields, and a constant glut of fresh soldiers while exporting nothing but the rare brigade of veterans who have gotten reassigned elsewhere and enemy prisoners for Inquisition and Mechanicus experiments or enslavement. Fortress Worlds are too entrenched in the military supply mindset to use much currency, though both authentic requisition forms and rations are frequently traded amongst soldiers.
Hive Worlds: The iconic feature of the Imperium, Hive Worlds number only in the tens of thousands but contain the majority of the human race in a stratification simultaneously literal and economic. Though the exact arrangement varies due to planetary conditions, the Hives always contain a peak of nobility, a body of commoners, and a wretched base of serfs and mutants. While Hive Worlds do engage in a decent degree of production, they cannot hold a candle to the might of the Forge Worlds, and this is not their true purpose. Hive Worlds are aptly named, for they exist not to produce materials, but humans. The tithes of Hive Worlds are almost always fulfilled by gargantuan press gangs sweeping the underhive and even the midhive for enough bodies to please the Administratum, and the nobility are more than happy to cut down on their responsibilities in this way. Hive Worlds export soldiers, slaves, psykers, servitors, servo-skulls, cogitators, and industrial products not dominated by the sector Forge Worlds while importing food, water, weaponry, drugs, and luxury goods. Hive Worlds are also wealthy enough to trade in galactic currencies, but the midhive make use of scrip and gang-issued tender backed by narcotics, while the underhive employ any number of local commodities and midhive access passes.
Industrial Worlds: A pale shade of both a Hive World and a Civilized World; Industrial Worlds are resource-rich but environment-poor. They simply do not possess the population to engage in lasting output, and so rely on stripping the world bare and assembling products on the spot with automated systems. Industrial Worlds are always on the brink, and while its inhabitants are more wealthy than most by way of lacking competition, their futures are short-lived. Every such world is at constant risk of exhausting enough of its natural resources to be abandoned by trade lines, at which point it is certain to degrade into a Feudal or even Feral World within a single generation. They import food, arcology construction equipment, and little else while exporting consumer goods, uncommon industrial products, and refined minerals. Industrial World currencies are typically scrip or valuable consumer goods.
Knight Worlds: Inhabited by long-lost colonists from the Dark Age of Technology, the Knight Worlds are typically much like Agri or Feudal Worlds with the exception of their ruling class: the Knight Houses, who pilot advanced battle suits. Knight Worlds are often a tougher environment than usual, and likely would have degenerated into Feral Worlds under pressure if not for the combat capability of Knights. As is, they serve as surprisingly efficient alternatives to the usual food and mineral supply lines. The presence of the Knights also grants a measure of security that most such worlds lack, and ensures their survival even in the harsh modern galaxy. They import farming equipment, cogitators, and advanced weaponry while exporting food, minerals, and Knight battalions. Knight World currencies are often anachronistic, sticking to the gold and gems of Feudal Worlds, or on occasion marks of service to a Knight House.
Mining Worlds: The more despairing cousin of the Agri World, Mining Worlds are given over entirely to the collection of their mineral wealth. As this wealth is not renewable and is subject to diminishing returns as the tunnels grow deeper, Mining Worlds lack the technological sophistication of Agri Worlds and often more resemble a late Feudal World or early Civilized World. Life on these worlds is often most unpleasant, with a peasant class sent to break their bodies within dangerous tunnels and an aristocracy who's stagnant nature rivals that of a Hive World's. They import mining equipment and sometimes food while exporting minerals refined and unrefined. Mining World currencies are often literal chunks of valuable ore among peasants and tender representing such amongst aristocrats.
Paradise Worlds: A rare bastion within the Imperium of Man, a Paradise World is almost perfectly suited for human inhabitants. Their dangerous predators are rare and their climates are mild, easing the burdens of the body and mind alike. Such worlds virtually always have strict regulations on immigration to keep out the flood of humanity clawing to escape less ecstatic worlds or the monotony of the spacer lifestyle. Many Imperial authorities both secular and religious look down on Paradise Worlds, and believe that human greatness is only forged in conflict. Attempts to "break" the malingering population of Paradise Worlds into shape are countered only by the influence of those Imperial authorities who wish to preserve their vacation lands. They import luxury goods, consumer goods, cogitators, and slaves while exporting little of note. Paradise World currencies are either galactic currencies or notes issued by the governor's bank, the economies of such places being stable enough to not need commodity trade.
Penal Worlds: Nearly-barren worlds with no natural resources, Penal Worlds are meant to contain the criminals of the Imperium without hope of escape. Some would even be classified as Dead Worlds, protected only by easily-damaged dome habitats watched by orbital assets for signs of rebellion. Penal Worlds are used essentially exclusively to train the Penal Legions. As whole families are often imprisoned together, some of these worlds have renewing populations of bloodline criminals to replenish the Penal Legions, and this necessitates minor degrees of food trade. They import prisoners and guards while exporting Penal Legions, servitors, natural organ replacements, and slaves. Penal World currencies are formally commissary notes and informally narcotics trade.
Research Stations: The Imperium does not think much of static space stations, and most such stations are found within this category, though Research Stations can also be established on any uninhabited world, including Dead Worlds. They are typically present to investigate a particular phenomena and are at least in theory temporary, though it is rare that the Imperium unravels such mysteries. These stations are typically lauded or condemned by the Mechanicus, depending upon what level of influence they are permitted on them. They import all food, water, and air while exporting artifacts, experimental technology, and Mechanicus publications. Research Stations are rarely large enough to justify not using galactic currencies.
Shrine Worlds: The other form of Ecclesiarchy-aligned world, Shrine Worlds are truly given over to the act of worship and religious experience. Dedicated to a great hero of the Imperium (or at least of the Ecclesiarchy), Shrine Worlds are almost always consumed in time by the fervor of the saint they birthed and turned from their original purpose into an endless procession of praise for the saints and for the Emperor. Dancing flagellants are not economically viable, despite what the Ecclesiarchy claims. They import food and industrial products while exporting religious relics, religious art, and zealot armies. Shrine World currencies are often icons issued by the Ecclesiarchy and any number of small relics, including the famous saint fingerbones.
Internal TradeThe Imperium's internal trade is conducted by the captains of the Merchant Fleet and is divided between two groups: the Line Captains and the Free Captains. The Line Captains are granted Fleet Charters or Hereditary Charters which only permit trade along a defined route, distributing the materials gathered in the Tithe to the many worlds that cannot survive without outside replenishment. The Free Captains are granted Free Charters or coveted Hereditary Free Charters, which allow trade at-will throughout the Segmentum. These ships serve to replenish isolated worlds and rarer products, and as such are more profitable.
Rogue Traders sometimes trade within the Imperium, but this is looked down upon amongst Rogue Traders, and is seen as a sign of impending destruction by a trader so weak they are reduced to the activities of a mere merchant captain. As acquiring new ships for a bargain (or even more severely, a second Warrant of Trade) is critical for Rogue Traders, being overly visible trading within the Imperium brings down one's colleagues like Fenrisian Wolves.
Piracy by both humans and xenos is not uncommon in the Imperium, and not only that, but pirates are sometimes funded or paid off by rival sectors to disrupt one another's trade. Bad enough piracy is not just a financial concern, but can lead to the starvation of whole worlds. The line between pirate and merchant can sometimes be unclear, with captains facing bad fortune taking ships to restore their fleets. Pirates recruit from the ships they take with surprising regularity, and many a naive captain learns too late the true loyalties their cruelty has instilled in the crew. Piracy is deterred by armed merchant vessels and Q-ships, which appear unarmed until the pirates have closed to boarding range, at which point the facade of merchant holds are ejected and the guns begin firing.
External TradeFormally, the Imperium only permits external trade through Rogue Traders for the purpose of extending the reach of Imperial authority. Informally, every single sector bordering an alien or independent human civilization engages in trade with them, to the frothing rage of Imperial authorities. Occasionally, this brings great fortune. Often, it is the death knell of worlds.
Rogue Traders: The only legal members of this list, Rogue Traders despise unauthorized traders and hunt them with a fury that even pirates do not experience. The more external trade that is accepted by the fringes of the Imperium, the further the Rogue Traders must travel from the light of the Astronomicon to stake their claims. And beyond the light of the Astronomicon, even the horror of endless war is preferable to what beasts lie in the darkness...
Human, Independent: Human governments beyond the Imperium are rare, but not unheard of. New human colonies are discovered and existing sectors go astray daily in the Imperium, and ultimately some of these civilizations are of low priority compared to major threats such as xenos and Chaos. Independent realms bordering the Imperium are nearly always in regular trade with it, some even being part of Line Captain routes.
Human, Chaotic: But not all societies who share blood with the people of the Imperium are so benign. Some have on them the deep tarnish of the Power Beyond, the ritual and favor of the Great Enemy, Chaos. The difference between a mere independent and a servant of the Ruinous Powers is not always clear, especially over lightyears of distance, and it is these civilizations that are primarily responsible for trafficking tainted artifacts and cultist evangelizers into the Imperium to steal the minds of its people from the Emperor's light.
Astartes, Renegade: Even the vaunted Space Marines, loyal beyond all else, have their defectors. When a Chapter is exiled but not exterminated, or its leadership merely realize how much power they have over simple humans, renegades are born. They typically rule over worlds of mundane humans, "ascending" children who prove promising into their ranks. Astartes Realms are exceptional but hardened, and are almost never reabsorbed into the Imperium. Even renegade Astartes usually maintain their fondness for the human race, and so are willing to open trade relations with Imperial worlds once their independence is secured.
Astartes, Chaotic: Astartes are addicted to the nature of power. They must be powerful, and those they serve must be powerful. If the Emperor falls from their eyes, then they must find new, powerful gods to worship. Chaos Space Marine realms are hellish places taken to various forms of excess, and are rarely able to masquerade as normal. Trade with them is immensely dangerous, and fraught with the risk of convincing their rulers that your worlds are so wealthy they are better taken than traded with.
Daemons: Yes. There are fools out there so great that they will trade with realms ruled not by the servants of the Ruinous Powers, but the true agents of chaos themselves. They will sometimes not even do it for supernatural power otherwise unattainable. Some worlds treat with daemons merely for mundane goods (all struck through with the taint of chaos). This appalling behavior typically is only possible in outskirt worlds of the Eye of Terror and the Maelstrom, and it rarely lasts long before disaster.
Eldar, Corsairs: Of all the Eldar groups, corsairs are the most likely to trade. They have a desire to sell their services and are disconnected from other Eldar, slightly lessening their xenophobia and chauvinism. Even so, like all other Eldar they think nothing about going back on deals with humans, who at best are worth slightly more than animals.
Eldar, Craftworlders: Craftworlders almost never trade with humans. They and the Imperium are greatly at odds, and humanity produces nothing the Eldar consider to be of quality. Craftworlders will only treat or trade when directed to by the Farseers for a greater purpose, but ignorant fools trust their humanlike appearance and ethereal grace all the same.
Eldar, Exodites: Extreme isolationists, the Exodites are most likely to be in a scenario forcing them to trade with humans because of their planetbound nature. If forced by the human party themselves, such as through threatening orbital assets, a later betrayal is certain. If forced by outside circumstances, the Exodites can be surprisingly forthright with their dealings, not committed to a long term plan besides survival.
Eldar, Commorraghite: The most dangerous of the Dark Eldar are those who have spent a century or so enamored with the study of human psychology. Though less lurid than their normal interests, such an investigation will inevitably suggest to the mind of a Dark Eldar how they can advance themselves by leveraging the power of human greed. And so they will go to the nearest planet, and show humans something they never see: a friendly alien. They will be nothing but polite and generous, offering freely the technology of their people in trade for servants who they regale with stories of adventure and profit. In but a few months, they will have learned enough about the world's defenses and peppered it with their own broken slaves that when the Kabal raiders come they will face no resistance. The capture of an entire world of pain slaves is a prize indeed, even if they're only humans.
Eldar, Harliquins: The Harliquins are odd, in that the only thing they trade to human worlds is their performances (which are said to forever change the lives of all who witness them), and that they will not take no for an answer. More than one Harliquin act has been done surrounded by the broken ranks of the local PDF.
Tau: Of all xenos, Tau and their auxiliary races are particularly amiable to trade. The worlds at the meeting of the Imperium and the Tau Empire are often in uncertain authority, possessing both species but not truly conquered by either. The Tau are more than happy to trade materials of all kinds, and are particularly interested in gaining human cultural artifacts while providing Gothic translations of meditations and commentaries on the Greater Good.
Tyranids: Despite what some particularly addled Magos Biologis believe, it is not possible to entreat the Hive Mind. The very concept of "trade", because it involves giving something up, is unknowable to even the most intelligent parts of the Hive Mind. Why surrender when you can take?
Orks: It is possible to trade with Orks. Just very, very hard. The easiest are Freebooterz, who will sell their services as mercenaries and understand the idea of value outside of teef (albeit ideas of value stolen from other cultures, mostly humans). The biggest risk with them is they will get bored and betray you for the sake of a fight. Warbosses and Oddboyz are sometimes seized with fits of pique that have nothing to do with dakka or crumpin, and if one can identify this desire and offer it in a way that doesn't provoke a fight, traditional trade is possible. Kommandos and Stormboyz are exiles from Ork kulture and can also sometimes be leveraged as mercenaries. Few humans understand the significance of Ork teef, but those who do can compel many things from Greenskins with a sufficient stockpile. Just make sure the deal happens over vox instead of in person.
Necrons: Necrons do not trade, per se. However, some Necron Lords have been known to abruptly provide specific humans with amazingly advanced (if outdated to the Necrons) technology without so much as a word. It is clear that this is intended to provoke these humans to take actions the Necron Lord desires, but to what end, who can say? A timescale of millennia is beyond the human mind to comprehend, even at its most abstract.
It is done! Yes! TL;DR I worked on this for three days, read it or I'll be sad.
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