Knowledge, fear and permission to innovate in Warhammer 40,000

How would the Imperium change if the Adeptus Mechanicus embraced invention?

It would be much stronger, but the fictional setting gives it institutional barriers to innovation: lost knowledge, fear of experimentation, restricted education and unequal permission to try new ideas.

In Warhammer 40,000, greater willingness to invent would strengthen the Imperium, though it would not remove every existential threat. The qualification concerns institutions: earlier destruction of accumulated knowledge left surviving engineers fearful of repeating the disaster. Exceptional individuals can push boundaries because their position protects them from accusations that would constrain others. Knowledge also remains isolated between groups, and limited education makes it hard to extend established techniques. Knowing the steps that make a machine work differs from understanding why it works, which restricts the ability to improve it. These are explanations of the fictional setting used to examine barriers to innovation.