I am editing this article on the occasion of the release of the eighth edition of Warhammer 40,000 (hereinafter WH40k), which fortunately has attracted many new players, as well as old gamers who have returned after several editions disenchanted. The initial purpose remains the same: to briefly explain what this game is about, and where to start. Welcome to WH40k! Lets start by the beginning…
What is WH40k?
WH40k is a miniatures wargame set in the distant future, with elements of science fiction and fantasy. The players face each other choosing a faction from the many that there are (or more than one), in battles with different objectives and of different magnitude, since the armies are quantified in points, so that the players agree how many points they are going to dedicate to preparing your battle list, which can range from small skirmishes to tremendous spectacular battles.
The game was born in 1987 based on another similar game from the same company, Warhammer Fantasy Battle , now extinct, since in 2015 Games Workshop (hereinafter GW) decided to withdraw it and start with a new game called Age of Sigmar . Regardless of the company’s commercial errors or successes (of which we could talk a lot), the main reason was that WH40k had prevailed, for various reasons, over the rest of its products.
In fact, WH40k has gone far beyond the concept of wargame, creating a very complex universe. Role-playing games (note the plural), derivative board games, novels, videogames have emerged from it … It is impossible to cover everything, since there are already websites dedicated to this universe, such as wikihammer, so I am not going to pretend to do so. But it is always good to comment on relevant aspects.
Once the presentation (in very broad strokes) is done…
I’m a beginner in Warhammer 40.000, where do I start?
We talk about the wargame, of course. The issue is not trivial, there are several armies, a basic regulation manual, plus the particular rules of each army, various scenarios… Don’t get overwhelmed, you have to go step by step.
The first thing is to choose an army . It is an important decision because it will determine the way to play: there are armies specialized in shooting, in assaults, in using powers of the warp (sorcery), in vehicles, in infantry…
There is also, of course, the issue of collecting, and that is that an important part of the charm of this game is collecting miniatures, so it is important that they are to our liking. It is not that the decision to choose an army is irrevocable, you can always go back and start with another, but taking into account that you will make a first financial outlay buying certain miniatures (and probably the right paintings for it), if you get it right the first time even better.
Let’s make a brief list of the available armies, and I will classify them by factions, understanding a faction as a set of armies that fight on the same side:
1 The Empire of Mankind
Under this faction are all the armies loyal to the Imperium of Humanity. It is the largest faction, and probably the most popular because in it we can find the legendary Space Marines , who are the best-known army in the game. It consists of the following armies:
Space Marines
Strictly speaking they are not men, but an evolution of genetically enhanced soldiers called Astartes . They are grouped into chapters, with each chapter having its own personality (and rules), so if someone chooses to play marines they will also have to choose a chapter. I already say it: it is a mistake to want to “play with marines” without thinking about which chapter you are going to play; and I say this from experience, since I started a little like that, blindly.
In any case, they are essentially similar to each other: they are quality infantry (read few miniatures in each squad) and vehicles, the majority of tank type, with some flyers, and with the drop pods as their most iconic vehicle. It is a balanced army, with infinite tactical options, good at assaulting and shooting. There is a huge variety of miniatures, in fact the launch of the octave has been accompanied by a rescaling of the classic miniatures, introducing a new type of marines, the primaris.
Within this same category there would be 4 chapters that, being space marines, have very different rules from the rest: Bloody Angels, Dark Angels, Space Wolves and Gray Knights . There are also the Deathwatch, which are not a chapter in itself, but are fed by marines from various chapters. All of these have their own codex (rulebook and background), their own personality, and unique units that other Space Marines can’t take. A priori they are not (or should not be) better or worse than the rest, but it is true that they are played in a slightly different way.
Imperial Guard
Or at least that’s how they’ve always been known, even though they’re officially called Astra Militarum . They are the closest army to the current concept that we can have of an army. Lots of cheap infantry and many, many vehicles, especially tank-types. If you like to play with vehicles, or fill the board with miniatures, it is undoubtedly your choice. Not as balanced as the marines, they excel at shooting, their weak point being assault, which they generally make up for with a huge number of soldiers.
Adeptus Mechanicus
This army is made up of the followers of the machine god (the Omnissiah ), and they are responsible for running all the machinery of the Imperium (literally). More machines than men, we can find quality infantry (not as numerous as in the Imperial Guard), and very interesting combat vehicles.
They do not have fliers, transports or wizards, being their main weak point, so they could be considered as a complement to another of the armies of the Imperium of Humanity, although for the beginning player it can also be a good choice, and played well they can plant him face to anyone Its strong point is greater firepower and assault power than the Astra Militarum .
Adepta Sororitas
An all-female army, with lots of infantry and lots of vehicles. Although the miniatures are very cool and the background is very interesting, the truth is that I do not recommend it for beginners, because they are not a top army at all , and you need to know it well to be able to play it.
Within this same faction would be included the forces of the Ecclesiarchy: the Adeptus Ministorum .
Other Empire Forces
There are more defenders of the Empire, although I don’t think they can be considered as independent armies. Psychics, assassins, the Inquisition , the Sisters of Silence , or the Adeptus Custodes . In no case do I recommend them as a main force, and even less for beginner players.
There would be one last type of army, the Imperial Knights , made up of huge bipod vehicles with tremendous melee and shooting capabilities. Although there are rules in this regard, and that is how GW presents them, I refuse to consider them as their own army, since I only see the point of playing them as a complement to any other of the armies indicated here.
2 Chaos
Although theoretically there are many sub-factions, often at odds with each other (that’s why they are chaotic), under Chaos we can find the armies that follow the terrible gods that stalk Humanity from formlessness: Tzeentch, Slaanesh, Nurgle and Khorne.
Chaos Space Marines
They are the chapters of traitor marines to the Imperium of Man. As such, they are very much like Marines, because they are in fact Marines. The main unit differences are the accompanying demons, sorcerers with hellish powers, as well as certain demonic vehicles.
They are made up of many chapters (in their case they are called legions), just like the loyal marines, and as with them, they also have some legions that are more out of the norm, like the Death Guard (who have come very strong in eighth edition) or the Thousand Sons. Being so similar to the Marines, they are a very balanced army.
Chaos Demons
Well that, demons. Demon spawns. Bugs of all sizes, with a multitude of infernal powers. They are a very interesting army, both for the detail of their miniatures and for their style of play. They are inevitably more assault oriented than shooting oriented, although they are not without options in this regard. In addition, they are the perfect complement to the Chaos Marines, sharing some units with them.
3 Tyranids
Drooling and hungry bugs, Alien type. The Great Devourer, as they are known. Monstrous creatures, from the smallest to the gargantuan. They don’t have a single vehicle, nor do they need it. In my opinion, although I may be wrong, it is an army that seems oriented towards assault, but in the end it is also balanced in shooting, also having many warp powers to its credit.
From the collector’s point of view, they are very spectacular miniatures, but a lot is needed because, in addition to the fatter creatures, there are a lot of light infantry. They are considered a horde type army.
They may be a bit tricky to play, but I still consider them an excellent choice for someone just starting out.
A separate but closely related faction is the Genestealer Cults , who infiltrate Imperial cities preparing for the arrival of the Tyranid Hive Fleet. They have elements from both factions: Tyranid and Imperial. So we can find genestealers, powerful sorcerers who wield tyranid warp powers, and also tanks and imperial vehicles. Experts in infiltration, and having both horde and powerful vehicle options, they are a not inconsiderable option.
4 Aeldari (Eldar)
If this were a fantasy game, the eldar would be the closest thing to elves. They are good at everything: good assault, good shooting, good vehicles, jet bikes, warp powers… their only weak point, to find one, is that the infantry is relatively weak, at least compared to the rest of the armies, and it only hurts me. I refer to the resistance attribute, since in firepower they are devastating. They are known as glass cannons .
Drukharis (Dark Eldar)
As its name says, the dark part of the Eldar (understanding “dark” as macabre, corrupt and evil). They are an assault-oriented army, but in the face of the savagery of the orks (see below), they rely on stealth and subterfuge. The background is very attractive.
Harlequins
They are an army of their own, but at heart they are a subgroup of the Eldar. As with the Mechanicus, I think they are a good option to complement an army of both Eldar and Dark Eldar, not so much to play them separately.
Although these three factions can be played separately, they have recently been grouped into a sub-faction that encompasses them (with certain restrictions), called the Ynnari . An excellent option, in my opinion, since it has much more variety, good characters, and an attractive and very updated background.
5 Orks
The green tide Orks aren’t the best at assault (although that’s definitely their strong point), they don’t have the best vehicles, their wizards can’t compete with anyone else… but they’re the best in fun. This is the funniest army in the game, at least as far as the background is concerned.
They are not bad for a beginner player, they are not very difficult to play because their concept, basically, is to run as fast as possible towards the opponent and destroy them. But it should be noted that, like the Imperial Guard, they require a lot of models: they are another army that is considered a horde type.
6 Tau
They are the classic big-headed aliens, immersed in their own crusade for the “Common Good” (although their concept of goodness is highly debatable). The T’au are the best at shooting, even better than the Mechanicum, their weak point being assault, although they have options to defend themselves.
Interesting for people who are starting to play, they are very powerful and you have many options, although to know how to play well with them you have to control their synergies well.
Personally I must say that I don’t really like miniatures, of all the armies they are the ones that attract me the least in general. I am talking about aesthetics and my personal taste, I am not saying that they are better or worse.
7 Necrons
They would be the equivalent of the classic undead, but from a science fiction point of view. They are tough-nosed, and like good undead, they can regenerate if they fall in combat, which makes them fearsome. I think their style of play is balanced, without particularly standing out at anything, but good at everything; in a sense playing with them is similar to playing with marines.
The miniatures are not the most spectacular in the game, but it must be said in their favor that they are comparatively the easiest to paint, which can be an incentive for new players who do not want to spend too much time and resources on the hobby.
Personally I think they are a very good choice for beginners, as they are an attractive army to play, easy to collect, and very powerful.
In short, if you are someone who wants to start playing, the first thing is to choose which army you like best. Take a look at the miniatures on the GW page and decide what your play style is going to be, and based on that, choose. My first piece of advice is this: take your time when choosing your army, it is an important decision.
Ok, I’ve made up my mind, now what?
When you have chosen it, it is time to start your collection. I am not going to stop to advise on whether this or that store is better, or if it is worth buying on ebay, that is a choice that each one will have to make according to their own possibilities. But I will say that we are in a good moment for this game, since GW has subtly changed its policy and, finally, it has released starter packs with discounts for each army, which can mean considerable savings.
When you already have your first miniatures, arm yourself with patience, assemble them, paint them, and relax with the hobby. Although it may seem a bit overwhelming to face the “grey tide” (the miniatures usually come in a gray plastic), I assure you that it is worth it. The feeling when you have your first miniatures ready for combat is very satisfying. Also, when you start to have many options and to customize and convert the models, the feeling that your army is unique is unmatched.
At the same time, calmly read the regulation. In the eighth edition it has been simplified a lot, there are barely 12 pages with the basic rules, and the rest of the rules come in the units’ own files, or they are advanced and optional rules. As in any minimally complex game, you will need a couple of games to get the hang of the mechanics, but take it easy.
Then, also calmly, read your army’s codex (if there is one, if there isn’t yet, you will have to read the indexes , which are summaries with the basic rules of each army); It is not necessary to know it by heart, but it is necessary to understand what your units are and what they are for, what weapon options they have, what special rules…
And when you’re done, get your first army list ready . You can do more than one, the point is to practice. For me this is the most fun part of the game, as it forces me to think about a strategy, to make the best use of the synergies of my army, and to discover what my strengths and weaknesses are.
In eighth edition there is a system of power points that simplifies the construction of lists a bit, although in the balanced game mode (more competitive) your thing is to use points. A good way to start is to make a 1000 point list, although you probably have enough models to make a 1500 point list with well equipped units.
There are applications that help a lot to develop good lists, some free. One that I personally use and really like is battlescribe, although I don’t recommend using any list building app until you get a good handle on your army.
Ideally, you should find a friend to play who knows the game and offers to sparring, correct mistakes and, ultimately, teach you how to play. Discuss with him what type of mission you are going to play, the point limit… and prepare to receive a sovereign beating (unless you are both just starting out), because in the first game you play I warn you from now on that you are going to be absolutely lost. DON’T WORRY, IT HAS HAPPENED TO ALL OF US.
Above all be patient. WH40k is a very demanding game that requires many (many) games to master it well, like a good wargame, but it also brings a lot of satisfaction. I have been lucky enough to be able to play with people who take this game with the same passion as me, and I have experienced truly epic and exciting games. Every time I play I spend it like a dwarf (ahem).
