Warhammer 40K: 10 Essential Tips For New Players

Starting your Conquest into the 41st Millennium has never been easier.

By Joe Duffin-Jones /

Warhammer 40k is the best tabletop game ever devised.

Advertisement

Over 25 years, Games Workshop have developed a battle system that has never had so many active players and hobbyists the world over. Ranging from games in a garage to events like the Las Vegas Open there has never been a better time to jump into the hobby.

There is an absolute plethora of factions, races and armies to pick from. All with their own wide array of lore and motives for their actions in the Universe.

Do you join the enigmatic Eldar, a dwindling elf like race blessed with incredible powers but cursed with a terrible shame? Or maybe you’d like to be a stoic commander of the Astra Milatrarum, the backbone of humanities war efforts in the darkness of space?

This is only scratching the surface of the options available within Warhammer and alas, with great choice comes difficult decisions.

Let us arm you with the knowledge necessary to come bursting onto the tabletop with all the tools to crush your enemies into the ground all the while not crushing your finances to oblivion!

10. The Rule Of Cool

Let your cool-o-meter decide your army.

Advertisement

This is the single most important bit of advice anyone will give you about Warhammer 40,000.

To play Warhammer you will need to get hold of some models and this decision should be guided by what you think looks awesome and gets you excited about the Universe.

Like any competitive game it will have ebbs and flows of what armies are strong and weak. Especially in the game’s current format, 8th edition, the game designers are making balance changes every few months.

If you were to pick up a bunch of models based on their current strength you may end up being disappointed if they get rules changes and are no longer super powerful. Last year Space Marines were competitively a bad army, now they are dominating the competitive scene.

This is one of the few times in life that basing your decision entirely upon appearance is a solid option!

If you think that the imposing spikes and skulls of a Chaos Terminator looks cooler than a lumbering battle tank of the Imperial Guard, then maybe dip your toe into the powers of the Dark Gods! Follow your gut and you will have a good time.

Advertisement