Chaos Undivided

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Lore & Background

Warhammer 40,000 is set in the distant future, where a stagnant human civilisation is beset by hostile aliens and supernatural creatures. The models in the game are a mixture of humans, aliens, and supernatural monsters wielding futuristic weaponry and supernatural powers. The fictional setting of the game has been developed through a large body of novels published by Black Library, Games Workshop's publishing division. Warhammer 40,000 was initially conceived as a sci-fi counterpart to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, a medieval fantasy wargame also produced by Games Workshop. Warhammer Fantasy shares some themes and characters with Warhammer 40,000 but the two settings are independent of each other. The game has received widespread praise for the tone and depth of its setting, and is considered the foundational work of the grimdark genre of speculative fiction, the word grimdark itself derived from the series' tagline: 'In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war'.

In Their Own Story

Warhammer 40,000 has spawned many spin-off media. Games Workshop has produced a number of other tabletop or board games connected to the brand, including extrapolations of the mechanics and scale of the base game to simulate unique situations, as with Space Hulk, Necromunda, Kill Team, and other wargames simulating vastly different scales and aspects of warfare within the same fictional setting, as with Battlefleet Gothic, Adeptus Titanicus or Warhammer Epic. With a partnership with Fantasy Flight Games and later Cubicle 7, there was a line of Warhammer 40,000 Role-playing games. Video game spin-offs, such as Dawn of War, the Space Marine series, Darktide, the Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader role-playing video game, and others have been released. The setting has been adapted into film and animated productions, including the 2010 animated CGI movie Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie and a number of animated web series produced by Games Workshop's Warhammer+ streaming service.

Reader's Guide

The rulebooks and miniature models required to play Warhammer 40,000 are subject to copyright and sold exclusively by Games Workshop and its subsidiaries. These miniatures, in combination with other materials (dice, measuring tools, glue, paints, etc.), are generally more expensive than other tabletop games. A new player can expect to spend at least £200 to assemble enough materials for a regular game, and the armies that appear in tournaments can be many times more. Games Workshop sells a large variety of gaming models for Warhammer 40,000, but no ready-to-play models. Rather, it sells boxes of model parts, which players are expected to assemble and paint themselves. Each miniature model represents an individual soldier, vehicle, or monster. Most Warhammer 40,000 models are made of polystyrene but certain models, which are made and sold in small volumes, are made of lead-free pewter or epoxy resin. Games Workshop also sells glue, tools, and acrylic paints for finishing models. The assembly and painting of the models is a major aspect of the hobby, and many customers of Games Workshop buy models simply to paint and display them. A player might spend weeks assembling and painting models before they have a playable army. The current official rulebook recommends a table width of 44 inches (1.1 m), and table length varies based on the size of the armies being used. In contrast to board games, Warhammer 40,000 does not have a fixed playing field. Players construct their own custom-made battlefield using modular terrain models. Games Workshop sells a variety of proprietary terrain models, but players often use generic or homemade ones. Unlike certain other miniature wargames such as BattleTech, Warhammer 40,000 does not use a grid system, so players must use a measuring tape to measure distances, which are measured in inches. All the models that a player has selected to use in a match are collectively termed an 'army.' In Warhammer 40,000, players are not restricted to playing with a fixed and symmetrical combination of game pieces, such as in chess. They get to choose which models they will fight with from a catalogue of 'datasheets' presented in the rulebooks. Each datasheet corresponds to a particular model and contains any relevant gameplay statistics and permissible attachments. For instance, a model of a Tactical Space Marine has a 'Move' range of 6 inches and a 'Toughness' rating of 4 and is armed with a 'boltgun' with a range of 24 inches. Both players must declare which models they will play with before the match starts, and once the match is underway, they cannot add any new models to their armies. In official tournaments, it is mandatory for players to only use Games Workshop's models, and those models must be properly assembled to match the player's army roster. Substitute models are forbidden. For example, if a player wants to use an Ork Weirdboy in their army, they must use an Ork Weirdboy model from Games Workshop. 'Kitbashed' models, or models which incorporate parts from multiple models to create a unique kit to the creator, are occasionally allowed, with the regulation often being that the model must consist of 51-75% Games Workshop produced plastic, with the remainder being modelling supplies which help sculpt pieces together, such as 'Green Stuff', a type of two-part epoxy putty, as long as the model is easily identifiable as what it represents, on an equivalent base size, and is of a similar size and visual profile to what it is standing in as. Games Workshop has also banned the use of 3D-printed miniatures in official tournaments. Public tournaments organised by independent groups might permit third-party models so long as the models are clearly identifiable as to which Warhammer 40,000 model they are meant to represent. Tournaments might also have rules regarding whether armies are permitted to be used unpainted or must be painted to a certain standard. The composition of the players' armies must fit the rivalries and alliances depicted in the setting. All models listed in the rulebooks have keywords that divide them into factions. In a matched game, a player may only use models in their army that are all loyal to a common faction. Thus, a player cannot, for example, use a mixture of Aeldari and Necron models in their army, because in the game's fictional setting, Aeldari and Necrons are mortal enemies and would never fight alongside each other. Rules exist however, to allow for models from certain armies to work together. Forces aligned to the Imperium of Man can bring in 'allied' units from the Imperial Agents army using the rules from their book, and those from the Imperial Knights army, using their 'freeblade' rules. Respectively, those aligned with the forces of Chaos can add Chaos Knights with their 'dreadblade' rules. Chaos armies can also bring units from the Chaos Demons Index. The rules to do this are more specific, requiring equal or more demons units with the keyword 'Battleline' on their datasheet in the army than those without, and their collective points cost being less than or equal to a quarter of the allowed points. The game uses a point system to ensure that the match will be 'balanced', i.e., the armies will be of comparable overall strength. The players must agree as to what 'points limit' they will play at, which roughly determines how big and powerful their respective armies will be. Each model and weapon has a 'point value' which roughly corresponds to how powerful the model is; for example, a Tactical Space Marine is valued at 13 points, whereas a Land Raider tank is valued at 240 points. The sum of the point values of a player's models must not exceed the agreed limit. If the point values of the players' respective armies both add up to the limit, they are assumed to be balanced. 500 to 2,000 points are common point limits. Although the rules place no limit on how big an army can be, players tend to use armies comprising between a few dozen to a hundred models, depending on its faction. A large army will slow down the pace of the match as the players must physically handle many more models and consider each strategically. Larger armies also cost more money and take more work to paint and assemble. At the start of a game, each player places their models in the initial deployment zones at opposite ends of the playing field. The players roll dice to determine who takes the first turn. At the start of a turn, a player will have a command phase, in which they gain one 'command point', which is used for stratagems. Certain abilities possessed by models activate in this phase, and some stratagems can only be used in this phase. A player will also roll a 'battle shock' test for each of their units reduced to 'half strength' or with half or less models / 'wounds' remaining. If this morale test is failed, the unit will lose its 'objective control' and its ability to use stratagems until the next command phase, when that unit is allowed to retake the 'battle shock' test.

Did You Know?

• Warhammer 40,000 was initially conceived as a sci-fi counterpart to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, a medieval fantasy wargame also produced by Games Workshop.
• The word 'grimdark' is derived from the series' tagline: 'In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war'.
• The first edition of the rulebook was published in September 1987, and the eleventh and current edition was released in June 2026.
• A new player can expect to spend at least £200 to assemble enough materials for a regular game.
• The 2010 animated CGI movie 'Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie' is one of the setting's film adaptations.