Warhammer 40K Legends from the Far Future

Nurgle Oh, the Great Unclean One. He moves
like a garbage bag filled with pancake
Gods batter, but once he gets into melee
range, things shift from “Wow, that’s a
particularly ugly pile of horse manure”
to “Dear God, I have summoned an
industrial-strength meat grinder with
no off switch.” In addition to dishing
out obscene damage, he’s incredibly
difficult to kill and packs some nasty
psyker powers.

Slaanesh

Unlike a Great Unclean One, the Keep-
er of Secrets moves fast. These suckers
have such long-range threat potential
(especially when charging enemies)
that you can burn through units of en-
emy infantry before your opponent can
maneuver around it. Though it can’t
soak as much damage as other Greater
Daemons, it’s easier to summon and
just as terrifying to watch in action.

47

Adeptus Titanicus (Titan Legion)

Warhammer is a universe where whole plan- about a Titan.
ets are laid to ruin. Sure, you might be able Titans are essentially mechanical god-engines
to conquer a key city or secure a fortress with with the power to annihilate just about any-
your army, but to reach the upper echelons of thing (at least in the lore). Their Void Shields
destruction that Warhammer promises, you mean they’re impervious to most damage, and
need something bigger. Something like an the amount of hits they can take is frankly
Imperial Knight. ridiculous. They’re the Tsar Bomba of War-
Knights are the giant mecha of Warhammer, hammer 40K, and extremely rare.
and each one is packing enough health and To get a sense of scale, consider that the
firepower to wipe out most enemy squads by Knight pictured above is about eight inches
itself. They’re flashy, they’re powerful, and just tall. The Titan pictured to the left is about two
seeing one being put on a tabletop is some- feet tall. Keep in mind, however, that Titans
times enough to tilt an opponent. They’re just come in three classes: Warhound, Reaver, and
big, goddamn it. Warlord, with the largest being the Warlord.
There’s two flavors of Knights: Imperial and Knights and Titans are the super-heavies of
Renegade, with the former allied with the Warhammer 40K, but all are expensive to buy
Imperium and the latter siding with Chaos. and resource-intensive to put into your army
Adeptus Mechanicus are especially good pals (and paint). But damn are they awesome.
with the so-called Knight Worlds, and have
bonuses to maintaining them in battle. As cool
as they are, Knights are not invincible–some
infantry Units with heavy weapons can pour
on enough firepower to bring them down,
and some dedicated anti-tank units can shred
them surprisingly quick if you’re not careful.

There is a level of sheer, apocalyptic destruc-
tion that dwarfs even Knights, but few players
will ever get a chance to see it. I’m talking

48

Grey Knights weapons in the Imperial armory. Though they
lack long-range damage, their combination of
Before the Emperor of Mankind retired to the psyker abilities and mid/close-range damage
Golden Throne, he created one group of soldiers makes them a wrecking ball, especially against
to protect the Imperium and give Daemons psyker or Daemon-heavy armies.
nightmares: the Grey Knights. These are the ba- Unfortunately, you’ll only ever be able to field a
dasses that can backhand a Chaos Space Marine few of these guys at a time, and losing even one
through a cement wall and blow a Daemon’s can be a big blow. They don’t have a lot of long
teeth out the back of its skull with mind bullets. range options, or much variety when it comes to
units, so you’re a bit limited in what you can do
Grey Knights are unique among the Imperi- with them. Still, they look like beefcake cyborg
um’s forces for being almost entirely made up crusaders, and that’s fuckin’ cool.
of Psykers, which are usually shunned or used
only sparingly. On top of that, they’re wheeling
around some of the most powerful, high-octane

Adepta Sororitas (Sisters of Battle)

The Sisters of Battle are a group of murderous religious zeal of the Imperium, the Sisters have
space nuns in power armor sporting flame- it in spades–they have access to special Acts of
throwers and enough religious zealotry to make Faith, which are essentially divine interventions
the Spanish Inquisition look like a children’s that give them crazy-cool buffs (like being able
Bible study group. They’re part of the Ecclesiar- to have an extra turn of battle), and they’re even
chy, the religious organization at the heart of the divided into different religious orders with
Imperium, and their job is to spread the word unique abilities, like the Order of the Bloody Rose.
and love of the Emperor…in the form of fire, de- The Adepta Sororitas are a pretty well-rounded
struction, and scorched Earth. The Sisters’ main faction, too–if you want to run only Sisters in
job is to root out heretics, fight the enemies of your army, they usually have enough variety to
the faith, and defend Holy Terra (Earth) from cover all their bases, as well as some insanely
any and all threats. buff Characters.
Sisters of Battle are carting around a similar
arsenal to Space Marines, but they have a 49
penchant for flame-based weaponry and badass
vehicles, such as the Penitent Engines, which are
essentially Sisters strapped to mechs. If you’re
looking for an army that really exemplifies the

Weird Miscellaneous Orders
(Imperial Allies & Agents)

The Imperium’s list of allies is longer and more elaborate than an acceptance speech at the Acad-
emy Awards. Apart from all the different chapters of the Adeptus Astartes (the Space Marines),
the Adeptus Militarum (Imperial Guard), Adeptus Mechanicum, (Machine Priests), and Adeptus
Titanicus (Knights and Titans), there’s a whole bunch of niche factions that you can recruit, rang-
ing from badass Space Marine commandos to the 40K equivalent of witch-hunters.

Deathwatch the game. They’ve got advantages to killing
alien enemies (they’re essentially heavily
The Deathwatch are an All-Star chapter of armed exterminators), and they have a bunch
Space Marines that recruit the best Marines of different units they can use to vary their
from all the other chapters. Because they’re composition. The downside? You’ll only be
the elite of the elite when it comes to Space able to field a small number of them, and they
Marines, they get a lot of kick-ass weapons have a pretty steep learning curve for new players.
and gear, specialized ammunition that allows
them to adapt to the situation, and special tac-
tics that give all of them passive buffs during

Officio Assassinorum

These guys are essentially the Imperium’s a sniper packing a rifle that hits with the same
resident Power Rangers, only geared more force as a train-mounted railgun, the Callidus
toward murder. In fact, each one comes as an Assassin, an infiltrator that starts the game
individual model, rather than a squad. There’s with a hand-cannon to an enemy’s head, and
the Eversor Assassin, who is less of a silent the Culexus Assassin, which is Freddy Krueger
executioner and more of a one-man woodchip- for enemy psykers.
per high on bath salts, the Vindicare Assassin,

50

Sisters of Silence

Related to the Sisters of Battle, the Sisters of psykers down, and pack some pretty serious
Silence are the nuclear option when going punch against anything else that gets in their
up against psykers, especially when it comes way. When you bring along some Sisters, it
to big, lumbering psyker monstrosities like means you’re going to burn some witches.
Greater Daemons. They sabotage enemy
psykers from afar, get bonuses to cutting those

Adeptus Custodes

If a regular Space Marine is a .38 Special and of them? No. That’s because this is a faction of
a Deathwatch trooper is a .357 Magnum, an stupidly buff gladiators that eat nothing but
Adeptus Custodes soldier (also known as the protein powder and ten-penny nails, and they
Custodian Guard) is a gold-plated elephant will ram their glorious, golden fists through
gun that breaks your shoulder every time you anything can’t outrun them. Then they’ll
fire it. These are the melee monsters you call chase down the rest in their shiny, 48-carat
when you need to stop a Greater Daemon in tanks. That’s why these are the guys assigned
its tracks. These are the elites you bring in to to guard the Emperor himself.
kill other armies’ elites. Do they have psykers?
No. Do you need to field more than a handful

Conclusion

That’s what I’ve got for Part 3. Stay tuned for Part 4, where we start going over some of the basics
of playing the game, including building an army and taking your first, wavering steps into table-
top tactics.

51

GETTING INTO
WARHAMMER 40K,

PART 4

This is gonna be a quick-and-dirty intro to how to play Warhammer 40K, which
should hopefully be enough of a primer to help you understand what you’re
getting into. If you’ve come this far, God help you, because in all likelihood you’re
already setting aside a large chunk of your next paycheck to get a shiny new box of
minis.
You’ll be one of us soon.
If you haven’t read the previous articles on the basics, choosing your faction, or
choosing your allies, go back and read those suckers. Otherwise, you’re probably
not ready to digest the complex, 4-D chess-level advice I’m about to hit you with.
Note: A lot of this stuff is covered in the Official Battle Primer, but that can be dry
and confusing. This is much more fun.

How to Build an Army
(And Fight!)

52

What’s It Like to Play Warhammer?

The primary source of joy in Warhammer is rolling the fickle but beautiful six-sided die (known
as a ‘d6’ to initiates). If you’re doing well, you’re rolling a lot of d6 each turn, and rolling them well.
In fact, you can think of yourself as a d6 farmer: you plant the dice you want by choosing the
right Units and equipment, you cultivate those dice by giving them the best bonuses you can,
and then you watch your dice sprout when you roll ‘em. Then you pick out the ripest, juiciest dice
and use them to kill your opponent.
Of course, there’s more than just rolling dice—there’s tactics, strategy, and springing nasty sur-
prises on your opponent. But let’s start at the beginning—building your army roster, or your “list.”

Assembling Your Army

So let’s say you’ve chosen your faction (be it pansy-ass Eldar or the filthy, filthy Tyranids), bought
the Codex that goes along with it (which gives you all your units’ stats, equipment, and lore),
bought your models and painted them all (which is an article in itself ). Let’s say you’ve done all
that. Finally, you’re ready. Ready to deliver some high-velocity, tabletop miniature ass-whoopings.
Just hold on a second.
If you’re going to play against an opponent, you gotta make sure the playing field is even. And
you do that by totaling up your army’s “points.” Every squad of soldiers, every vehicle, and every
piece of equipment in your army has a point value, and when you add ‘em all up, you get a num-
ber that roughly estimates how tough they are.
So, it’s time to choose your new Brute Squad.

53

Choosing Units and Models

Choosing Units and Models
Each individual little guy on your table is a Model. Models almost always travel in groups, called
Units. Here’s the basics on how Units work:
- A Unit is always made up of a single type of Model, like Ork Boyz or Genestealer Cultists.
- The number of models in a Unit can vary, so you can adjust how many guys you want in a single Unit.
- A Unit moves and attacks as one group, and usually have to stay grouped together or suffer penalties.
- If there’s only one Model in a Unit, it makes up its own Unit.
You’re generally going to want to use different Units in different games to counter or smash whatever you
think your opponent is packing, or to run different types of strategies. Each type of Unit has strengths and
weaknesses, and half the fun of building your army is choosing the right Units for your strategy.
Example: Say I’m gonna play a small game with a 400-point max. I choose a Unit of 5 Plague
Marines because they’re flexible and tough, a Noxious Blightbringer to help them move across
the tabletop quickly, and a Lord of Contagion to serve as my army’s leader and generally fuck
shit up in melee. That’s 3 different units, 7 different models, for a total of 278 points. If I’m going
up against an army with strong ranged weapons, I’m gonna want to add a Unit of 10 Poxwalkers
to protect my Plague Marines from gunfire, too. Poxwalkers adds another 60 points, for a total of
338 points.

54

Choosing Equipment

Some armies, like Space or Chaos Marines, have access to a sci-fi Skymall catalog of equipment, from
chainswords to plasma pistols. Other factions, like Imperial Guard, get a rifle, knife, and the fervent hope
that their Commissar knows what he’s doing.
If you’ve got the luxury of having a big equipment list, you can go wild customizing your units, allowing
otherwise identical units to take on different roles, like long-range artillery bombardment or up-close melee
shredding. Some weapons are specially suited to dealing with vehicles, or bring the user huge buffs.
Take the Combi-Melta, for example: it slices through armor and deals a d6 worth of damage at 12 inches
away, and double that when within 6 inches. If you have an army that thrives in getting up close and per-
sonal, a Combi-Melta becomes the bane of any enemy beefcake that gets too close, whether it’s one of those
weeb Tau mecha suits or a straight-up tank.
Even though you might be tempted to blow all your points on the flashiest gear, remember that equipment
and models both cost points. This means outfitting four Space Marines with Golden Fuckmotron 9000s
might not get the same mileage as eight Space Marines with Bolters.

Example: For my 400-point game, I don’t have too many extra points to blow on cool gear, so I

want to make my equipment choices count:
- Lord of Contagion: The Lord is all about wrecking in melee. I’d love to give him a Plaguereaper,
but a Manreaper scythe is less costly. He’s gonna get shit done either way, so that’s fine.
- Plague Marines: Most of these guys are gonna get the basic loadout: Bolters and Plague Knives,
which cost nothing for them. The Plague Knives are good in melee and the Bolters are decent at
range, but I am gonna give one guy a Plague Belcher which is a short-range flamethrower-like
weapon that automatically hits. The idea is to get this whole Unit into close range ASAP and
start spraying infantry with bile, then outclass ’em in melee.
- Plague Champion: I get to designate one Model in this Unit to be my Plague Champi-
on, who’s essentially the squad leader. He gets access to cooler weaponry, so I give him a Com-
bi-Melta to deal with tougher, high-value enemy models at close range and the rather brutal Flail
of Corruption for the inevitable melee slaughter to come.
- Noxious Blight Bringer: This guy’s basic loadout is a Cursed Bell and Plasma Pistol, which is
just fine–he’s not going to be a big combat asset, but his buffs to my Plague Marines are gonna be
invaluable. The Plasma Pistol packs a pretty decent kick anyway.
- Poxwalkers: All these guys get are Improvised Weapons, so not much choice here. Poxwalkers’
main job is to act as meat shields for the main force and gum up enemies in melee, so that’s fine.

55

Putting It All Together

People spend hours carefully choosing what units they want in their army, what kind of weap-
ons they’re going to equip ‘em with, and weighing the cost and benefits of say, giving one squad
a heavy weapon or adding a couple extra units. Finally, you have your ‘list’—the units and
equipment you’re going to play with. This should include an HQ unit, which is like your army’s
commander:

Example List:

- Lord of Contagion with Manreaper (HQ) (120+17)
- 5 Plague Marines with Bolters, Plague Knives, and a Plague Belcher (95 +10)
- Includes Plague Champion with Combi-Melta and Flail of Corruption (10 + 17)
- Noxious Blight Bringer with Cursed Bell and Plasma Pistol (63 + 7)
- 10 Poxwalkers with Improvised Weapons (60)
Total: 399 points
Your Codex is gonna have all this information, along with a quicker, dirtier version of points
called ‘Power Ratings,’ which can be used if you just want to slap together an army for an im-
promptu game without doing all the math.
Be advised, however: if you’re not down with doing a lot of basic math, you picked the wrong
fucking game.

56

Attacks, Defenses, and Stats

Okay…okay…you’ve done all the bookkeeping, all the high-level strategic planning for your
army, double-checked your list and run through various contingencies. You’re ready to wage
war. But…how do you do that?
Warhammer’s combat system and statblocks can seem confusing and complicated, and that’s
because they are. Remember that metaphor I used about being a d6 farmer? This is where you
learn how heart-breaking and difficult farming is.
For the sake of us all, I’ve tried to explain this as simply as possible.

The Basic Stats:

- Movement: how far a unit can move, in inches.
- Wounds: a model’s hit points or health. Each time a model takes damage, you put that amount
of little wound markers on it. When the markers add up to a model’s Wound stat, it’s dead.
- Attacks: the number of attacks your model can make in a turn.
Self-explanatory so far, right? For reference, most models in a unit have 1 wound and 1 attack.
Around 6 inches of movement is standard for Space Marines, while other factions, like the Eldar
or Imperial Guardsmen, have higher or lower movement speed.

57

Attacks and Weapon Saves:

Let’s get into attacking next. Attacks rely on two stats, which are confusingly called “Saves.”
Think of a ‘save’ as a number you have to meet or beat when you roll a die. Each model has two
‘weapon saves,’ which determine how good they are at using said weapons:
- Melee Save: what a unit has to roll on a six-sided die to make a successful melee attack
- Ballistic Save: what a unit has to roll on a six-sided die to make a successful ranged attack.
Every time you have a model fire its bolter or swing its axe, you have to roll a die for it. If the
result on a die is below your melee or ballistic save, congrats, you’re a goddamn failure—you au-
tomatically miss. Nothing’s worse than letting loose a salvo of gunfire on your enemy from three
inches away, only to roll a slew of 1’s on the dice.
However, when you do manage to avoid embarrassing yourself and a few of your models match
or exceed their ballistic save, that means that they hit their targets!

Strength, Toughness, and Saves:

All right, now that brings us to the slightly more complex stats. These are arguably the most
important, since they can mean the different between a Chaos Cultist and a Chaos Space Marine:
- Strength: a measure of the model’s overall ability to kick ass. The stronger you are the, easier
you can wound an enemy.
- Toughness: a measure of a model’s general beefiness. The tougher you are, the harder you are to
wound.
- Save: what a unit has to roll on a die to negate damage from an enemy’s attack.
This is where things get weirdly complicated. Intuitively, you’d think the following:
“Okay, my glorious Death Guard have fired at those filthy, effeminate Eldar, and three of my
Plague Marines passed their Ballistic Saves, which means I get to do three wounds to the Unit!
Thank you, Papa Nurgle!”
Pump the brakes, sonny. Back it up. There’s still the Wound roll and the Save roll.

58

Wounding the Enemy

After your Plague Marines hit those Eldar, you take all the dice that succeeded on their attacks
and roll ‘em again to see if your Marines sheer firepower is strong enough to get through the
Eldar unit’s defenses and inflict some Wounds. This is called the “Wound Roll.”
Here’s how it works: if your Strength is higher than your enemy models’ Toughness, the
minimum number you have to roll on your dice to Wound is lower and easier to hit. If it’s the
opposite situation, it’s harder to Wound your opponent.
So let’s say you rolled like a god, made all three Wound rolls, and now your opponent is look-
ing at three Wounds to his Eldar Unit. You’re a champion. You’re the king of the world. You’re
unstoppable, right?
Nope—you forgot your opponent’s Save roll.
Every Unit has a Save stat, which it rolls when it gets hit with wounds (confusingly this ‘Save’
stat is totally different than the aforementioned Ballistic or Melee ‘saves’). For each Wound, that
unit gets a chance to roll a die and negate it. Some Units, like Poxwalkers, have 7+ Save stats,
which means it’s almost impossible for them to negate Wounds when they roll their dice. Oth-
ers, like powerful warlords, may only have a 2+ Save stat, making them able to shrug off most
damage.
This brings us to the most important and soul-crushing rule of Warhammer combat:

The Most Important Rule in Warhammer Combat:
To kill anything, you need to succeed twice and your opponent needs to fail once.

But let’s say your opponent fails two of his Saves. If that’s the case, pop the champagne and
cue your music, because you get to inflict wounds on that bastard’s Unit! Because these Eldar
are squishy and have only one wound each, your opponent chooses two models in that unit to
assign the wounds to, thereby killing two of his little guys.
You did it—you killed something in Warhammer! You took all your opponent’s carefully paint-
ed minis and threw them into the bowels of hell, where they belonged from the beginning. Now,
you truly are the lord of war!

HOT TIP: When your attack in Warhammer, you attack a whole Unit, not in-
dividual models. When you inflict wounds on a Unit, your opponent gets to decide
which models in that Unit get the damage.

59

Summing Up Combat

To sum up: you gotta hit, you gotta wound, and your opponent has to fail his save. Tied into that
is the number of attacks you can make, how high your weapon saves are, how tough your oppo-
nent is, how strong you are, and finally, how good your opponent is at saving from wounds.
If you can understand that whole Rube Goldberg machine of a process, congrats–you’re now
qualified to start rolling some d6, as well as grasp the subtleties of goddamned international
accounting practices.

60

Conclusion:

Veterans may notice that I’ve skipped over the different types of units, the deployment phase, or
the turn order in the game. That’s because we’re gonna cover those in the next article—the PART
4: HOW TO FIGHT CONTINUED–THE RECKONING.

61

Painting Minatures:

So, you want to paint miniatures? collecting-and-painting hobby) can be There’s tons of advice about what you
Welcome, welcome, welcome. Consid- overwhelming. First there’s the choice should be doing online, but it’s often
er this your all-encompassing guide of which army you want to collect. easy to get lost and forget the bigger
to everything plastic. It’s a broad bible Then there’s the choice of what units picture: painting is about what you
(broable?) you can consult at any stage to get first. Then there’s the colour could do rather than what you should
in your painting process and – hope- scheme – do you paint it like it is on do. There is no real right answer – only
fully – get some useful tips. Our guide, the box, like something on the #paint- personal preferences, learned via expe-
as you may have guessed, focuses on ingwarhammer Instagram, or some- riences with your own models.
Games Workshop’s Warhammer rang- thing entirely fresh from the creative With that in mind, this is a compre-
es of models – primarily Warhammer juice-pits of your own spongy brain? hensive guide that offers up a pa-
40K and Warhammer Age of Sigmar All of that, before you’ve even put rade-ready miniature-painting mara-
paintbrush to plastic. The process of thon – I hope you find it useful! If you
– but these techniques apply to painting itself can feel even more per- have any questions, do leave them on
pretty much any plastic ilous – each step is rife with possible the Wargamer social channels linked
miniatures your techniques to use, each with multiple below and I’ll see if I can help!
heart may desire. stages, each of those representing Let’s start by summarising the stages
Warhammer various degrees of difficulty, and on, involved. Some of them can be inter-
(and any oth- and on… changeable, but don’t panic, I’ll ex-
er form of plain everything along the way:
miniature

Painting is about what
you could do rather than
what you should do.

62

BUILDING YOUR deny the satisfaction of seeing a when
MODEL simple, grey sprue turn into some- you
thing imposing, dynamic and fully snap your
Tools you’ll need: three-dimensional. parts off the
The key to building (as with a lot of sprue) [this is also called
Your chosen sprues (the plastic frames the stages in this guide) is patience. ‘flash’ but for the life of me I don’t
full of raw model bits) You can very easily make mistakes. know why – Ed.].
Instructions Pay too little attention to your instruc- For that, you’re best off grabbing your
Plastic modelling glue (a.k.a. polysty- tions and you can stick the wrong sharp scalpel and gently running
rene cement) pieces together, in the wrong places, the edge of the blade along the edge
Plastic cutters at the wrong times. This results in
A sharp scalpel or craft knife you having to rip your model apart
Super glue (optional) for emergency reconstructive surgery,
ruining its otherwise tidy looks by
Oh, building. disrupting the still-drying plastic
cement.
Some love it, some hate it. It can be a It’s also easy to overlook mould lines
lot of fun if you’re putting together and sprue gunk (I have no idea what
a one-off character hero, but a slog if the technical term is for this, but the
you’re building 10, 20 or 100 of the little bitty bits of plastic left behind
same troopers. Nevertheless, you can’t

A Guide to Painting
Warhammer Models

63

of your model to shave or scrape away any Whichever way you choose to build, be care- PRIMING
unsightly plastic. This can be really hard to ful to not overload with glue, and make sure
do on certain models like Age of Sigmar’s you let things dry before fiddling. The worst Tools you’ll need:
Lumineth Realm-Lords, whose elegant spears thing you can do is disturb a part and have it
and bows are spindly and weak. You’re less in fall to pieces, spreading half-dried glue every- Primer (any colour)
danger of breakage if you’re handling thick- where. A paintbrush (any kind, a suitable size for the model)
er models like Space Marines – but still take That said, if you do have a glue-melting, Spray can (optional)
care, as you don’t want to damage the plastic. pose-bending catastrophe, don’t panic – like Airbrush (optional)
Pay attention to the assembly of your mod- almost everything in the miniature-painting A bowl of clean water
el, and think ahead. You’ll preferably have a hobby, it can be rescued. Just stay calm, clean Once your model is built – either completely
plan before you even start snipping plastic. off any excess glue or melty plastic – then or in sub-assemblies – you’re ready to prime it.
Painting via sub-assembly (painting separate re-apply a (probably smaller) amount
portions of the model on their own, before of glue and try again. You’ll get there.
gluing them all together) is the best way to
get the tidiest, cleanest results when painting,
and that should be addressed at the build
stage.

You might find that putting together the
body of a soldier and keeping the arms and
head separate gives you more room and
maneuverability. Or if you’re dealing with a
big model, certain large parts can be painted
separately to keep things easy to handle.

64

Priming was something I foolishly ignored pendent on the temperature of the room. Too too – you get more for your money in the long
for a long time, but it’s truly an essential cold or too warm and the paint will not look term.
part of the painting process. You want to get good. It’s therefore, I find, the riskiest and To summarise: a thin, adhesive coat to cov-
a strong, adhesive undercoat down on the least preferable way to prime and base your er the bare plastic, applied via brush, can or
model so that the subsequent layers you put models, and instead, I refer you to option airbrush. By the end of the process, you’ll
on top have something sticky to hold onto, three… have a model ready for base-coating. You can
rather than the smooth glossy plastic. see what a smooth finish you can get with an
You can do this in three ways. The first is via The airbrush airbrush on these Bladeguard Veterans from
the brush – use thinned down primer to apply the Warhammer 40K Indomitus box set.
an all-over coat to your model. It takes some Now, airbrushing is a technique you can use
time, but this is by far the cheapest way and in all kinds of ways. They’re incredible for ad-
probably the method you’ll use if you’re a vanced blending, but also an invaluable tool,
beginner. Just be careful not to clog the finer simply for priming and base-coating.
detailed parts with paint, and to be consistent
with your brushstrokes. Many beginners will be deterred from getting
The second is via spray cans (such as those an airbrush, partly because a decent one will
pictured above), which is quickest and sim- set you back at least $100+, and partly as they
plest, especially if you’re bulk-painting a have a reputation for being finicky buggers
whole army. Games Workshop does decent – but they’re easy to use really. It’s just a case
‘rattle-can’ primers in a range of colours. of keeping it clean, and going easy with your
The one thing to watch out for with trigger finger.
can-spraying is that your finish is heavily de-
Undercoating with an airbrush is by far the
best way to get a perfect, smooth finish of
primer on your models. They’re more predict-
able than the spray cans, and more versatile

65

BASE-COATING If your little plastic person is a house, the un- once again via the airbrush, this time with
dercoat is your foundation. Much like what- Citadel’s Abaddon Black.
Tools you’ll need: ever’s under your house, you don’t want to see Why? Well, if I left it primed using the Valle-
the prime coat foundation when you’re done, jo Black, only to make a mistake later in the
A paintbrush (any kind, a suitable size for the model) but you do need it for the whole thing to painting process, layering over with Abaddon
Spray can (optional) stay built and not crush you and your entire Black wouldn’t blend in. You would be able
Airbrush (optional) family while you’re watching Netfli – [That’s to see a difference between the two types of
Paint (any colour) enough of that – Ed.] black colour I was using. The same goes for
“Isn’t priming the same as base-coating?” I So, the base-coat is the paint or brickwork every shade. Not every red or blue or green is
hear you ask. you see on your house when you’re done. The made equal – the changes will show.
No. foundations are hidden, but important. Also Just like priming, you can base with a brush,
important is this: if you’re base-coating the can or airbrush.
same colour as you primed (i.e. black) you’re Whichever you choose, be careful not to clog
still going to want to apply a black base-coat details, just as before; base-coating is about
over this prime layer. achieving a smooth, consistent basic colour
The reason for this is mistakes and consistency. on each distinct area of the model, each of
For example, let’s take a Primaris Space Ma- which can then come to three-dimensional
rine Lieutenant of the Black Templars chap- life later on. The key to success here is pa-
ter, which I painted recently. tience: the patience to thin your paint down
This was primed using Vallejo Black primer, with a goodly amount of water and lay down
through the airbrush. I then base-coated it, (at least) two thin coats of each base paint,
letting each one dry on its respective portion

66

of the model, before applying the next. SHADING ing Citadel Shade washes. These are fantastic,
About those paints: you want a good strong low-viscosity liquids that come in a variety of
colour as a base for each key portion, and you Tools you’ll need: different colours, and which easily run into all
usually want to start with the model’s big- the recesses, nooks and crannies of your mod-
gest area of colour first, then work up to the A paintbrush (any kind, a suitable size for the model) el. It gives your tiny fighters’ armour panels
smaller details. For the Black Templar above, Shade, wash or contrast paint separation, while also bringing out details on
for example, the black armour is by far your Bowl of clean water certain recessed pieces of plastic. You’ll want
dominant colour. Usually, the shading stage is when your to pair them with the right colours, and you’ll
But, after that major colour is down, you start model first starts to truly come together quickly learn which Shades fit each colour palette.
working at your mini with a brush (if you before your eyes. It’s when you get all that Also, pay attention to their different finishes
weren’t before) adding the cream of his tab- lovely definition back, after spending a while – most Shades are a matte finish, but some of
ard, followed by the gold, and then a range of dealing with solid blocks of flat colour. Look Citadel’s Shades have a Gloss variant that can
other colours making up the finer details. at the skeleton warrior above (not mine, this work really nicely over metallic paints.
You can do all the base colours in one stage, time, I’m afraid, but courtesy of a Warham-
or proceed through the other stages on one mer Community post); see the shadows in
section of the model, before returning to between those rattlin’ bones? That’s shading,
base-coat the others later.. It’s really up to you that is.
– just stay precise and consistent,with thin paints. Shading is an essential process for any model,
but once again there are many ways you can
complete this key step. Whichever way, it’s
always gloriously satisfying once a model is
shaded.

The primary method I use to tackle this is us-

67

It’s important not to let washes run away model. However, they are fantastic at dealing LAYERING
with you (excuse the pun).Use sparing with larger, textured areas of plastic – like a
amounts on your brush, and don’t worry if cloak, for example – as they have much higher Tools you’ll need:
you have to repeat coats to add extra depth viscosity than a Citadel Shade, allowing them
and emphasis. For certain materials, like to ‘glob’ more naturally and evenly across A paintbrush ( fine tip, ideally of high quality)
large, flatter areas of cloth, you’ll want to be the surface’s contours, rather than pooling in An arrangement of layer paints
especially careful with shades, so that they focused areas. Bowl of clean water
don’t pool in one area and dry inconsistently. Be sure to let your shades dry entirely before We’re into full swing with the model now.
In fact, for these types of materials, you’re painting over them. If you disturb a Shade Layering is when we take that base coated,
actually better off using one of a couple of finish before it has dried, you will reveal the shaded plastic and add mid-tones over the
alternative shading techniques. paint below in a concentrated area, and sud- top of it, to create even more depth.
The first is creating your own shade paints by denly, in one infuriating instant, the illusion It’s essentially a form of highlighting, al-
thinning down paint with water or Citadel’s of beautifully painted metal, wood, or cloth though the more extreme “edge highlight-
Lahmian Medium. This often dries much is ruined. ing” technique is something I’ve broken out
more consistently than a Citadel Shade, espe- Don’t forget: you can also layer shades up into its own category, coming next.
cially on flatter areas. gradually to create visual separation between The best example of layering I’ve com-
The other is Citadel Contrast Paints, which light and dark. They’re just magic, and learn- pleted recently is for these Lumineth
are fantastic in their (admittedly limited) ing to work with them is a world of painting
uses. These are much thicker, gloopier liquids fun and experimentation options that you
to work with. Be careful to not lose control need to explore.
with them as they can quickly overrun a

68

Realm-lord Vanari Dawnriders, as their hors- a nice range of tones throughout the whole EDGE HIGHLIGHTING
es have a lot of depth to them, but are smooth, model.
organic beings, not hard-edged armour Take your time, use thin coats, and don’t over- Tools you’ll need:
panels or swords. The layering on creatures load your brush – this will cause the layers to
like this has to be more subtle than the glint come off as too harsh and vivid. Also: never be A paintbrush ( fine tip, ideally of high quality)
of light off the edge of a spear. afraid to start again, if you need to, by painting An arrangement of layer paints
It’s therefore important with layering that we your base colour back over and starting again. Bowl of clean water
use subtle blends and thin coats, in order to As long as you’ve followed the priming and Edge highlighting is the sharp-edge layering
create as gradual a gradient as possible be- base coating stages, as well as kept your paint I was talking about earlier. It’s a transforma-
tween light and dark. thin, you’ll be fine. Like I said: if you’re pa- tional (but ultimately optional) effect to add
There are obviously degrees of this, but you tient and careful, there’s no miniature-paint- to any model.
can see on the legs and neck areas how each ing mistake that can’t be made into a marvel. It is a perfect way of imparting an immense
horse has been base coated with a darker mid- boost of depth and vibrancy to something
tone, shaded to get all that lovely dark detail like the power armour of an Astartes soldier,
into the recesses of its flesh, and then layered or adding reflective depth to metallic surfaces.
back up with brighter and brighter colours There are several steps to edge highlighting,
(in smaller and smaller areas) until you have and all models are different, so you may skip
some or add others depending on your needs,
but we’ll focus on Space Marines for now.
Their many-edged power armour suits offer
the best all-round introduction to this technique.

69

Essentially, you are adding brighter paint to In the most time-consuming (but most effec- Now, you don’t have to do it in so many
points on the model that would most reflect tive) form of this technique, you want to do stages. You can, if you prefer, do a simpler
light. This means parts like the wrist panels, this in multiple stages, going from a chunkier highlight with two, or even one highlight..
tops of the knee pads, edges of chest plates, highlight using a shade or two above your The effect is still impressive, as seen on the
and the ridged areas on a Space Marine’s base coat, all the way to really thin, really unfinished Black Templar trooper at the top
helmet. It allows your eyes to best parse the bright extreme highlight colours for the very of this section.
various definitions. sharpest of edges.

Let’s use those Black Templars as an example This is a one or two stage highlight with
again. This aforementioned Lieutenant has brighter colours, and you can see a similar
been painted with an Abaddon Black base effect on the red of his unfinished gun.
coat, highlighted with a chunky edge of Incu-
bi Darkness, followed by a thinner highlight
of Dark Reaper, followed by an even thinner
highlight of Thunderhawk Blue. I’ve finished
off the most intense edges with a miniscule
amount of Fenrisian Grey. It really helps to
bring outthe model’s definitions and give itshape.

The best way to achieve the effect is with a
sharp, fine-tipped brush. Your paint needs to
be thinned down from pot-consistency, but
not runny. And you should use the side, not
the tip, of your brush to catch only the most
raised edges of the model, where you can.

70

DRYBRUSHING es, but don’t smear paint on the rest of it and mineth Realm-lord sculpt was blended using
ruinall your hard work so far. an airbrush, but the drybrushing technique
Tools you’ll need: The best way is to try it on the back of your has brought everything together to make it
hand first. If you’re happy with the amount look like a cohesive entity.
A dry brush of paint on the brush, work it over the model
Your paint colour in regular motions, being careful to apply
Blotting or tissue paper the right amount of pressure. Too much and
Drybrushing looks easy, but it can be real- you’ll end up smearing again. Too little and
ly tough to get right in certain scenarios. you just won’t get the desired effect.
However, for many types of models, it’s an Feel free to load up your bristles with more
excellent way to sidestep the super-involved paint when you need it, and as you work up
edge-highlighting process, do something the tones in the highlights, make sure you’re
more ‘quick and dirty’ and still get good-look- catching finer and finer edges, rather than
ing troops. applying the dried paint over 100% of the
The technique is very simple. You want a surface every single time – this reduces the
brush (preferably an older one which doesn’t impact of gradient toning.
need to keep a fine point) dipped in undilut- Drybrushing is perfect for items like metal
ed paint and then rubbed on a surface like guns, the entire of Necron armies, and also
tissue paper. for cloth – I much prefer the look of dry-
Working the paint into the bristles, you want brushed cloaks, for example, to that of fine
to get rid of all the excess, before lightly, detail brush highlighting, as it adds more
briskly drawing the brush across the model, texture. The same goes for feathers; this Lu-
to a point where you just catch the raised edg-

71

FINE DETAILING The key detail lots of people want to get right is With the Lumineth Realm-Lord trooper face
faces. And with good reason: a face is a focal point above, you can also see the perfect demonstration
Tools you’ll need: on a model, and is something the eye is immedi- of why you paint in sub-assemblies. Doing these
ately drawn to. They’re notoriously a sticking point heads while they were attached to a model would
A paintbrush ( fine tip, essential that it is high quali- for some painters, but they aren’t too difficult to be much more cumbersome – this provides more
ty and precise) nail, if you have good brushes and a steady tech- access to those tiny details.
An arrangement of layer paints nique applying colour.
Bowl of clean water A face is just the same as any other part of your
A lot of your model is pretty much done now. model. The scale is just much tinier.
The rest is the special stuff – the finer details that’ll Use paint sparingly, often slightly dabbing with
really stand out. your brush tip, rather than brushing the paint on
These can range from wax seals on a Space Marine in strokes. You can apply multiple different skin
sergeant, to glimmering gems on an aelf ’s helmet, tones for the gradients if you want to. Lastly, with
to scarred faces, moist eyes and the inked text the eyes, you want a single tab of white paint in the
on tiny scrolls. We’ll go into these individually in recessed eye hole. Try and keep an outline of shade
more depth in future. around the edges. This can then be pointed with a
The overall point with any detailing is to keep tiny amount of black paint for a striking stare.
taking your time. It’s easy to start rushing as you It’s this stage that makes you most want for good
approach the finish line, desperate to see your brushes. Use Raphael 8404s if you can – they’re
completed model in all its magnificence. But more widely available than other good brands like
remember: thin paint in small areas is easy to fix, Artis Opus, and much more consistent in quality
relatively speaking, so taking care still pays. than Windsor & Newton Series 7s.

72

WEATHERING ously tough to get right, but the weathering tech- Then, underneath these extreme light highlight
nique can be applied to any other faction or colour scratches, overlapping them almost, you want to
Tools you’ll need: scheme you’re working with – be it another soldier, paint a dark colour as a shadow. In this case, it’s
or a tank, or whatever. Citadel’s Rhinox Hide.
A paintbrush ( fine tip, ideally of high quality)
An arrangement of layer paints Going around the model, you want to very lightly The resulting effect is really smart. You can also
Bowl of clean water dab, point and brush scratches all over the armour, use a sponge to dapple paint on in this way to get
Sponge (optional) using the extreme highlight colour you used for more random effects.
Weathering and battle damage is a totally optional the armour itself. For models with darker paint-schemes on met-
step for any model, and fits your own tastes and In this instance, it’s the eye-wateringly bright Cita- al armour, like Black Templars, applying little
the army in question. del paint Dorn Yellow. scratches of bright metallic paint, like Citadel’s
It’s perfect for models like orks and space marines, Ideally, you want this paint to be thinned down a Stormhost Silver, can also give the illusion that the
but doesn’t fit the gleaming beauty of aelves, little – but not much, as you want it to be imme- faction colours have been scraped away to reveal
for example. diately noticeable, without running or splodging, the bare metal underneath.
The key is still very much achieving a balanced forcing you to reapply your layer colours over the
contrast of light and dark. In this instance, we’re same area and start again.
using Tor Garadon, an imposing leader of the Im-
perial Fists Space Marines. His armour is perfect The real key is scale: you don’t want these scratches
for weathering, as it looks exactly like the sort of and marks to be too big otherwise it won’t look
suit that would’ve seen thousands of battles and convincing. Look at your model and think about
taken countless batterings in the process. how big they would be, in the context of his hands,
We’re working with yellow here, which is notori- legs etc.

73

BASING Shown above is a base I created for a Lumineth
Realm-lord centrepiece model, Archmage Teclis. It
Tools you’ll need: encompasses practically all of the steps we’ve gone
through so far – priming, basing, shading, layer-
Several sizes of paintbrush, to reach all the crannies ing, edge highlighting and drybrushing. There’s
on your base even blending on the little blue gems.
At least one drybrush The only addition here that isn’t seen on the main
Basing materials such as grass ‘flock’, lichen etc. model is grass flock. These sorts of materials are
At this point your model is all but finished. And cheap and widely available, but can bring your
I’m guessing it looks fantastic. armies together and make them look really striking.
There’s just one final step – the base. Just remember: don’t be afraid to experiment.
Basing is hard to decide on, and it’s something you Practice on an unused base if you want to, so that
can spend hours debating with yourself. You want you don’t end up having to restart on the base your
it to stand out, but not overpower the model itself, model is on. That gives you the freedom to really
and you want it to be consistent across the models work out what you want to do.
in an army. You also don’t want it to be too hard to
replicate multiple times!

Ultimately, you want to take all the techniques
you’ve used painting your model and apply them
to the base. The only difference is a couple of extra
materials that can add real depth and realism to
your models.

74

75

Products

76

78 82

Warhammer 40k Lore Where to Start: Books The Best Warhammer 40K Starter Set Guide,
and Beginners Tips

77

Warhammer 40k Lore
Where to Start: Books
So, with hundreds of books to choose from, and you, a
BY ROBISON WELLS relative newcomer to the Warhammer 40k universe, where
do you start?
W arhammer’s literature arm, The Black Here is a good Black Library reading list if you’re just
Library, has more than a hundred titles, getting started. (We totally realize that there are a LOT of
and when you’re new to 40k and only books here and you can’t possibly get to them all before you
have the lore in the rulebook to guide you, it can begin playing in the hobby. So we’ve tried to break things
be easy to get lost when fans start talking about down into subject areas and give you some reasons as to
the Horus Heresy or the Eye of Terror or the back- why you should read each one. Then you can choose!)
ground of certain factions.
Every single Space Marine Legion has books dedicated to
their history and backstory, and almost every Primarch has
a book dedicated to him. Some of the more famous regi-
ments of the Imperial Guard have many books describing
their exploits, and even the Xenos races have books from
their point of view.

Eisenhorn

I’m including this first both because it’s a great introduction to the Warhammer 40k universe but also because it’s
my favorite Black Library series, bar none.
Gregor Eisenhorn is an Inquisitor, and Inquisitors are among some of the most interesting characters in Warham-
mer 40k: they have a great deal of autonomy to move from place to place, to investigate mysteries at will, to aid
Imperium factions when they see fit (or to purge the heretical members of those factions.) Inquisitors hold a great
deal of power, but are also some of the most enigmatic characters in the lore.

With great action and political intrigue, and some of the best side characters (including some of the best female
characters in all of the Black Library), it’s definitely worth a read.

78

The Horus Heresy

If you really want to understand the lore of the Warhammer 40k universe, to get all the nitty-gritty details that lay
the foundation for everything that will happen for the next 10,000 years, the Horus Heresy series will be for you.
Be warned: it’s a LONG series–more than 50 books. The good thing is that once you get the premise of the series
under your belt you can skip around a bit to the factions (traitor and loyal) who interest you the most.
Admittedly, not every book is necessary to get a full picture of the Horus Heresy, the Siege of Terra, and the Great
Crusade, but at the very least you need to read the first three books. Then, if you want to know more about the
Space Wolves, there’s a book about what the Space Wolves were doing during the heresy. Same goes for the Sala-
manders and the Blood Angels (and the Alpha Legion and the Word Bearers). You can go as deep into the weeds as
you want with this series.

Double Eagle

While not required reading by a long shot, this book is great because it’s just so unique to the Black Library. It’s
Top Gun for Warhammer 40k enthusiasts. The air division of the Imperial Guard is fighting against a galaxy-re-
nowned Chaos pilot Khrel Kas Obarkon. Worth reading for its completely different take on the world of Warham-
mer 40k combat.

Soul Hunter

And as long as we’re seeing the 40k universe through a different point of view, this book about the Night Lords
follows Talos, a traitor marine who shares a trait with Konrad Kurze. It’s rare to be able to relate to the Chaos
Space Marines ever, but in this book you really find yourself rooting for Talos and his comrades.

79

Gaunt’s Ghosts

It’s neck-and-neck between Eisenhorn and Gaunt’s Ghosts as to which is the most iconic and beloved series in the
Warhammer 40k universe. Led by Commissar Gaunt, the ghosts in question are the Imperial Guard regiment of
the Tanith First and Only. These are more than just action novels–they are war novels. But while they deal with
incredible battles against terrible odds, the books humanize the main characters. (Characters which, in the new
WarhammerFest 2021, got their own model range.) Part Tom Clancy and part Dirty Dozen, the 15-book (!) series
will drag you in and keep you breathless for more.

Ultramarines Omnibus

For a great introduction into the inner workings of a Space Marine Legion, this series of books following Uriel
Ventris of the Ultramarines goes not just from battle to battle but from planet to planet. It also is a great introduc-
tion to the Chaos Space Marines.

Space Wolves

If you read the Ultramarines Omnibus to get an idea of how the Space Marines operate, then reading Space
Wolves will take you in a completely different direction. With a culture that is so completely foreign to the reg-
imented world of the Ultramarines, and a battle doctrine that rejects the Codex Astartes, this is a truly foreign
world. It’s also centered, in part, on one of the most iconic Space Wolves, Ragnar Blackmane.

80

Titanicus

We’ve all caught the occasional glimpse of a Warlord Titan, the biggest model that ForgeWorld sells, which is
essentially a heavily armored cathedral on legs. But seeing as very few of us actually get to play with the titans in
battle (unless we play the small scale Adeptus Titanicus) we never really get the feel and flavor of what combat be-
tween these colossal warmachines is really like. This book not only shows life on a Titan, but more of the perspec-
tive of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Hero of the Imperium

For a completely different flavor of book, Hero of the Imperium brings a laughs and humor to the grim darkness
of the 41st millennium. Following an Imperial Guard Commissar (not unlike Gaunt’s Ghosts) this series is hilari-
ous and clever in a way that we rarely see in a world so fraught with war and evil.

Path of the Seer

It wouldn’t be a complete list if we didn’t have some books from the point of view of the Xenos. It’s hard to get
into the heads of non-humans, but in this we follow Thrianna leaving a normal life and learning to use and em-
brace psychic abilities (and encountering all the horrors of the Warp in the process).

81

The Best Warhammer 40K

Starter Set Guide,
Looking for the best Warhammer 40K starter set, to take your

and Beginners Tips first steps into the bloody tabletop universe? Here's our guide.
By Sarah James , Chris Comiskey

I f you have an interest in learning about tabletop games but are finding it where you want to expand the stories you want to tell as well as bolster the number
difficult to know where to start, one of the best Warhammer 40K starter of units that you have available. There's a lot of lore contained within the Warham-
sets should hold you in good stead. With faction models and a story to play mer 40K universe, and starter kits are useful for playing out your first storyline with
out, you'll soon be well on your way. Occasionally you'll have a map to help set a new army.
the scene, but if you're looking for a physical rule book, you may need to factor This guide will help steer you towards the best starter kits as well as providing a
in the additional cost. simple glossary (further down) of the people, parts, and basic rules of any Warham-
Once you've dipped your toes into the world of Warhammer 40K, you'll soon be mer tabletop experience. The starter sets themselves often come with bonus items,
creating your scenarios and pieces. You may find that you quickly reach a point so it's worth considering those before making your final choice.

WARHAMMER 40K STARTER KITS

Dark Imperium

Here you get 53 models, the rule books, and a fancy box Bonus items: 12 dice, printed rule sheet, hardcover rule-
to store them all in. But you’re getting loads of extras book, printed data sheets, plastic ruler.
for the asking price in Dark Imperium too, as well as
plenty of Primaris Space Marines and Death Guard
models. In terms of actual value, there are loads to love
here. It's notable, because Games Workshop doesn’t
normally do discounts or sales, so you need to pack in
as much as possible for a starter set. The plastic ruler is
not greatly different to the one you've probably already
got, but everything else here is laudable, especially the
dice and the quick-reference rules sheet.

82

Know No Fear WHAT ELSE DO
YOU NEED?
A smaller-scaled version of Dark Imperium, Know No Fear
still includes some nice items for the money. It has a hand- The rules: The basic ruleset is 100% free. But what about that hefty tome you may
ful of Death Guard and Primaris Space Marine models (31
in total, broken down into 14 Space Marines and 17 Death have stumbled across? It’s mostly stories, pictures, and flavor text. It does contain
Guards), the box doubles as the terrain in the form of an Im- some more advanced rules, but they’re not required to start.
perial shrine, and there’s a two-sided gaming surface with
detailed artwork. Dice: D6’s are the lifeblood of any 40K game. 12 are acceptable, but you’ll want at

Bonus items: Six dice, printed rulebook (truncated), narra- least 24, eventually. There is an irresponsible amount of dice to drool over at Chessex
tive/hobbyist booklet, plastic ruler, double-sided gaming mat, and Games Workshop.
cardboard terrain.
Tape measure: Everything in 40K relies on measurements. You’ll use your tape
First Strike
measure like a faithful sidearm, unleashing its fury for unit movement speeds, close
The Death Guard and Primaris Space Marine model count is combat charges, ranged weapons, and plenty more. Any tape measure will do.
slim, but there are enough to get some hands-on experience.
The miniatures are snap-fit, so they don’t require glue. The A gaming surface: Most players buy a battle mat with printed graphics. They’re
two-sided game mat is helpful, and one side of it has unit
placement spots to help with your deployments. fashioned from mouse-mat material, easily roll up for storage, and they’re not too
pricey. Check out Gamemat.eu, Front Line Gaming, and Gamematz for some ideas.
Bonus items: Six dice, printed rulebook (truncated), narra-
tive/hobbyist booklet, plastic ruler, double-sided gaming mat, Wound markers: Many 40K models have multiple wounds, and you need a reli-
cardboard terrain,
printed datasheets. able way to track how many are left. Anything is permissible here. The most common
method is using multi-sided RPG dice, or tiny six-sided dice with different colors.

Terrain and scenery: Technically optional, if you’re okay with fighting skir-

mishes on bland, flat, barren landscapes. Adding barricades, trees, ruins, and other
items is the best way to avoid that. There are plenty of companies that sell pre-made
kits, including Games Workshop, Gamemat.eu, The War Store, and Secret Weapon
Miniatures.

Model tools and painting accessories: Warhammer models are simple

to assemble, and they come with easy-to-follow instructions. If you’ve never painted
before, check out the in-depth tutorials and tips of the day from Paint Master General
Duncan Rhodes. MiniWarGaming and StrikingScorpion82 have excellent painting
videos too. Alternatively, you can commission a painting company if you have the cash.

Brushes: at least three—a small layer brush, a medium layer brush, and a medium

basecoat brush. Stay away from bargain brands. They’ll only betray you.

Acrylic model paints: colors depend entirely on your preferences. Vallejo and

Formula P3 are stalwart alternatives to Games Workshop.

Cutters and a hobby knife: Games Workshop’s versions are top-shelf quality,

with premium prices. You can buy cheaper ones if you want.

Superglue and plastic glue: any brand is groovy.

83

POPULAR FACTIONS FOR BEGINNERS

For any army you collect, you’ll need a codex to go with the models.
Codices provide essential info, including datasheets and special rules
for all your units, and often some interesting lore and background
information too.

Space Aeldari
Marines
Codex: Craftworlds
Codex: Adeptus Astartes – Suggested starting kits: Start Collecting! Craftworlds,
Space Marines Wave Serpent, Dire Avengers, Avatar of Khaine
Painting/modeling difficulty: Hard
Suggested starting kits: Price to expand: Minimal
Start Collecting! Space Overview: What if Legolas, but in space? That’s the Aeldari,
Marines, Primaris Hellblasters, Thunderfire Cannon also known as Eldar and Asuryani. They’re elegant and
Painting/modeling difficulty: Moderate immortal, and they have the most advanced technology in
Price to expand: Significant the 41st millennium. The Aeldari also enjoy a gamut of nasty
Overview: Hulking monks with guns. From a lore perspec- psychic powers, which are 40K’s version of spells. Despite
tive, each Space Marine is seven feet tall, genetically mod- their superiority in firepower and speed, the average Aeldari
ified, clad in power armor, and completely fearless. They unit is fragile.
have the most models out of any faction, and despite being Why play them: With certain Aeldari units aimed at the
elite foot soldiers, they somehow still have superior vehicles correct targets, your opponents will drown in their own
and tanks. tears. It takes skill and grace to field them, but it’s immense-
Why play them: Because you like winning. Space Marines ly rewarding planning a well-laid trap.
are the darling children of Games Workshop, so they always Why not to play them: You’re always outnumbered, and
get the most updates, the newest models, the best rules, and there’s little room for error. You can toss around psychic
the biggest codices. powers with glee, but there’s always the chance of Perils of
Why not to play them: Everyone plays Space Marines. Even the Warp—an unlucky dice roll that can potentially murder
people who say they don’t play Space Marines play Space your caster.
Marines. If you’re looking to stand out, go elsewhere.

84

Orks Astra
Militarum
Codex: Orks
Suggested starting kits: Battlewagon, Meganobz, Ork War- Codex: Astra Militarum
boss Grukk’s Boss Mob, Ork Tanksbustas, Ork Boyz, Ork
Warbiker Mob Suggested starting kits: Start Collecting! Astra Miliatrum,
Painting/modeling difficulty: Easy Cadian Defence Force, Basilisk, Manticore
Price to expand: Moderate
Overview: The Ork philosophy is this: killing things. That’s Painting/modeling difficulty: Moderate
it. They worship two gods: Gork and Mork. Gork is brutal
but kunnin’, and Mork is kunnin’, but brutal. The Orks are Price to expand: Extreme
rumored as the most psychically gifted race, though they
don’t realize it, or just don’t care. For example, since Orks Overview: Every human-colonized planet has to provide
believe that red vehicles go faster, they actually do. soldiers to the Astra Militarum (also known as the Impe-
Why play them: They’re random and hilarious. Set your rial Guard). There are so many recruits, they’re considered
units in the direction of the opposition, and then charge more expendable than ammunition. Tanks, artillery, rows of
them directly in. Laugh maniacally when an Ork slaughters conscripts, hardened veterans, and sheer power through the
a Space Marine Terminator at one eighth the points cost. weight of numbers: this is the Astra Militarum’s mantra.
Why not to play them: It’s common for your guns and
mechanical contraptions to kill your own units. From a nar- Why play them: Deploy your units, insert tank shells and
rative angle, this is completely Orky. It’s funny at first, but if ordnance into your enemies’ nether regions, and use your
you’re focused on being competitive,Orkstendtowards unreliable. infantry as human walls. Astra Militarum coined the phrase
“leaf blower army,” in the sense that playing them is like
starting up a leaf blower, pointing it at the tabletop, and
blowing your opponent’s models off it.

Why not to play them: You won’t make friends playing
this faction. They’re also a huge investment in your time
and money, because there are so many models available, and
they’re so cheap to the roster.

85

Tyranids T’au Empire

Codex: Tyranids Codex: T’au Empire
Suggested starting kits: Start Collecting! Tyranids, Hormagaunt Brood, Suggested starting kits: Start Collecting! T’au Empire, T’au Empire Path-
Termagant Brood, Genestealers finder Team, T’au Empire Fire Warriors Strike Team
Painting/modeling difficulty: High Painting/modeling difficulty: Moderate
Price to expand: Extreme Price to expand: High
Overview: The Tyranids are probably the weirdest life form going in the War- Overview: The T’au are an optimistic Xeno race who’s goal is to spread their
hammer 40K universe—and they’ve got the looks to prove it. Acting as an organic ‘enlightenment’ throughout the universe. A seemingly intelligence-focused race
and grotesque horde in almost all ways, they travel through the universe identify- who prefers to absorb planets and societies into their ranks by diplomacy, their
ing prey planets that they can strip of bio- and living-matter from top to bottom, technology is incredibly advanced and will help to coerce those who are reluctant
leaving behind only a stony husk of what was there before. They have strength in to just agree. Each T’au soldier is like an individual Iron Man, displaying and de-
numbers and strangely-evolved organisms that know no fear or any other concept ploying the latest technological advancement made by the race, often enhanced by
apart from conquering and devour. scientific breakthroughs such as gravity fields, stealth fields or AI.
Why play them: You’ve got a fascination with the biologically odd, or are a big Why play them: Because you’re a big fan of battlemechs, technological
fan of H.R. Giger’s artwork. But seriously, if you want to lead an army that will lit- advancements and perhaps those that value intelligence over force (see
erally (during the game) instil terror into your enemies and use a plethora of weird also: the direct opposite of Orcs). They’re very focused on high-powered
and wonderful alien technology, but can also rip the face off someone in hand-to- weaponry so you can create quite a powerful army with not quite as much
hand combat, the Tyranids are for you. investment in money, time and effort.
Why not to play them: They are hand-to-hand focused so you’ll have to be can- Why not to play them: They do not fare well in close combat. At all. Ever. That
ny against some enemies who do their biggest damage from range. As the word excellence in firepower comes at a price and that is being very vulnerable up close
horde might indicate, there are plenty of bodies in a Tyranid army so they can be and personal. The T’au also have zero psychic power among their number which
expensive to collect and to make a sizeable force with. Given their organic forms can cause serious disadvantages against enemies that do have it. They are also not
and curves, bumps and lumps they are particularly tricky to paint really well, too. quite as mobile as other so this can also get you in trouble.

86

87

Articles

88

90

Warhammer Looks Expensive,
But the Truth is More Complicated

92

Rare Warhammer 40,000 Miniature
Sells for a Record-Breaking $35,000

93

‘Heroin for middle class nerds’:
How Warhammer Conquered Gaming

89

Looks Expensive, but

the Truth is More Complicated

Model Behavior by Luke Shaw

Games Workshop has become a big enough presence male following - with deep pockets”, writing that cus- I can’t help but disagree.
over the last few years that you can read about it in a lot tomers would buy “intricate models [that] can cost about Firstly, I am no spring chicken. At 33 my joints ache a
of mainstream press. The Economist, the BBC and The £100” along with “tiny points of paint, with names such little, and my eyes struggle sometimes - admittedly this
Guardian have all penned reports on the miniatures mak- as “plaguebearer flesh” [that] can cost more than a tenner”. is a pain when painting. I also first got into the hobby as
er’s phenomenal financial gains over the last couple of This has now been updated to say the hobby “is seen to a young boy of around 10. Many of the current crop of
years.Yet the hobby largely remains a mystery to those outside. attract an older, more male following” with models that hobbyists are likely in the same position, as Warhammer
Buying and painting tiny plastic figures has niche appeal cost “anywhere between £10 and £100-plus”, “while tiny has been something we’ve grown up with, watching it
and, as such, reports tend to get things wrong through pots of paint start at about £3”. Presumably this followed evolve over time.
lack of firsthand experience. The Guardian’s deep dive a lot of corrections sent in by the community but, as
into the hobby a few years ago investigated the myriad wargamer Willard Foxton Todd noted on Twitter, there’s Warhammer has long had a
factors behind the recent surge of hobbyists, but also a reason Games Workshop is press-averse. An image perception issue, couched in a
managed to completely elide the huge impact a more caption in the article still suggests models can be made myth that is partly true, partly
open social media lead strategy had had on the company, of tin, but the publisher hasn’t sold tin miniatures in over false: it's expensive, and the
suggesting it only communicated with fans via the maga- 10 years and metal minis are becoming increasingly rare, preserve of wealthy kids and
zine White Dwarf. with only a handful of older kits produced. childish adults.
This week, The Guardian covered Games Workshop’s This boils down to the fact that Warhammer has long had
financial success again, and caused a little bit of fuss in a perception issue. It’s couched in a myth that is partly
the online Warhammer community. The article originally true, partly false: Warhammer is expensive, and the pre-
cited that the hobby is “seen to attract an older, more serve of wealthy kids and childish adults.

90

It’s true that the hobby space is overly male, but and wargaming. incredible level of FOMO on its customers with
it has become a more inclusive one over the years, There are lots of ways to enjoy Warhammer. It can weekly reveals and pre-orders geared to make each
with Games Workshop last year echoing sentiments be a recreational painting hobby, a meta-chasing model the greatest thing ever, and a must-buy for
of diversity and inclusivity. There is work that still competitive grind and anything in-between. All any player. That’s its prerogative as a company, as it
needs to be done here, but it feels shortsighted to approaches are valid. Warhammer Underworlds and is with any company, but that doesn’t mean every-
cut people such as Ceri Robson and Dana Howl out Shadespire offer some of GW’s best kits; as little as one is required to keep pace.
given the work they do in fostering community and £15 will get you a small set of wonderfully detailed Painting any hobby in as simplistic tones as the
creating painting resources respectively. and characterful models to paint and play with. mainstream does is impossible to avoid. There are
It’s also true that the models can be pricey, but that models that cost a lot of money; if you look at GW’s
is the cost of cutting-edge sculpting and machining. There’s no perfectly ascetic way to specialist offshoot Forge World, there are figures
The most expensive kits, such as Szarekh, The Silent enjoy a hobby, but there are ways that cost a lot more than £105. At the same time,
King and the Warstomper Mega-Gargant, are mag- to enjoy yourself on a budget. suggesting this is a hobby only for the well-off is
ical pieces of miniature design, covered with details poor form, because it assumes that everyone who
and put together with mind-bending construction I often grab one of these when I want a new self-con- partakes is at the same level of financial security. It
techniques - but you’ll rarely need, or potentially tained project, safe in the knowledge it’s less than flattens the broad spectrum of hobbyists into some-
even want, these kits in your army. Much of this half the price of a new video game or board game thing untrue, and unkind.
hobby is about choice, after all. and will give me at least a full weekend of enjoy- If someone wants to enjoy themselves or get creative
Like any hobby, Warhammer has its pitfalls. In the ment as I paint them up. Bonus points for existing with miniature painting for the cost of a triple-A
past I have tried to cover some accessible routes in a gaming ecosystem that lets me use them in a video game, it should be celebrated, not stigma-
into the hobby with introductions to its gameplay, myriad of ways, and I get to enjoy them sat on my tised. Similarly, not everyone should feel pushed by
buyer’s guides and advice on getting into painting. shelf looking neat. a breathless release schedule to keep up with the
There’s no perfectly ascetic way to enjoy a hobby, but I keep a weather eye out for bargains, and purchase biggest spenders. Even Games Worshop is slowing
there are ways to enjoy yourself on a budget. I know much of my Warhammer models and equipment at down a little in 2021, due to COVID, with a new bi-
because I have been on a budget myself for six years third-party stores, which carry a decent discount. It weekly schedule. Maybe this will work out better for
after going back to university and graduating into adds up. The time I spend on painting and gam- everyone. As with everything, moderation is key.
one of the most economically poor periods of UK history. ing with models make them feel well worth the Just as avocados and lattes aren’t stopping you from
I have lived alone, in shared flats and most recently investment, but more than anything they’re things being a successful homeowner, neither is a little
with my partner, and I can’t remember the last to own that I painted. In an increasingly fleeting, Space Marine or goblin here or there.
time my earnings put me over £10k, but I have a digital and impersonal world, that feels like a lot.
decently-stocked hobby shelf full of minis that I am I can track progress and memories with these kits,
fairly proud of. Like any other hobby there are often and I’ve written about the mental health benefits of
costs involved for getting kitted out with the starter the hobby before.
material, but this point is key: it’s like any other All of this might read like apologia, and in some
hobby. There is always an on-ramp. ways it is. Self-justification is core to anyone’s
People often champion the efficacy of board games engagement with their hobbies. We could always be
as a new hobby - and, sure, a £30 board game is saving more, and precarity always makes non-vital
cheaper than the equivalent Games Workshop expenses feel like indulgence.
purchase. But it’s a hobby that comes with different Games Workshop itself is guilty of pushing an
demands: social circles, regular friends to meet
up with, the ability to transport a stack of games
around. I get less use out of my scant board game
collection than I do out of my Warhammer gear, and
it ultimately scratches a different itch to painting

91

Rare Warhammer 40,000 Miniature

Sells for a Record-Breaking $35,000

By Charlie Hall

The all-metal Thunderhawk Gunship was released in 1997

9th Edition Spare Marine Army

A n all-metal Thunderhawk Gunship, a rare War- Today a fully painted Thunderhawk, while rare, isn’t terribly
hammer 40,000 miniature produced by Games hard to find. Units from this 1997 run go for around $3,000.
Workshop in 1997, recently sold at auction for Unassembled models go for a lot more, somewhere in the
$34,882. That’s the highest price ever paid for the rare neighborhood of $5,000. That makes Nyström’s sale all the
model, which was assembled and painted by Emil more remarkable, considering that he added value to the
Nyström and the team at Squidmar Miniatures. Confir- miniature by painting it up.
mation of the sale was made in a video posted Monday The record-breaking Thunderhawk is currently on its way
on YouTube. to the buyers at The House of War, a game shop in Austra-
The Thunderhawk Gunship is a heavy assault craft from the lia. Let’s hope it makes it there in one piece. Nyström’s next
lore of Warhammer 40K, designed to ferry Space Marines project? The largest model currently in the GW catalog. It’s
to and from hostile environments. It’s also one of the most called the T’au Manta assault ship, and it’s larger even than
complex models Games Workshop (GW) has ever produced. the company’s massive Warlord Titan.
Not only does Nyström do an excellent job documenting
the assembly and the painting of this epic miniature, he also
does a tremendous job digging into its history. That includes
speaking with the original sculptor, Tim Adcock.

According to Nyström’s research, only three of these models
were produced in the first run. They would serve as display
pieces for Games Workshop’s Games Day event in 1995. Only
later, in 1997, did the kits finally go up for sale to the public.
Each of the 500 numbered Thunderhawks came inside its
own wooden box, which together with the 204-piece model
weighed in at 22 pounds. They cost $649.99 plus shipping, or
more than $1,000 adjusted for inflation.

92

‘Heroin for middle class nerds’:

How Warhammer Conquered Gaming

by Alex Hern How has Games Workshop, a fantasy war games company founded in a London
shop 40 years ago, become worth more than £1bn? By ruthlessly recruiting follow-
ers, and creating vast, fascinating worlds that diehard players never want to leave

L ast year saw a bloodbath on the high street. De- Community and Stranger Things. The rise in “actual Each game exists in its own vast fictional universe, with
benhams closed 50 shops, Toys R Us, Maplin and play” podcasts such as the Adventure Zone and Critical the entire thing loosely connected by a narrative about
Poundworld went into administration, and more Role has also helped, as has a focus on attracting new the forces of chaos and a fondness for skulls. “Imagine if
retail space was lost than in any year since 2008, with players for its fifth edition. Disney were founded by a bunch of people who had been
1.9m sq metres closing, according to the property ana- Tabletop gaming in general is doing better than ever. primarily inspired by heavy metal album covers,” says the
lysts EG. But one retailer beat this trend, reporting prof- On Kickstarter, which has taken an influential role in writer Kieron Gillen, a longtime fan who has written tie-
its of £40m in the final six months of the year. In 2017, the industry, the category was up 20% in 2018 year on in comics for the company. “There’s a belief that less is
the same company was the publicly traded British stock year, raising a total of $165m (£128m). Asmodee, a global more, but what Games Workshop argues, quite convinc-
that outperformed every other: Games Workshop, a high- board-game publisher based in France, was sold to a pri- ingly, is that, no, maybe more is more.
street retailer of science fiction and fantasy miniatures, vate equity firm in July for €1.2bn (£1.1bn). “A fundamental 40k thrill is probably something in-
now carries a market capitalisation of more than £1bn. volving a chainsword, which is a sword crossed with a
chainsaw. That is over-the-top and silly, but also, in a very
But how did a company founded 40 years ago with one But Warhammer’s success stands out, and to understand heavy-metal-guitar-solo way, exciting.”
shop in Hammersmith, west London, become so success- why this is, there are a few things you need to know. It certainly was for me. By the time I was a child, growing
ful? The answer lies in Warhammer 40,000 – 40k, as it The first is the motto of Warhammer 40,000: “In the up around the corner from that first shop, Warhammer
is usually known; a sprawling tabletop conflict game in grim darkness of the 41st millennium, there is only war.” was already something of a phenomenon among the sort
which two players fight with collectible armies, includ- In other words Games Workshop is a serious business, of crowd who carried 20-sided dice in their schoolbags.
ing the space marines of the fascist human Imperium and but it is not to be taken seriously. In fact, Warhammer Tucked in the back of that small store was a vast diorama
the ancient fallen angels of the Eldar, using rules found Fantasy Battle, a goblins-and-gnomes war game, and depicting an entire chapter of Ultramarines, the 9ft tall,
in a library of 30 or so source books. Warhammer 40k are ridiculous, over-the-top pastich- blue-armoured shock troops of the human Imperium of
If this sounds surprising, it is worth noting that Games es, created by people who were bored and angry under the 41st millennium. The display – more than 1,000 small
Workshop isn’t the only part of nerd culture to experi- Margaret Thatcher, and channelled that rage into worlds figurines, replete with miniature tanks, standard bearers
ence a recent rush of interest. Dungeons & Dragons, the where everyone is the villain, and hope has been extin- and a detachment of motorcyclists – was my personal
venerable role-playing game, has had its own resurgence guished for millennia. crown jewels: dripping with symbolism; a must-see for
since 2014, thanks to depictions in TV shows such as

93

Tabletop gaming in general is doing better
than ever.

visitors to my area, and just as unattainable. is also the only way the company communicates with “I used to write these guides on how to make a Warham-
That’s because the second thing to know about Games the outside world; it is notoriously press-shy, and would mer army for £60,” he says. “I stopped doing that, partly
Workshop is, as Gillen says, that Warhammer was what not be interviewed for this article.) It’s about the Black because I don’t need to. Now, you can buy one of the
middle-class nerds did instead of heroin. It was just as Library, a collection of tie-in fiction that runs to hun- official £50 boxes and you have an army.”
expensive, and probably no better for your social life. A dreds of novels, as well as comics, video games and a new For Gillen, the story of Games Workshop’s renaissance
small squadron of space marines would cost about £20, young-adult book series. isn’t a story of sweeping reorganisation but a myriad of
a fortune for a 12-year-old; but a full two-player game This depth means that former fans never quite leave. small changes that have turned a slightly fusty, vaguely
would need almost 10 times that many units, as well as Duncan, a childhood fan who returned to the game as mistrusted brand into one that is gaining new players,
tanks, bikes and special figures – not to mention huge an adult, agrees: “It’s a bit of everything. There’s an easy reconnecting with older ones and profiting – handsome-
bipedal dreadnoughts. escapism in reading the fiction, especially now you can ly – from both.
I finally managed to save up for a tiny army from the do it on a Kindle, and not advertise what you’re reading Which doesn’t mean there haven’t been large changes. In
Necron faction, a race of mechanical skeletons who flay to other commuters. The games themselves are fun and 2015, the company abruptly discontinued its oldest game,
their foes with a glowing green “gauss gun”. Painting, very social. Warhammer Fantasy Battle – even publishing in-game
playing with, and (when I could afford it) buying those “But I also like the modelling and painting. I used, as a fiction that destroyed the world. The replacement, Age
models was my life for a few years – until an inexpertly teenager, to play with unpainted models, but nowadays I of Sigmar, was built to be accessible to new players, with
mounted shelf collapsed, smashing the whole army. enjoy the process [of painting]. It’s oddly relaxing; more simpler rules. It caused uproar among existing players
But for those fans whose dream wasn’t so literally like meditation than a chore.” who claimed the whole thing was dumbed down to the
crushed, Warhammer isn’t a game, it’s a hobby. The At its worst, that fanatical dedication has made followers point of stupidity. But three years on, with most of the
Hobby. It’s as much about assembling and painting the easy prey for a company eager to line its pockets. But Gil- best changes incorporated into a new edition of Warham-
models themselves, using the special paints, inks and len, whose latest book, Die, is loosely inspired by his own mer 40k, it is clear the rewrite paid off.
washes created by Games Workshop. It’s about sharing experience playing the Warhammer role-playing game in Anita Widdowson, 20, a student in Nottingham, is one
your finished miniatures and reading White Dwarf, his teens, says things have changed. of those newer players. She started collecting the models
Games Workshop’s in-house magazine. (This magazine about two years ago, but only got round to learning to

94

play last year, and credits the new rules with bringing But Games Workshop’s success may have a downside for
more players on. small companies. Adrian Hunter, who runs the games
“The ‘Eighth Edition rules’ are much simpler than any shop Weyland’s Forge in Birmingham, says it is steam-
previous edition,” she says. “It means that casual players rollering competitors such as Warmachine and Malifaux.
and younger children can follow the game well, enticing “While the success of all the Games Workshop lines is
more customers.” But, like Gillen, Widdowson says there great – the company is a genuine joy to work with right
are many reasons for the boom overall: better models, now – other games … have seen a large drop-off, to the
easier construction and the way Games Workshop com- point we’re just trying to clear the stock now. And it’s not
municates with the community through its magazine, just our store, either.”
rather than simply offering them a catalogue to buy For Gillen, the only shadow on the horizon is whether
things from. the company can maintain the pace it has been setting
The shops themselves have had a cosmetic overhaul without letting anything slip. As well as the core War-
(some stores were rebranded to read simply Warhammer, hammer games, it has been releasing spin-offs at a steady
as the chain tried to consolidate its image), but Games clip. But on that, Games Workshop had its own answer,
Workshop has also put a huge amount of effort into in an FAQ it published before the launch of the latest
building a welcoming atmosphere. “You know that old edition of Warhammer 40,000. Answering a question
reputation of their shops being alienating? Now, it’s about why it should be trusted with the rewrite, it an-
much more open,” Gillen says, comparing the new look swered: “Come on! This is New Games Workshop™.” In
to an Apple Store. other words, it knows it has had its ups and downs, but
Widdowson agrees. “My best experience with the hobby the steady drip of changes will continue. As is the £16
was buying my first ever set of models in Games Work- Eldar Autarch, a winged alien commander I bought while
shop in Oxford,” she says. “I was shocked by how friendly researching this piece. Providing, that is, my shelving is
the staff were, and it really motivated me.” better installed in 2019 than it was in 2002.

95

Credits

Client: Amy Fortunato
Lead Designer: Sam Agsaoay
Profreaders: Addison Baylon, Emmajane Manguerra
Type Faces Used: acier bat, Edo SZ, Krete
Paper Used: Good Ol’ Pixels
Specs of the Computer Used:
Name of Unit: Astar
CPU: Ryzen 7 5800X
GPU: EVGA 3060ti XC
Motherboard: Steel Legend x570
Ram: CORSAIR Vengeance RGB Pro 32GB
Power Supply: CORSAIR RMx Series RM750x
Hard Drives: Western Digital WD BLACK SN750 NVMe M.2
2280 1TB, Seagate BarraCuda 8TB
Published to Google Classroom
https://classroom.google.com/u/1/c/MzM2OTgzMDM-
5Mjcw/a/NDMyMzEzMTcxMTcz/details

First Edition

December 16th 2021
96