f
you've ever left the cinema or turned from the TV screen, wishing that you
could invent your own death-stars, storm-troopers, whirring ornithopters,
and wild-eyed heroes then this is for you! Warhammer 40,000 is the
game that lets you create all kinds of exciting, futuristic adventure on
a tabletop. You will need a few models, a little scenery, and the odd accessory
such as dice and a ruler - but most importantly you will need a smattering
of creative genius. The fact that you are reading this is a sure indication
that you are eminently qualified on that score.
Warhammer 40,000 is a fantasy game set in the far future. Fantasy games are a relatively recent invention, but, as with so much that is new and innovative, they stem from familiar and well-understood ideas. For many years, historical wargamers have re-enacted famous battles from history, using model soldiers, scenery and carefully worked out rules to simulate warfare in their chosen era. Fantasy games abandon the idea of re-creating historical events, allowing the imaginative player to stage games set in mythical worlds, on strange, surreal continents or amongst the stars. But even places that derive from the imagination need rules. That is where Warhammer 40,000 comes in. This book provides you with a comprehensive framework of rules with which you can represent futuristic combat. Later you'll discover a complete and enthralling background for the game, a universe of the far future where bloodshed and battle form an integral part of a strange and violent society.
Warhammer 40,000 employs the proven and popular game mechanics of the Warhammer Games system. Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Battle rules can therefore be used in conjunction; you will find creatures and weapons from one game will he perfectly usable in the other. Even magic, psionics, aliens, monsters and equipment have been designed so that they can be transplanted between the two games. Players who are already familiar with Warhammer will find the combat rules of Warhammer 40,000 follow the same format as the Warhammer rules. We hope experienced Warhammer players will bear with as through the basic explanations. These same experienced gamers will no doubt also notice the vital points of difference in some rules and procedures, points which are intended to reflect the awesome power of weapons and the strange environment of the far future.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
The Warhammer 40,000 book is divided into five main sections containing rules, background information and other details to aid play.Combat gives rules, suggestions and useful hints for staging your own tabletop battles using miniatures and dice. Movement, shooting, close combat, rout and pursuit, reserves and psychology are all covered, and an extended set of rules is provided for vehicles, dreadnoughts, aerial movement, personalities and psionics.
Equipment provides you with a wide variety of fascinating futuristic weapons. Armour types, vehicles, robots and many other features for inclusion in the game.
The Age of the Imperium explains how the Warhammer 40,000 universe works, how the different races act and fight, and how the different sorts of troops are organised and equipped.
The Advanced Gamer provides extra rules for players, including advice on campaigns, game plots and multiplayer games. Also covered are collecting and painting models, and we provide modelling details so that you can make your own buildings as well as offering some examples of how scenery can be constructed.
Summary lists all of the major charts together, and provides you with a selection of combat templates, building plans, record sheets, and paper counters.
SCALES
Warhammer 40,000 has been designed around a ground scale of 1 tabletop inch = 2 metres of real distance. Tabletop distances are expressed in inches and imperial units within the rules. 'Real' distances are expressed in metric measurements: so a target 10 inches distant on the tabletop is 20 metres away in 'real' terms. There is no reason why you shouldn't modify this scale to suit your own collection of models and the size of your playing area.Each model represents a single man, alien, vehicle, building or whatever. Large groups of very small creatures, such as thousands of locusts, can be represented by a smaller number of models. In cases such as this, one model can be regarded as representing too creatures if they are approximately rat sized, or 1000 creatures if they are tiny insects. So, 2 model rats = 200 individual rats; 2 model locusts = 2000 individual locusts.
The ranges and effectiveness of weapons have been calculated from the basis of individual weapons firing a single shot or blast at a single target. Most of the rules used for historical wargames assume massed ranks of firers blasting away at a massed target. For this reason, the ranges and effectiveness of Warhammer 40,000 weapons may seem comparatively low, but we believe that this is reasonably accurate, and it does give a better game.
GAME EQUIPMENT
Apart from these rules and a selection of models and scenery, you will need dice, rulers, scrap paper and pencils. Dice are used during combat, and it is a good idea to have several of these. A cup will make a useful shaker, As an alternative to models we have provided a selection of counters for you to copy and use. Though they are in no way as attractive or as substantial as metal models, these will allow you to fight out your first few battles for no additional cost or effort.
PLAYERS
You also need players! Games are usually fought between two opposing sides, each side represented by one or more players. For larger games it is convenient to have more than one player on each side, as this makes dice throwing and troop movement quicker and easier. The co-commanders can agree to divide their forces between them as they wish.
GAMESMASTER
To fight a Warhammer 40,000 game you will need an extra person called the gamesmaster, usually referred to simply as the GM. He will act as the umpire or referee, and it is his task to enforce the rules of the game; interpreting them where necessary. The GM should make sure that the players have sufficient dice, pencils, paper and any other items needed during play.It is possible to fight a game without a GM, so long as the players are willing to cooperate a little, adopt a reasonable attitude and are honest in their record keeping. It is also possible to fight games in which all of the players are on the same side, against a side controlled directly by the GM. Of course, this does rely on the GM to make the game as fair as possible. One-sided games against the GM should be conducted with the aim of finding how well the players perform, rather than by aiming to defeat them.
DICE
The game uses a number of different shaped dice, as well as the normal six sided dice with which we are all familiar. Players will find it useful to have at least one each of the 4 sided, 8 sided, 10 sided, 12 sided and 20 sided dice. You will need a number of 6 sided dice, preferably about a dozen.The standard notation is to write 'D' for dice, followed by the number of sides. So, when you see 'D4' in the text you know we are referring to a 4 sided dice - similarly, a D6 is a normal six sided dice, and soon. Sometimes you will need to roll more than one dice of a kind. This is indicated by a number preceding the D. For instance, 2D8 means you throw two D8s and add the scores together - throw a D8 twice if you are short of dice. The following examples illustrate the method.
| Dice | Rolled | Score | Procedure | Result |
| 3D4 | 3 D4s | 1,2,3 | Add Scores | 6 |
| 2D6 | 2 D6s | 2,5 | Add scores | 7 |
Everybody knows how to throw a D6 - the score is the number facing upwards once the dice has been rolled. The D8, DIO, D12 and D20 are read in exactly the same way.
Scores are 5, 7, 9, 12 and 15.
The D4 is pyramid shaped, and so has no upper surface. The score is the number on the base edge of the pyramid - this number is the same on all three faces of the base edge.
Score is 3.
6
7
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
In the Warhammer 40,000 universe, battle and adventure can take place on any one of over a million worlds, and who is to say what form the environment might take on any one of them? Whatever the basic terrain, you will need to set up the field of battle, for which you will need a fairly large games table or area of Hoot. Six feet by four feet is a fair size; larger tables are difficult to reach across properly. Many gamers (including the author on occasions) improvise by using the dining room table. Once your area is clean, it is up to the gamesmaster or players to place model scenery.
SCENERY
You may have already seen the elaborate set-ups of other garners, or the special display games featured at one of the big hobby conventions - such as Games Day. If so, then you will have a good idea of what to aim for. If not, then the photos in this book may serve to inspire you! Remember a game that looks attractive and interesting will be that much more enthralling for the players and the gamesmaster.It is easy to provide rules for 'normal' scenery, such as hills, rivers and woods. These features may take on strange or twisted forms to those we know on our own world, but they will still be comparable for our purposes. In addition the Warhammer 40,000 game includes many types of special scenery. For the moment we'll just concern ourselves with the following basic features. The Advanced Gamers section contains rules for special scenery.
Hills are common and useful scenic items. Models stood on hills receive a combat advantage and can see over the heads of troops below them. Hills for the games table can be made from chipboard or polystyrene ceiling tiles cut to shape, or even books piled on top of each other to get the right effect. When making hills, remember to make them in steps so that models will stand on them. Several companies now make stepped hills fur wargames, these are polystyrene with a special textured finish and look very good once sprinkled with flock to disguise the joints.
Woods are useful for blocking off areas, as they are difficult to move or fire through. Model trees can be bought from your hobby shop either as plastic or metal kits. Alternatively, you can make your own using pinecones, or pipe cleaners and sponge. Plastic aquarium plants make especially good alien trees. Sprinkle the wood area liberally with lichen and scenic flock to produce the effect of undergrowth.
Hedges provide 'soft' cover for troops behind them. Hedge models can be bought from your local model shop, or home made using sponge or a loofah cut into sections. Hedges can also be represented by a line of lichen. A section of hedge should be about 1" wide and at least 4" long. Smaller sections wouldn't provide any real cover or barrier, as troops could too easily avoid or go round them. Two or more hedge sections can be placed together to make long hedges or field systems.
Walls are exactly like hedges but provide 'hard' cover. You can buy plastic walls from model shops, or make your own from card, plasticine or Das.
Ditches like walls, provide 'hard cover' for occupying troops. It is assumed ditches are shallow enough to allow weapons to be fired from them without arty penalty. 'troops attacking a ditch have the advantage of being on a higher level than their opponents. On the wargames table, ditches are hard to represent. The best method is to cut strips of card 2' wide into convenient lengths, then use plasticine to build up a slope on the front and rear of the ditch. Leaving a 1" gap down the centre, which forms the ditch itself.
Debris and ruins are small areas of broken ground, perhaps an old decaying building, a crashed vehicle or a spoil tip. The easiest way to represent debris on the wargames table is to scatter a few pieces of cork around the desired area. More ambitious modellers can build their own 'ruins' from card, polystyrene or plasticard.
Buildings form vital strong points with commanding arcs of fire over the battlefield. They can be bought from model shops or home made from polystyrene or plasticard. The Citadel range of card buildings has been especially designed with Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 in mind, and are highly recommended. With a bit of modelling skill you can turn almost any food or cosmetic container into a convincing building. Many 'toy' construction kits can be quite useful too.
Rivers. Model river sections are available from shops, but the best way to make rivers is to cut card strips to shape and make banks out
8
Bridges and fords can be of any width, but 3"-4" is recommended: narrower bridges tend to be too cramped. Bridges can be bought, or homemade from plasticard, polystyrene or wood. Fords can be represented by a section of pale coloured card without banks, showing where the river shallows.
Pools can provide obstacles on the table, and even refuges for aquatic creatures. Pools can be made from card painted blue, green, red or whatever colour best represents the liquid they contain.
Bogs are similar to ponds, but can be crossed with a little difficulty. They can be made from card painted dark green or any suitably disgusting colour.
Stalagmites are tall pointed formations rising from the ground. Whether they are true stalagmites formed by precipitation, or merely unusual rock formations doesn't matter for our purposes. They can be made from any suitable modelling material - paper mache for example - or clay, Das or Milliput. Large stalagmites can be made easily using plaster of paris. Buy a big bag of plaster from a chemist - the cheap stuff! Take a bucket and fill it with sand. Male a good sized hole in the sand of the shape you want and prepare a suitable quantity of plaster. Pour the plaster into the hole and let it set before removing your stalagmite from its mould. All sorts of interesting rock formations can be made quite cheaply using this method. With a little powdered paint you can dye the plaster too. Also by adding coloured sand, or aquarium gravel, you can produce some very startling effects.
Rocks are rocks and can come out of the garden. Alternatively, you can buy glass fibre rocks from aquarium shops. The plaster and sand casting method can also be used.
SETTING UP THE SCENERY
Scenery can be placed on the table in a number of different ways as described below.1. The GM places the scenery entirely at his own discretion. This is the usual method, and, so long as the GM is fair, the best way of designing your battlefield.
2. The GM can set up the scenery so it is symmetrical, in this way no advantage is conferred to either player. This is a good method for a strictly competitive game.
3. The players can arrange to choose scenery using the following rules. Each player secretly nominates how many items of scenery he wants on his half of the table. The maximum number that can be nominated by each player is I for every fall 1' of table length. The GM then rolls a D6 for each side.
1-2 The player receives one less item than nominated.
3-4 The player receives the number of items nominated.
5-6 The player receives one more item than nominated.
Each player then chooses his own scenery. A single item should be no larger than 6 "x6"in the case of woods, buildings, hogs, etc. No linear item should be longer than 12, although hedges or walls chosen as items may be split into smaller sections. A number of scenic items of the same type can be positioned together to make an extra large, or extra long, feature, such as a large wood, a long hedge or a river. Players may position their scenery anywhere within their own half of the table. The player with the most items places one item first, then the other player places one item, then the first player again, and so on. Once one player has run out of scenery, the other positions his remaining items. The table is now set for battle!
Using this method the players have a lot of say over the terrain they are fighting over. To offset this the GM may, if he wishes, reposition or remove one item of scenery from each or both sides.
4.If the players have no GM then one player can set up the scenery, and the other may choose which table edge he wishes to start from The player who sets up the scenery then starts from the opposite edge.
9
10