The central and most popular elements of the Warhammer 40K universe are the Space Marines, futuristic versions of fantasy knights and the finest warriors of the Imperium of Mankind, a dystopian and degenerate galaxy-spanning empire. The Warhammer 40,000 game world, based in a setting known only as The Galaxy, which is inspired by our own, is readily characterized as a Gothic science-fantasy setting.
Common household items like soda cans, coffee cans, Styrofoam packing pieces, and pill bottles can be transformed into ruined cathedrals, alien habitats, or the like with the addition of plasticard, a bit of putty, and a bit of skill. Though Games Workshop makes terrain kits available, many hobbyists prefer to make their own elaborate set pieces. These conversions are often entered into contests at sponsored tournaments and similar gaming events. They are also encouraged to further modify their figures and vehicles using parts from other kits and models (sometimes known as "bitz" to players), or scratch-made from plasticard, modelling putty, or whatever the modeller can scrounge up. Since the models are hand-painted and assembled by the player, players are often encouraged to design their own paint schemes as well as using the pre-designed ones displayed in the various books.
This is the only way to get certain factions (for example, Harlequins), which have been discontinued. These are models that have been used for earlier versions of the game. In addition to the current line of units, Games Workshop makes available past model lines as a part of their mail-order-only "Classic" series. The logo for the game from the 3rd through 8th Editions A typical blister pack with one to three models will cost from US$9 to US$25, with the cost of boxed sets varying widely (US$35 to US$200) depending on the contents. Players must purchase units, sold individually in blister packs or in squads in boxed sets. New players wishing to start playing should expect to spend upwards of US$200 to US$300 for a reasonably sized army (1,000 to 2,000 points worth of models), including costs for rulebooks and paints. The hobby is widely considered very expensive, even by collectors and enthusiasts (though enthusiasts often wish to point out the reasonableness of the expense compared to other leisure activities). The latest of these global campaigns has been the Medusa V Campaign. This affects the history of the game and is accounted for in the next rulebook. Every few years, a global campaign is held in which people record their battle results online. These campaigns may feature their own special rules, and are tied together by a storyline, which might alter according to the results of each scenario when it is played.
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Some players organize a series of scenarios, called a campaign, where two or more players fight against each other in a number of battles. The simplest of these is a basic "cleanse" mission, which ends after six turns, the victor being declared based on the control of the four quarters of the board more complex goals can include night fights, take-and-hold missions, and various others.
Each match, at the onset, is assigned a set of additional rules and a goal (collectively called a "scenario") specific to it. Play is divided into turns, with each player choosing specific actions for all of his units on his turn, and using dice to determine the results of those actions. Games can vary in length of time from half an hour to several hours, dependent on game size. Players agree on how many points for the game and each assemble an army up to that maximum limit. (certain armies have multiple codexes - for example, many of the major Chapters of the Space Marines army have individual codexes).Īrmy size is determined by "points" (pts) each figure and vehicle has an associated cost proportionate to its potential worth on the battlefield. Rules for constructing armies are contained within the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook, as well there are army-specific codexes that contain specific information on the units and rules for each army. Each player assembles an army from one of the official lists and constructs an army of pewter and plastic miniatures representing the various units in that army.