Warhammer 40,000

Warhammer 40000 (also known colloquially as Warhammer 40k, W40k, or simply 40k) is a miniatures strategy game set in a dystopian future, where elements of science fiction are mixed with elements of heroic fantasy. It was created in 1987 by Rick Priestley and Andy Chambers as a futuristic complement to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing its game mechanics. From time to time, expansions to the game are released that add rules for urban combat, planetary sieges, large-scale combat, etc. The game is currently in its ninth edition.

Players are to assemble and paint miniatures about 28mm tall that represent soldiers, creatures, or war vehicles. These miniatures are organized into squads that are used to fight against other players' armies on boards that represent a battlefield. Each player places a roughly equal point set of units on a board representing a battlefield with crafted or purchased terrain. Players must then decide on a given scenario, from simple skirmishes to complex battles that may include defending positions and the arrival of reinforcements. Players move figures around the board, and the actual distance between the figures plays an important role in the outcome of battles. The game is turn-based, with various possible outcomes determined by tables and dice rolls. Battles can last anywhere from two hours to an entire weekend, and battles can be linked to create campaigns. Many games and miniatures stores host matches of the game, and official tournaments sponsored by Games Workshop are regularly held.

The space-fantastic setting of Warhammer 40000 spans a vast fictional universe set in the far future of the forty-first millennium that includes various factions and races such as the Imperium of Man (a decentralized yet totalitarian interstellar empire, which has ruled the vast majority of humanity for millennia), the orks (similar to the orcs from Warhammer Fantasy), the eldar (similar to the elves from Warhammer Fantasy >) and demons (very similar in both universes, although the exact nature of their creation and their existence vary slightly), among others. The background and game rules for each faction are contained in the published game rules and supplementary codex for each army, as well as articles appearing in Games Workshop magazines (White Dwarf and Imperial Armor). Citadel Miniatures and Forge World are the companies in charge of manufacturing the miniatures.

Various board games, video games, and works of fiction as well as novels published by Black Library, a subsidiary of Games Workshop, have used the background of Warhammer 40000.

History

Championship Warhammer 40.000 at the headquarters of Games Workshop.

First published in 1987, Warhammer 40,000 is based on another miniatures game that had been published a few years earlier: Warhammer Fantasy Battle (1983). The game universe of the latter, called Warhammer Fantasy universe, is a deliberately medieval-fantasy world, more typical of classic role-playing games (such as Dungeons & Dragons) and the literature associated with that theme. While it is likely that at the time of this game's birth the rules and other aspects of it were quite similar to those of Warhammer Fantasy Battle, those of its futuristic version have evolved differently, resulting in a gloomy and pessimistic environment while highly immersed in themes related to science fiction, with a certain Lovecraftian tinge.

Editorial

The game is published by the British company Games Workshop, a multinational company based in Nottingham, from where it exports the game. The company is in charge of both the design and maintenance of it, as well as the creation, design and manufacture of the different miniatures with which the various armies are formed. Games Workshop promotes 40,000 by organizing tournaments, conventions, meetings, etc. You can often find independent model shops that sell the miniatures and implements necessary to practice the game, but nevertheless, the official stores aim for potential customers to spend as much time as possible in order to increase their interest in the game, so they strive to keep their attention alive in it by organizing various tournaments, campaigns, initiations, painting workshops, contests and various related activities.

There are various races or armies that each player can play as. Apart from the acquisition of the game regulations, it is essential to purchase a codex of the chosen army where its characteristics are detailed. After understanding the rules and reading the characteristics of the selected army, there is the activity linked to the hobby of modeling itself, namely: the design of some tactics and strategies prior to the contest, the design of the army based on the previous ones, the acquisition of the models, assembly, conversion (that is, personalization) of the same (usually placing greater emphasis on the most relevant and personal, such as the generals), painting and collecting them, and development of contests.

The hobby requires a constant update on the information related to it (especially in terms of new regulations or small reforms in certain pre-existing rules, as they remain in constant change over time), for which they usually go to certain stores specializing in the subject or others of a more general scope (usually in charge of a series of activities related to collecting and games, such as collectible cards, role-playing games, etc.), or to purchase an official publication of the company, White Dwarf magazine, which periodically updates players on the variations suffered by the game.

Settings

Warhammer 40,000 is set in a fictional Gothic Revival apocalyptic universe, chronologically set in the 41st millennium. It is a time when a Human Empire dominates the galaxy but is under attack from all sides by various traitorous aliens and humans corrupted by Chaos or by feuding secessionist rebels. The Human Empire (Empire of Humanity) is a religious fundamentalist regime in which the Emperor is considered (hero who gathered all the humans of the galaxy under a single government and launched them to the conquest of the galaxy in the Great Crusade) as the only God of Mankind. In his task of keeping the Empire united in the face of constant threats, the Emperor is assisted by different institutions. Most notable of these are the Space Marines, warriors who fight in the name of the God-Emperor of Mankind. In addition to the Space Marines, there are other bodies that assist them, such as the Imperial Guard, the Imperial Navy, the Forces of the Inquisition, and the Adeptus Mechanicus, the scientists of the Imperium.

Armies

The miniature game basically consists of facing armies on a playing field. These armies are represented by scale miniatures made of metal or plastic, representing soldiers, vehicles, monstrous creatures, among others. Each army has its own characteristics, background, appearance, abilities, special rules, heroes, etc. All this information is grouped by army, in books called codex (in Latin "codex" or "compendium"). The codex are essential to know each army and be able to play with them. The races and different types of armies available in the game are as follows:

Empire of Mankind

Astra Militarum.

Known as The Emperor's Hammer, the Imperial Guard (called in High Gothic "Astra Militarum") forms the first line of defense against aggressors from the Imperium of Man and the main maintainers of order within it. This army is made up of thousands of soldiers from local planets who fight and give their last breath to defend the Empire. In its action structure, many of its elements are reminiscent of the armies of both World Wars with the extensive use of defensive structures such as trenches, the preference for artillery over other armies in the game or the presence of commissioners to control loyalty and combat. effort of the soldiers. In external appearance, some regiments vary a lot from others, since each one tends to have a marked link with the planet from which they come. Games Workshop has over the years released armies that are adaptations of various real theaters of war throughout history, from troops with Germanic backgrounds and equipment for the gas attacks of World War I to specialized troops in warfare in the jungle based on the US intervention in Vietnam, among many other options.

The Imperial Guard is the faction closest to a modern army, with lots of infantry, tanks, artillery, etc., but based primarily on WWI-style ground tactics and strategies. Its main characteristic is the ability to attack from a distance and its potential for mechanized warfare, although they have some particular units in case they have to carry out melee combat.

Space Marines

In the background of the game, Space Marines are humans selected to undergo a wide variety of extreme physical and genetic modifications engineered from the DNA of their Chapter's Primarch (ultimately from the Emperor himself), placing them very above any normal human being and make them the elite warriors of the Imperium of Man. In addition to these modifications they usually carry the best military equipment to be found in the Empire and are indoctrinated to be fearless warriors who will continue to fight no matter how desperate the situation.

When it's time to fight, Space Marines operate in squads that are small in size but high in firepower, preferably in places where they can perform with surgical precision or in scenarios where devastating action and rapid deployment are required. This size limitation, despite all its potential, is due to the 1,000-man-per-Chapter limit, and because such Chapters often operate separately due to events and decisions following the Horus Heresy. One of the reasons for the popularity of the Space Marines as a playable army is the ability to create your own chapter with your preferred colors and abilities based on the rules published by Games Workshop.

The space marines, due to the strong differences in heraldry, fighting style and doctrines that exist between their different formations, called chapters, comprise up to a total of 4 different codexes, which use a common base, but have miniatures and rules unique and specific to each one (Space Marines codex, Dark Angels codex, Blood Angels codex and Space Wolves codex).

The Inquisition

The Inquisition is an independent, self-governing organization structured into curiae known as "Ordos". There are very diverse Ordos, normally organized into the sections into which the galaxy is divided (Segmentum). However, all the inquisitors are part of larger Ordos, three majors and an indeterminate number of minors. The largest are the Ordo Malleus (demon hunters supported by a specialized chapter of Space Marines, the Gray Knights, with their own codex), the Ordo Hereticus (witch hunters dedicated to ending heretics, mutants and uncontrolled psychics who use the Adepta Sororitas, also known as Sisters of Battle, also with their own codex as their fighting force) and the Ordo Xenos (dedicated to to the study of the alien races opposed to the Empire and which has the support of a specialized chapter of Space Marines, the Deathwatch).

The Inquisition can be deployed into play as a combat force of its own, or as an auxiliary combat force for another Imperial army.

Imperial Knights

It consists of a single model with different weapon options: the imperial knight. Imperial Knights are nobles of the Empire who go to war mounted on massive super-heavy bipods, armed with colossal weapons and protected by impenetrable carapace and energy shields.

They can be set up as a small formation allied with another Imperial army or as their own army of up to 6 Imperial Knights.

Adeptus Mechanicus

It is the army of Mars, they have the most advanced technology that the empire possesses today. This is divided into two parts:

Skitarii: they are the technology gatherers marching across the galaxy

Cult Mechanicus: They propagate their faith to the machine god but only with death.

Chaos Space Marines

The Chaos Space Marines are those marines who renounced the Emperor and embraced the powers of Chaos. Most of them are part of the legions that participated in the Horus Heresy but also include later renegade chapters. The Horus Heresy was a betrayal in which half of the Space Marine legions turned against the Emperor and, under Horus, the greatest of primarchs, nearly destroyed the Imperium. From the Imperial perspective they represent absolute evil and seem to be interested only in power and experiencing all physical and mental pleasures while causing great evil to other races in the game universe and especially the Imperium of Man. They can worship all the Chaos Gods in their Absolute Chaos form or a specific God (Khorne, Slaanesh, Nurgle, or Tzeentch).

In play, the Chaos Space Marines share many of the characteristics of the loyal Space Marines but make up for the lack of technological advances or spare parts with the support of daemonic units, chaotic powers, or mutations from the gods they serve.

Chaos Daemons

Formerly they were only an option of the Chaos Space Marines army, but since 5th edition they constitute a complete and independent army.

Servants and creations of the dark gods, Chaos daemons are warpspace entities created and fueled by the darker emotions and sentiments of beings on the royal plane. Each demon has unique characteristics that reflect the nature of their mother god. Thus, the demons of Khorne, the god of blood and battles, are usually red and aggressive and dominate hand-to-hand combat; The demons of Tzeentch, the god of sorcery and machinations, are often bluish or pink in color and sometimes bird-like, and are masters of dark magic and deception in battle; the demons of Nurgle, god of pestilence and disease, have putrid colors and are slow, but the pustules and diseases that accompany them, far from weakening them, make them more resistant and insensitive to pain; and the demons of Slaanesh, the god of sensuality and excess, have purple and pale colors, and have sensual looks and wiles, which, together with their superhuman speed, enables them to tear their victims to pieces with their claws.

In game the army can be deployed with units of the same dark god, or as a combination of several, supplying among themselves the deficiencies that the other units may have and becoming an efficient destructive force. Their main characteristic is that they are affected by warp storms from their homeworld, as their incursions into the real plane are temporary.

Eldar

The Eldar represent the remnants of the race that dominated the galaxy when humans were still in a primitive state. They brought their civilization to its peak of power, but their moral decline led to the birth of the youngest of the gods of chaos, Slaanesh, prince of excess, whose birth produced a galactic-wide explosion that annihilated the empire of the eldar. Those now known simply as the Eldar were the ones who managed to escape the cataclysm on their vast craftworlds and now roam the stars.

Due to their few numbers, they base their attack on cunning and psychic divining rather than brute force. The Eldar are proud and arrogant, more sensitive than humans. They are also somewhat more fragile but have arcane technology and very powerful shooting weapons, although sometimes used by a single type of troop, giving rise to more specialized troops with specific functions that require greater strategic skill. The appearance of the miniatures is slim and organic, with an abundance of curved shapes.

Its characteristic in the board game is the deployment of fast units and with a very specific function on the battlefield, with a predilection for shooting attacks.

Dark Eldar

They are the eldar who survived the fall that devastated their civilization who did not escape on the craftworlds. While the Eldar of the Craftworlds are balanced and harmonious, the Dark Eldar indulge in excess, emulating the practices that led to the downfall of their civilization. They are cruel and ruthless, with an aesthetic close to the sadomasochistic of spikes, chains and leather and with a predominance of blacks, purples, and all kinds of dark colors. They engage in piracy throughout the galaxy and go on hit-and-run raids to obtain slaves. The Dark Eldar are a reflection of what the Eldar were before the fall. Their lifestyle has led them to live off pain, whether self-inflicted or the pain of others.

They live in the Web, a place between the warp plane and the real one, in the city called Comorragh, a place where it is always night and a thick, dark mist covers everything. The Dark Eldar are organized into Cabals, although there are other groups such as witch cults and haemonculus covens, which are independent of the cabals, but can collaborate on certain occasions. The members of these protect each other against the other Dark Eldar, but unite against a common enemy. The lords of the Cabals are called Archons and ruthlessly enslave their prisoners and then torture them.

In play they are a frail but blazingly fast force with considerable fire and assault power, and their power of pain grants them combat skills that make them somewhat more durable and dangerous in melee.

Necrons

The Necrons (Necrontyr) were one of the first races to inhabit the galaxy but their sickening sun made them short-lived beings. Fearing death, they made a pact with the ancient stellar gods known as the C'Tan who gave them immortality in mechanical bodies but made them their slaves for all eternity. After becoming servants of the C'tan, the Necrons successfully fought against the Ancient Ones, creators of various races in the galaxy. After destroying their enemies, the Necrons turned against their new masters and destroyed or enslaved the C'Tan. However, when life in the Milky Way was diminished by clashes, they decided to go into hibernation and remained so for the last 60 million years. In the current background of the game they have recently awakened and wish to reclaim the galaxy that was once their rightful.

The Necrons are an army made up entirely of fighting machines, with even their infantry being mechanical creatures. They have high power and rate of fire at medium range, and they play to saturate their enemies with so many shots that they can't save them all. In addition, their weapons wreak havoc especially on vehicles, and they are capable of raising their fallen soldiers back up through resuscitation protocols.

Orks

Based initially on traditional orcs, the parallel game Gorkamorka (a game designed by Andy Chambers that depicts fighting between ork gangs in the deserts) ended up giving them a look straight out of the Mad Max. It is a wild and revelry race, violent by nature whose management focuses more on the simple fun of the game than on pure strategy. In Warhammer 40,000 orks are called "greenskins" or simply "greenskins"; in the Spanish version his name is orkos because in his background material the letter "k" is used instead of "c" and "z" instead of "s" as an adaptation of their language in the original in English (where they write in a phonetic way that is far from the accepted standard in that language) and to bring their way of speaking closer to its anarchic and violent setting.

The orks, led by a powerful warlord, wage campaigns called Waaagh! during which all orks in entire sectors of space stop fighting each other. and they launch into full-scale wars capable of laying waste to entire solar systems against whatever targets their leaders decide.

Tyranids

Super predatory alien warriors from another galaxy and guided by the Hive Mind, a higher consciousness that rules and commands every creature in the swarm, and is said to be possibly the greatest mind in the universe. They stand out for their enormous versatility although focused on melee combat. They act in a similar way to that of a swarm of insects in which the survival of the swarm prevails over that of the creatures that compose it. His light troops are surprisingly fast and extremely numerous, medium-sized creatures act as army officers, relaying orders and coordinating the swarm, while huge organic behemoths that double as tanks and commanders lay waste to everything within range. his step.

Unlike the Necrons, everything is alive in this army, including weapons and ammunition: they invade planets, devour all their biomass and absorb it and assimilate their genetic information in the process. In the story of the Galaxy in Warhammer 40,000 the Tyranids have invaded the galaxy in three great fleets. These are, in chronological order, Behemoth, Kraken, and Leviathan, although minor fleets exist, either because they have splintered off from the three named and gone their own way, or because they stem independently from minor formations.

Tau Empire

The Tau are noseless, bluish-grey humanoids of average height and normal build, although they are slightly shorter than an average human. Their legs are distinguishable, similar to human ones up to the knees but with hooves instead of feet. In addition, thanks to their advanced technology, they drive large armor and levitating combat vehicles equipped with large shooting weapons. They are a relatively young empire, originally discovered around the 34th millennium in a state of primitive tribes, so their rapid evolution and development over the following six millennia have caused great astonishment among imperial scholars.

The ideology of the Tau is the peaceful cooperative union to obtain among all a common good (Supreme Good), dividing their society into five Castes that work together. This ideology allows the union and collaboration with other races such as the kroot or the vespides.

They stand out widely in long-range attacks, following tactics and strategies more typical of modern warfare than in previous times, using miniatures that shoot at long distances and with a lot of firepower and mobility, since they are poor in melee. body. For the latter, they are allied with the kroot, a group of avian aliens specialized in hand-to-hand combat.

Rules

Plays with two or more players, each setting up a group of units. The size and composition of this group, called armies, are determined by a points system, where each unit (model or set of models) is assigned a value proportional to its role on the battlefield and its equipment. Before a game, the players agree on how many points are to be used as the maximum total score for each army and each player generates up to that level. The composition of these armies is determined by the rules of the basic Warhammer 40,000 manual and in the different specific manuals for armies called "Codex". Much of this process of creating armies happens prior to the game itself due to the time of preparation of the appropriate lists for the score to be used. Usually the size of these games ranges from 500 to 2,000 points on a table four feet wide and eight feet long, but much larger games can be played as well.

At the start of each match, a number of rules and objectives are determined for the battle. In these scenarios or missions, as they are often called, the players are assigned basic objectives that can, for example, be to defend or capture a section of the board or destroy the enemy army. Additional rules may account for combat at different times of the day (such as "night combat") or the influence of the environment on troop abilities. These scenarios can be simpler, taking just over an hour to complete, or they can be more complex, taking several hours or even days to complete. A series of scenarios can be organized into a campaign, where two or more players compete. each other in various combats. These campaigns may have their own special rules, and are usually tied to the story that unfolds based on the results of each scenario. Many of these scenarios and campaigns are designed by Games Workshop and printed in the " codices", manuals, supplements or in White Dwarf. Alternatively players can design their own scenarios or create new campaigns with predetermined scenarios.

It is divided into "phases" where each player moves their units, manifests psychic powers (if they have any), shoots, charges at another unit, and engages in close combat. In the Movement phase, the player determines the individual direction and distance of each unit, unless a special rule states otherwise. Some units can move more than others in a single move, and terrain can inhibit movement. In the shooting phase, the player has the opportunity to perform long-distance attacks on units that are within the range established in the profile of the firearm to use. In the Assault phase, units can engage in close combat with nearby enemy units. In the charge phase, the player declares the unit(s) he wants to charge. Next, the enemy resolves the "Overwatch" (reaction). In the fighting phase, the troops engage in hand-to-hand combat. Units pile up and the charging units attempt to hit the enemy. After this, the rest of the units will try to hit in the order of the player whose turn it is playing, interspersing each unit with the opponent. Casualties are resolved and usually one side will either have to pass a morale check or fall back. There is also a psychic phase, in which players can use models known as Psychics to perform special actions (which are determined, some randomly, before the game) that no other model can do. After a player completes all phases, the turn passes to the opposing player. Weapon hits and misses are determined by rolling a six-sided die (note that the rulebooks use the word 'dice' to refer to a single die) and the characteristics of the weapon. unit.

Unlike some wargames, Warhammer 40,000 is not played on a hexagonal map or any kind of predefined board. Instead, the units can be placed as close as 12 inches from edge to edge of the table. The range between the units is important during each phase of the game. The distance is measured in inches using a ruler. Line of sight is determined from the 'model view' - players can lean in to view the board from the point of view of the specific model. Victory is determined by points, awarded for completing objectives and/or destroying enemy units.

Benjamin Fox, in "The Performance of War Games," argues that player interaction on the battlefield reflects all parts of a "performance": script, drama and theater. He compares war games like Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000 to role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons and take note of the dynamic nature of the battles, where each conflict is different from the last.

The terrain is also an important part of the game. Although Games Workshop sells terrain kits, many hobbyists prefer to make their own elaborate and unique pieces. Common household items such as soda cans, coffee cups, Styrofoam packing material, and pill bottles can be transformed into ruined cathedrals, strange habitats, or other terrains with the addition of plastic cards, putty, and the skill and creativity of the modeler.

Editions

Rogue Trader (1987)

The first edition of the game, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, was published in 1987. Game designer Rick Priestley created the original rules (based on the contemporary second edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battle) along with the world of Warhammer 40,000. The Rogue Trader game was heavily oriented as an RPG rather than Wargames. This original version came as a very detailed, if rather confusing, rulebook, which made it more suitable for combat between small skirmishes. Much of the composition of units was determined randomly, by rolling dice. Some items (bolsters, laser rifles, frag grenades, Terminator armor) can be seen in an earlier wargame ruleset called Laserburn (produced by the now-defunct company Tabletop Games) written by Bryan Ansell. These rules were later expanded upon by both Ansell and Richard Halliwell (both ended up working for Games Workshop), although the rules were not originally a precursor to Rogue Trader.

In addition, supplementary material was continually published in the White Dwarf magazine, which provided the rules for new units and models. Eventually White Dwarf provided the "army lists" that could be used to create larger and more coherent forces than was possible in the main rulebook. These items were published from time to time in expansion books along with new rules, backgrounds, and illustrations. All ten books were released for the original WH40K edition: "Approved Chapter - Astronomican Book", "Compendium", "Warhammer 40,000 Compilation ", "Waaagh - Orks", two "Realm of Chaos" (" Slaves of the Dark" and "The Lost and the Damned"), "'Ere we Go", "Freebooterz", "Battle Manual" and "Vehicle Manual". The 'Battle Manual' not only did it modify and codify the combat rules, but it provided updated stats for most of the weapons in the game. The 'Vehicle Manual' contained a new system for vehicle management on the table that was intended to replace the rather clumsy rules in the hardcover manual and in the red softcover compendium, had an inventive target location system that used acetate reticle to simulate weapon hit vehicle silhouettes with different armor values for different locations (such as wheels, engine bay, ammo storage, etc.). 'Waaagh - Orks' it was an introductory manual to ork culture and physiology and it did not contain rules but it was pure background ("fluff"), other ork-themed books instead were full of army lists not only for major ork clans but also for greenskin pirates and mercenary outfits. The "Realm of Chaos" they were solid hardback tomes, including rules for Chaos in Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and Warhammer Fantasy Battle (3rd Ed.).

Second Edition (1993)

The second edition of Warhammer 40,000 was published at the end of 1993. This new course for the game was forged under the direction of editor Andy Chambers. The second edition came in a boxed set that included Space Marine and Orc miniatures, landscapes, dice, and the core rules. An expansion box set titled Dark Millennium was released later, which included rules for psychic powers. Another feature of the game was the attention given to the "special characters" that they represented specific individuals from the background, who had access to equipment and abilities beyond that of others; the previous edition only had three "heroic" profiles; generic for each army: "champion", "minor hero" and "major hero".

Third Edition (1998)

The third edition of the game was released in 1998 and, like the second edition, concentrated on streamlining the rules for larger battles. The third edition rules were noticeably simpler. rules was available on its own, or as a set with a box containing miniatures of Space Marines and the newly introduced Dark Eldar. The 'codex' of the Army continued in the third edition.

Towards the end of the third edition, four new army codices were introduced: the xeno (meaning alien) races of the Necrons and the tau and the two armies of the Inquisition: the Ordo Malleus (called Demon Hunters) and the Ordo Hereticus (called the Witch Hunters); Elements of the latter two armies had appeared in supplementary material before (such as Reign of Chaos and Codex: Sisters of Battle). At the end of the third edition, these armies were relaunched with new illustrations and army lists. The release of Tau coincided with a rise in the game's popularity in the United States.

Fourth Edition (2004)

The fourth edition of Warhammer 40,000 was released in 2004. This edition did not include as many major changes as previous editions, and was "backwards compatible" of each army. The Fourth Edition was released in three forms: The first was a stand-alone hardcover version, with additional information on painting, setting construction, and background information on the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The second was a boxed set, called Battle for Macragge, which included a compact paperback version of the rules, dice, templates, and Space Marine and Tyranid miniatures. The third was a limited collector's edition. Battle for Macragge was a "game in a box", aimed primarily at beginners. The Battle for Macragge was based on the Tyranid invasion of the Ultramarines' homeworld of Macragge. An expansion called The Battle Rages On! was released which introduced new scenarios and units, such as the Tyranid Warrior.

Fifth Edition (2008)

The Fifth Edition of Warhammer 40,000 was released on July 12, 2008. While there are some differences between the Fourth and Fifth Editions, the general rule set shares many similarities. Codex books designed before the fifth edition are still supported with only a few changes to the way those armies work. The starter game replacement for Battle of Macragge from the previous edition was called Assault on Black Reach, which features a pocket rulebook (containing the ruleset complete but omits the background and hobby sections of the full-size rulebook), and armies of Orcs and Space Marines. Each army contains an HQ option, either an Orc Chief or a Space Marine Captain.

New additions to the rules include the ability for infantry models to "go grounded" when under enemy fire, providing additional protection at the cost of mobility and fire as they dive for cover. A true line of sight is needed to shoot enemy models. The ability to run is also introduced, so units can forgo firing to cover more ground. Also, the coverage has been changed so that it is now easier for a unit to get coverage savings. Damage to vehicles has been significantly simplified and reduced, and tanks can now ram other vehicles. Some of these rules were modeled after rules that existed in Second Edition, but were removed in Third Edition. Similarly, the 5th edition codices have seen a return of many previously cut units in the previous edition for having unwieldy rules. These units have been largely brought back with most of their old rules optimized for the new edition. The fifth edition releases focused primarily on the forces of the Space Marines, including the abolition of the Demon Hunters in favor of an army made up almost exclusively of Gray Knights, a special chapter of the Space Marines, which in previous editions had provided the elite options of the Demon Hunter's army. Another major change was the switch from metal figures to resin kits.

Sixth Edition (2012)

The sixth edition was released on June 23, 2012. Changes to this edition include the adoption of a Psychic Power option card system similar to the game's sister product Warhammer Fantasy Battle as well as the inclusion of complete rules for vehicles flyers and monsters and a major rework of the way damage is dealt against vehicles. It also includes expanded rules for more scenario interaction and more dynamic melee combat. In addition to updating the existing rules and adding new ones, 6th Edition introduced several other important changes: the Alliance system, in which players can bring units from other armies to work with their own, with different levels of trust; the choice to take a fortification as part of your force; and the Warlord Traits, which will allow a player's Commander to get an outright random trait that can help his forces in different situations. Replacing the "Assault on Black Reach" box set is the "Dark Revenge" box set which includes the models of the Dark Angels and Chaos Space Marines. Some of the Dark Revenge early release box sets contained a limited edition of the Interrogating Chaplain for the Dark Angels.

Seventh Edition (2014)

Announced in issue 15 of White Dwarf pre-orders for May 17 and release date of May 24, 2014.

7th Edition saw several major gameplay changes, including a dedicated psychic phase, as well as the way psychic powers worked in general, and modifiable mid-game tactical objectives. Tactical Objectives would give players alternative ways to earn Victory Points, thereby winning games. These objectives could change at different points during the game.

In addition to these additions, the 7th edition provided a new way to organize army lists. Players could play as Battle-Forged, rostering in the same way as 6th Edition, or Unbound, which allowed the player to use any model they wanted, without note the Force Organization Chart. Bonuses are awarded to battle-forged armies. Additionally, Warlord units, which are powerful units previously only allowed in large-scale games ("Apocalypse"), are now included in the rulebook. standard, and are a normal part of the Force Organization Chart.

Eighth Edition (2017)

Announced on April 22, 2017 on the Warhammer Community page, pre-orders for June 3 and release date of June 17, 2017.

8th Edition was a major overhaul of the previous edition of the game, simplifying the system and standardizing troop and vehicle profiles, making it easier for new players to jump into the hobby and start playing. In this regard, the game introduced the concept of Three Ways to Play: Open, Ranked, and Narrative. The ruleset has been simplified to 14 pages, as a free PDF booklet available on the Games Workshop website. The more complex rules still remain in the game mechanics, found in the updated hardcover manual, introducing the concept of Stratagems and Command Points with which to manage them, which are received based on the organization of the army.

The background behind 8th Edition has also moved on. The galaxy has been split in half with the Cicatrix Maledictum by forces of Chaos, separating the Imperium into two parts and leaving almost half (the Imperium Nihilus) without the light of the Astronomicon, with Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines, returning to lead the Empire as Lord Commander and beginning the recovery of devastated worlds through the Indomitus Crusade.

8th Edition also introduced a new starter set called "Dark Empire", which featured a new evolution of factions: Primaris Space Marines (space marines enhanced by Belisarius Cawl's investigations), as well as the reintroduction of new characters and rules for Death Watch.

Ninth Edition (2020)

The ninth edition was finally published in the summer of 2020, introducing new mechanics and game systems such as the crossover mode.

The main background of this edition is the battles related to the Indomitus Crusade, so before the release of the starter boxes of this edition, a limited edition box, the Indomitus Box, was released. This box contains unique figures of Space Marines and Necrons. The other starter sets are also from Marines vs. Necrons, and are sold in 3 sizes and price formats.

Accommodations

Role Playing

Like Warhammer Fantasy Battle it was adapted into a role-playing game in 1986 (with the title Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Warhammer, the role-playing game in its Spanish translation) Warhammer 40,000 was adapted to a role-playing game in 2008 under the title Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay. The first book in the range is entitled Dark Heresy and was translated into Spanish in November 2008 by the Seville publisher Edge Entertainment.

Video Games

Movie

On December 13, 2010, the Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie, a computer-animated science fiction film based on the Ultramarines chapter of the Marines, was released directly to DVD. Spatial. Dan Abnett, Black Library Associate Writer at Games Workshop, developed the script and Codex Pictures, a British company, handled the adaptation under license from Games Workshop. The film uses Imge Metrics company motion capture technology for faces from Image Metrics company.

Novels