Eggy's big bad Warhammer hole!!!!

The game Warhammer 40000 has been described as

"Like chess, but with great humpin armies and a lot more rules. Oh yeah, its harder aswell."

So, this is an atempt to write an entry explaining the game.

The Game

Warhammer 40000

The warhammer 40000 game has been around for some time now and is played by gamers all over the world. Its is a table top wargame set in the far future, where the human race has colonised the galaxy and now defends it against alien threats.
The player buys, builds, paints and games with an army of modles. The average modle stands 28mm high, not including base, and is made of plastic. A squad of modles is refered to as a unit, most modles must be in units. Each army has its own types of unit, weapons and history.

Armies of the 41st millenium

In the game, the player must choose an army to collect, the armies avliable are, Space Marine (geneticl superior, sort of super, humans), Imperial Gaurd (average humans with guns), Chaos (Space Marine's who worship the false gods Khorn, Nurgle, Slanesh and Zeech), Eldar (Super advanced aleins), Dark Eldar (Same again but sadistic), Tyranid (six armed, alien, ready to eat you), Ork (barbaric aliens who lives to fight) and Tau (even more advanced than the Eldar, possibly, some would/do dissagree).

Each army has a specialty such as close combat or tanks. Chaos and Space Marines are good allround but cost lots of points per model

The Point

When players decide to play they pick a point total that they will play to. Each model costs a certain amount of points which are taken from the total. Once a player has no more points to spend he/she has finished the army.

The point cost of a model is a good indication of how well it will perform. Ork Gretchens cost 3 points and are one of the worst units going, Eldar gaurdians cost 8 points, Space marines cost 15 points. This show respectivly that 5 Gretchen are a good as one marine!

To learn more about the game go to Warhammer 40000 for Warhammer 40000 related games or Games workshop online

Some basic tactics

THE MOVE

The first part of any turn will be the move, and as this is the first part of my entry, lets deal with it.
Many a commander has lost by forgeting RALFC, this stands for Remeber Allways Look For Cover. The wisets peice of advice i have come across for when your enemy does something unexpected and makes your battle plan useless. Of cource this isn't allways the case. On ocasion when you have just found an army ready for combat not shooting or with short ranged weapons, find good line of sight and move for it.
Some times though, running for cover is not a good option, in a cranage game, as you have an objective you have to reach. In theese cases allways put cheaper units in front and really good units in transports. Move the transports up the flank to get there with the rest of the army, if thats the plan, while your weaker, cheeaper units get blasted leaving your more expensive units of elite combat feinds untouched.

If the game is allready underway and big combats are being resolved, move empty transports and fast units, such as bikes, round behind the enemy to catch enemy units that fall back. Most comanders tend to be not so happy when ten terminators are destroyed by a rhino placed behind them when the get assaulted.

SHOOT HIM!!

Now that your troops are in a nice place, shoot the enemy. Most armies will have a dedicated ranged unit, Dark reapers and Devistators are prime examples, theese units should be set up in a good position so they dont have to sacrafice a go by moving acoss to get a better veiw. Against just about any low armour enemy snipers are worth the points as not only do they allway wound on a 4, they cause atomatic pinning tests for any unit taking a death from them. A 2 to hit is fun aswell.

COMBAT!!!

This is to big to cover in one entry and has been tackled in two white dwarves, the publication by games wrokshop.

SETING UP!

arguably the most important part of the game. The disposition of your forces can influence your movment, choice of targets and thus, the final outcome of the game. A few tips follow.

A) Never let an HQ or special caracter walk about on its on. it will just get shot, put it in a unit where it can hide from fire.

B)Unless you have a really sneaky plan, try to keep longer ranged weapons in good positions behind your troops to let the troops move freely.

C) Use all avaliable cover, the enemy may get first turn.

D) Dont face the enemy with side or rear armour from your tanks, unless its a land raider where its all the same anyway.

Choosing your army.

I allways like to start with my HQ and troops. Take the minimum required and then bulk it out with equipment. After that I think about the type of army I wish to feild. My black templar relies on short ranged fire power and transports for my marines to hurtly across and kill. My Saim-Hann on the other hand has no fewer than 3 jetbike squads, 4 vipers and swooping hawks, thus fast and very well equiped for hit and run attacks and flank attacks.
IF you want a fast army like my Eldar, its no good taking lots of elites and heavy supports unless they dont stop moving.

Hints and tricks.

I have been given some good, and some not to good hints over the years, yes both of them, about 40K playing. Here are some of the better ones.
"When ever you have an objective based game where you have to find and hold, run to a corner and give it to the one furthest in." - Mitch.
"Never split your force when fighting an enemy with a large firepower base. Allways fight him straight on, and get him to move around." - Chick.
"If you get an Eldar army in a tournament, never try to out move them or out shoot them, you'll get destroyed. Sit still and shoot him down, on foot he's a wast. - Roy.
"The whole idea of most armies is destruction of an enemy, power at a point. move your whole army in to one part chrushing him, then move to your next target. Seek, destroy, next unit. This is how battles are won. - Big Tam The Nutter.

Some extra stuff

While this artical may help inexperianced players learn some basic tactics, the only way to really learn is by being destroyed in battle by an enemy, then think, "What did i need this game i didn't have?". a six for every roll would be nice, except leadership, but only loaded dice get that, and thats just wrong.

Once you have found what you really need, buy and play with. And if that doesn't work, go to your local Games Workshop or club that suports Warhammer and ask for help in your gameplaying.

This entry, while no where near perfect, should allow beginers a little help in the game. Please, come see me if anything is compleatly wrong, I know its basic, but it works.

I would also like to take the chance to ask anyone who plays and is in Kirkcaldy on a sunday (Plugs 'R' us). Our club, The Hive Lang Toun, is on at abots hall church every week from 1 to 7, we all leave about 6ish though, new members and visitors are welcome.