Your On-Ramp to the Grimdark: How to Start Warhammer 40K

The ash-choked air of Armageddon smells like metal and tastes like the noxious smoke of burnt promethium. These aren't the indicators of a busy, industrial society. They are the last gasps of humanity trying to survive.

You stand in the shattered remains of a gothic cathedral, the stained glass long ago pulverized into a glittering dust. Timeless and holy art dedicated to the Emperor has been reduced to rubble by your enemy. War is no longer dawning. It is here. You place your helmet back on your head and watch as it links to the rest of your Astartes Power Armor.

You are a Space Marine, a genetically engineered super-soldier built for one singular purpose: to be the immovable shield of humanity. You are clad in a massive suit of red ceramite plating that hums with an internal fusion reactor. Specifically, in the ranks of your battle-brothers within the Blood Angels chapter, you are an Intercessor.

You are the versatile frontline infantry, the backbone of your army, armed with a weapon that fires mass-reactive, armor-piercing grenades as standard ammunition.

Across the blasted crater that used to be the holy cathedral's wall, a deafening, guttural roar shatters the silence.

WAAAAAAGH!

A green tide of alien Orks, their massive, hulking frames bulging with muscle and crude cybernetics, surges forward through the toxic fog. They are brutal, they are loud, and there are far too many of them.

The vox-caster in your helmet crackles to life with tactical data sent to you by your Captain. It's time to move. You and your squad advance through the rubble, your armored boots cracking the stone beneath you as you secure a vantage point overlooking the battlefield. You plant your boots firmly, raise your heavy bolt rifle, and let out a breath you did not realize you were holding.

The targeting reticle glows a harsh red in your visor. You squeeze the trigger.

The sound is deafening. A hail of rocket-propelled projectiles tears through the smoke, slamming into the charging alien horde and exploding with concussive force. Dirt, rusted metal armor, and Ork battle cries are swallowed by the thunder of your squad's volley. You watch as several of the brutes fall, but the tide does not break. It only makes them angrier.

The ground begins to shake rhythmically. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Bursting through the smoke comes an Ork Warboss. He is a terrifying mountain of scarred flesh and welded iron plates, swinging a crackling, energized power claw the size of an engine block. By all laws of engineering and physics, that thing shouldn't even hold together let alone work. He clears the crater in seconds, closing the distance with unnatural speed. He raises that massive mechanical claw, the hydraulic pistons screaming in protest as he prepares to bring it crashing down directly onto your squad...

What Happens Next?

That's entirely up to you!

If your heart is racing and your imagination is already calculating the odds of survival, congratulations. You just experienced the Movement, Shooting, and Charge phases of a turn in Warhammer 40,000.

Even if you still don't know any rules, we still want to know: What would you do in this scenario?

Option A: The Tactical Retreat Are you a board gamer who loves grid-based strategy and careful resource management? Then you might fall back, abandoning the lost ruins to secure a more valuable objective marker across the board, relying on a neighboring squad to provide covering fire. It is simple, straightforward, and wins games.

Option B: The Heroic Stand Are you a roleplayer who thrives on high-stakes, cinematic moments? Maybe you put every ounce of your luck, and your faith in the Emperor of Mankind, into a wild gamble. You draw your combat knife, brace your stance, and meet the monsters head-on in a desperate melee combat to buy your battle-brothers precious time.

For years, you may have walked past the wargaming tables and shelves full of kits, heard the clatter of dice, and thought the game was far too complicated to learn. But at its core, Warhammer 40,000 is just tactical storytelling.

You don't need a degree in advanced statistics or a photographic memory to play. Are you wondering if your Space Marine can hit that charging Ork? You grab a handful of standard six-sided dice (D6s) and roll them. Need to know if your squad is close enough to charge into glorious melee? You stretch out a standard tape measure.

That's the entire foundation of the game. A ruler, a handful of dice, and your imagination are all you need to command a galaxy-spanning army. Having a few friends helps, too, and we are the very venue you can count on to find them.

Enter the 11th Edition

With the highly anticipated launch of the 11th Edition Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon boxed set, stepping into the grimdark future has never been easier. Games Workshop has completely streamlined the rules to make jumping in incredibly approachable for new players. We can worry about big-brain strats, lore dumps, the reminder to always thin your paints, and the top-tier tournament meta lists later.

Right now, the only goal is to push cool plastic models across a war-torn table. One where upside-down paper bowls are hills and an old Barbie doll is an ancient, moss-strewn statue whose collapse provides you merciful cover from grotesque organic acid bursts and totally-not-Terminators™ disintegration beams.

Jumping into a new hobby can feel like a financial leap too, especially when looking at a flagship launch box packed with brand-new Space Marines and Orks. But it does not have to be! If you have a closet full of forgotten trading cards or unused comic runs, bring them down to the shop. We can evaluate your collection and turn that colorful cardboard into gray plastic, entirely funding your new wargaming journey.

Want to know a secret, though? Those friends talked about above may very well let you play with a spare army they have and teach you the rules along the way. We are so grateful to have an amazing group of local wargamers who always look forward to meeting newcomers to the hobby.

Because we don't take pre-orders, all of these massive Armageddon boxes are strictly first-come, first-served when the street date hits. Keep an eye on our New Releases and Event Page for info on what we have planned next at The POP! Shop!

Our tables are ready. Is your imagination?