# An Introduction to the Armies of Warhammer 40,000



## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

*AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ARMIES OF WARHAMMER 40,000*

http://endzonefuncity.com/resources/_wsb_474x335_40k.jpg​
This thread is here to give a good introduction to the armies of warhammer 40,000.

more will be written here soon.

Contents


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

Written by: Dies Irae

*Chaos Space Marines*










*FLUFF*

The Chaos Space Marines were once the finest soldiers of the Imperium, super-human killing machines equiped with the best weapons, armors and vehicules crafted by mankind. But after the events of the Horus Heresy, 10.000 years ago, when the Warmaster Horus rebelled against the Emperor and turned 9 Space Marines Legions to Chaos, these Space Marines became one of the worst ennemy of the Imperium. Equiped with the superior wargear of the Space Marines, and blessed with the powers of the Dark Gods, they attack every human colony they can find to kill, steal, or sacrifice people to their Gods.

Nowadays, more and more Space Marines betray the Imperium and turn to Chaos, attracted by promises of power and immortality, but in the end, the all become slaves to the Chaos Gods, fighting day after day to eradicate the Imperium and rule the galaxy.

*MODELS*

The main advantage with the Chaos Space Marine army is the you can field 3 units, Chosens, Chaos Space Marines and Havocs, with only 1 box: the Chaos Space Marine box. In this box you will find 10 Chaos Space Marines, and plenty of special weapons and close combat equipment. Lets say that you have 4 of those, you can make a squad of chosens with the close combat weapons, a squad of havocs with the heavy bolters and 2 squads of regular CM with the 20 remaining models. The CSM box can also be used to build Khorne Berserkers, Plague Marines, Noise Marines and Thousand Sons with only a little bit of conversion. There is a lot of plastic kits for the army, including Terminators, Possessed, Bikers and lots of vehicules. The only drawbacks of the Chaos minature range are the Dreadnought, the Raptors and the Obliterators, which are still metal (and if you play in tournaments you might need lots of Obliterators)

As the CSM army is an "elite" army, you won't need a lot of models for a good army, around 40 for a 1500 point force. 

Chaos also allows skilled poeple to fully express their creativity with stunning conversions and paintjobs.

*GAMEPLAY*

The Chaos Space Marines army is very flexible, and can adapt to every gamestyle quite easily. If you want a CC-heavy army, go for a Mechanized Khorne army, and if you want a more shooty army, go for Iron Warriors or Thousand Sons. A lot of units a specialized, especially the cult troops, and by mixing those units, you can build an army able to stand against everything you throw at it.

Chaos Space Marines are elite soldiers, and their stats are very good. They have acces to lots of powerful weapons and vehicles. However, as they left the Imperium 10 thousand years ago, they do not have acces to some recent wargear, such as the Assault Cannon, the Razorback or the Whirlwind. Furthermore, as they don't follow the lessons of the Codex Astartes, they do not have the rule "And They Shall Know No Fear..." and do not benefit from the Combat Tactics. However, their faith into the Dark Gods grants them a higher Ld than their loyalist counterparts.

Another important note with CSM is the choice if Marks availables for every unit. These Marks grant some nice bonuses, like +1A, +1E or an Invulnerable Save. They can also be used in squad (they are called Icons) as tleport homers, allowing units to deepstrike with more precision on the battlefield. These Icons grant the Mark of a God to every model in an unit, but are very expensive, so use them wisely.

*Summary*

-Traitor Space Marines who left he Imperium ages ago and now fight for power and greed
-Easy to build army with lots of plastic kits, however some important kits are still metal
-Very balanced army that can adapt to nearly every playstyle. Have acces to Marks of their Dods, granting them bonuses.


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

Written by: Culler

*ORKS*










*Fluff*
The Orks are a savage race whose entire society revolves around fighting, gearing up for a fight, or getting to a fight. If there is no one around to fight, they'll fight each other, just to see who is strongest or for the fun of it. They basically have the personalities of extreme British football hooligans. Whoever the strongest Ork is becomes the Warboss, and this creature stomps all the other Orks who would be boss around him so more boyz will follow and then the warboss leads his boyz on a glorious WAAAGH! of destruction.
Orks are race without gender who share traits of both animal and fungal life forms. When they die they release spores that develop into cocoons that will spawn various breeds of greenskin. There are the snotlings, who are the size and intelligence of rabbits and often eaten or bullied by the larger greenskins, there are the gretchin ('grots'), who are the size of medium dogs and possessed of a low cunning and cowardly streak a mile wide, and then there are the Orks, who are larger than a man and as they age continue to grow, becoming stronger and smarter.
Ork society always has a Warboss at the top, who is the biggest and meanest and tells the boyz where to go and what to do until another Ork kills him and takes his place. Below him are the Nobs, who are big and mean but not as big and mean as the boss, they order the rest of the boyz around. Below them are the boyz and below them are the grots and snotlings. A society of nothing but fighters wouldn't function though, and gretchin aren't smart enough to come up with the gadgets that Orks use to get from world to world. This is where Oddboyz come in. Runtherds who manage the lesser greenskins, Weirdboyz capable of tapping into the psychic energy that Orks generate when fighting, Mekboyz who build and maintain Ork technology, and Mad Doks who put boyz back together/"improve" them are all spawned with an innate understanding of their field written into their DNA by the mysterious race that created them which they refer to as the Brainboyz.

Ork society is composed of tribes and clans. All Orks belong to a tribe which consists of all the greenskins of a particular area, but many also belong to a clan which each have a distinct identity and a large tribe can have members from many clans. There are 6 clans in canon that can be found throughout the galaxy: 
-The Goffs who are the biggest and most violent and typically field massive hordes of boyz (colors: black/white)
-The Evil Sunz who love going fast and careen around the battlefield on bikes or in vehicles (colors: red, because 'red ones go fasta')
-The Bad Moons who are the richest of the Ork clans because their teeth grow the fastest (this being Orkish currency) and who typically have fancy weapons and armor (colors: gold/black)
-The Snakebites who live off the land and shun the use of technology and breed large numbers of gretchin (colors: natural)
-The Blood Axes who are a bunch of untrustowrthy gits that trade openly with other races, work as mercenaries, and even go so far as to wear camouflage like some cowardly grot who doesn't want to be seen (good Ork sense is that you charge headlong at your enemy waving your arms in the air.) They typically have a better understanding of strategy and planning (colors: camo, often several different types at the same time)
-The Deathskulls are looters, plunderers, and thieves without equal with a fascination for technology. They typically field more gadgets and fancier guns than other tribes (colors: blue)


*Models*
Plastic models can be found for almost the entire range (exceptions being meganobz, characters, big gunz, kans/dread but may be changing soon, and flash gitz.) Orks are also highly customizable and convertable. Literally anything can become an Ork vehicle with enough creativity, there are even looted carnifexes out there. Ork boyz are also very cheap thanks to the Assault on Black Reach set.
However, Ork armies do tend to have a lot of models so a good deal of painting can be expected. 

*Gameplay*
Orks are usually fun for everyone at the table because they have some great random effects that can be used and a great number of models that usually aren't too terribly difficult to kill. They typically rely on swamping their enemy with massive numbers of otherwise mediocre attacks, shots, and models.
Ork armies are wide and vary from vehicle-mounted kults of speed to massive hordes of boyz, from purely assault units to static shooting units. No matter what, an Ork army is almost always going to end matters up close and personal in assault. How much shooting they do on the way and how long they take to get there are the only factors and are highly customizable by how the army is built.
Almost always there will be plenty of Ork boyz, who by default are tougher than a guardsman but poorly armored. They strike after most other armies in assault but have good WS, fair strength, many many many attacks, and usually feature a deadly powerklaw in every boyz mob. Ork BS is a 2, lower than every other race, but their guns usually fire many shots, making up for the difference. Their leadership is poor but this usually matters little as Mob Rule! lets them and all other Ork units use the number of models in a unit as their leadership value.
An Ork general can also declare a WAAAGH! any turn after the first to give every Ork in the army fleet of foot for a single turn, often making a devastating second or third turn charge.

*Money Saving*
Plastic Ork slugga boyz are easily and cheaply acquired from marine players selling the other half of their Assault on Black Reach set, there tend to be many on Ebay. Acquiring some shoota arms and converting them is a possibility as well.
For extreme money saving on Ork vehicles, go to a toy store and see what strikes your imagination and then convert away. I've seen excellent toy conversions, but I've also seen painted Tonka trucks. They won't be tournament legal without >50% GW product but they will be inexpensive.

*Summary*
Orks aren't the strongest army in the game at any one thing, but rather they are superb generalists, typically relying on numbers rather than individual durability or killing power as their numbers are what gives them their resiliency and strength. A sense of humor is often needed from Ork generals especially with certain units, as an Ork army can often be highly random but all in good fun.
Also, you will almost never get to roll as many dice as with an Ork army, where the statement 'OK, now I get my 100 attacks' isn't completely farfetched.

*Where to go from here*
For a more detailed breakdown of Ork units, I encourage exploration of the tactica section. A detailed army-building tactica can be found here.
here is a good way to paint Orks quickly. Many other tutorials and tacticas can be found in their respective sections on this and other forums.


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

Written by: *Concrete Hero*

*Imperial Guard*










*FLUFF:*

The Imperial Guard are the hammer of the Imperium, recruited from countless worlds and numbering untold Billions. The Imperial Guard are the more typical 'Army' than the Space Marines (who represent more of a strike force), deployed en mass with a dizzying array of Vehicles and enough numbers to see any conflict through. Though your standard Guardsmen is poorly armed and armoured, casualties aren't a problem with such huge numbers available.

*MODELS:*

Luckily, most of the Imperial Guard Range is now done in Plastic, so the entire range is easy to build and the kits are reasonably prices (By GW standard). The downside is most Imperial Guard armies are going to compromise of a large number of either vehicles or infantry, meaning quite a lot of purchases are required, usually repeat purchases: Footslogger armies will need multiple shock trooper boxes, mechanised lists will need many Chimeras etc.

Though the Imperial Guard are more the standard 'army' you're free to customise them in this way, personalising them in your own way. The diffrerent regiments of Imperial Guard can also dress very differently. The Cadians, the Imperial Guard Poster boys, are the standard, armoured foot soldier. The Catachans are jungle fighters and adopt a more 'Rambo-esque' look. A larger list of Imperial Guard Regiments can be found here.

*GAMEPLAY:*

The Imperial Guard are regarded as a 'Shooty' army, they can bring a fearsome amount of weaponry to bear on their opponents having a weapon perfect for every circumstance, though they will struggle in Assault against more specialised enemies. The Platoon system of the Imperial Guard Codex lets you field a very large number of infantry squads, all supported by various Heavy and Special weapon support teams. This sort of army will almost always vastly outnumber its opponents, sheer weight of firepower and numbers wearing their enemies down. A single Guardsmen on his own however, is not very special. Their stats are fairly poor, but their points are cheap.

The Guard are also famed for being able to deploy the largest number of Tanks in the game. Having Vehicles available in multiple FOC slots as well as the ability to field tanks in 'Squadrons', with a possible Nine Leman Russ Battle Tanks in one force! Steam rolling tank forces, Flying Cavalry and multiple Artillery batteries are all available.

*SUMMARY:*

-The Army of the Imperium, almost limitless in its number.
-Very easy army to assemble and paint, with almost the whole range being plastic. Though becomes expensive with multiple purchases required.
-Shooty army with a wide variety of play styles.


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

Written by: Inquisitor Malaclypse and Witch King of Angmar

*Eldar*










*FLUFF*

The history of the Eldar stretches back countless millennia. As a whole, the Eldar have life spans than can expand centuries or more. This allows individual Eldar to experience anything and everything s/he desires. Sadly, it also became their undoing as life times of experiences led to boredom. This boredom eventually led many Eldar to become decadent and sadistic, which caused them to seek new experiences through decadence.

The excessive emotions and psychic emanations of the Eldar race eventually coalesced in the Warp into a sleeping entity known as Slaanesh, or “She Who Thirsts”. Slaanesh’s awakening killed many of the Eldar almost instantly, as she consumed their souls. But all was not lost. Some of the Eldar, being disgusted by their decadent brethren, had settled new planets far away from the Eldar home worlds. These Eldar became known as the Eldar Exodites. Some of the Eldar’s dark kin survived as well, and they are known as Dark Eldar.

Other Eldar, who for trade and various reasons, traveled in massive, city-like spacecraft known as Craftworlds. They escaped the cataclysm of Slaanesh’s birth by traveling in stable corridors of the Warp known as the Web Way. These survivors took steps to prevent the Eldar race from becoming so decadent again. Eldar have millenia to learn, experience, and master a certain role of Eldar life, called Paths. Once an Eldar masters a Path, the Eldar can move on to another Path. 

Aspect Warriors are some of the most commonly encountered Paths in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Each Path takes on a personification or “aspect” of the Eldar god of war Khaela-Mensha Khaine. The most prominent Aspect Warrior Paths include: Howling Banshees, Striking Scorpions, Fire Dragons, Dire Avengers, Swooping Hawks, Warp Spiders, Shining Spears, and Dark Reapers.

When taking the field, bands of these warriors are led by Exarchs, who are Eldar that cannot walk away from the Path they have chosen, but each of the Warrior Aspects (with the exception of the Warp Spiders and Shining Spears) was founded by a Phoenix Lord. 

The current Phoenix Lords are not immortal individuals, but ancient relics whose bodies have passed on, leaving an empty suit of armor to be found by another Eldar warrior who dons it and takes on the part of the Phoenix Lord. Even though the original Phoenix Lords have long died, their spirits fight on and on through out eternity.

But arguably the most enigmatic Path of Craftworld Eldar is that of the Harlequin. The Harlequins worship the Laughing God of the Eldar, and are the only Eldar who can travel among the Craftworld Eldar, the Exodites, and the Dark Eldar. They assemble in troupes and travel seemingly wherever they will, telling, singing, and dancing the stories of the Eldar gods to other Eldar.

They are also the guardians of the Black Library, a place within the Eldar Web Way that contains the accumulated knowlecge of Chaos.

For most Eldar when an individual dies his/her soul travels to a small jewel worn on his/her clothes known as a Spirit Stone. This stone is removed from the Eldar’s body and placed in his/her Craftworld, thus robbing Slaanehs of one more Eldar soul.

The only exceptions to this seem to be the Phoenix Lords, as the souls of Phoenix Lords who have died are interred in the armor of the original Phoenix Lord and the Harlequins, whose souls are for the most part protected by their patron the Laughing God.


*MODELS*
The Eldar have some of the most graceful models in the Warhammer 40,000 Universe, not to mention some of the most detailed. For modeling purposes, Eldar models can be difficult to assemble or convert due to the nature of the model itself or because many Eldar models are made of metal. In shopping for models, the true advantage of such large range of pewter models is that they can be bought used and are easily stripped. It is recommended however that plastic models be bought on sprue or at least only base coated unless any would be hobbyist is an expert at stripping paint from plastic.

*GAMEPLAY*
Eldar style of play can be summarized by Craftworld:

-Biel-Tann: this Craftworld upholds the Path of the Warrior in high esteem, and they tend toward having more of Aspect Warriors than any other Craftworld. Aspect leaders of known as Exarchs gather together at times of war to form the Court of the Young King and awaken the fiery Avatar of Khaine, a small embodiment of the Eldar’s god of war.
-Saim-Hann: this Craftworld tends to speed and mobility, and thus employs a lot of Jet Bikes when fighting.
-Ulthwe: incorporates some of the most powerful Farseers (Eldar psykers) a character of note is Eldrad Ulthran. The Farseers of Ulthwe look into the future and manipulate events so their Craftworld, and the Eldar race can survive.
-Alaitoc: Eldar of Alaitoc are more focused on wandering the stars and employ more Rangers and Pathfinders (Eldar Scouts) than any other Craftworld.
-Iyanden: once was one of the greatest Craftworlds of the Eldar until it was almost destroyed by the Tyranids. Only the intervention of Prince Yriel, a pirate of Iyanden saved the Craftworld from total destruction. They now employ constructs made of the Craftworld itself known as a Wraithguard and Wraithlords to fight in their armies as the dead of Iyanden out number the living.

Eldar play style can be very fluid, and Eldar armies tend to do better when they maintain a theme. Typically, due to Eldar warriors being weaker than other races, transports are heavily used to keep them safe. Eldar tanks have abilities that improve the survival of the tank, thus increasing the survival of any passengers. 

The use of Farseers is also very common as their abilities can be used to improve any unit they are attached to.

Farseers and their attendants (known as Warlocks), are also very common choices in fielding an Eldar army. Units of a Farseer and Warlock body guard (called a Seer Council) are typically hard to kill. The fact Seer Councils can be mounted on Jet Bikes make them deadlier still, though both options of a Seer Council (on foot or on bikes) are very expensive in points when building an army.

*Summary*
-One of the oldest and most powerful races in the galaxy with a tragic past and present.
-Can be difficult to assemble and convert, but a large pewter range can save money if buying used metal.
-Unique in play style in that it can have a distinctive flavor, even though army selections come from the same race.
-Tanks are key. This is due to Eldar army selections having a weaker toughness than other army selections. Keeping your Eldar in tanks will let them do their job better.
-Eldar psyker powers are some of the most powerful in the game, but lack in offensive capabilities when compared to other races. Eldar psyker powers are more efficient when enhancing other units in the Eldar army or confounding opposing units.


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