Warhammer 40k- How good is it?
- Thread starter 80Maxwell08
- Start date
Recommended Videos
I say that the entire franchise is brilliant.
Dawn of War isn't particularly ..faithful to the tabletop, being an RTS instead of an turn based strategy wargame, but it is a brilliant game in it's own right, and is a great way to get into the mythos and backstory, and it is a lot of fun with a group of friends.
Warhammer 40k on tabletop is a game based entirely around strategy. If you aren't into that kinda thing, one wonders why you asked about 40k in the first place.
Personally, I think they any form of 40k ...stuffs is worthwhile.
Dawn of War isn't particularly ..faithful to the tabletop, being an RTS instead of an turn based strategy wargame, but it is a brilliant game in it's own right, and is a great way to get into the mythos and backstory, and it is a lot of fun with a group of friends.
Warhammer 40k on tabletop is a game based entirely around strategy. If you aren't into that kinda thing, one wonders why you asked about 40k in the first place.
Personally, I think they any form of 40k ...stuffs is worthwhile.
The Warhammer 40k universe has everything turned up to eleven. The human Imperium is more than 10,000 years old, has more than a million habitable planets, worships a God-Emperor who is on the brink of death, and has been for 10,000 years.80Maxwell08 said:
It uses battleships that can be up to 25km long, assault rifles that fire .75 cal explosive shells, tanks larger than many houses...
Everything is overpowered. And it's awesome. I'd get Dark Crusade, but delve into the lore a bit as well.
http://youtu.be/aFHKIFDjk9I
Imagine if Lord of the Rings, Nazi Germany, the Russian Red Army, Spanish Inquisition and Dinosaurs were in space and all of them were batshit crazy.
That's Warhammer 40,000.
Oh and Dawn of War is one of the best RTS games ever, why...sync kills that's why.
Oh and this video is surprisingly accurate when describing the major factions of the 40K universe.
That's Warhammer 40,000.
Oh and Dawn of War is one of the best RTS games ever, why...sync kills that's why.
Oh and this video is surprisingly accurate when describing the major factions of the 40K universe.
How is Warhammer 40K...
If you're asking about the GAME? You almost might as well ask "how is Chess, anyway?" If strategy is your thing give it a try, but be ready for it to take a while, it's a slow-ass game. And complicated.
If you're starting off with it, there's a few sets that're a good value. The "Assault on Black Reach" set is your basic Space Marines versus Orcs scenario and gives you two armies straight-up for $70. That may seem like a lot, but it's a steal compared with what the equivalent individual sets that make it up would cost you and it gives you enough to play with a friend and get your feet wet.
If you're asking about the GAME? You almost might as well ask "how is Chess, anyway?" If strategy is your thing give it a try, but be ready for it to take a while, it's a slow-ass game. And complicated.
If you're starting off with it, there's a few sets that're a good value. The "Assault on Black Reach" set is your basic Space Marines versus Orcs scenario and gives you two armies straight-up for $70. That may seem like a lot, but it's a steal compared with what the equivalent individual sets that make it up would cost you and it gives you enough to play with a friend and get your feet wet.
Well, I think the Warhammer 40K universe has to be one of the three best sci-fi IPs ever made. That's all I will say OP.
Actually, no, I will add that;
1)The Dawn of War series is really fun, perhaps not faithful to the board-game, but when did that stop things being good.
2)The upcoming Space Marine game may not be my thing, but I imagine that is exactly what a Space Marine is supposed to do/be; it makes Gears look tame. Plus, the idea of people using chainsaw-like weapons was invented long before GoW was on the drawing board. GoW, I think, took inspiration from the 40k universe especially, among other things.
3)The literature surrounding it is pretty good. The official lore is pretty massive too.
4) The board game itself is definitely a good time sink hobby; I've recently got into it proper and already spent 150+ hours immersing myself and haven't even finished building my first army (Go Hammer of the Emperor!)
Actually, no, I will add that;
1)The Dawn of War series is really fun, perhaps not faithful to the board-game, but when did that stop things being good.
2)The upcoming Space Marine game may not be my thing, but I imagine that is exactly what a Space Marine is supposed to do/be; it makes Gears look tame. Plus, the idea of people using chainsaw-like weapons was invented long before GoW was on the drawing board. GoW, I think, took inspiration from the 40k universe especially, among other things.
3)The literature surrounding it is pretty good. The official lore is pretty massive too.
4) The board game itself is definitely a good time sink hobby; I've recently got into it proper and already spent 150+ hours immersing myself and haven't even finished building my first army (Go Hammer of the Emperor!)
I'm nuts about it.
I've never played the tabletop game, but that doesn't matter. What really fascinates me is the rich background, the lore behind it all - which is why I read the novels. I now have about 90 of them sitting on my shelf, and the majority of them is... well, awesome.
If you're an avid reader, I suggest you start with Dan Abnett's "Eisenhorn", a brilliant trilogy about an Imperial inquisitor, available in one tidy omnibus edition. Once you're done with that, I suggest you turn your attention towards the ongoing Horus Heresy series, which chronicles the events of the Great War 10.000 years before the actual W40k. If you prefer to browse by author, I recommend anything by Dan Abnett, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, James Swallow and Graham McNeill.
As for the games, they're not bad, either. Dawn of War 1 is a good classic RTS, and the expansion Winter Assault and (especially) Dark Crusade are worthwile as well; the final expansion, Soulstorm, is an abomination that needs to be eradicated from existence. Dawn of War 2 is an RTT game in the vein of Company of Heroes, plus a levelling and upgrade system for your hero units, and while it's quite different from DoW1, it's also a very enjoyable game, including the two expansion packs (Chaos Rising and Retribution). Note that the story arc involving the games' protagonist chapter of Space Marines, the Blood Ravens, starts in Dawn of War 1 and comes full circle at the end of DoW2: Retribution, so if you want to see it all, you pretty much have to play it all (minus Soulstorm) - which is not a bad thing, mind you.
Also, keep an eye on W40k: Space Marine, the 3rd-person shooter coming out this September, and the MMO Dark Millennium, slated for a 2013 release.
I've never played the tabletop game, but that doesn't matter. What really fascinates me is the rich background, the lore behind it all - which is why I read the novels. I now have about 90 of them sitting on my shelf, and the majority of them is... well, awesome.
If you're an avid reader, I suggest you start with Dan Abnett's "Eisenhorn", a brilliant trilogy about an Imperial inquisitor, available in one tidy omnibus edition. Once you're done with that, I suggest you turn your attention towards the ongoing Horus Heresy series, which chronicles the events of the Great War 10.000 years before the actual W40k. If you prefer to browse by author, I recommend anything by Dan Abnett, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, James Swallow and Graham McNeill.
As for the games, they're not bad, either. Dawn of War 1 is a good classic RTS, and the expansion Winter Assault and (especially) Dark Crusade are worthwile as well; the final expansion, Soulstorm, is an abomination that needs to be eradicated from existence. Dawn of War 2 is an RTT game in the vein of Company of Heroes, plus a levelling and upgrade system for your hero units, and while it's quite different from DoW1, it's also a very enjoyable game, including the two expansion packs (Chaos Rising and Retribution). Note that the story arc involving the games' protagonist chapter of Space Marines, the Blood Ravens, starts in Dawn of War 1 and comes full circle at the end of DoW2: Retribution, so if you want to see it all, you pretty much have to play it all (minus Soulstorm) - which is not a bad thing, mind you.
Also, keep an eye on W40k: Space Marine, the 3rd-person shooter coming out this September, and the MMO Dark Millennium, slated for a 2013 release.
Agreed on the other points, but I gotta point out here that some of the literature is pretty good to good. There's a lot of crap too.Don said:
Some recommended lit:
The Eisenhorn and Ravenor trilogies. Dan Abnett is the best they have in terms of quality, his only drawback is that he doesn't quite get the whole religion-grimdark-farfuture-mindset, so it sometimes reads more like star trek or something. Still wtfpwns any other writer they have.
The Ciaphas Cain series, by Sandy Mitchell. More comedy than grimdark, but really darn good.
The Horus Heresy series is not strictly 40k (it's about the big civil war that set up the current galactic situation), but most of it is good too. Each book has a different author though, so quality varies. You might want to avoid Descent of Angels, Fallen Angels and Battle for the Abyss.
Also, avoid anything written by C.S. Goto at all costs. He did the DoW novels and some other books, but he's bad. Really f'ing bad. Multilasers-on-a-Carnifex bad.
Yeah; anyone competent would know that large flashlights don't work on 100+ tons of living tankMathak said:
I have to confess I haven't read that much, but what I have has been really good.
That is pretty bad, but it was more a joke on his shtick if having absolutely everyone wield multi-lasers. Including Astartes, Land Raiders and Eldar.Don said:Yeah; anyone competent would know that large flashlights don't work on 100+ tons of living tank
Some more highlights in Gotos glorious writing career:
Astartes surfing into battle on top of a Razorback. That became a Land Raider on the next page. And then a razorback again.
Goto loves battlesurfing. Eldar grav-tanks have a special platform on them so Eldar can surf em.
Eldar grav-tanks are made out of toilet-paper, ductape and av fervent belief it'll work. That's why kids throwing rocks can easily destroy one.
Guys in this armour:
..can easily do backflips.
And oh, sorcerors worshipping Khorne, the god who hates sorcery.
Its brilliant, if you have 4 things:
1. A fuckton of imagination
2. A fuckton of money to spare
3. A fuckton of free time
4. Another fuckton of free time (So you can read and remember the monolithic rulebook)
It's great, but a hell of an investment if you want to get the most out of it, try getting the boxed starter set (Black Reach, I think its called), it gives you plenty of models, some basic painting and assembly tools, a more concise rulebook, and other various bits and bobs you'll need.
Edit: Taken from the perspective of an Imperial Guard player, aka the most expensive army in the game, since each platoon is AT LEAST 25 models, can can take up *quick maths break* 138 infantry models, and 6 APCs. For one troops choice.
1. A fuckton of imagination
2. A fuckton of money to spare
3. A fuckton of free time
4. Another fuckton of free time (So you can read and remember the monolithic rulebook)
It's great, but a hell of an investment if you want to get the most out of it, try getting the boxed starter set (Black Reach, I think its called), it gives you plenty of models, some basic painting and assembly tools, a more concise rulebook, and other various bits and bobs you'll need.
Edit: Taken from the perspective of an Imperial Guard player, aka the most expensive army in the game, since each platoon is AT LEAST 25 models, can can take up *quick maths break* 138 infantry models, and 6 APCs. For one troops choice.
Add Nemesis to that list, no tension (same problem as Abyss) and the worst fluff raping i've seen since Goto, speaking of...Mathak said:
That is relatively tame as multilasers can damage Carnifexes. Better examples include Marines using those multilasers, Slaanesh worshipping Eldar, Terminators in a Razorback, feral children jumping on a Falcon Grav Tank and killing it by sticking a rock up the exhaust, Eldar rangers running around bikes firing their sniper rifles full auto from the hip, and a Terminator sargeant and a Dark Reaper Exarch having a matrix style dodging gun fight. And these are just ones off the top of my head.
Ok so if your looking to know more about warhammer 40k there are a few places i would direct you to.
The first is games workshop's website. Here you can see all the models they produce and read some general information about the different races and armies and the hobby itself. http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/home.jsp?_requestid=560174
I would also direct you to Lexicanum, a wikipedia for warhammer. http://www.lexicanum.com/
Also there is the black library, the company responsible for publishing all the novels. http://www.blacklibrary.com/ Though for some reason a lot of the novels are missing from the catalogue. You can actually find a lot of the books and audio dramas on youtube and torrent sites.
Finally you might want to go into your local games workshop to see in person what its all about. Here you can be introduced to the hobby and background in person, the staff can be a bit pushy though so look out for that.
The tabletop game is great fun, and gives you hours of fun gaming, painting, planning army lists and being involved in the hobby and background. That said it is expensive, but then so is every hobby. I would recommend online retailers such as maelstrom or wayland games where you can get large discounts off the uk price (the cheapest price). Also try ebay for lots of great deals.
The dawn of war series are another good starting point for getting into the 40k universe. The original dow's had some good campaigns with lots of story for background info and should be available cheap as a bundle set now. Their good rts' in the style of company of heroes with the latest dow 2 and its expansions focused entirely on unit based combat with no resource gathering or base building. You can start with the newer dow's absolutely, their unrelated to the earlier ones (well a couple characters are still around but their plots and gameplay are quite different).
There is also a movie called 'Ultramarines'. Pretty meh to be honest but it gives you a good introduction to space marines.
I would recommend picking up (or downloading) some of the books first, particularly the horus heresy series (which is on the time's best sellers list) to get you into the background and really give you a feel for the universe. Other standout novels are Soul Drinker, Cadian Blood, the Eisenhorn Series, Storm of Iron, Lord of the Night, GunHeads,the Space Wolf series is popular (though i find it simplistic).
The first is games workshop's website. Here you can see all the models they produce and read some general information about the different races and armies and the hobby itself. http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/home.jsp?_requestid=560174
I would also direct you to Lexicanum, a wikipedia for warhammer. http://www.lexicanum.com/
Also there is the black library, the company responsible for publishing all the novels. http://www.blacklibrary.com/ Though for some reason a lot of the novels are missing from the catalogue. You can actually find a lot of the books and audio dramas on youtube and torrent sites.
Finally you might want to go into your local games workshop to see in person what its all about. Here you can be introduced to the hobby and background in person, the staff can be a bit pushy though so look out for that.
The tabletop game is great fun, and gives you hours of fun gaming, painting, planning army lists and being involved in the hobby and background. That said it is expensive, but then so is every hobby. I would recommend online retailers such as maelstrom or wayland games where you can get large discounts off the uk price (the cheapest price). Also try ebay for lots of great deals.
The dawn of war series are another good starting point for getting into the 40k universe. The original dow's had some good campaigns with lots of story for background info and should be available cheap as a bundle set now. Their good rts' in the style of company of heroes with the latest dow 2 and its expansions focused entirely on unit based combat with no resource gathering or base building. You can start with the newer dow's absolutely, their unrelated to the earlier ones (well a couple characters are still around but their plots and gameplay are quite different).
There is also a movie called 'Ultramarines'. Pretty meh to be honest but it gives you a good introduction to space marines.
I would recommend picking up (or downloading) some of the books first, particularly the horus heresy series (which is on the time's best sellers list) to get you into the background and really give you a feel for the universe. Other standout novels are Soul Drinker, Cadian Blood, the Eisenhorn Series, Storm of Iron, Lord of the Night, GunHeads,the Space Wolf series is popular (though i find it simplistic).
I love 40K, always have since the 1st edition. It's the only setting you'll ever see where the 'good guys' are basically Nazi Germany meets the Spanish Inquisition. Mind boggling really that GW can pitch this stuff to kids and not spark a moral panic.
Or maybe not. A lot of the Black Library stuff reminds me of the stories you used to get in old british comics like The Victor and Battle. Boy's own adventures, only instead of germans shouting "Gott in Himmel! Where is der Englander?!" you've got Orks shouting "Oi! Where's dat humie?!"
Good wholesome fun, definitely.
Or maybe not. A lot of the Black Library stuff reminds me of the stories you used to get in old british comics like The Victor and Battle. Boy's own adventures, only instead of germans shouting "Gott in Himmel! Where is der Englander?!" you've got Orks shouting "Oi! Where's dat humie?!"
Good wholesome fun, definitely.
The games are excellent, as are the books. I don't know anything about the tabletop game, though.
Don't forget that when under attack from Tyranids, the best place to stand your Space Marines is ON TOP OF A BUNKER. And that Spore Mines drag your standard-bearer guy away from you into the swarm, and does not explode at all. And the Jump Infantry guys can fly indefinitely.Megalodon said:
My experience with the universe is largely relegated to the various video game interpretations. Of the lot, Dawn of War 2 is my favorite simply because it is simply the style of RTS game I've always liked to play. The previous iterations were certainly better in a lot of ways, but I don't like managing large armies and juggling resources and all that nonsense that has no bearing on the game at hand. I never could bring myself to play DoW online but I've easily logged hundreds of hours in DoW 2 online.