Warhammer 40,000 (sometimes colloquially called Warhammer 40K, WH40K or 40k) is a miniature wargameproduced by Games Workshop. It is the most popular miniature wargame in the world,[1][2][3] and is particularly popular in the United Kingdom.[4] The first edition of the rulebook was published in September 1987, and the tenth and current edition was released in June 2023.
Warhammer 40k description
As in other miniature wargames, players enact battles using miniature models of warriors and fighting vehicles. The playing area is a tabletop model of a battlefield, comprising models of buildings, hills, trees, and other terrain features. Each player takes turns moving their model warriors around the battlefield and fighting their opponent's warriors. These fights are resolved using dice and simple arithmetic.
Warhammer 40,000 is set in the distant future, where a stagnant human civilisation is beset by hostile aliens and supernatural creatures. The models in the game are a mixture of humans, aliens, and supernatural monsters wielding futuristic weaponry and supernatural powers. The setting of the game has been developed through a large body of novels published by Black Library. Warhammer 40,000 was initially conceived as a scifi counterpart to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, a medieval fantasy wargame also produced by Games Workshop. The game has received widespread praise for the tone and depth of its setting, and is considered the foundational work of the grimdarkgenre of speculative fiction, the word grimdark itself derived from the series' tagline: "In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war".
Warhammer 40k description
Warhammer 40,000 has spawned many spin-off media. Games Workshop has produced a number of other tabletop or board games connected to the brand, including both extrapolations of the mechanics and scale of the base game to simulate unique situations, as with Space Hulk or Kill Team, and wargames simulating vastly different scales and aspects of warfare within the same fictional setting, as with Battlefleet Gothic, Adeptus Titanicus or Warhammer Epic. Video game spin-offs, such as Dawn of War and the Space Marine series, have also been released.
Games Workshop sells a large variety of gaming models for Warhammer 40,000, but no ready-to-play models. Rather, it sells boxes of model parts, which players are expected to assemble and paint themselves. Each miniature model represents an individual soldier, vehicle, or monster. Most Warhammer 40,000 models are made of polystyrene but certain models, which are made and sold in small volumes, are made of lead-free pewter or epoxy resin. Games Workshop also sells glue, tools, and acrylic paints for finishing models. The assembly and painting of the models is a major aspect of the hobby, and many customers of Games Workshop buy models simply to paint and display them.[citation needed] A player might spend weeks assembling and painting models before they have a playable army.