Warhammer 40,000 is an extremely intimidating setting for newcomers, I should know. We’ve all been there at one point or another, being stood staring up at rows upon rows of miniature model kits wondering “What’s all this about different coloured marines then?”. Fortunately, there’s never been a better time to jump into the hobby whether you’re keen to paint, play or read about the fascinating stories that make up the universe.
With several games, books and an absolutely heaping pile of miniatures on offer, the means of entry are numberless and growing ever accessible. Although, you’re forgiven if you still aren’t quite sure at what you’re looking at and what means what. After all, Warhammer 40,000 is a setting that has been going since the late 1980s and a LOT has happened since the first edition of the game.
Wondering how you might get a better idea of who’s who and what they look like?
Look no further than the Warhammer 40,000: The Ultimate Guide. It’s got everything, and I mean everything a first timer would need to understand the background information, models and the context that’ll set you up for further exploration in the 41st millennium. This brand new entry to the library of existing Warhammer guides launched in concurrence with Warhammer Day, a day packed with goodies for fans of the franchise to get their hands on.
But why should you give it a look if you’re unfamiliar with the franchise in its entirety? To begin with, The Warhammer 40,000: The Ultimate Guide combines both the history regarding the actual game in its entirety before arriving at the present day as well as Games Workshop’s history as an entity, so to speak. For those that have absolutely no idea about the game and the company both, this book serves as a neat little tome that’ll give you all you need to know regarding how Games Workshop got their start and how they have catapulted into their position as a giant of the UK table top industry. (Seriously, Warhammer pulls in some absolutely bonkers numbers. Look it up!)
There’s plenty to rave about with this guide, from both an existing fans perspective and one of someone completely new to the way things work. The book essentially breaks down each and every tabletop faction in the game into their own bestiary of sorts, supplying information about what particular models they have on offer as well as some flavour text about what they actually do in the larger lore. Accompanied by some wonderful images of absolutely expertly painted models, I grew to love how these sections of the book were laid out. I’m speaking as someone who knew quite a bit of this information going in, I genuinely sat and reread unit descriptions because of how visually pleasing they were to my eyes.
Something I was not prepared for and which was wholly welcomed, was a section here and there dedicated to certain models in a display of how they’ve progressed in scale alongside the growth of the tabletop game. I’ll highlight one in particular, that being Marneus Calgar of the Ultramarines. Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of the faction (Yes, even after the fantastic Space Marine 2) but I still found it thoroughly interesting to read about how his model has adapted and changed over the years.
Hailing all the way back to the very first edition of the game which debuted in 1987 leading all the way up to his brand new ‘Primaris’ scale miniature that is currently in circulation now. It’s fascinating to see how the designers at Citadel revisit certain centrepiece models and characters over the years, paying them special attention and iterating on how they might make them even more fantastically over the top and iconic than they already are.
My only gripe with this book is that it doesn’t quite give you more than a surface level glance at what the larger setting of 40K entails. Sure, there’s a bit of information at the beginning of each faction’s debut, but I think they could have gotten away with providing a little more about what is actually going on within the current iteration of the game. It’s a minor want and to be honest, I think the book does fine even without it. As a standalone guide to the universe and the characters, armies and models that inhabit it, the book absolutely serves its purpose as being an essential must have for both existing collectors and new fans alike.
You can find Warhammer 40,000: The Ultimate Guide on Amazon.