Opis
There is no time for peace. No forgiveness. No respite. There is only
war.
The galaxy writhes in the mailed fist of all-consuming
conflict. The Imperium of Mankind teeters on the brink of annihilation, beset
upon all sides by heretic warlords, daemon-summoning witches and rapacious
alien empires. In every star system and upon every planet, fierce battle rages
as loyalists, heretics and aliens tear reality itself apart in their war for
dominance. Every day the flames rise higher.
This is a more terrible
era than ever before, and there is no peace amongst the
stars…
The Book
A 368-page hardback, this is the
essential book for any fan of Warhammer 40,000 – everything you need to know to
collect, build, paint and play with Citadel miniatures.
It starts with
an overview of the Warhammer 40,000 hobby, covering the four areas of Collect,
Built, Paint and Play, including descriptions of open, matched, and narrative
play.
Dark Imperium
In the first of the book’s huge
lore sections, you can read all about the state of the galaxy after the
Cicatrix Maledictum – the Great Rift – tore open across the galaxy, dividing
the Imperium in two. Humanity faces its greatest challenge in more than ten
millennia as the forces of Chaos run rampant across the reeling Imperium even
as alien warlords seek to take advantage of the untold devastation wrought
upon the Emperor’s realm.
A gatefold also includes an ornate depiction
of the planets and the Sol System, as well as a map of the entire galaxy,
calling out key war zones so you can see where the action hot spots are
currently situated. Dark Imperium continues by covering in brief the Imperium’s
military wings, its bureaucratic institutions and even its other, more
clandestine organisations…
As you read on, you’ll learn more about the
constant flux of the Imperium’s borders and gain insight into the Imperial
Creed’s attitude towards abhumans, psykers and, worst of all, mutants and
heretics!
Lastly, Dark Imperium provides a brief overview of the four
Dark Gods of Chaos – including their immortal daemonic legions, sycophantic
followers and dread mortal champions – as an ever-present threat to the
Imperium.
The Saga Imperialis
Upon delving into the
next part of the lore, you’ll enjoy a high-level overview of the history of
Mankind, from its very beginnings, through the early Ages of Terra and
Technology, the Ages of Strife and Darkness, all the way up to the Age of the
Imperium in the aftermath of the Horus Heresy. It continues to reveal the
events of the Age of the Dark Imperium and the Gathering Storm in the time
before the Great Rift tore open – and the Age of Witches that followed during
the Psychic Awakening. Finally, it lays the foundations of the Indomitus
Crusade, following the reborn Primarch Roboute Guilliman’s visitation with his
father, the Emperor, on Holy Terra.
As you continue, you’ll glean
insights into the Imperium’s stance against the Alien – covering the Orks, the
T’au Empire, the Aeldari, the Necrons and the extragalactic Tyranids – the
Daemon and the Heretic.
Bringing this section to a close are four short
pieces of fiction, which bring the grim reality of the Era Indomitus to life in
incredible detail.
The Warriors of the Emperor, The Lost and The Damned
and Xenos Invaders
These sections cover every faction in Warhammer 40,000
and will offer you an in-depth understanding of each one, the threat they pose
and their place in the galaxy. There is also a stunning miniatures showcase
for each faction, depicting them as they would appear in battle and with
narrative descriptions.
The Rules
The first section
of the core rules covers the basic rules of the game, and takes you through
the rules that apply to the seven phases of the game: the Command phase,
Movement phase, Psychic phase, Shooting phase, Charge phase, Combat phase and
Morale phase.
Additional rules also cover:
–
Playing missions and the process of building an army in readiness, using either
Power Rating or points values
– Battle-forged and Unbound armies, as well
Command points that Battle-forged Armies can utilise
– Battlefield Roles
and 11 types of Detachment that can be included in your armies
– Seven Core
Stratagems that are universal and available to every army in Warhammer
40,000
– Strategic Reserves – the option to hold back units during
deployment and even send them to outflank the enemy line
– Actions – such as
planting explosives, hacking into a databank, or performing a ritual – and how
they can be performed (and in some cases, prevented)
– Rules for terrain
features, such as Hills, Obstacles, Area Terrain and Buildings, including
traits the terrain might have and its impact on the battlefield
– Hints
and tips for setting up a suitable battlefield, in terms of density and type
of terrain, type of terrain, and ensuring that neither side of the battlefield
is preferential to the other
Open Play
Let your
imagination run wild, as open play caters for reenacting every kind of
narrative storyline or tactical challenge you can think of, without
restrictions. This section centres around the Open Hostility Mission Pack – a
12-step guide to setting up and playing an open play game through to a
conclusion and determining a victor. Includes the following:
–
Guidance on mustering armies, determining missions, creating the battlefield
and a host of other key points to playing a game
– Three bespoke open play
missions
Matched Play
Designed to put both players
on an equal footing, matched play offers both players an even chance of
victory, leaving it to your own mastery of army selection and tactics to earn
you the advantage in battle. This section features an Eternal War Mission Pack
– a 16-step guide to setting up and playing a matched play game through to a
conclusion and determining a victor. Includes the following:
– Guidance on
selecting battle size, mustering armies, determining missions, creating the
battlefield, selecting Secondary Objectives and a host of other key points to
playing a game
– 18 bespoke matched play missions, each specifically
designed around the size of the game being played: three for Combat Patrol,
six for Incursion, six for Strike Force, three for Onslaught
– Secondary
Objectives, featuring a list of 17 different Secondary Objectives that players
can choose from, split over five separate categories
Narrative
Play
Crusade is a new way to play games of Warhammer 40,000. It
allows you to take a collection of miniatures and, taking them on a Crusade,
level up your units over any number of games, against any number of opponents,
forging your own narrative for your miniatures collection as they engage with
their enemies on the battlefields of the 41st Millenium. Over your Crusade
games, will you be able to grow your army, gain experience and skills, and
modify your weaponry. Though you may start off with a small band of
inexperienced warriors, you can create an elite fighting force that is
renowned and feared across the galaxy!
Includes the
following:
– How to gather a Crusade force, and how it gains
experience and levels up over its series of games
– A balancing mechanic to
allow for any two Crusade forces, from the greenest band of soldiers to the
most legendary squad of battle brothers to be able to play an evenly matched
game of Warhammer 40,000
– Blank, photocopiable Crusade Cards and Order of
Battle sheet for keeping track of your forces.
– Four tables of Battle
Honours – Battle Traits, Weapon Enhancements, Psychic Fortitudes and Crusade
Relics – each offering different in-game bonuses and effects that the unit has
earned through numerous hard-fought battles
– A Battle Scars table for
those units who fail to emerge from their battles unscathed…
– Guidance on
setting up and playing a Crusade narrative play game through to a conclusion,
determining a victor, and updating your Crusade Cards and Order of Battle
–
A list of 17 different Agendas that players can choose from, split over five
separate categories.
– 18 bespoke Crusade missions, each specifically
designed around the size of the game being played: three for Combat Patrol,
six for Incursion, six for Strike Force, three for
Onslaught.
Rules Appendix
A handy reference section
that includes the following:
– Designer’s Commentary from rules
designer Robin Cruddace
– An alphabetised list of 174 existing weapons that
gain the benefit of the Blast special rule
– An alphabetised list of 22
existing miniatures/datasheets that gain the Aircraft keyword
– A summary
synopsis of 14 rarer rules/interactions that don’t often arise in games, but
are important to keep a note of
– A Rules Terms Glossary, which provides
precise and exacting definitions of 142 separate rules terms to aid in
resolving more complex rules interactions
