Getting into Gaming (Warhammer 40k)

Before now, I have been mostly fixated on the painting and modeling portion of Warhammer 40k. However, I have recently taken the plunge into the gaming portion. I went to my local hobby shop, watched a couple games, and then played 2 games with a friend of mine. From my little experience, I have just a couple tips for someone wanting to start gaming

(Pictures are from my local hobby shop. They are just to show what a game/game board can look like.)

First, you should read the rule book. I know it's huge, but only the first quarter of it or so is rules. Borrow it from a friend, and read it once through. If you are very sure that you are going to be sticking with the hobby for a long time, you should buy one. A rule book is a necessity for playing the game.

Second, just going and watching a game can be extremely helpful, especially if the people you are watching are new and learning the game themselves. Veteran players tend to remember most rules from memory, and an onlooker might not even realize what is happening. Still, any game you watch can be a learning experience. You get to see some of the rules in action, and you get a better understanding of some of the basic concepts (assault phases, line of sight, etc.).

Third, find someone to actually play a game with. It can be as small as one squad against another, but this will help you the most when it comes to fully understanding the rules. You will make some mistakes, but that's ok. You can play against another beginner, reading the rules as you go, or an advanced player who will coach you on the rules as you go.

The rules can be pretty confusing at first, so if I were to try and help someone understand the game, I would start playing with abridged rules, and then slowly adding more and more complexity, finally ending with playing the game in it's entirety. This is what I mean by abridged rules:

Abridged rules(for novice players learning the game):

(These are mostly to be read by the experienced player who is teaching the newer player. Not everyone agrees with me about the use of these rules to teach someone how to play.)

-Condense the game into just the three phases: Movement, Shooting, and Assault. Make an emphasis when ending one phase and beginning another
-Play without objectives, complex terrain (such as mysterious or dangerous terrain), missions, reserves, warlord traits. allies, etc.
-Play without leadership tests/morale checks, physic powers, multiple assaults, and other concepts that may be confusing to new players.
-Play without using special rules (very novice players). This means you will basically only be using your units' stats (WS, BS, S, T, etc.) and it's basic weapons. You will not be using rules like Hatred, Hammer of Wrath, Gets Hot, Instant Death, etc. You can gradually add these rules in as you see fit, maybe explaining them as you play, but not using them (i.e. saying, " In this instance, I would get to re-roll this die because I have Hatred").

The purpose of the abridged rules is to introduce the new player to the fundamentals: understanding the charts in the back of the rulebook (To hit, to wound charts) as well as other basic rules (such as armor pierce, armor penetration, vehicle rules, etc).

 

I hope to share my gaming adventures with you. I will still be posting about painting and modeling, as well.
Feel free to share any thoughts or comments you have, about this post or the blog in general. I get lonely when nobody comments... :(