Looking for info from WH40K Fans

AstroZombie

I picked up Dawn of War recently and am really enjoying it. I've always really liked the character design and now the entire universe has me intrigued. I noticed that there's several novels and there appears to be a ton of fan sites. Anyone care to recommend a starting point? I'd like a recommendation on which novel to start with and I'd also like a good source of reference behind the universe - Books, URLs, etc. I did a google source but there's so much info out there it's hard to know where to start.

SyaPed

www.games-workshop.com - Official site of the creators of Warhammer.

www.blacklibrary.com - Official site of GW's publishing arm (novels, backround books ect)

www.portent.net - Home of the biggest Warhammer forums, you can get answers to anything there.

www.criticalhit.co.uk/w40krp/ - Alot of backround info here, although some is quite old and might be confusing to a newcomer.

The new 40k rulebook is probably best for a starter...Besides the rules it has alot of backround info meant to introduce ppl to the universe.

If you can, get a hold of a novel called 'Space Marine'. It really captures the feel of the universe and many consider it to be the best 40k novel ever... It's really old though and they don't sell it anymore, so a library or ebay would probably be your best bet.

The series 'Gaunts Ghosts' is supposed to be really good...And the Eisenhorn series, you can get them at the Black Library site...

I could probably answer any questions you have about fluff (term meaning backround, setting info, stories ect) Yes I am a 40k nerd.

sundance

when i wanted info, what i did was buy the rulebook, then i picked up the codex rulebooks, i'd recommend the space marine, imperial guard, space wolves, dark angels, blood angels, chaos space marines and the witchhunters and daemonhunters particularly. i wouldn't bother with dark eldar unless you have an interest in them, they're a bit crap. i also reccommend the index astartes books for more on the space marines. plus of course there's the codexes for the eldar, orks, tau, necrons and tyrannids.

SyaPed

The new edition of 40k has just come out though, 4th edition. So the codexs will be redone, but that'll take years...The new Space Marine codex will be out next month or so though.

KMan

4th edition?!? They just got done making the codexs for 3rd.
Baaah!

SyaPed

Hehe yeah well they haven't changed the rules really...Just cleaned it up and changed a few things...You can still use 3rd ed codexs until the new ones come out.

AstroZombie

Thanks for the info all. For some reason I thought the rule books would just contain rules on how to play the tabletop game. Silly of me to think that it wouldn't contain any of the story surrounding the universe.

Any of you check out Dawn of War yet? I'm usually not a big RTS fan, but I am loving how Relic has streamlined things such as resource gathering. The only disappointment for me is that apparently you only play as Space Marines in the single player campaign and there's only 11 missions. I guess I'll have to get into the multiplayer component one I finish the campaign.

[edit]
SyaPed: Is this the novel? $74.50?!?!?! YIKES!!!

KRakarth

looks like ive been beaten to it

JKMakowka

[ QUOTE ]
I guess I'll have to get into the multiplayer component one I finish the campaign.


[/ QUOTE ]

The main focus of this games seems to be multiplayer anyways, but I got it because it seemed like it could be a worthy replacement for Starcraft (which Warcraft3 wasn't ), judging from the Dawn of War demo, but sadly the different races arn't that different at all (the more or less just look different)
Well it is a good game, but I am not sure yet if it will be as much fun as Starcraft in the multiplayer part of the game.

SyaPed

Heh yeah that's the book AstroZombie Maybe scratch the ebay idea and just check your library, that's how I got it...

MacD

If you can track it down, get the old rulebook called 'Rogue Trader'. It's one of the first wh40k rulebooks out there, I believe, and it has a wealth of background information in there on the whole universe. It's also much darker than the stuff out now, which has been cleaned up a quite a bit for the younger players (for example the emperor is this semi-dead tyrant who needs to have psychers sacrificed to keep him from death). The old stuff is much more visceral and gritty (and better, IMO).
Neat little factoid: I've seen that book on the shelves of all the tattoo-arists I've visited (which is two, to be exact, but hey ), which says good things about the quality of the art in those books.

JonMurphy

[ QUOTE ]
SyaPed: Is this the novel? $74.50?!?!?! YIKES!!!

[/ QUOTE ]
Hehe, I have that novel, and the early 'Inquisitor' novels, and Deathwing... I feel a auction coming on...

AstroZombie

FYI - THQ is taking a survey to see what the fans want from another WH40K game. You have to register to take it.

sundance

SPACE MARINE FPS!