Hobbies And Interests
Miniatures
You need at least two opposing armies to play Warhammer 40k. For the vast majority of your games two is plenty as three or more sides to a battle makes for an entertaining but time-consuming game. New players need to decide on a race to play, such as the mysterious and powerful Eldar or the monstrous and altogether alien Tyranids. The box set, Assault on Blackreach, makes this decision easier as it gives you everything you need to play a game of Warhammer 40k, including two armies of miniatures -- Space Marines and Orks. The miniatures provided in the box set are just a starting point, giving you enough models to play small skirmish games. For larger battles, you will need more and more varied miniatures.
The Rules
There is a copy of the Warhammer 40k rules within the Assault on Blackreach box set. It is a condensed version of the main rule book which offers a wealth of information on the background of the war torn universe of the 41st millennium as well as descriptions of all the different races available for players to choose from. Although it can seem quite daunting at first, the rules are quite straightforward as the game operates in phases: Each player takes a turn to move, shoot, assault, and use any psychic powers that he might have available.
Dice
The game requires six-sided dice -- lots of them. Once you have enough to fill two hands, you can stop collecting. One of the joys of playing the game is throwing fistfuls of dice as your models shoot and assault your foe. A unit of 10 Space Marines, for instance, could roll 20 dice as it fires its bolters, while a mob of 25 orks could roll 100 dice in a single assault phase. You will also need a scatter dice. This is provided in the Assault on Blackreach box set and is also included in most Games Workshop dice sets.
Measures
As a tabletop battle game, Warhammer 40k relies on a variety of measures to ensure that your troops, vehicles, and monsters move and shoot as far they can. This is accomplished with a tape measure. It's a good idea to get at least one of these, as the measuring rods in the Assault on Blackreach are awkward to use. You also need three templates: blast, large blast and template. The first two are circular and represent an explosion, and the third is a cone-shaped marker used to represent template weapons such as flamers. All three can easily be made from card (the sizes are in the rule book) and plastic versions are in the Assault on Blackreach box set and are also available to buy separately.
Table and Scenery
You need something to play on and your models something to hide behind. A normal dining table is fine to begin with, but once your model collection grows you'll need something bigger -- at least 4 feet square and preferably 4 feet wide and 6 feet long. If you can't get anything suitably large, you can always use the floor. As for scenery, a good-looking table can add a new dimension to your games as your models fight across ruined cities, blasted landscapes and alien landscapes. Scenery can be whatever you want it to be -- books stacked beneath a green blanket, rocks from the garden and professionally made scenery that can include anything from walls and ruined buildings to large towers and weapon installations.