how to play warhammer 40k

Dec 19

Written By Chapter Master Mercius

Listen well, initiate.

Warhammer 40,000 is not a game of luck.
It is a test of command, discipline, and resolve.

1. Choose Your Army

You begin by choosing a faction.
This is your creed, your gene-line, your damnation or salvation.

Then you build an army to an agreed points limit.

Each unit must have a purpose:

Hold objectives
Kill enemies
Protect others
Die so victory may be secured

An army without purpose is already defeated.

2. Prepare the Battlefield

Terrain is sacred. It decides wars.

Ruins protect warriors
Open ground kills the careless
Objectives decide victory

Deployment is not random.
It is your first tactical decision.

3. The Turn of Battle

Each round follows the same order:

Command Phase – issue orders, gain resources
Movement Phase – position is power
Shooting Phase – guns speak
Charge Phase – close the distance
Fight Phase – blades decide truth
Battle-shock – the weak break

Dice are rolled.
But dice only reward preparation.

4. Victory Is Not Slaughter

Remember this, or you will lose.

You win by:

Holding objectives
Denying the enemy ground
Forcing bad choices

You can kill more and still fail.
Many commanders learn this too late.

5. The Mind of a Commander

A true leader:

Plans two turns ahead
Sacrifices units without hesitation
Thinks in objectives, not kills
Accepts loss without emotion

Ask yourself every turn:

“If my enemy responds perfectly, do I still gain?”

If not, rethink your orders.

Final Words

You will forget rules.
You will misjudge distances.
You will lose battles.

Good.

That is how commanders are forged.

Return to the table.
Learn.
Adapt.
And make war worthy of remembrance.

Chapter Master Mercius

Chapter Master Mercius is the unyielding architect and moral fulcrum of the Wardens of the Damned, a commander shaped not by triumph, but by catastrophe. Once a loyal son of a now-sundered chapter, Mercius rose through the ranks during an era of unquestioned obedience—until the internal conflict disaster that would later be known as the Sundering tore truth from dogma and exposed rot within his previous chapter command. Where others clung to denial or ambition, Mercius chose responsibility.

A strategist renowned for patience and restraint, Mercius is defined by his refusal to sacrifice truth for comfort. He is not a charismatic conqueror nor a zealous tyrant; he is a watchman. His leadership style favors deliberation, layered contingencies, and the preservation of brotherhood even when faith is strained. Those who serve under him know that he demands obedience, but never blind loyalty. Every order carries weight, and every life lost is remembered.

Mercius is deeply scarred by the choices he has made. He carries the burden of abandoning his previous chapter, of defying inquisitorial decrees when they conflict with conscience, and of condemning brothers who could not be saved. Yet he does not waver. To him, damnation is not a curse, it is a cost paid so that others may endure.

As Chapter Master, Mercius leads a fleet-based force that stands vigil where corruption festers and hope is already failing. Under his command, the Wardens of the Damned fight wars no one records, hold lines no one notices, and accept a future where redemption is uncertain. He does not promise victory. He promises that no brother will be left behind.

https://www.wardensofthedamned.com