Welcome to this Astra Militarum Glossary! A glossary of terms built up during my Getting Started with the Astra Militarum series.
This Astra Militarum Glossary will gradually be populated as the Astra Militarum Getting Started series is published. Words in bold below are terms that are contained in the Glossary.
If you think I got something wrong or missed an important term then please get in touch via; Facebook, Twitter, Reddit or email me at trooper@ the domain of this blog.
The act of creating a list of units and their upgrades to play a game of Warhammer 40,000 with. This can be done on paper or with an app such as BattleScribe.
Mankind’s main fighting force in Warhammer 40,000. Billions of people are drafted into the Asta Militarum each day and billions day each day.
The Astra Militarum used to be called the Imperial Guard. They are the same thing. It is generally agreed that Games Workshop changed the name because Astra Militarum is their name and therefore can be copyrighted. Imperial Guard is too generic.
Each model, weapon, monster, vehicle, etc in Warhammer 40,000 has a points value. In Matched Play, you and your opponent set a points limit and you both Build a List up to, but not over, that points limit.
The points values are contained within each army’s Codex.
Each unit is assigned a Power Level. The Power Level for a unit is the same if they take loads of extra weapons and gear or if they take no extras. This simplifies the List Building process as you do not need to add up every single model and weapon’s Points value.
Power Levels are more often used in Narrative Play and Open Play.
Matched Play aims to give both sides an equal chance of victory. It does it’s best to make the two sides equal.
Narrative Play puts more emphasis on telling a story than the other two methods.
Open Play is easy to start, you need no prior planning and you can just throw models onto the table and play.
Each army has its own Codex, it is a book or e-book, which contains all the rules and stats for that army. This is the Astra Militarum Codex.
A Codex does not contain the Warhammer 40,000 rules.
Orders a specific ability for the Astra Militarum, no other force can use orders. Orders are used Creed, Platoon and Company Commanders. They are extra benefits given to your Astra Militarum Infantry units. For example, allowing an infantry to re-roll ones to hit or allowing them to re-roll ones to wound.
These are extra pieces war gear that Characters can take. Each force gets one for free. You can take more by spending Command Points and using your forces specific Stratagem that allows you to take more Relics. It’s usually one extra Relic for 1CP or 2 extra Relics for 3CP.
Each Relic can only be taken once – they are unique pieces of war gear.
They usually replace a weapon or give the Character a new special ability. E.g. allow an officer to issue an additional order to a unit.
A regular 6 sided dice.
A dice that has 3 outcomes on it; 1, 2 and 3.
A D6 can be used as a D3. Roll a 1 or 2 that is 1, roll a 3 or a 4 that is 2 and if you roll a 5 or a 6 that is 3.
Or more simply, roll a D6, half it, round up. That is your D3 result.
The Warhammer 40,000 Basic Rulebook contains several missions. Many are specific to Matched Play. The Missions tell you and your opponent how to set up the battlefield, special rules for the mission and the victory conditions for the battle. They are good and are a welcome change to KILL EACH OTHER!
Chapter Approved is an additional book which is optional. It’s not specific to the Astra Militarum, it’s for the whole of Warhammer 40,000. It’s meant to fix a few rules and abilities that get abused, clarify some grey areas and add new rules where there were none before. It gets used in tournaments and by a lot of regular players too.
Chapter Approved also contains extra Missions.
The Warhammer 40,000 basic rules are free – 40K Basic Rules. But the Basic Rulebook (BRB) contains more detailed rules as well as Missions.
The Basic Rulebook (BRB) contains all the rules you need to wage war in Warhammer 40,000. It contains extra rules as well as missions and much more. This is the Warhammer 40K Basic Rulebook.
An extra ability that an army can use during a battle. Stratagems cost Command Points.
A Detachment is a group of units. Each Detachment requires a minimum number of units from a specific Battlefield Role to be valid. They also have a maximum too for each Battlefield Role.
Each detachment can give your force Command Points. Some detachments give zero or take one Command Point away. While some give 5 Command Points or even 12!
Command Points are spent on Stratagems during a battle.
The commanders of an army used to buff and improve your other units like a Lord Commissar.
Tanks or Artillery that dish out a lot of damage, such as the Leman Russ or Basilisk.
The staple of a lot of forces, cheap and numerous – Guardsmen.
Specialised troops that are often tough and/or have the ability to crush the enemy with firepower, like the trusty Bullgryns.
Quick units that usually do a very specific task very well, like the Sentinel.
Units used to transport other units around the battlefield, such as a Chimera or a Taurox. These are limited to the number of other units. E.g. you can’t take a 4 Chimeras if you only have 2 other units in your force.
Flying war machines such as the Valkyrie or Vulture.
Massive war machines such as Baneblades or Knights.
This is a major part of the hobby for some people. In short, it’s taking two or more models and making them your own. For example this monster Ork Leman Russ by @steve_neilson.
If you want something else covered here, have a question or just want to say hello then please do. You can do so via, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit or email me at trooper@ the domain of this blog.