If you’re loving Space Marine 2, there’s a massive world of Warhammer books, tabletop RPGs, and more video games to explore.
By Brendan Hesse on September 14, 2024 at 9:00AM PDT
Space Marine 2 is off to a tremendous start. Not only has it reviewed well, but it shattered Warhammer’s franchise record for concurrent players on launch day and became Focus Entertainment’s fastest-selling game. Long-time Warhammer-heads will feel right at home donning the blue armor of the Ultramarines chapter, but given its current popularity, plenty of newcomers are jumping into the series for the first time with Space Marine 2. And if you wind up loving the world of Warhammer, there’s good news: Warhammer 40K has a massive library of video games, books, and tabletop miniatures to explore.
On the other hand, all that content can be intimidating to newcomers–there are hundreds of novels, dozens of games, and nearly four decades of tabletop lore to catch up on. Luckily, there are some clear entry points into the Warhammer 40,000 universe. One of the newest is Warhammer 40,000: The Ultimate Guide. Releasing October 29, the 336-page hardcover tome is the first official Warhammer 40,000 encyclopedia.
Warhammer 40,000: The Ultimate Guide offers a detailed exploration of the expansive war-torn universe of 40K, including character lore, vibrant illustrations, and high-quality images of new tabletop miniatures. Whether you are just starting to learn about the Imperium of Man and the robust Space Marines, or you are an experienced enthusiast eager to enjoy excellently crafted miniatures, this guide meets all needs. Available for pre-order at Amazon, interested buyers can secure a copy for $40, a reduction from the usual price of $45.
Warhammer 40,000: The Ultimate Guide serves as an excellent introduction for newcomers desiring a comprehensive view of the grimdark narrative and its conflicting powers. For those eager to delve deeper, a good starting point is the Warhammer 40K 10th Edition tabletop core rulebook, available as a free digital download. This rulebook offers not only the game’s rules but also extensive descriptions of the factions, weaponry, and worlds within the 40K universe. Additional resources such as downloadable indexes and datasheets for each playable faction are available online. For those preferring physical copies, Codex books provide even deeper insights into the lore and regulations of each faction.
Armed with the Warhammer 40K 10th Edition core rulebook and supplemental materials about the armies, enthusiasts are well-prepared to experience other facets of the franchise, from engaging in the tabletop game to collecting and painting miniatures or delving into the extensive array of Warhammer 40K literature.
For those interested in either playing the Warhammer 40K tabletop game or merely collecting and painting armies, Games Workshop offers various starter kits worthy of consideration.
The Warhammer 40,000: Introductory Set offers a complete two-player starter kit including Space Marines and Tyranids squads, paints, a rules handbook, playmat, dice, and more for a price of $55. It serves as an excellent entry point and foundation for building either a Space Marine or Tyranid army.
The Space Marine board game provides a simpler introduction to the tabletop experience where players use a streamlined rule set, one commanding a lone Space Marine and the other leading Tyranids. Miniatures come unassembled and unpainted, aligning with standard Warhammer models, and are expandable to the broader game. Available at Target for $40.
For those interested in just the model building and painting aspect, the Getting Started with Warhammer 40K pack is an affordable choice at $17, offering one Primaris Space Marine and one Tyranid Termagant model. Additional painting supplies can be found in the Warhammer 40K: Paints & Tools Set or the Space Marines Assault Intercessors paint set.
If you’re eager to dive into the expansive lore of Warhammer 40K, various resources like the 10th Edition rulebook, army indexes, and the forthcoming Ultimate Guide encyclopedia provide rich details. For narrative explorations, the diverse catalog of Warhammer 40K novels from the Black Library offers stories set across different timeframes and perspectives. These books, although at times challenging to find in print, are widely accessible digitally.
The focus of most Warhammer 40K literature is on the Space Marines, highlighting chapters like the Ultramarines, Space Wolves, and Salamanders in numerous narratives. Yet, some stories delve into other factions of the Imperium, such as the Eisenhorn series by Dan Abnett. This series, centered on Gregor Eisenhorn of the Imperial Inquisition, is considered one of the franchise’s best for its exploration of demonic threats to the Empire. Comprising just four books, it presents a concise introduction to the 40K universe.
For a mix of humor and warfare, the Ciaphas Cain saga offers a lighter take through the exploits of Imperial Guard commander Ciaphas Cain and his unit, the 597th Valhallans. Fighting against numerous Warhammer 40K factions, these books are perfect for a broader understanding of the series’ expansive battles.
Exploring perspectives of iconic adversaries, the Night Lords trilogy by Aaron Dembski-Bowden offers a rare narrative from the Chaos Space Marines’ point of view.
For fans interested in the enigmatic Eldar, or space elves of 40K, starting with the Path of the Eldar series or the Rise of the Ynnari duology can provide a deep dive into their mysterious world.
There are also several series that follow the T’au empire–which, for those unfamiliar with the setting, are technologically advanced humanoid aliens with cool laser weapons and giant, Gundam-like mechs. Don’t let anyone mislead you; the T’au are rad and are the center of some awesome books like Shadowsun: The Patient Hunter.
There are hundreds of other Warhammer 40K books out there, but for those who want to understand the history of the Imperium of Man and how the Emperor went from a crusading galactic warlord to an undying corpse hooked up to a giant mechanical throne that requires thousands of daily human sacrifices to power and whom humans worship as a living god, there’s the massive Horus Heresy series. The Horus Heresy series contains a whopping 64 books in total that take place 10,000 years before the current era of the Warhammer 40K universe, so it’s a massive undertaking. It’s not necessary to read all the books to understand the setting, but those who take on the task are in for an epic space opera chronicling the civil war that lead to the creation of the Chaos Space Marines and the “ascension” of the human Emperor to the Golden Throne.
Unsurprisingly for a franchise as big–and violent–as Warhammer 40K, there are dozens of video games set in the gothic science-fantasy universe. To be fair, not all are of the highest quality, but there are plenty of gems worth checking out. The video games only offer a limited look into the 40K world–and, like most 40K material, focus primarily on the Space Marines–but since they’re often self-contained stories, you can jump in without needing to read through supplemental materials.
The newest Warhammer 40K game, Space Marine 2, offers a focused narrative and killer third-person combat where you play as a member of one of the most iconic Space Marine chapters, the Ultramarines. It’s the follow-up to 2011’s Space Marine, which is available in a special Anniversary Edition for cheap at Fanatical. The Anniversary Edition comes with all of Space Marine’s DLC and a bunch of bonus content, including a digital art book, strategy guide, soundtrack, and more.
The Ultramarines are featured as a playable chapter in the recent game release Warhammer 40K Boltgun. This game is excellent for those looking to delve further into their crusade against Chaos, but it is light on story. Additionally, an expansion called Forges of Corruption was released earlier this year.
The tabletop game has inspired several strategy-driven video games, the most notable being Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War. This game is highly acclaimed for its replayable RTS mechanics and with its numerous expansions represented in the Master Collection edition, players can explore nearly all the 40K factions. For a more cost-effective option, the standalone “Dark Crusade” is recommended.
While Dawn of War 2 and Dawn of War 3 also continue the series, they offer a different quality and playstyle. Dawn of War 2 removes base-building, focusing instead on squad-level tactics and hero units. Conversely, Dawn of War 3 reintroduces base-building but scales back on the number of playable factions and strategic depth.
For a video game experience that remains true to the turn-based origins of the tabletop Warhammer 40K, Warhammer 40K: Battlesector is ideal. This title offers a solid replication of the tabletop game’s mechanics in a turn-based format but is initially limited to playing as the Blood Angels Space Marine and Tyranids factions. Expansions and additional units are available through DLC, often found at discounted prices.
For alternative turn-based picks, Chaos Gate: Daemonhunters and Mechanicus both offer X-Com-like tactical gameplay where you play as unique subfactions of the Imperium–specifically the Inquisition’s Grey Knights in Chaos Gate: Daemonhunters and the techpriests of the Adeptus Mechanicus in Mechanicus.
For those who want a more narrative-driven game, there’s Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader, which also dropped in 2023. This RPG offers turn-based combat, branching narratives, multiple party members to recruit, and even your own ship to customize. The title “Rogue Trader” comes from the subtitle for the Warhammer 40K tabletop game’s first edition, which featured much more traditional roleplaying compared to the wargame focus of later versions.
These recommendations are just a small selection of the many Warhammer 40,000 video games, books, and tabletop kits out there, but they’re more than enough to get you familiar with one of the biggest, most over-the-top fictional universes ever concocted.
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