The trouble with a wargame as massive as Warhammer 40K is finding a way in. The rules can be labyrinthine, there are so many factions to choose from, and it's often difficult to find a starter set with everything you need; they're often . That all changes with a new edition, though.
Warhammer 40K 11th Edition has just gone live, and it's the best jumping-on point we've had for the hobby in years. Unlike the best board games, Warhammer 40K is constantly changing; its rules are eternally being refined and built upon, resulting in a knot of mechanics. When a new version of the game drops, though, there's an emphasis on making things more streamlined and sanding off any rough edges. Each edition traditionally arrives with a launch box as well, providing the most comprehensive entry point to the hobby while stocks last. Armageddon is the latest one, and I'm still impressed at the value of this thing.
In terms of what's inside, two massive armies are included (Space Marines and Orks) alongside the full core rulebook, a lore primer for catching up on what's what in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and a host of cards used to run both missions and campaigns. Yes, you can guarantee that official starter sets will follow at some point soon. But those won't include many of the items featured above.
I've been hands-on with Armageddon myself, and it's Christmas come early for fans. For starters, those miniatures are incredible. While the Orks steal the spotlight in almost every regard (they're endearingly scrappy, if not outright weird at times), there are incredible models on both sides.
In addition, I've been impressed with how refined and easy to use the core rulebook is. Besides giving a lot of thought to how readable it is, it's trimmed away all the backstory that traditionally gets packaged with these books - and it's much more practical as a result. Not having to cart around a several-hundred-page tome to matches is a relief.
Having those game and campaign cards in the box is useful too. These are sure to coset a pretty penny separately.
Actually, that's true of the entire Warhammer 40K Armageddon box set; we don't know how much this will all cost individually yet, but it's always a lot more than launch boxes like this wind up being. In other words, you're saving a lot here... especially with that discount.
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