Want to start playing Warhammer 40,000 but feel lost? This is the perfect launch-pad

The Warhammer 40,000 Introductory Set is like a good science teacher; it's patient, generous, doesn't take itself too seriously, and delights in blowing shit up for educational purposes. If you're new to Warhammer (or wargaming in general), rest easy. You're in good hands here.

Rather than tackling a 40 year-old game that's now on its 11th edition head on, this beginner box takes a different approach – it breaks everything down into bite-size, step-by-step chunks that are easy to get your head around. The Warhammer 40,000 Introductory Set also provides everything you need to get started in this hobby, from paints to accessories. Although there are some compromises (clippers would have been a nice addition, and it could do with extra paints like white), it's surprisingly good value overall.

Warhammer 40,000 Introductory Set features & design

True to its name, the Warhammer 40K Introductory Box Set aims to give you a taste for the game – and provide a springboard you can use to jump into full games. The box furnishes you with a small armory of content, and I'm genuinely impressed with what you get.

First up, you'll become the proud general of six Space Marines (five Intercessors along with a Lieutenant) and just as many Orks (five Boyz and a Boss Nob). These come in pieces that you simply twist off the sprue and push together - no glue required. Even if it's your first time making a Warhammer model, it shouldn't take much more than a half an hour per side. Everything slots neatly and logically into place.

Second, you receive a handful of paints along with a paintbrush to slap some color on your models. When combined with a range ruler, dice, a battlemat, and thin card scenery, your tabletop battles will start to look fancy.

Finally, you'll find a streamlined rulebook with an introduction to the game's mechanics in addition to some backstory that helps ground you in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

In other words, it's a comprehensive starter pack. While I think a couple of extra key paints and clippers would seal the deal (the latter allows you to remove pieces from sprues without leaving plastic nubs on your models), I'm genuinely taken aback at how good this offering is.

Plus, the models aren't repeats - we've never seen them before. While it would have been easy to include the same Space Marine Intercessors and Ork Boyz featured in other sets (such as this edition's launch box, Armageddon), these sculpts are unique. Crucially, I'd argue that they're more dynamic on the whole. They feel like individuals with distinct characters, not unlike operatives from Warhammer's Kill Team skirmish game.

Gameplay

If you're concerned about being overwhelmed, don't be; although there's a lot to take in with 40K, the Warhammer 40,000 Introductory Set breaks it all down into bite-size chunks that drip-feed everything you need to know across multiple missions. Much like the Kill Team Starter Set, it does this with step-by-step actions that are given a light-touch narrative so you aren't just drudging through dry mechanics. There are plenty of examples that help contextualize what's going on too, so most should find they have a good grasp of what's going on before long.

Once these tutorials are finished, it's time for war. You're then let loose with all the box's models on scenarios that provide your first proper taste of Warhammer. This isn't the full Warhammer 40K, of course; it's a stripped back version so as not to overwhelm newcomers. However, this will give you the grounding you need to jump into 40K proper.

Are you going to hunger for something more once you've run a few matches? Absolutely. Those flimsy card terrain pieces leave something to be desired as well, because they're incredibly thin so could tear or bend under pressure. But as a first step into Warhammer 40,000, I'd say this Introductory Set nails the assignment.

Should you buy the Warhammer 40,000 Introductory Set?

In the end, whether you should buy the Warhammer 40K Introductory Set can be answered with a single question: are you undecided about whether you'll commit to Warhammer 40,000, or are you totally new to wargaming? If the answer to either of those is yes, it's the perfect on-ramp. It has everything you need to get going, and those bite-size missions ease you into the mechanics.

If the answer is no, though, you may be better off looking elsewhere. The full Starter Set provides Warhammer 40K's complete rules and features two full Combat Patrol armies alongside a table's worth of plastic terrain. It's excellent value overall. Meanwhile, the individual starter boxes for Space Marines and Orks get you a playable army with the necessary paints and quickstart rules. They're a money-conscious way of starting an army if you just want one of those factions, not both.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...