Choosing Your Army

Every race or realm in Warhammer has its own Warhammer Armies book -- packed with history, painting guides, full rules and characteristic profiles for that army, and an army list you use to actually build your force.

Every model has a points value, set in its own army list -- the higher the cost, the better the model, whether that means stronger, tougher, faster, higher Leadership, better armour, or some combination. A humble Empire Spearman costs around 5 points; a mighty Dragon costs around 300. Most models have a basic cost that rises as you add equipment and upgrades.

Adding up every model's cost gives your army's total points value -- a useful yardstick for its overall effectiveness, since two hundred Goblins can be just as powerful a force as a score of heavily armoured Knights, even though that's not obvious just from looking at the models. Most games are played between armies of equal points value.

Before playing, agree on a points total with your opponent -- the total value of all models in each army must come to that amount or less (armies typically end up a little under, since it's hard to spend every last point exactly).

The size you pick depends how long you want to play: 2,000-3,000 points per side gives a full battle that's still done in an evening; 1,000 points or less plays in about an hour, good for smaller warband-sized games or trying out new units; 4,000 points or more can occupy the better part of a day.