Trinity Hobby field guide

How to Play Warhammer 40,000 11th Edition

A beginner-friendly guide to building an army, choosing a mission, reading terrain, and playing your first game.

Rules status: checked against the official Warhammer 40,000 downloads page on 3 September 2026.

On this page

1. Start here
2. Build an army
3. Choose a mission
4. Read the battlefield
5. Play a turn
6. Resolve attacks
7. Important changes
8. Table checklist

The short version

Warhammer 40,000 is a mission game

Build an army, choose how it intends to fight, deploy on a terrain-filled battlefield, and take turns moving, shooting, charging, and fighting. You win by scoring Victory Points from your mission—usually through a mix of controlling important ground and completing army-appropriate tasks.

Your first-game path

1. Pick a battle size. Incursion is 1,000 points; Strike Force is 2,000 points.
2. Bring current rules. Use the free Core Rules or app, your faction rules, the current Munitorum Field Manual, and an agreed mission pack.
3. Build one legal army. Record your Warlord, Detachments, Enhancements, attached Characters, and Force Disposition.
4. Determine the mission. Compare both Force Dispositions to find each player’s primary mission.
5. Build the battlefield and play. Follow the mission’s deployment, terrain, secondaries, scoring, and end-game instructions.

Army construction

Build your army

Your existing Codex remains usable, but 11th edition changes how Detachments combine and how your army connects to its mission.

Battleline exception: the unit limit is doubled for Battleline units. Always verify current points and Detachment data in the latest Munitorum Field Manual.

• Choose one army faction and only units it permits.
• Choose Detachments whose combined DP cost fits your battle-size allowance.
• Record every Detachment rule, Enhancement, and Stratagem your choices provide.
• Stay within the Enhancement limit and pay any required points.
• An Upgrade Enhancement can affect up to three eligible non-Character units while using one Enhancement choice; each application still costs points.
• Assign attached Characters while writing the roster. A unit may have one Leader and one Support attached.
• Choose a Warlord and an available Force Disposition.

Mission selection

Your army helps determine the mission

Each Detachment unlocks one or more Force Dispositions. Choose an available disposition and compare it with your opponent’s. The match-up normally gives each player a different but balanced primary mission.

These descriptions are learning shorthand, not complete mission rules. Read the mission card for timing, conditions, and VP values.

Previewed pre-game sequence

1. Muster armies.
2. Compare Force Dispositions and determine both primary missions.
3. Determine deployment.
4. Add the optional Twist only if both players are using it.
5. Create the battlefield and determine attacker and defender.
6. Select or generate secondary missions as instructed.

Terrain and objectives

Build and read the battlefield

A terrain feature is the physical scenery. A terrain area is its defined footprint. Agree on every footprint and its rules before deployment.

Objectives are often terrain

Most objectives are secured by controlling a terrain area rather than standing beside a separate circular token. Games usually use five or six objectives, although some missions still use a marker such as a 40 mm base.

• Confirm which terrain areas are objectives before deployment.
• Mark relevant areas without replacing their agreed footprints.
• Remember that objective-holding units may also benefit from terrain.
• Vehicles and Monsters interact differently with terrain areas, though physical scenery may still provide cover.

Round structure

Play through five phases

1. Command: gain and spend resources, resolve abilities, handle Battle-shock or Leadership requirements, and check scoring.
2. Movement: move units, maintain coherency, navigate terrain, bring in reserves, and resolve transports.
3. Shooting: select an eligible unit, choose legal visible targets in range, and resolve ranged attacks.
4. Charge: choose an eligible unit, make its charge roll, then select a reachable legal target and complete the move.
5. Fight: resolve eligible combats in the required order. Pile in, make melee attacks, and consolidate as allowed.

Battle-shock: it no longer simply disappears in the Command phase. A unit normally needs to pass the required Leadership test to remove it.

Dice sequence

Resolve attacks

1. Gather attacks: use the weapon’s Attacks value and applicable abilities.
2. Hit roll: roll against Ballistic Skill for shooting or Weapon Skill for melee.
3. Wound roll: compare Strength with Toughness.
4. Allocate: the defender assigns each successful wound to an eligible model.
5. Saving throw: roll an armour or invulnerable save, applying Armour Penetration where relevant.
6. Inflict damage: apply Damage for each failed save and remove destroyed models.

For returning players

Important 11th-edition changes

• Army construction: combine Detachments using a battle-size DP allowance; Detachments unlock Force Dispositions.
• Missions: both armies’ Force Dispositions determine asymmetric primary missions.
• Objectives: most objectives are terrain areas, commonly five or six per mission.
• Cover: it usually applies −1 Ballistic Skill to the attacker.
• Stratagems: a unit cannot be affected by multiple Stratagems in the same phase.
• Charges: roll first, then choose a reachable legal charge target.
• Battle-shock: it does not clear automatically; a Leadership test is normally required.
• Characters: a Character can retain its abilities after its bodyguard is destroyed.
• Fight phase: use the new activation, pile-in, wound-allocation, and consolidation sequence.

Quick reference

Table checklist

Before the game

• Agree on battle size, mission pack, update date, and optional Twist.
• Verify points, unit limits, DP, Enhancements, attachments, Warlord, and Force Disposition.
• Read both primary missions aloud.
• Define every terrain area and objective.
• Determine deployment, attacker and defender, secondaries, and first-turn procedure.

When something is unclear

1. Read the exact rule and every restriction.
2. Check the current official downloads page and app.
3. If the answer cannot be found quickly in a casual game, agree on a fair temporary ruling and verify it afterward.

Further reading

Official sources

These explanations are paraphrased. Current official rules, updates, faction rules, and the mission pack being played always take precedence.

1. Building an army in the new edition
2. How your army affects your mission
3. Updated terrain rules
4. Terrain objectives
5. New edition overview video
6. Your queries answered
7. Burning questions answered
8. Current Warhammer 40,000 downloads

Warhammer 40,000 and related names are trademarks of Games Workshop Limited. This independent learning guide is not endorsed by Games Workshop.