About the Armies

Chaos Space Marines

In the roiling depths of the Eye of Terror, upon darkened moons and dead worlds, lie the menacing strongholds and hidden fleets of the Chaos Space Marines. From these lairs, the bloodthirsty hordes of Chaos launch their attacks against the realm of the Emperor of Mankind. Once proud and majestic warriors armoured with faith and armed with righteousness, the Chaos Space Marines are now bitter, selfish champions of dark gods, with no cause other than personal ambition and the increase of their own power.

Daemonhunters

The Imperium of Man is beset on all quarters by enemies bent on its destruction. Traitors, heretics, and aliens pound on the multi-layered defenses of Humanity. However, there are some threats that standard Imperial forces, including the mighty Space Marines, are incapable of facing. The Inquisition was created to face exactly these threats.

Within the Inquisition, there are Orders that specialize in fighting particular foes. The Ordo Malleus, or Daemonhunters, are devoted to fighting the Chaotic Daemons of the Warp. Daemons and their followers are and always have been the greatest threats to the Imperium. Their influence can snake into any sector, into any individual, no matter how secure or loyal they may seem. If left unchecked, these forces of Chaos could defile Humanity in a matter of years. Of course, this fact is kept from the citizens of the Imperium.

Because of the dire nature of the threat, the Daemonhunters have access to the best troops, weapons, and characters to fight their secret war. A special Chapter of advanced Space Marines, the Grey Knights, stands ready with powerful abilities to assist the Inquisitors. They can also use killers from the Officio Assassinorum and sanctioned psykers from the Scholastia Psykana. No resource is spared when a Daemonhunter goes to fight.

Eldar

The Eldar are an incredibly ancient race who once ruled a vast empire across the stars. Then came the hideous time of the Fall, when the Eldar were consumed by their own decadence to the brink of extinction. The few who survived were scattered across the stars. Though the Eldar are few in number, they continue to be one of the most technologically advanced races in the galaxy. This advantage is combined with the prescient abilities of their Farseers, who scry the future and guide their kin along the most favorable paths of fate.

Imperial Guard

The Imperial Guard is the largest and most diverse organization the galaxy has ever seen. It contains billions of men from a million different worlds. Half-feral savages march alongside former hive plant workers. Men whose home was blistering desert, tropical jungle, icy steppe or desolate moorland are united under the banner of the Imperium of Man. The entire diversity of the massive Imperium is encapsulated in its ranks.

Despite its awesome power, however, the Imperial Guard constantly struggles to protect the Imperium from its many enemies. The mighty Tyranid hive fleets batter at the Eastern Fringe, Ork Waaaghs erupt without warning or pause, the damned Traitor Legions pour from the Eye of Terror hungry for Mankind’s souls, mysterious Eldar raiders strike without mercy, the ancient Necrons sally from their tomb worlds and numerous emergent empires, such as the Tau, rise up to challenge Humanity’s mastery. Against these diverse and often incomprehensible threats, the Imperial Guard pits human resolve and ingenuity in an unending battle with an inimical universe.

In the midst of genetically engineered super-beings, alien killing machines, warrior mystics, and technology that approaches sorcery in its sophistication, the Imperial Guard are mere soldiers. Clad in a flak jacket and carrying a lasgun, they have to contend with the most terrifying threats, relying on numbers, massed firepower and a bayonet with some guts behind it. As such it is easy to identify with these brave souls and to see in them the qualities of true heroes.

Necrons

The Necrons are a mysterious race of skeletal warriors that have lain dormant in their stasis-tombs for millions of years. They are ancient beyond reckoning, pre-dating even the Eldar. Yet, they are beginning to awaken, for the galaxy is ripe for harvest.

The Necrons' story is one of an ancient betrayal. Aeons ago, the Necrontyr race clung to their short lives in fear of oblivion at the hands of their massive and ravaging star. They pushed the limits of science in an effort to lengthen their lives, but to no avail. Then, the star gods known as the C'tan were discovered, offering immortality at a terrible price.

The Necrontyr agreed, and their souls were encased in living metal bodies. What they did not know was that the process dulled their minds and senses so they became slaves of the C'tan. The C'tan needed warrior-slaves to harvest the lifeforms of the galaxy so the star gods can feast on souls, and the C'tan's new Necrons served this purpose well.

After life across the galaxy ran thin millions of years ago, the Necrons went into stasis, waiting for life to grow back. Now, in the 41st millennium, they have found a galaxy teeming with life again.

Orks

Orks are the most widespread and warlike race of aliens in the bloodstained galaxy of the 41st millennium. They only live for one thing and that's war. They are constantly fighting anything that gets in the way, even themselves! In fact the only thing keeping the Orks from uniting and bringing down the end of the galaxy is their inability to get along. Were they to organize and unify, they would quickly overwhelm and crush all opposition.

Since the Ork's appetite for violence is nearly unquenchable, they excel at causing extensive damage to cities, ammo depots, forests, planets, and even star systems! Using unstable, yet powerful, weapons and strange devices built by talented Ork Mekaniks, the Orks possess surprisingly high tech devices despite their primitive nature.

The basic Ork is a muscle-bound, hulking monster capable of ripping a man apart with its bare hands. Their battle scarred green skin is tough and highly resistant to pain. In combat they can transform even Artwork of a Gretchin pulling along a power axe.the most common object into a lethal killing instrument. Orks aren't the brightest creatures in the galaxy, but they do possess a certain low cunning that can catch an overconfident commander of guard. In a word, the Orks are built for war.

Space Marines

They form the unyielding fist of the Emperor, brutally crushing all who threaten his vast realm. The mere mention of their name elicits awe and reverence within the Imperium, while the same name draws cries of despair and fear among the many enemies of Man. They are the Space Marines, and there are few warriors in the galaxy that can match them.

Through a torturous regimen of organ replacement, genetic modification, psycho-chemical conditioning, and rigorous physical training that would kill a normal human, a Space Marine becomes superhuman. He can fight without sleep or food for weeks. He can digest poisons. He can breathe toxic gases. He can heal from grievous injury.

On top of his impressive physical powers, a Space Marine has access to some of the most devastating weaponry in the Imperium. From orbital strikes to lascannons to the trusty bolter, a single Space Marine can obliterate an entire city block. He is further blessed with Land Raiders, Razorbacks, and the hardy Rhino to transport him across the battlefield. Lastly, the process that made him superhuman also enables a Space Marine to wear his trademark power armor – a suit of ceramite that protects him from many weapons.

Ultimately, however, the true power of a Space Marine lies in his unwavering faith in the Emperor. He is the divine Master of Mankind, chosen by the Gods and worshipped for 100 centuries while he sits entombed in the Golden Throne. The Space Marines consider themselves particularly blessed because part of the gene-seed embedded in their enhanced bodies is from the Emperor’s flesh. They truly are the physical manifestation of his will.

Tau Empire

On the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy, a new race has emerged to challenge the might of the Imperium of Man and the other established races in the 41st millennium. They are the Tau, a surprisingly advanced race that has organized itself around a single guiding principle known as "The Greater Good."

By setting aside individualism to serve the needs of society as a whole, the Tau have developed and expanded at an astounding rate. In just over 6,000 years, they evolved from savannah-dwelling primitives to space-faring colonists.

This unhindered progress has given the Tau confidence that there is no obstacle that their society and their science cannot overcome. Indeed, they believe that they can help the rest of the galaxy find their way to peace and prosperity. All the other races must do is devote themselves to serving the Greater Good.

Not surprisingly, the established races have other plans. To help "bring them around," the Tau have invented some of the most lethal ranged weaponry in Warhammer 40,000. Their basic troop type, called Firewarriors, are armed with Pulse Rifles and Pulse Carbines that can punch through armor like a comet through a dust cloud.

Pulse weapons would be devastating enough, but the Tau also have power armor and anti-gravitic vehicles galore. Their Crisis and Stealth Battlesuits have unrivaled mobility on the battlefield, popping out from behind cover, firing an thunderous barrage, and disappearing again before the enemy can react. The Tau's Hammerhead Gunships pound opposing forces to bits while their Devilfish Troop Carriers reposition Firewarriors for better shots. At a distance, the Tau can lay waste to all but the hardiest of enemies.

Yet, the Tau disdain up-close fighting and are unskilled in hand-to-hand combat. They have hired the mercenary Kroot to make up for this lack, but the Tau still try to avoid close-quarter engagements. Despite this limitation, the Tau are an emerging force in the galaxy that the established races cannot ignore.

Tyranid

Across the stars, a locust-like swarm of aliens attacked the Imperium of Man and the other species of the galaxy with ravenous ferocity. Known as Tyranids, this race of bio-mechanical monstrosities is driven by a single, narrow purpose: to feed. By ingesting the biomass of entire worlds, the Tyranids grow while absorbing genetic material so they can evolve into more-lethal killing machines.

The first of the Tyranid Hive Fleets that attacked the galaxy were stopped by the forces of Humanity, but barely and at a terrible cost. Whether they can hold back the next wave of Hive Fleets is debatable at best. Humanity's only comfort in this is that the Tyranids are after all biomass in the galaxy, not just humans.

Only fools confuse the ferocity of the Tyranids with a lack of intellect. The Hive Mind orchestrates the activities of the swarm to perpetuate the survival of their race with cold determination. They have consumed entire galaxies before and will not be stopped by any resistance.

In the warzones of Warhammer 40,000, the Tyranids are instinctive masters of swarm-tactics and close combat. They always outnumber their opponents, a fact that often guarantees their victory. Each Tyranid is equipped with diamond-hard rending claws, razor-sharp teeth, and a variety of other bio-weapons. What's even more fearsome are the monstrous creatures striding through a Tyranid swarm like Carnifexes and Hive Tyrants. In total, the Tyranids are a cold and brutal opponent to face. Even the best warriors in the galaxy can hope to only stall the Tyranids' advance.

Witch Hunters

The most insidious and dangerous threat is the one you cannot see. It is this thought that spawned the Inquisition, an organization devoted to rooting out traitors, heretics, mutants, and aliens that undermine Humanity. These threats are so pernicious that the Inquisition has full command of the might of the Imperium of Man, from the stalwart Space Marines to the ordering of Exterminatus – the orbital destruction of an entire world.

Within the Inquisition, there are Orders that specialize in fighting particular foes. The Ordo Hereticus, or Witch Hunters, are devoted to fighting the mutant, rogue psyker, and heretic. Mutation is an affront to the purity of Man that can and does manifest itself at any time. Meanwhile, rogue psykers can twist the natural order and even call forth Daemons from the Warp. Lastly, heresy knows no bounds and thus requires the most vigilance from the Inquisition to uncover and eliminate. In the end, these very forces could shatter the Imperium if left unchecked.

In their never-ending quest to protect the Imperium, the Witch Hunters have access to the most lethal weapons and agents known to Man. They also have a historical tie to the Adepta Sororitas – the Sisters of Battle. As the Chamber Militant of the galaxy-spanning Ecclesiarchy, the Sisters of Battle are fierce warriors that are equals to their brother Space Marines. What the Sisters lack in genetic enhancement they make up for in faith and devotion. No one is more devoted to the cause and cult of the Emperor than they.