Military Power

Ok, so not the typical "wargame" that we have been posting on here, which is one reason I haven't mentioned it before, but It was brought up in the Baneblade Motivational Poster thread, so I felt obliged to add it here...

Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a science fantasy universe. Players assemble and paint individual 28 mm (1.1 in) scale (approximately 1:56) miniature figures that represent futuristic soldiers, creatures and vehicles of war. These figurines are collected to comprise squads in armies that can be pitted against those of other players. Each player brings a roughly equal complement of units to a tabletop battlefield with handmade or purchased terrain. The players then decide upon a scenario, ranging from simple skirmishes to complex battles involving defended objectives and reinforcements. The models are physically moved across the table and the actual distance between models plays a role in the outcome of combat. Play is turn based, with various outcomes determined by tables and the roll of dice. Battles may last anywhere from a half hour to several days, and battles may be strung together to form campaigns. Some game and hobby stores host games periodically, and official tournaments are held on a regular basis.

Warhammer 40,000 involves both actual table-top play and the "meta-game" of preparing models and armies for play. For many gamers the preparation of models is sometimes more important than the actual gameplay itself. Gamers purchase the figurines from Games Workshop and then assemble and paint them before they use them in battle. The painting itself lends a sense of authenticity to the owner of the figurines, indicating how serious he or she is about the hobby. Depending on the number of units, it can take weeks or months to complete an army, this time may include modification of the original paint schemes and even model poses to personalize each army. Some tournaments include competition between gamers where points are awarded for the overall appearance of each player's army as well as for sportsmanship and victory in individual scenarios.