In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war. We know it. You know it. But do you know who might not know it? Your friends and family. So if you’re looking for a way to get them on board to share your hobby journey, you’ll want to head down to your nearest Barnes & Noble (if you're in North America), GAME (if you're in the UK), or your local Thalia or GameStop (if you're in Germany).
Fireteam and Doomsday Countdown, two board games we announced earlier this year, are a stellar introduction to the 41st Millennium, and they’re hitting retail store shelves any day now. If your friends happen to be Warhammer fans already, this pair gives you even more ways to enjoy your game nights. Let’s take a closer look at them.
Warhammer 40,000: Fireteam
This box delivers strategic gameplay, a hex-based board, 18 push-fit models, and all the dice, cards, and tokens two players need to complete a game of squad combat in under an hour.
Warhammer 40,000: Fireteam is all about fast, action-packed gameplay with a tactical twist. Each player controls a handful of models – combined with the small play area, this ensures that games are fast and aggressive.
Decks of cards keep each game fresh. The mission objectives vary, wargear can be customised, and Targets of Opportunity give you goals beyond just smashing faces. There’s even a way to string your games into mini-campaigns to give you a sense of the wider war taking place around you.
The box comes with two balanced forces. The Space Marines get five Assault Intercessors, armed for melee combat.
The Necron side includes a full squad of 10 Warriors, backed up by three bases of Scarabs.
Each Fireteam has a set of Strategic Ploys, special rules to represent their style of warfare, training, and equipment.
If you couldn’t tell from the distinctive orange branding, Fireteam shares its roots with Kill Team. The rules are similar but streamlined to play faster.
Besides the two fireteams included in the box, you’ll also find cards for another four factions: Militarum Tempestus, the T’au Empire, Orks, and Harlequins, each of which can be built with just one box of models. The shared DNA with Kill Team makes Fireteam an ideal on-ramp to ease someone into the Warhammer 40,000 universe and hobby.Have a look at the Warhammer 40,000: Fireteam website to learn more and download a copy of the rulebook. UK gamers can get Fireteam at GAME stores, while North Americans will find it at Barnes & Noble, and readers in Germany can head to their local Thalia or GameStop. The game is due to hit shelves this month, so check with your local shop to find out when it’s available.
Space Marine Adventures: Doomsday Countdown
This cooperative game teams up you and up to two of your mates in a deadly mission to save billions of innocent lives. It’s a battle against time – and Chaos Cultists. Loads of cultists.
The box comes with three Space Marines, seven Chaos Cultists (previously found in the Blackstone Fortress: Escalation expansion), plus loads of cards, tokens, dice, and hexagonal board tiles. Games take just about 30 minutes to play, and you can link several together into a campaign to save an Imperial Hive City.
Your team of Space Marines will descend into the tunnels and corridors under Vanatine Hive in an effort to locate and neutralize a Doomsday Device before the cultists are able to detonate it. You’ll assemble the board as you explore, fighting through waves of cultists controlled by a deck of action cards.
Space Marines take three actions each time they’re activated. They can sprint forward, hunker down, and let rip with their bolt rifles, or make a cautious advance while firing off a shot or two. Special Wargear cards grant bonuses or allow heroic actions.
With frenetic cooperative gameplay, Doomsday Countdown is a great way to spend an evening with your friends and family.
The models are fantastic, the story is thrilling, and the tight, accessible ruleset will make you feel like you won a narrow victory against the odds or went down fighting to a tragic end. It’s like playing an episode of your favourite action TV show.
Visit the Space Marine Adventures website today to explore the game further, and download a copy of the rules. If you live in North America, look for Doomsday Countdown at Barnes & Noble, or pay a visit to your closest GAME store if you’re in the UK.
Readers in Germany, meanwhile, can mosey along to Thalia or GameStop to pick up a copy.
Finally, regular Warhammer Community readers will remember that a third title, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Bladeborn, is on the way too. The game depicts vicious clashes between rival warbands fighting for a place in the conquering armies of the Everchosen, and it'll soon be hitting shelves in branches of Thalia and GameStop across Germany.
Followers of the Dark Gods in other regions can try Bladeborn for themselves when the English-language version of the game follows a little later.