Playing
Tips for your first game
By the end of this page you'll have a short list of things that will make your first game noticeably less stressful.
Small things that made a real difference to how my early games went, roughly in order of how much they mattered.
Play with someone patient, ideally another beginner
You'll both be checking rules constantly. A patient opponent (or another beginner in the same boat) makes this feel normal rather than embarrassing.
Agree to look things up together, out loud
Don't be afraid to stop and check a warscroll or the glossary mid-turn. Games move fine at a "let's just check" pace when you're both new.
Expect to lose, and don't let it put you off
I've lost plenty of games. Trying to get Skaven through Stormcast armour was a harsh lesson in save rolls, and I lost one game by a single point despite a last-minute Skaven resurrection. Losing while you learn is normal.
Keep the rules on paper and the game on your phone
Keep your Spearhead cards or battletome open for the rules: when a question comes up, they're the quickest place to check. Let the Game Assistant keep track of the game instead: health and models left, battle tactic cards in Spearhead or command points in full games, the score, and whose turn and phase it is.
Bookmark How a turn works and the glossary before you sit down, so you're not hunting for them mid-game.
Play the scenario as written, at least the first time
It's tempting to house-rule things you're unsure about. For a first game, playing the battleplan exactly as written removes one more variable while you're learning everything else.
Ready? Go back to Setting up your first game.