40k and what it is.

I mentioned previously that I play 40k. Or,  to give it it's full name. Warhammer 40,000. If you don't know it's a minatures game based around armies fighting it out in the 41st Millennium. First published by Games Workshop in 1987 it has built an insanely detailed and complex background. Currently the main rulebook is in its 7th edition and there are 17 main armies to choose from, with many ways of bolting on extras and variations to those basic armies.

Of those armies I play two: The Dark Angels,  a group of Space Marines who fight for the Imperium (Basically, humans) and Chaos Space Marines, who are the 'Baddies'. Although really in 40k, everyone is a baddie.

The reason I play these two armies are because they are what is available in the current 40k 'starter set' which is called Dark Vengeance. Which is the route I used to get back into 40k a couple of years ago. You can play games with Dark Vengeance out of the box, and it comes with a complete version of the rule book, but to progress further you will need an Army rulebook (called a codex) and additional models.

40k is really conceptually divided into three main streams. The Background (informally referred to as Fluff), the building and painting of minatures (called The Hobby), and the game (called, er, the game). You could enjoy one strand without needing the others, but I find its the interaction between them where the fun lies. Building and painting minatures is a hugely rewarding hobby in itself. The background, including what's in the codexes (that's how GW refer to codex in plural) and in the wider novels is deeply involving. And the game is rewarding, although there is a hugely steep learning curve and without the background playing it abstractly would not be as much fun.
Although I started 40k as a game,  currently The Hobby is where I spend the most time, followed by the game, followed by the fluff.

All three combine to form a universe which the players feel ownership over. It feels much more like a role playing game (where GW have their historical roots) than a board game. An RPG in which you don't play a single character but control an entire army fighting in the Grim Darkness of the far future. Where the is only war.

And dice, millions of the buggers.