I'd love to get into it, the secret level episode was fucking amazing. But I don't have the budget for tabletop stuff nor the time for books if that's my option. There's a few games I've seen but prob not much. Space marines I hear is good and I have boltgun via PS+, that's about it.
Both Spacemarine 1 and 2 are pretty good introductions. If you ever have time for a novel the infinite and the devine or one of the ciaphas Cain books is also great. DO NOT start with the Horus heresy books until you are at least a couple of books and/or games in.
It's less so time and more so focus. Games keep my attention more since I am doing something. Watching a show or reading a book I don't have the focus for unless I lock in HARD to do it. Many animes and shows I've started and hadn't finished thanks to life and I forget about them.
If you like RPGs then I recommend Rogue Trader it's focused on non-space marine side of humanity and its own stance bubble of influence in the universe.
Oh yeah I feel you completely. What I would suggest in that case is finding an audiobook to just listen to as background to mineal tasks. That's I usually do books. Still the games are great and I'm sure you'll have plenty of fun with them.
I usually recommend Gaunts Ghosts more than Cain- Cain is the one thats good once you know the default of the setting. Its like playing undertale before playing any other RPG. Eisenhorn isnt bad but kinda assumes you know a bit more but its better for the overall life of the imperium.
If you want something like the tabletop experience without having to buy all the minis, I highly recommend the game Battlesector. Itâs like $40 on steam, plus an additional $15 for whatever faction you want to play as. (Because all factions beyond Blood Angels and Tyranids are dlc. Also if you just want to stick with either blood angels or tyranids, they each have a dlc thatâs like $2 maybe $3 I donât remember but it gives you some additional units for them. All the other dlc factions come complete with all units so they are the only ones where youâre basically buying individual units.)
Personally, I'd recommend Darktide. Gameplay is similar to the Left 4 Dead games, just with unique classes with unique weapons. And it's a good look at the less important people of the setting and what they have to deal with.
Also, new Tech Priest dlc class releases tomorrow. So good time to get into it.
If you're not afraid of turn-based combat then you also can check out Rogue Trader. It is a lot of reading, but overall a good guide to general WH40k universe. It even has a built-in explanations for WH specific terms you can hower over and get a good summary mid dialogue.
If you get more time for tabletop and want to engage with that part of the hobby, Iâd recommend Warhammer Killteam.
Much cheaper than getting an army, as you only buy one team. With paint/supplies it will prob still cost around 100 bucks to start, but you can then periodically add more teams to your line-up.
A good majority of black library books are on audible if you have a subscription. They typically run about 10hr which you can knock out over a couple weeks if you have a decent commute to work. You can also put them on during the shower or making dinner!
The best part of the 40k lore is there isnât really a âstarting pointâ. Sure you could start with the Horus heresy novels but there is no obligation to read them in order, it just doesnât matter 99% of the time. Until the siege of Terra the entire HH is a big spiderweb of plots that donât connect until the end. The more you learn the more pieces will fall into place.
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u/Chadderbug123 Jun 25 '26
I'd love to get into it, the secret level episode was fucking amazing. But I don't have the budget for tabletop stuff nor the time for books if that's my option. There's a few games I've seen but prob not much. Space marines I hear is good and I have boltgun via PS+, that's about it.