Warhammer 40K 11th Edition Has Me Forgetting What My Own Army Does

Has Warhammer 40K become a bit complicated, or have I reached the age where my brain has decided to stop taking in new information? After one game of 11th Edition, I'm starting to think it's the second one. I had a great time, but I think remembering everything is my biggest problem.

I've only played a single match of 11th Edition so far, so I'm in no way an expert. That's the whole point. I don't know what I'm talking about.

My first 11th Edition game: Blood Angels lost 98 to 73 against T'au

It was a 2,000 point game, my Blood Angels against a T'au army. I lost 98 to 73, which is a result I actually accept. And I had a great time. I enjoyed it a lot. There were great moments, along with some baffling decisions on my part.

Dante failed a charge. My Ballistus Dreadnought got thoroughly beaten up by a Riptide. It was a lovely afternoon. But it was hard work. There's so much to remember: all your different units, their abilities, your stratagems, your objectives, what you can do in each phase, and on top of that, what your opponent's army is doing too.

By round three of Warhammer 40K, my brain had shut down

For the first two rounds I felt fine. I felt like I was holding it together, or at least I thought so. By round three my brain had given up completely. I started forgetting abilities. I was staring at rules I'd only just read, trying to work out what I was supposed to do.

I've seen Band of Brothers an embarrassing number of times, so I assumed I could keep track of a few soldiers moving around a battlefield. Apparently not. Three rounds in, I was looking at models I'd bought, built and painted myself and wondering what one of them did. I chose it.

In my defense, I'd driven three hours to get there, so I was very tired. That's my excuse. I don't expect to master Warhammer in one game. I'm not that foolish.

Studying battle reports and rules feels like revising for an exam

Since that game I've been putting in the effort. I've been going through battle reports, reading the rules and trying to see how other people play Blood Angels. Somehow, the more I see, the more I realize I don't have the faintest idea.

It's like revising for an exam, except nobody is forcing me to sit it. I signed up for it myself. I've also spent a lot of money on the kit. So there I am at home, working through a three hour online breakdown to try to understand what I bought, and thinking to myself: hang on, slow down. I only wanted to play Warhammer. I'm not trying to win the world championship. I'd like to finish a game without forgetting what my army does.

I think I love the Warhammer hobby, but the rules won't stick

I think I love Warhammer. I enjoy collecting the models when I can afford them, which isn't often, because the prices of some of these things have become absolutely ridiculous. I like painting when I find the time. And I love the stories and the lore. I listen to audiobooks while I'm out running. I read about the characters, and I spend hours digging into details that are completely useless.

I don't mind that part. I've always been like that. I still remember getting my World of Warcraft priest to level 45 in 2005. I can tell you Shelob's family line all the way back to Ungoliant, which has never been useful to me at all.

But remembering what my Blood Angels do on the table, I can't. Apparently that's where my brain draws the line. I bought them, I built them, I painted them. You'd think I'd have picked something up along the way, but ask me what I went upstairs for and I'll be no help. Apparently the same goes for playing Warhammer.

Playing once every six weeks: will the rules ever become muscle memory?

Actually playing is another thing I have to find time for, because life gets in the way. There's all the admin that comes with being an adult. Realistically, I think I might manage a game every month or two. That brings me to what people keep telling me: "Don't worry, the rules will become muscle memory with time." "You just need to play more."

Great. When? When am I supposed to do that? I've only just found four hours where nobody needed me to do anything. I'm not criticizing people who play every week. I envy them, in fact. But if I'm playing once every six weeks, will I really get there? Or will I spend the first hour of every game remembering what I learned in the last one?

It's like loading an old Skyrim save after six months and finding yourself standing in some cave, carrying around 40 wheels of cheese, with no idea what quest you're on. The difference between Skyrim and Warhammer is that in Warhammer there's a person sitting across from you, patiently looking on as you fall apart. And they probably want to get home at a reasonable hour.

Standing Blood Angels behind a shipping container for five points

Another thing I'm trying to get my head around is how much the game revolves around scoring objectives: moving units, sacrificing models, and collecting points for standing in certain places. I understand that's how the game works. I know it's a tactical game. But do I sometimes find it funny that I spent months painting these superhuman killing machines and learning all about their heroics, and now I'm sending one of them to stand behind a shipping container because it'll get me five points?

I bought Blood Angels because I wanted to run at things and hit them with other things. It turns out there's a surprising amount of admin involved. And before anyone says it, yes, I know I probably should have looked up how the game works before buying a whole army. We've all been there. But I liked Dante. Then I liked Lemartes. Then I found some Death Company on eBay. You know how it goes.

So I have an army, and I want to use it. I don't care much whether it wins tournaments. I love the models. I love the characters. If there's a tabletop game where you just charge across the battlefield and hit each other, please tell me, because I'm starting to think that might suit my level better. And there's no shame in that.

What learning Warhammer 40K looks like for a brand new player

Seriously, though, I think remembering everything is my biggest problem, and I know that's partly because I'm a beginner. I don't expect to learn the whole game in an afternoon. But think about someone who has only just started. Say they bought a Combat Patrol. Say they spent ages building and painting it. Maybe they bought 60 pounds of paint because someone online told them they need 14 different shades of brown.

They finally finish everything and feel very pleased with themselves. Then they go to play a game, and suddenly they have to learn phases, datasheets, unit abilities, objectives and terrain rules. That's only their own army. The person across the table bought something completely different that they've never seen before. Everyone is nice, of course, but there's a limit to how many times you can say "I'm really sorry, mate."

I don't want someone spending their whole evening waiting on me while I read. That isn't a game. That's a supervised study session. And I'm not against putting effort into learning things. I'll happily sit for hours reading Tolkien. I'll spend a whole evening trying to understand some obscure piece of First Age history that has no practical use in my life, and I'll enjoy every minute.

But sit me at a Warhammer table with an opponent waiting for my move and I suddenly forget everything. It's like when someone asks you a question you know the answer to, but because they're standing there looking at you, your brain stalls and says: "Nope. Nothing." "Not even a loading screen."

How do other players learn? Reference sheets, a few units at a time, or mistakes

So my question is a serious one: how do you learn? Do you make reference sheets? Do you focus on a few units at a time? Do you go in, get half the rules wrong, and then things finally start to make sense?

Right now, I go through battle reports thinking: okay, that's clever, I'll remember that. And I won't. I know I won't. The moment I sit down at the table, it's all gone. I need help.

Is Games Workshop too focused on competitive players?

Something else has been on my mind. Someone recently left a comment saying they think Games Workshop focuses too much on competitive players. I thought about it long and hard, and I sort of understood their point, because when I look for advice online, some people take this very seriously.

You'll see someone post their army list, all excited about it. Am I speaking from experience? Maybe. They write that it's their first 2,000 point army and ask what people think. Within 30 seconds, someone tells them to swap out half of it. Don't take that. That unit is terrible. You need three of those, why have you only got one? That character isn't worth the points. Mate, they've only just finished painting it. One of them probably doesn't have its arms glued on yet. Give it a chance.

I know people are trying to help. If someone wants to win tournaments, they obviously need good advice. But not everyone wants to play Warhammer like it's their second job. Some of us just like the models.

Why I won't repaint my Death Company

My Death Company are a good example. Some of my favorite miniatures I've ever owned are my Death Company. They're also some of the worst miniatures I've ever painted. I painted them when I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't spend hours on tutorials. I didn't worry about what anyone online thought. I sat down and started trying.

And it shows. Some of them look like they were painted on the back of a moving bus, but sadly, they weren't. I don't have that excuse. I wish I did. But I love them. I won't repaint them. They're proof of where I started, and more importantly, proof of a time when I didn't care about any of it. I'd much rather put those on the table than feel I have to spend more money because someone online says they aren't competitive.

I already have enough unpainted models. I have models I bought two years ago that are still sitting untouched. I don't need a stranger on Reddit handing me another shopping list.

Balanced rules matter to casual players too

I think it's important to see the other side, though. Competitive players need balanced rules. Casual players need them too, in fact, because nobody wants to turn up and get crushed because one army is far better than another. I still managed to lose anyway, so clearly there's some flexibility there.

Many of the battle reports I've been following have been very helpful, and there are some talented players out there. I sometimes wonder whether we're all a little obsessed with playing the game perfectly, because I don't think there's anything wrong with picking a unit just because you think it looks cool. Surely that isn't so bad. I don't know.

I enjoyed 11th Edition, and it felt smoother than 10th

I realize I've spent most of this complaining, which wasn't the plan. Believe it or not, I want to say I genuinely love it. I enjoyed my 11th Edition game. I liked the missions, and compared with the 10th Edition games I've played, I think everything seemed to run very smoothly. When I knew what was going on, it was good.

There were moments where things started to click. I'd make a decision, see why it worked and think: okay, I get that part now. There were also plenty of moments where I'd do something and immediately realize I'd messed it up completely. That's fine too. I think that's how you learn. Many people think 11th Edition is great. I've seen comments from people who have played for more than twenty years saying they're having some of the best games they've ever played, which is wonderful.

I don't want the rules simplified to the point where everything gets boring. I like that different armies play in different ways, and I want my Blood Angels to feel different from T'au, Orks or whatever else I'm up against. I want there to be things to learn. I just don't want or need to fill a filing cabinet because of it, and I think that's probably the difference.

I think someone who plays every week will have a completely different relationship with the rules from someone like me. They use them all the time. I play once every six weeks, go through online tutorials in between and hope that somehow turns into competence, which historically isn't how learning things has worked. I've seen plenty of people build things online. That doesn't mean I trust myself to rewire the house yet.

I've turned something I love into homework

This is the part I find hard to explain. I'm making a mess of this because I don't hate the game. I want to play more. I enjoyed putting my army on the table. I enjoyed seeing how everything works. Even when Dante failed his charge and my Dreadnought turned into scrap, I was having a good time.

But now when I think about my second game, instead of simply looking forward to it, I feel I have to learn this, remember that, go over those rules and get through another battle report. I've turned something I love into homework, which makes me feel I may have missed the point. Some people will say I should just turn up and play, and they could be completely right. Maybe I'm overthinking it. But I don't want to be the person who sets up their army and then spends four hours asking their opponent what they're allowed to do. I have a little pride. Not enough to stop me admitting to the internet that I've spent a lot of money on plastic soldiers, though.

I don't need to be good at Warhammer. I don't care much about winning, though it would be nice now and then. I'm not trying to convince anyone the game is too complicated. I've played it once, so that would be a bold position. I want to finish all five rounds and feel I understood what happened, rather than going home, packing my models away and going through someone else's battle report to find out what I should have done. I have another game coming up, and I'd like to do a bit better, or at least reach round four before I start looking at my army as if I'm seeing it for the first time.