If you have never played Warhammer before we recommend that you refer to the separate Getting Started sheet before reading this rulebook. The guide is designed to give you an overall idea about how the game works before you read the rules themselves. If you are an old Warhammer campaigner then you'll find the greater part of the contents of this new rulebook familiar to you. The game is not very different from its predecessors and deliberately so - for players who have spent time and energy building up their armies would be roughly served if we were to alter the basis on which their collections have been assembled. Rather, our intention has been to make the game rules as clear as possible, and to remove anomalies and mistakes from the previous version.

Whether you are new to command or a veteran of many battles it is worth reading through this rulebook from the beginning. Don't worry about remembering every rule right from the start, as you can always refer to the rulebook during the game if necessary. All the important rules are summarised on the separate playsheet.

Don't be daunted by the thickness of this book or the apparent complexity of some of the rules, many of which are designed for exceptional creatures or war machines, or provide extra detail concerning weaponry, fighting in buildings, and so forth. The core of the rules are contained in the section up to and including the Psychology section, and we suggest novice players ignore the sections beyond until they have fought at least one game.

In compiling this book we have tried to make the rules as concise as possible without resorting to mincing, legalistic language or to long and tedious lists of conditions attempting to cover every imaginable circumstance. We have included many diagrams and at the back of the book you'll find further examples, clarifications and notes. When situations arise where players can find no clear answer in the rulebook, and they certainly will for there is nothing more liable to bizarre circumstances than a fantasy battle, then players must feel free to improvise a rule or agree upon a procedure for themselves.

This rulebook contains all the rules for the Warhammer game that are not specific to individual races. You will find special rules for individual races, monsters and creatures under their description in the Battle book. Further special rules for specific armies are included in the Warhammer Armies series of army guides. Rules for further use of magic, including spellcasting and magic weapons, are given in full in the separate Warhammer Magic supplement as they are far too substantial to include in the Warhammer box.

Players will find suggested rules for setting up the battlefield, deployment, and working out who has won in the accompanying Battle book. These are regarded a matter of player choice rather than part of the rules of the game, and so have been removed from the rulebook itself.