Games Workshop have been making a lot more content available for Warhammer 40,000 10th Edition this week. One of the big releases was that of the Warhammer 40,000 App which can be used as a reference tool and way of making armies for the new edition of the Grimdark Sci-Fi wargame.

Warhammer 40,000 App // Games Workshop

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As it currently stands, the app is totally free for you to download and use on both Android and iOS. It comes with Index Cards for all of the different armies in Warhammer 40,000 as well as Combat Patrol Cards and the Core Rules for you to use in-game. Starting with the good points, the app runs quickly and it's quite easy to flick between screens without the app crashing. This is a major upgrade over the previous app that would regularly crash and was weirdly very slow.

All of the Data Sheets are here for the most part and you should find everything that has previously been revealed via Warhammer Community in PDF form here within the app.

Warhammer 40,000 App - Details // Games Workshop

The app currently allows you to build 1000, 2000 and 3000-point armies using the free rules with the aid of the Battle Forge. For the most part, this works well. You can add units very quickly and switch things out on the fly. It is still a bit too cumbersome though. You have to do a lot of clicks in order to get to details you'd want in the heat of battle and there is an infuriating warning that pops up when you've armed a unit or character wrong. It's great that the warning is there but it would be handy if the app actually explained why your choice was wrong. Currently, you just have to push a bunch of buttons and see if it eventually works itself out. At the time of writing, I still don't understand why my Primaris Lieutenant doesn't have the appropriate weapons...

As it stands, the app is nice but doesn't feel like much more than a glorified calculator at the moment. The referencing of information is still easier via the PDFs, especially if you just cut out the Data Sheets you want and add them as images on your phone or tablet. The Battle Forge is handy but because of the simplification of points costs, it doesn't feel very needed.

It's great that the app is quicker and more responsive than the previous one and I could see it being a handy reference tool but it just feels a bit too cumbersome at the moment. It has already been pointed out by others online that there's no "play" functionality where it turns from a list-building tool to something that has been honed to be useful during gameplay (for example, adapting the Data Sheets to only cover the options you've selected). Other apps already offer that and from smaller companies.

With the app being free (for now) I see no harm in downloading it and giving it a go. Hopefully, with feedback, we'll see the team behind it update it to be more user-friendly. I would still recommend folks just get the physical Index Cards (available for pre-order this weekend), split the cost with friends and use those as it'll be ten times easier than constantly clicking through dropdown menus on the app.

More Free Digital Downloads - Combat Patrol & More

As well as the app, there are also some additional digital offerings from Games Workshop this week. You've got the new Combat Patrol army rules to start with!

Combat Patrol Rules // Warhammer 40,000

There are rules for each of the Combat Patrols in the game. These have been designed to give balanced entry points into Warhammer 40,000 for you and your friends. You pick these up and use the digital downloads above (with the pre-selected equipment for your troops) in order to dive into quick games with your friends.

Whereas normal Warhammer 40,000 offers you choices for arming your characters, troops and such, Combat Patrol makes those choices for you meaning that it's very newcomer friendly.

You've also got new rules available for The Legends Of The Horus Heresy and Boarding Actions in 10th Edition Warhammer 40,000.

Legends Of The Horus Heresy // Warhammer 40,000

If you're one of those people wanting to bring antiquated weaponry into the Grimdark future, you've now got those options. Plus, if you fancy the skirmishes of Boarding Actions then you can get those rules and see how they have changed since 9th Edition. You'll still need one of the Arks Of Omen books if you want to set up games though.

All in all, a big week for those playing Warhammer 40,000 with plenty of options for those who want to give the new edition a go.

Will you be checking out some of these free downloads?