I tried to learn before but all of my sources were whacked.

My wishlist

1. rules
2. races and their strategies (unbiased)
3. History or story/plot

Wiki to the rescue

http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

Root of all Evil has beat me now it is a fight between Wikipedia and wikia

thank you, but did I forget to mention I was talking about PC. I'm trying to evolve from console to PC and this was on my 'get this game' list of games for PC

I've noticed a ton of Warhammer 40k threads in the past week... what is with the sudden surge in popularity? (at least, around here)

I'm guessing you mean the Warhammer 40k Dawn of War series. Well the games pretty much follows history already established by Gamesworkshop, so the wikis can answer that for you. In the first game of the series, Dawn of War, you play as the Blood Raven Space Marines and their quest to stop an Ork invasion of a planet. Along the way you run into the the Space Marine's dreaded enemies, the Chaos Marines. Toss in a few Eldar for flavor and you get a rip roaring good time.

Graphically the game was way ahead of its time and I still think it's the best looking RTS out there. It focuses very heavy on combat with only a very light resource collecting and base building aspect to it. Unlike most RTS, the game, like its real life counterpart, places a heavy emphasis on infantry combat. You build squads of customizable troops who can engage at long and close range with differant strengths in each and varying animations for each. The expansions and follow ups really add alot of variety with the different races, as almost none of them play the same way. The latest installment, Soulstorm, has 8 or 9 playable races. Each one is unique and lends it self to different strategies and playstyles. However with the exception of the first title, the rest of the games in series focus more on a multiplayer type gaming experience. Think skrimish mode on other RTS games.

Hope that helps.

HSIAMetalKing:
I've noticed a ton of Warhammer 40k threads in the past week... what is with the sudden surge in popularity? (at least, around here)

I can think of two possibilities; the most likely is the recent buzz surrounding the Dawn of War II trailers, which has brought attention back to the 40k game (and universe) it spawned form.

The other is the recent release (last July) of the 5th edition rulebook that refreshes the tabletop play. Oddly enough, I haven't had a chance to try the new rules out yet despite my long interest in the franchise.

-- Steve

Anton P. Nym:

The other is the recent release (last July) of the 5th edition rulebook that refreshes the tabletop play. Oddly enough, I haven't had a chance to try the new rules out yet despite my long interest in the franchise.

-- Steve

I've tried them out, and they are pretty fun. There's lots of extra options for units, such as running and ducking for cover for infantry, and an option for ramming for vehicles. They've made it so the rules are more centred around getting a atmospheric game out the other end rather than the really anal and pernickety gameplay that most editions tend to devolve into after a long enough period.

Its the apocalyptic future and everybody is shooting each other.

Lord Of The Rings in space. Only far more complicated than that.

Ok now I think I have a good idea what it is now thanks to Wiki and the summaries here

Muhahaha you are being sucked in.

anNIALLator:
Its the apocalyptic future and everybody is shooting each other.

No no dammit. "In the 41st Millenium, there is only war."

Also, tragic space opera. (No, really - read the Horus Heresy, know the tragedy)

Warhammer 40k: the game Starcraft ripped off.

Oi!

Here's a good website to look at: http://uk.games-workshop.com/warhammer40000/

Then there's also for a more race specific viewpoint:http://uk.games-workshop.com/warhammer40000/5th-ed-background/1/

Hope that helped.

Summary:

Imperium of Man: the Spanish inquisition with plasma rifles and chainswords.

The Forces of Chaos: crazed, violent anarchists with cancer.

The Eldar: depressed, pretentious space-Elves with flashy boomsticks.

The Dark Eldar: BDSM fetish space-Elves with flashy boomsticks.

The Orks: hardcore, green-skinned metal fans who love moshing with axes.

The Tyranids: a mentally guided roach infestation of galactic proportions.

The Tau: communist China in the 41st millennium, with hooves for feet.

The Kroot: genetically enhanced chickens.

The Necrons: robot mummies in robot pyramids... from space.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Warhammer40000

only thing you Really need to know for the WH40k universe.

Chain.
Saw.
Swords.

thats right, Swords that are Freaking Chain saws...

if you need more than that then you seriously need a mental exam.

Kikosemmek:
Summary:

Imperium of Man: the Spanish inquisition with plasma rifles and chainswords.

The Forces of Chaos: crazed, violent anarchists with cancer.

The Eldar: depressed, pretentious space-Elves with flashy boomsticks.

The Dark Eldar: BDSM fetish space-Elves with flashy boomsticks.

The Orks: hardcore, green-skinned metal fans who love moshing with axes.

The Tyranids: a mentally guided roach infestation of galactic proportions.

The Tau: communist China in the 41st millennium, with hooves for feet.

The Kroot: genetically enhanced chickens.

The Necrons: robot mummies in robot pyramids... from space.

I love you. My new hero.

A more accurate summary:

* The Imperium of Man and its subfactions: Scary Dogmatic Humans. Xenocidal and imperialist, as happy to wipe out billions of its own people as it is to exterminate entire alien races.
* Chaos: Extra-dimensional malevolent gods and daemons that are capable of crossing into the physical realm and corrupting the minds and bodies of sentient species. Four principal Chaos Gods and countless lesser deities and daemon princes, served by billions of cultists and thousands of ancient daemon-corrupted Super Soldiers who rebelled against the Imperium during a galaxy-splitting civil war ten thousand years before the setting. Unquestionably evil, delighting in murder and depravity. The four main gods are born from the emotions of hope, love, bravery and acceptance; this should tell you most of what you need to know about 40k's place on the Sliding Scale Of Idealism Versus Cynicism.
* Eldar: Elder Race with massive superiority complex. Through their past depravity responsible for creating the Eye of Terror. Not quite Xenocidal, but consider the deaths of millions of humans to safeguard a few hundred Eldar lives more than a fair trade, and have the psychic future-prediction and manipulative skills to make that sort of thing a reality rather than a dream. As an example, they tricked the Ork warlord Ghazghkull Thraka into attacking the human planet of Armageddon, setting off the Second and Third War for Armageddon, killing billions of humans, just to prevent Ghazghkull from attacking one of their world-ships.
o Dark Eldar: Offshoot of the Eldar that still practice the same depravity that led to their race's fall. Sadistic in the extreme, need to feed on others' souls to avoid their own being devoured by the Chaos God Slaanesh.
o Exodite Eldar: Descendents of Eldar who left before the fall to live simpler lives on planets with harsh conditions. Their tech is deliberately less advanced than that of their Craftworld counterparts, and by choice they are reclusive, sticking to their own planets for the most part, making them Wood Elves in Space. They are a background plot element rather than a playable faction, but unofficial army lists have been made for them, complete with dinosaur-riding, laser-lance-equipped knights.
* Orks: Genetically engineered by a precursor species as a biological weapon. Peculiar biology (see Plant Aliens), personalities based on ridiculously exaggerated football hooligan stereotypes, all "boyz" and speak with Funetik Aksents. Violently sociopathic, prone to infighting, and genocidal, but all in good fun; an Ork "Waaagh" is described as a combination of mass migration, pub crawl and holy war. Highly psychic, but not aware of it - Ork technology only works because the Orks THINK it should. This also has other effects - for example, Orks piously believe "da red wunz go fasta", so if an Ork paints his bike red, it will go faster.
o An entire spinoff game, Gorkamorka, concerns a planet full of Orks that holds no strategic importance to the other races, with the Orks having no way off (having turned their space hulk into massive statues of two gods... and then destroyed them). They pass their time with a massive, futile tribal war between themselves.
* Tau: Technologically advanced humanoids with a rigidly caste-based society. The Ethereal caste rule over the Earth, Air, Fire and Water castes, who are all utterly loyal and devoted (one theory has it the control is based on pheromones). They see themselves as benevolent imperialists fighting religiously for the 'Greater Good,' and are singled out for being the only faction that seriously engages in diplomacy or offers anything other than genocidal total war. Despite a thing for mass sterilisation, warmongering and concentration camps, they really are the nicest people you'll find in this galaxy. Imperialist, expansionist, slightly fanatical ("slightly" in this setting meaning that only one mech per army can be upgraded to a suicide bomber.)
* Tyranids: Extra-galactic locusts in apparently limitless numbers. If they take over a planet, they devour all organic material, eat the soil, drain the geothermal heat from the planet's core, drink the oceans and suck up the atmosphere, leaving an airless rock. Hungry. Extremely psychic, with the psychic chatter that forms their Hive Mind being so powerful that their mere presence drives psychics insane and interferes with technology that uses psychics - including interstellar travel and communications. Bug Wars crop up wherever they go, with the suggestion that the three galaxy-eatingly-enormous, near-unstoppable Hive Fleets are just scouts for the real invasion.
* Necrons: Ancient undead metal constructs powered by the souls of long-dead aliens that hate all living things. In thrall to gods that wish to consume all life. Ridiculously advanced technology, almost impossible to kill, omnicidal down to the last bacterium.