Game Jargon Definition: “40K”

40K (noun) - for · ty K /ˈfôrdē kā/

One of several abbreviations for the popular miniatures game Warhammer 40,000, published by Games Workshop. As in other miniature wargames, players enact battles using models of warriors and vehicles. The playing area is a tabletop model of a battlefield, comprising models of buildings, hills, trees, and other terrain features. Each player takes turns to move their model troops and vehicles around the battlefield and fight their opponent's forces. These fights are resolved using dice, combat results tables, and simple arithmetic. “40,000” refers to the game taking place in the 41st millennium, CE. 

Games Workshop sells a large variety of gaming boxes of model parts for Warhammer 40,000, but no ready-to-play models. Rather, it sells boxes of model parts, which players then assemble and paint themselves. Games Workshop also sells lines of glue, tools, and acrylic paints for the purpose of model assembly and painting. The assembly and painting of the models is a major aspect of the hobby, and many customers of Games Workshop buy models simply to paint, sometimes submitting their work to competitions for evaluation. A player might spend weeks assembling and painting models before they have a playable army ready to deploy on the field of battle. As of this writing, Warhammer 40,000 is in its ninth edition of the core rules.