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Warhammer 40,000 3rd Edition Rulebook

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Warhammer 40,000 3rd Edition Rulebook
3rd Edition FCover.jpg
Released 1998
ISBN 1-869893-19-0
Preceded by Warhammer 40,000 2nd Edition Rulebook
Followed by Warhammer 40,000 4th Edition Rulebook

Warhammer 40,000 3rd Edition Rulebook, sometimes refered to as the Big Black Book or just BBB, was the 3rd core rule book for the Warhammer 40,000 game.

General Structure

The 3rd Edition Rulebook, also known as the Big Black Book, was first published in 1998 with the third edition of the game. The book contained rules, that although very similar to the first two editions, were much more austere, removing many of the more difficult ideas of the previous versions in an attempt to streamline the game. This was heavily criticized at the time by more veteran gamers, who had become used to the tables, charts and templates that had been employed previously, as it was seen as being too simplistic and had eliminated much of the fun for that audience. Nevertheless, the modesty of the newer rules opened the game out to a wider (and much younger) audience.

The book itself was written from a much more imperio-centric point of view, and contained large quantities of information on the basic structure of the Imperium, from Imperial planetary classifications to the Imperial dating system and more. It also departed from the previous edition in its much more pessimistic outlook; Appearing much more grim and dark than it had previously. Lines between good and bad were blurred to the point that they were almost unrecognizable. In addition it contained background for many armies as well as simplistic, pre-codex army lists for the Space Marines, Dark Eldar, Tyranids, Eldar, Chaos Space Marines, Imperial Guard and Orks, as well as a small Sisters of Battle list with various heroes of the Imperium such as Confessors and Preachers.

These lists were succeeded by the various codexes that were released subsequent to the rulebook. The newer book, the 4th Edition Rulebook, had only modified the rules found in the 3rd Edition and so most of the codexes published during the 3rd Edition could still be readily used along side 4th Edition, although not as easily.

Contents

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Authors, Artists and Coworkers

During the production of this book, the following persons were involved considerably.

  • Game Design & Developement
Rick Priestley, Andy Chambers, Gavin Thorpe, Ian Pickstock and Jervis Johnson
  • Assisant Games Developers
Iain Compton, Andy Kettlewell and Warwick Kinrade
  • Editors
Lindsey Priestley, Talima Fox and Jake Thornton
  • Cover Painting
John Blanche
  • Illustrators
John Blanche, Alex Boyd, Wayne England, Dave Gallagher, Des Hanley, Neil Hodgson, Nuala Kinrade, Paul Smith, John Wigley and Richard Wright
  • Citadel Designers
Tim Adcock, Dave Andrews, Colin Dixon, Chris Fitzpatrick, Jes Goodwin, Gary Morley, Aly Morrison, Trish Morrison, Paul Muller, Brian Nelson, Alan Perry, Michael Perry and Norman Swales
  • Wargames Terrain Modellers
Owen Branham, Mark Bedford and Mark Jones
  • Miniatures Painters
Stuart Thomas, Ben Jefferson, Martin Footitt, Chris Smart, Richard Baker, David Thomas, Dave Perry, Torben Schnoor, Neil Green and Adrian Walters
  • Production
Alan Merrett, Chris Colston, Jim Butler, Matt White, Mark Saunders, Nick Davies, Simon Burton, Andy Banks, Steve Averill, Simon Smith, Andy Bacon and Owen Crisp
  • Photography
Anthony Bath
  • With Thanks To
Robin Dews, Tom Kirby, John Stallard, Gordon Davidson, Adrian Wood, Pete Haines, Jim Cash, Fred Reed, Tuomas Pirinen, Ben Marlow, Tim Huckleberry, Jeremy Vetock and Ted Williams