Time is money! If you’re really into actually playing tabletop games like Warhammer, you should really try these 5 amazing game aides.
If you’ve been trying to remember all of your faction’s rules or even write your lists on paper by hand (like a peasant), you need to get with the times! Your gaming experience can be so much easier and you’ll actually have more time to play the games you love.
Battlescribe: Army Builder
Probably one of the most popular options for Battlescribe is its 40k 8th edition army builder. However, it’s also got selections for other top games like Age of Sigmar, Horus Heresy, and plenty of other things beyond like Kill Team and Necromunda!
You can download the app on your mobile device and when you pull it up, you just have do download the files of which game you need. After that, the selections inside let you customize each unit and calculates all of your points!
40k ITC Battles: ITC Guidelines & Setup Helper
The download is completely free and it comes with your 40k ITC-focused game modes. The ins and outs of setting up ITC games can get confusing. From remembering which deployment you rolled for to all of the secondaries to choose from, this app keeps track of it all. You don’t have to lug around a basic rule book or any other packets anymore. Just pull out your phone and plug everything in as you need!
Buttscribe: 40k Datasheet Streamliner
This helper here is awesome. If you like having Warscroll cards in AoS, you can bring them to 40k with a little hobby know-how. Jumping right in, if you plug your list into Battlescribe on your phone, you can always email the list to yourself and open it on your computer. Otherwise, if you do everything from your computer already, just save your list by clicking “HTML” or “Save Roster”. Next, you’ll need to choose the file that you named it and open it up on Buttscribe. When you do this, it should take a minute but pop up as:
Notice that it’ll look a little different from what you’re used to seeing in Battlescribe. This is a streamlined list that trims away the Wargear and other options, yet keep the points tallied correctly to whatever you have equipped on your units. Plus, it shows all the battlefield roles and detachment listing more clearly. But there’s more.
These sheets should appear down below similar to the datasheets that you’d find in your book. However, they’ll also appear with any psychic powers/wargear options you put on them which is extremely useful if you don’t have datacards or a codex on-hand.
You can always cut these out and laminate them to make them last forever. If you were wondering what those white boxes were near the bottom of the unit profile were, those are actually the units’ wounds. Once you laminate them, you can get an erasable marker and check off each point of damage in the box. It keeps you from having to use any wound counters on the table and gets rid of the confusion between wound markers and a dice roll.
Know Thy Enemy: Catch Opponents Cheating At 40k
Have you ever had a question on what relics you could put on a unit? Or maybe which Stratagems apply to certain units? there’s a tool out there called Know Thy Enemy. This awesome invention can answer any questions you or your opponent might have for legal targets of things in-game. You just plug and play, so to speak.
For example, let’s say you have a question about stratagems that allow you to bring more relics, specifically for Iron Hands. If you want to see what CP you can use on stratagems to give you more legendary equipment, you simply filter it down a bit.
If you scroll down a bit more, you’ll see your entries highlighted in orange. These give the whole detail of eligible targets when you have to pop the stratagem. Even what you can pick from and the description, etc.
The Purpose From the Creator
Daedalus81 on Reddit says:
I made a tool to help people understand their opponent’s army (or their own) without needing to lug a book around.
The goal is to load all the stratagems, relics, spells, prayers, tactics, and traits and then expose them using filters to help players find what they need to know. In addition all the FAQs and errata will be tied in giving you a factually complete view and an easy way to look up Q&A.
Maybe you’re concerned about how Raven Guard might be able to advance and charge.
Or you forgot how the Cherub interacted with Hellfire Shells.
It will all be easy to find in KTE.
Not only does this pull out exactly what you’re looking for, but it also stays up-to-date with the most recent FAQs. That’s something your hardback book could never do! Just remember that we’ve got more Marine supplements inbound. Plus, factions are bound to change as we move into Psychic Awakening. The list may be getting tweaked more and more in the days ahead.
Warhammer Azyr: AoS Army Builder
Games Workshop put out their own army builder for AoS called the Azyr. But it doesn’t just let you build your armies, you can also download the battletomes for your factions and have all the info at your fingertips. Everything stays updated almost as soon as errata hit as well, which is always nice.
One thing to note is that if you download the app and want to build your armies, you’ll have to pay $1 a month. It may seem odd that it takes a subscription but speaking from experience, it’s totally worth it. You have all of the warscrolls at your disposal including a pic for each unit and the specifications for your Battalions.
AoS Reminders: Age of Sigmar Rules Helper
This is an “army builder” but specifically focuses in on the rules for each unit in each phase of the game. Depending on which faction you play, you might have so much going on that it’s hard to keep track and prioritize your abilities.
With this handy little app, it lays out each rule that each of your units have in each phase of the game. Think of this as a checklist for your faction making sure you don’t miss anything or play it incorrectly!
So there you have it! Those are some of the best in-game materials you can use to build your lists and help remind you of rules. What is your favorite game aide you use? Have you tried all of these for yourself?
Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, and sign up to get your free hobby updates newsletter (with discount coupon codes) each morning as well!
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
