You're sitting there with three boxes of plastic space soldiers and a sinking feeling. We've all been there. You bought the "rule of cool" models, but now you realize your points are a mess and your legal detachment is basically a fever dream. Building a list in the 10th Edition of the 21st millennium isn't just about math. It's about not getting laughed off the table at your local hobby shop because you forgot to account for an Enhancement. Honestly, finding a solid Warhammer 40k army maker is the only way to keep your sanity.
The game has changed. A lot. We aren't in the days of complex Force Org charts anymore, but the current "Army of Renown" or "Detachment" system has its own weird quirks. If you mess up the keyword synergy, your shiny new Terminators are basically just expensive paperweights.
Why Your Spreadsheet is Probably Failing You
Look, I love Excel. I really do. But unless you’re a literal Tech-Priest, manually tracking the shifting points values from Games Workshop’s Munitorum Field Manual is a nightmare. They drop updates like tactical nukes. One day your Desolation Marines are the meta-defining kings of the board, and the next, their points cost has spiked so high you have to sell a kidney to field a full squad.
A digital Warhammer 40k army maker handles the heavy lifting. It flags errors. It tells you when you've taken too many Enhancements or if your Warlord is invalid. Most people think list building is just hitting a points target, like 2,000 points exactly. It’s not. It’s about efficiency. It’s about making sure your Stratagems actually work with the units you’ve picked. If you’re using a pen and paper, you’re going to miss the fact that a specific character can’t actually lead that specific unit.
The Battle of the Apps: What Actually Works?
The community is pretty split. You have the "Old Guard" who swear by community-driven tools and the "New Blood" who stick to the official stuff.
The Official Warhammer 40,000 App
Games Workshop finally made an app that doesn't crash every five minutes. It’s sleek. The interface is clean, and because it’s first-party, the data is usually (usually!) correct the second a balance dataslate drops.
But there is a massive catch.
Money. You have to pay for the Warhammer+ subscription to unlock more than one army list. On top of that, if you want the rules for your specific faction, you have to buy the physical Codex and input a digital code. It’s a "walled garden" approach. If you’re already buying every book, it’s great. If you’re a budget-conscious hobbyist just trying to see if a Necron list is viable before buying models, it feels a bit restrictive.
New Recruit and the Web-Based Revolution
Honestly? New Recruit is kind of the gold standard right now for power users. It’s a web-based Warhammer 40k army maker that feels like it was built by people who actually play three tournaments a month. It uses the Data Repo system (BSData), which is maintained by a small army of volunteers.
The best part? It’s free. It’s fast. You can sync your lists across your phone and your desktop without jumping through hoops. It also handles "Yellow Cards" well—those little warnings that pop up when you’ve done something illegal in your list. It’s less "pretty" than the official app, but it’s arguably more powerful for deep theory-crafting.
Battlescribe: The Fallen Titan
We have to talk about Battlescribe. For a decade, it was the only game in town. But the developer went MIA, and the app started breaking on newer versions of iOS and Android. While the data teams still update the files, the skeleton of the app is creaking. It’s like an ancient Dreadnought—powerful, but if the life support fails, it’s over. Most competitive players have started migrating elsewhere, though you'll still see it on plenty of phones at local tournaments.
The Logic of 10th Edition List Building
Points are gone. Well, Power Levels are gone. Everything is back to points, but they are "flat" points now. You don't pay for every individual plasma gun or power fist anymore. This was a massive controversy. Some people hate it because it removes granularity. Others love it because it makes the Warhammer 40k army maker experience much faster.
When you're building a list today, you're looking for "Efficiency Units." Since wargear is free, you are objectively wrong if you don't take the best weapons. Why take a boltgun when you can take a meltagun for the same price? This makes list building less about "Can I afford this upgrade?" and more about "Which unit provides the most utility for this flat cost?"
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- Determine your Detachment first. This dictates your Stratagems and your army-wide rules.
- Pick your "Hammer." This is your big, expensive unit that does the killing.
- Pick your "Anvil." This is the unit that sits on an objective and refuses to die.
- Fill the gaps with "Scoring Units." Cheap, fast stuff that does actions.
The "Discover" Factor: What Experts Know
Serious players don't just build one list. They build "Core Modules."
Think of it this way: You have a 1,500-point core that never changes. It’s your favorite models, your best-painted stuff. Then, you have 500-point "modules" you swap in depending on who you're playing. Going against Ords? Swap in the anti-infantry module. Facing Knights? Swap in the heavy anti-tank module.
A good Warhammer 40k army maker lets you duplicate lists easily so you can iterate on these modules.
Don't forget the "Rule of Three." You can't have more than three of the same datasheet (unless it's Battleline or Dedicated Transport). I’ve seen guys show up to events with four units of specialized Elites because they forgot this basic rule. A digital tool catches that instantly.
Real-World Stats: Does the Tool Matter?
In a casual setting? No. Do whatever.
In a tournament? Yes. According to data tracked by various ITC (Independent Tournament Circuit) organizers, list errors are one of the leading causes of "Yellow Cards" or points deductions before a game even starts. Using a verified Warhammer 40k army maker ensures your list matches the latest errata. Games Workshop frequently releases "FAQs" that change how keywords interact. If your app isn't updated, you're playing an old version of the game.
Common Pitfalls for New Players
People get obsessed with the "Meta." They go to sites like Goonhammer or look at win rates on Stat Check and try to copy-paste the winning list from the last Grand Tournament.
Don't do that.
Those lists are built for specific pilot skills. If you use a Warhammer 40k army maker to replicate a world-champion list but don't understand why they took three units of cheap scouts, you’re going to lose. Use the tools to build something that fits your playstyle.
Also, watch out for "Ally" rules. Bringing Imperial Knights into a Space Marine army or Daemons into a Chaos Space Marine list has very specific percentage limits. Most apps handle the math, but you need to make sure you're selecting the "Allied" faction correctly in the settings, or the points will be totally skewed.
How to Get Started Right Now
Stop staring at your piles of shame and get a list together. It makes the painting process feel more like progress and less like a chore.
- Download New Recruit or the Official App. If you want free and flexible, go New Recruit. If you want official and pretty, pay the sub for the GW app.
- Input your "Must-Haves." Start with the models you already own and love.
- Check your Battleline. Make sure you have enough units to actually hold objectives.
- Export to PDF. Always have a hard copy or a static PDF on your phone. Wi-Fi at game stores is notoriously terrible.
- Validate. Hit that "Check List" button. If it’s red, fix it.
The game is won in the movement phase, but it’s lost in the list-building phase. Use a Warhammer 40k army maker to make sure you're at least starting on an even playing field. Once your points are legal and your detachments are set, you can get back to what actually matters: rolling ones when you needed a two.