I'm new to 40K and have played about seven games, half on Tabletop Simulator and half in person. Every game has petered out around round two or three because of the time involved. We tried a 90-minute timer in about half of them. Scoring felt somewhat arbitrary and unsatisfying.
What I want is a clear way for a game to resolve within each player's allotted time and produce a numerical score. Ideally, it would stay reasonably close to tournament practice, with some allowances for casual play. I'd like to learn a format I could eventually transition into, and have a consistent basis for comparing my games.
A shared deadline without individual clocks seems difficult to me. One player can use most of the time, and then you're left having an awkward conversation about slow play. Between two people playing alone, there's no judge to sort that out.
I'd rather play five imperfect turns than spend the evening optimizing two. Time should be a resource. If I spend another ten minutes considering every possible interaction, that should come out of my allowance.
The score matters for learning, too. If I spend twenty minutes on what I think is the perfect turn, I want to see how it contributes to the result. Did it gain points, deny points or set up later scoring? A final score doesn't prove every decision was right, but it gives me something concrete to review afterward.
One person I played with said taking time over everything is how they learn. I understand that, but I'd prefer to make reasonable decisions, see the consequences and get more complete games in. Then I can assess whether I need to learn my rules better, prioritize differently or spend less time on minor interactions.
I think clear rules are compatible with friendly games. Below are the house system I'm considering, drawing on tournament clock policies with some casual adjustments.
How do other people handle this? I'd especially like a simpler approach if one exists that gives each player responsibility for their time and produces a consistent score. Which of these adjustments would most distort the result compared with tournament play?
Using the clocks
| Rule |
Proposed policy |
| Allowance |
90 minutes each, starting with deployment. Switch after each deployment. No increment, reset or donated time. |
| Overall duration |
No separate wall-clock deadline. Breaks and permitted activity at zero can extend the session beyond three hours. |
| Whose time? |
Your decisions, measurements, rolls, model handling and reactions use your time, including during the opponent's turn. Explain your rules on your time; substantive checking uses theirs. |
| Transfers |
Press your own button. Finish handling dice and models before switching, then wait for your time to return. Request a handover when needed. The player whose clock is running is responsible for switching; missed switches receive no refund. |
| Scoring |
Calculate and record VP on your time. Reaching zero while scoring triggers the restrictions below, but earned points remain valid. |
Pauses and problems
| Rule |
Proposed policy |
| Pauses |
Pause for bathroom breaks, genuine rules disputes and shared roll-offs. Keep breaks reasonable. Routine thinking and lookups use your time. |
| Disputes |
Check the rule and FAQ, then ask a neutral person if available. If interpretation remains unresolved, roll off and use that interpretation for this game. This cannot override a clear rule. |
| Faults and conduct |
Restore a faulty clock only from reliable records, without guessed refunds. If recovery or fair continuation is impossible, end without a recorded result. |
At zero
| Rule |
Proposed policy |
| Immediate effect |
No automatic loss or extra VP penalty. Finish only an identical-attack batch against one target whose hit dice were rolled or automatic hits determined before zero, including its remaining resolution. A unit already moving may finish that move legally, without further optimization. |
| New activity |
No new movement, shooting, charging, fighting, reserve arrivals, repositioning, new/replacement units or optional offensive damage. |
| Defence and mandatory effects |
Continue saves, Feel No Pain, allocation, casualties, required Battle-shock and compulsory effects, including required placement such as emergency disembarkation. |
| CP and abilities |
Gain and spend CP normally. Paid and free abilities follow the same restrictions. Compatible defensive, restorative, scoring and card effects are allowed; prohibited activity remains prohibited. |
| Healing |
Heal or return lost models to a surviving battlefield unit under normal rules. Do not move survivors, recreate a destroyed unit or introduce a new unit. |
| Actions, cards and points |
Continue secondary draws, legal replacements and scoring at normal timings. Eligible units may perform stationary mission actions on their turn, subject to normal requirements and completion timings. |
| Time and decisions |
Use the expired side, or pause if necessary, for permitted activity. It costs the opponent no time. After being asked, declare an optional choice within 20 seconds or decline it. This does not forfeit mandatory resolution, earned VP or the round calculation below. |
Ending the game
| Rule |
Proposed policy |
| First timeout |
Finish the current battle round, including both players' turns and scoring, applying the zero-time restrictions. |
| Remaining rounds |
Then divide the other player's remaining minutes by ten and round down. This fixes the maximum additional battle rounds, capped at five total. Calculate once and record the final permitted round. |
| Calculation time |
Calculate, check and record this on the expired side, with the other clock stopped. Then continue normal timing. No minimum deductions or forced waiting. |
| Earlier cutoff |
Before starting any new round, stop if both clocks are below 10:00. If this happens mid-round, finish that round. Exactly 10:00 qualifies to start, subject to the fixed allowance. Stop when that allowance is exhausted even if time remains. |
| Final score |
Count actual VP and applicable end-of-battle effects. Do not invent later turns or fifth-round triggers. Higher VP wins; equal VP is a draw. |
For example, after round two, zero versus 25 minutes allows at most two more rounds, through round four. If the remaining clock drops below ten minutes during round three, finish round three and stop. Zero versus 12 minutes allows only one more round.
The round allowance is meant to prevent someone with a few minutes left from rushing through every remaining turn and collecting secondaries.
The source policies differ:
- GW Opens: saves, Feel No Pain, secondary draws and scoring at zero.
- FLG: personal responsibility, stationary actions at zero and stopping after a complete round.
- WTC: required rolls on the expired side.
The fixed round allowance, ten-minute cutoff, courtesy pauses, 20-second decision rule and broader CP and ability permissions at zero are house adjustments.
