Dax budgets points, paint, and regret in the same column
Warhammer Starter Army Escalation Planner
Plan Combat Patrol, 1,000-point, and 2,000-point milestones around legal units, current rules, transport, paint capacity, opponent format, and total spend—not an attractive pile of unrelated boxes.
DaxThe Critic Answer first
What this tool solves before the table opens.
Plan Combat Patrol, 1,000-point, and 2,000-point milestones around legal units, current rules, transport, paint capacity, opponent format, and total spend—not an attractive pile of unrelated boxes.
Finish one legal format first Build, paint, transport, and play Combat Patrol or the chosen starter format before buying toward 2,000 points.
A live estimate you can copy or download
Warhammer Community: current 40K downloads and Munitorum Field Manual remains the current authority.
Run the numbers
Dax wants the real ownership cost.
Calculated field result
Enter your numbers Estimates are planning aids. Verify current specifications and prices before buying.Need more precision?
Start simple. Add detail only when the table needs it.
The tool above already gives a usable answer. These modes add campaign, serious-table, or expert checks without erasing your work.
Fast, legal, playable
Finish one legal format first
Build, paint, transport, and play Combat Patrol or the chosen starter format before buying toward 2,000 points.
- Inventory models and bases
- Choose one paint recipe
- Play before purchase wave two
Ready when
The next purchase creates a legal playable milestone, fills a battlefield role, fits the paint backlog, and uses current points and datasheets.What this tool assumes
This tool shapes budget and backlog, not an army list. Current Munitorum Field Manual, faction rules, mission pack, and event pack control legality.Dax's table briefing
The tool has a point of view. The rules still get the final word.
“Points bought are not an army. Points built, painted, transported, and played are.”
Dax is the fictional cabinet voice presenting this desk. Robert Pruitt owns the research, source review, and editorial judgment; the linked publisher material remains authoritative.
Physical table kit
The exact products this desk is talking about.
Real product photographs and exact retailer pages from the related Puzzlewick buying guides. Products are optional unless the tool explicitly identifies a required foundation.
Puzzlewick may earn from qualifying purchases, including as an Amazon Associate, at no extra cost to you. Prices and availability change at checkout.
01 · Direct product Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon
Buy Armageddon because you want these armies, not because the word launch made the decision for you.
View exact product on Amazon
02 · Direct product Warhammer 40,000 Introductory Set (2023, 10th Edition)
A good little hobby test becomes a bad current-edition promise if the label is vague.
View exact product on Amazon
03 · Direct product Warhammer 40,000 Starter Set (2023, 10th Edition)
Buy the models at a previous-edition price. Do not buy old paper as new guidance.
View exact product on AmazonPuzzlewick field cards
The useful part belongs beside the board.
Phase 1
Build one playable format
A starter or Combat Patrol should become an assembled, legal, transportable game before the army expands. Rules familiarity is an upgrade.
- Inventory sprues and bases
- Choose a repeatable paint recipe
- Play before buying the second wave
Phase 2
Add battlefield roles, not points alone
At 1,000 points, identify scoring, anti-armor, mobility, screening and durability gaps. One impressive unit does not solve every mission.
- Use current points and datasheets
- Check detachment requirements
- Budget cases and magnets
Phase 3
A 2K army is a logistics project
Finishing, carrying, deploying and updating a full army are part of ownership. Schedule paint waves and stop buying when backlog exceeds the next milestone.
- Record assembled/primed/painted separately
- Plan terrain and opponent format
- Keep edition changes from invalidating the whole budget
Keep the useful version
Print it, download it, or send it to the table.
The downloaded field note includes your selections and checklist state. Private notes stay in this browser unless you download them.
Fast rulings before the table
Common questions, answered without the forum fog.
Should I plan directly for 2,000 points?
Plan the horizon, but finish one legal playable milestone first. Combat Patrol or 1,000 points teaches the gaps that should drive the next purchase.
What must be checked before an event?
Current points, faction document, detachment, mission and terrain pack, event packet, model and wargear representation, list deadline, and clock procedure.
Is the Army Escalation Planner an official publisher tool?
No. It is an independent Puzzlewick planning aid checked against Warhammer Community: current 40K downloads and Munitorum Field Manual. When the tool and current publisher material differ, the publisher rulebook, FAQ, errata, or event packet controls.
How current is the Army Escalation Planner?
Its evidence date is 2026-08-18. Recheck the linked current authority after a new edition, FAQ, points update, rotation, app update, or event packet.
