How to Build Your First OPR Army List
One Page Rules is genuinely one of the best entry points into tabletop wargaming right now. The rules are free, the army builder is free, games play fast, and you can use pretty much any miniatures you like. If you've been sitting on a pile of unpainted resin wondering where to start, this is the guide for you.
Here's how to go from zero to a playable list, step by step.
Step 1: Pick Your Game and Faction
OPR has several game systems. The two main ones are Grimdark Future (sci-fi, very much in the spirit of 40K) and Age of Fantasy. Both are free to download from the One Page Rules website. Pick whichever setting excites you more. You'll commit more time to a project you actually want to paint.
Once you've chosen a system, browse the faction lists. Each faction has a PDF army book, also free. Read a couple and see what clicks. Grimdark Future has everything from power-armoured space knights to orc mobs to witch covens. If one of those factions is pulling you in, trust that instinct. An army you're excited about painting is an army that actually gets finished.
Step 2: Understand Points and Army Size
OPR armies are built to a points limit agreed with your opponent. Common starting points for Grimdark Future are 1,000 to 1,500 points. For a first army, I'd suggest starting at 1,000. It's enough to field a varied force, but not so much that you're staring down sixty models before you've even primed anything.
Every unit in your army book has a points cost. Some have upgrade options that add to that cost. The army builder tool on the OPR website handles all the maths for you and flags illegal selections automatically. Use it. It saves headaches.
Step 3: Read Your Army Book Before You Buy Anything
This is the step most people skip and nearly everyone regrets skipping. Spend an evening with your faction's army book. Look at what each unit actually does on the table. Some units are specialist, high-cost models that only shine in specific situations. Others are cheap, reliable troops that do most of the heavy lifting in a 1,000 point game.
For Space Knights (one of the most beginner-friendly factions), a solid starting core is usually two or three squads of basic Brothers, then one or two specialist or elite units. Something like the Templar Warhawk Squad fits the elite end of that nicely and gives you a centrepiece unit that's genuinely interesting to paint once the list is on paper.
Step 4: Build a Balanced List, Not a Perfect One
Your first list should tick a few practical boxes. You want some basic troops to hold objectives, something that can deal with armoured targets, and at least one unit that can move quickly or threaten flanks. You don't need to optimise for tournament play. You need a list that forces you to make decisions and rewards learning the rules.
If you're going the Orc route, a couple of core mob units give you that cheap, aggressive backbone. The Blak Orks Mob One and Blak Orks Mob Two together would fill out that troop requirement with some great characterful models to get your brush into.
Step 5: Check Model Count Before You Commit
Before you finalise your list, count the actual models. A 1,000 point infantry horde might be forty-plus models. A more elite list might be fifteen. Both are valid, but one of them is going to take you four times as long to paint. Be honest with yourself about your painting pace and your timeline for getting the army to the table.
Step 6: Save the List, Then Start Painting
Export your list as a PDF from the OPR army builder and save it somewhere sensible. Then go pick up your models and get them on the wet palette. The rules will start making more sense the moment you're physically holding the units you've chosen.
OPR is designed to be low friction. The barrier between an idea and a game is much lower than in other systems, which means the main thing standing between you and a first game is actually painting the models. So pick your faction, build the list, and get the primer out.