I have played 40k on and off since 3rd edition; I am familair with what is what, for the most part.

My friends, however, wouldnt know 40k from Adam. I got them to play Star Wars LCG because they played the Decipher version as kids, but for this, they're humoring me.

When I taught them the Warmahordes "High Command" game, that game had fantastic one-paragraph intros to all its factions. I read those aloud, they guys picked, and on we went.

What's the fastest way to give your friends a faction rundown? Do you have a fast source, or do I need to go to GW's site and find individual entries?

From my review at BoardGameGeek.com:

Tau – Attachments & attachment control & Mobility
Space Marines – Flexibility and powers focused on bringing SMs into play and limiting damages
Astra Militarum - Unit Tokens (Guardsmen)/Sacrifice Units/Leave play effects/Supports
Orks - Damage taken improves units/Damage manipulation/Tokens
Chaos – Direct damage, kill effects, recursion
Dark Eldar - Khymera token manipulation, card discard, Flying keyword, Routing units
Eldar - Eliminate opponent choices & options via Exhausting cards as well as Mobility aspects (Control)

I hope that helps?

Are you interested in the fluff or playstyle for the factions?

It would, indeed, be helpful if it were more clear if your friends are more interested in descriptions of how the factions play, or what the factions are in the 40K universe. Since you're talking about how your friends know nothing of 40K in the first place, I get the impression that you're looking for a description of what the factions are in context of the universe. That, and Wytefang has already done a pretty good job of aptly summarizing general playstyle we can draw from the existing card pool. Unfortunately, there isn't really much in the way of what you're looking for, even on GW's website they don't really have what you're looking for as far as I know, their website tends to go straight into selling you miniatures bereft of context. Lexicanum might help you, but it's not exactly brief. I am reminded of what Sten says in Dragon Age: Origins when asked to describe his people, "People are not simple. They cannot simply be generalized in the manner of, 'Elves are a lithe, pointy-eared people who excel at poverty.'" That aside, I'll give it my best shot to summarize the factions in Conquest within the 40K universe with as little required leaning on historical or in-depth lore knowledge as possible... it kind of defeats the purpose of a faction description if they have to go to some other external source to understand key elements within it.

Space Marines - Genetically-enhanced super-soldiers, to the point that it is a very fair argument as to whether or not they are still truly human, and equipped with the best of its armor and weaponry, they are considered Mankind's greatest elite warriors, answerable to almost none other than their own. They are, however, few in number and thus used as a scalpel rather than a sledgehammer, specializing in surgical strikes, special operations, or other tasks that simply could not be trusted to lesser soldiers. They often strike from the skies in shocking attacks, relying on their superhuman capabilities and their advanced use of tactics to carry them to victory.

Astra Militarum - The true army of Mankind, composed of the great masses of common humanity. Physically inferior and underequipped in comparison to almost every enemy they will ever face, they still come through thanks to their vast numbers, their unyielding determination, and effective use of combined arms. The life of Guardsmen is often short, notable for its misery, hopelessness, and great sacrifice. Few can dig in and hold the line from a supported, fortified position like the Astra Militarum, ready to greet the enemies of Man with a vast gunline, a wall of armored tank steel, and a thundering artillery barrage, and a determination to never give up no matter how grim the odds.

Orkz - A very old, very chaotic species that is spread throughout the whole galaxy, Orkz live for nothing but war. To an Ork, the idea of peace is as horrifying as war would be to a human, for it is in war that the Ork society finds purpose, and those that survive grow bigger and stronger from their experiences, and thus more important in their society. Orkz are brutal and barbaric, caring only for brute strength as a leadership quality, and often not having the capacity to think of tactics more advanced than rushing headlong at the enemy. Their technology is ramshackle, primitive, salvaged and cobbled-together, and often literally only maintained by the Ork belief that it will work. To be an Ork is a simple, pure existence, you fight because you were made for fighting and winning.

Chaos - Chaos refers both to the daemons and Dark Gods of the Warp, a dimension beyond our own created by sentient emotions, and to the human followers of the same. From Chaos come the daemons from Mankind's darkest nightmares, created from the darkest parts of their own emotions, and those Space Marines and humans that have turned their backs on humanity to join them, which can be for reasons beyond counting. Their motivations, likewise, can vary greatly, but the one thing that tends to unite all of them in their inevitable insanity is a yearning desire to see Mankind's Imperium burn, and tear down everything humanity has managed to build. With the aid of immortal, inhuman daemons and dark warp sorceries, it is far from impossible they may achieve their aim.

Dark Eldar - The last true remnants of the ancient Eldar Empire that preceded humanity, the Dark Eldar are those that cling to the same degenerate ways and practices that caused the fall of their Empire in the first place. Now very few in number and reduced to hiding in a twilight realm between the material world and the Warp, they exist only to bring pain and suffering to others, ostensibly for their own amusement. Utilizing the most powerful and depraved technologies of the Eldar Empire with no regard for morality to contain them, they strike from the shadows in lightning raids to carry off other sentient species to their twilight realm, purely so that they may sadistically torture them for as long as is possible. Their military strategy is focused around being as light and fast as possible, sacrificing armor for maneuverability and speed wherever possible. The Dark Eldar are likely the closest thing to pure evil in the setting, living only for their wretched excesses and depraved sadistic desires, and it is best to pray they do not take you alive.

Eldar - Very few in number, the Eldar are those who foresaw the coming destruction of the Eldar Empire and fled on vast Craftworlds beforehand, seeking to change their ways and avoid making the mistakes of their fallen kin. They now seek to live lives of rigid discipline, moderation, and training. Few can read the skeins of fate and foretell the future as well as these Eldar, and they tend to only interact with the galaxy towards the end of manipulating the future to their benefit, often looking to forestall disasters. However, as these disasters may be decades, centuries, or even millennia in the future to come, the actions of the mysterious Eldar can often seem random and purposeless at best to outsiders, making them a very mysterious race to others. They make use of powerful technology as well as some of the most potent psychic power of any race in the galaxy to accomplish their goals. While not truly evil, the Eldar have little regard for any race that is not their own and will do anything to survive.

Tau - A young and ambitious race that has only just ventured out into the broader galaxy, but has already made a substantial impression. The Tau are a rationally-minded, scientific, technologically-advanced race that is almost completely united and driven by its communitarian philosophy of the "Greater Good", a revelation they seek to share and spread to all the rest of the galaxy as they incorporate more into their small but growing Empire. Despite having an overly optimistic, indeed naive view of the galaxy they are in, the Tau have done better than most at mastering its challenges. The Tau have some of the most incredibly advanced technology of any race in the galaxy, and they only seek to improve it further, but they do have no psychic potential or any true understanding of the Warp. The Tau are also notable for being entirely oriented around firepower and long-ranged fighting, considering close-ranged engagements barbaric and distasteful. Despite lacking the sheer numbers of humanity, Orkz or the Tyranids, Tau often make up for it with their very rational, pragmatic understanding of tactics and their highly-advanced technology that often gives them a major firepower advantage.

If your friends want they can also listen to our faction episodes on Adeptus Podcastus. In each one I discuss the lore for that week's faction.

Thank you for the responses. I was most interested in fluff, but the summary of playstyle is a nice touch as well.

I'll print this out and ready it for when the game arrives!

There are no female or male Orks...they are a race that procreates through violence and bloodshed. Ork blood spawns other Orks...Warfare is their only way to reproduce. Kind a creepy...

I seem to remember reading something comparing Works to fungus... When you kill one it effectively releases suppress which seed the earth and grow more Orks.

So yeah... A little creepy :-P

I also love the fact that Ork 'science' is literally powered by belief.

Orks are an artificially created race designed by the serpentine elder ones to fight the Necrons and their sun-eating masters (so are the Eldar btw). When the Elder ones lost the war and the necros began their slumber waiting for the galaxy to repopulate itself, the Orks spread. They are now more numerous than even humans, but their infighting keeps them in check.

Biologically, Orks are fungus that procreate through spores in their shed blood. They have no sexes. Many kinds of orkoids exist, mutated in their underground sacks based on nearby total Ork population. Once Orks land on planet, its very difficult to ever get completely rid of them.

Orks never die of old age and keep growing larger forever. They have an inherent knowledge of military technology and have the natural impulse to fight. For an Ork, Green is da best. They are also latent psykers, meaning they generate a passive psionic field that allows them extraordinary feats in combat (flying a plane without wings, keeping their downtrodden equipment together, red painted vehicles being faster, blue is lucky etc). Ork psyckers are called Wierdboyz and their gods are personifications of them not giving a **** in the battlefield: Gork and Mork, one is cunningly brutal and the other is brutally cunning.

Orks are a tough race that simply adheres to its ancient genetic programming of waging war.

Saiser, that was awesome. Thanks! Well done! Same to you, TOQ!

Orks are an artificially created race designed by the serpentine elder ones to fight the Necrons and their sun-eating masters (so are the Eldar btw). When the Elder ones lost the war and the necros began their slumber waiting for the galaxy to repopulate itself, the Orks spread. They are now more numerous than even humans, but their infighting keeps them in check.

Biologically, Orks are fungus that procreate through spores in their shed blood. They have no sexes. Many kinds of orkoids exist, mutated in their underground sacks based on nearby total Ork population. Once Orks land on planet, its very difficult to ever get completely rid of them.

Orks never die of old age and keep growing larger forever. They have an inherent knowledge of military technology and have the natural impulse to fight. For an Ork, Green is da best. They are also latent psykers, meaning they generate a passive psionic field that allows them extraordinary feats in combat (flying a plane without wings, keeping their downtrodden equipment together, red painted vehicles being faster, blue is lucky etc). Ork psyckers are called Wierdboyz and their gods are personifications of them not giving a **** in the battlefield: Gork and Mork, one is cunningly brutal and the other is brutally cunning.

Orks are a tough race that simply adheres to its ancient genetic programming of waging war.

Well now I flippin' love Orks. That's amazing. Gork and Mork are fantastic.

Orks are an artificially created race designed by the serpentine elder ones to fight the Necrons and their sun-eating masters (so are the Eldar btw). When the Elder ones lost the war and the necros began their slumber waiting for the galaxy to repopulate itself, the Orks spread. They are now more numerous than even humans, but their infighting keeps them in check.

Biologically, Orks are fungus that procreate through spores in their shed blood. They have no sexes. Many kinds of orkoids exist, mutated in their underground sacks based on nearby total Ork population. Once Orks land on planet, its very difficult to ever get completely rid of them.

Orks never die of old age and keep growing larger forever. They have an inherent knowledge of military technology and have the natural impulse to fight. For an Ork, Green is da best. They are also latent psykers, meaning they generate a passive psionic field that allows them extraordinary feats in combat (flying a plane without wings, keeping their downtrodden equipment together, red painted vehicles being faster, blue is lucky etc). Ork psyckers are called Wierdboyz and their gods are personifications of them not giving a **** in the battlefield: Gork and Mork, one is cunningly brutal and the other is brutally cunning.

Orks are a tough race that simply adheres to its ancient genetic programming of waging war.

Well now I flippin' love Orks. That's amazing. Gork and Mork are fantastic.

I suddenly really want to revisit Gorka-Morka!

Mork is Cunning yet Strong. Gork is Strong yet Cunning....Well, that's how the Bad Moon's describe them

Let's not forget the events of GorkaMorka. The Orks crash-landed and to get off-world, they asked their Mekboys to build them a device so they could get their Hulk back into orbit.

The Mekboys, as a loose collective, set to work, creating the device as an idol in the image of their God. Shortly after (during?) an argument broke out about whether the idol looked more like Gork or Mork. Orks being somewhat belligerent, this led to religious schism and infighting (no-one was surprised). In the resultant chaos, the idol, and their hope of leaving the planet they were now stranded on, was destroyed.

At this point, I should mention that Gork and Mork are identical twins...

Don't humans in Gorkamorka paint themselves green and follow the mannerisms of the Orks.

They do imitate Orks. They're called Diggas and live underneath a Necron pyramid. The Eldar are all mutated from radiation from the Orks spaceship crash.

The muties aren't the Eldar. They're the humans that couldn't get out from the Eter-Vigila crash (a human ship) so they have the same rough origins as the diggas from memory.