Just Starting

[Ulgrim]

Ah, thanks again.

[Eye of Jamie]

The best way to learn the rules is by playing a few games with someone that is willing to help you and forgive any mistakes you make. I find the rules are too hard to grasp by merely reading them.

Space Marines are an all round force that are beginner friendly. Don't worry about "The end of Man", as GW would never get rid of their beloved Space Marines.

Eldar are a harder army to learn the game with. Each unit has a specific role which it is especially good in, but weak in other areas. This means you have to make your army with the right balance of different roles, and have a strict battle plan when fighting.

As previously mentioned, the Battleforce for an army is the best option to start with. Tools aren't as essential unless you plan on converting. Obviously a few different brushes, then a craft knife and a simple nail file to get rid of flash and mould lines.

You could buy the paint set which has every paint in it, but to be honest, its a lot of money, and chances are your not going to use half the paints in it. Best to decide on a paintscheme, say the blue of Ultramarines, and buy a few shades of blue, your essential black and white paint, some flesh tones, mettalic paints and whatever else you think you may need on the model. Also a can of either Skull White or Chaos Black spray paint to undercoat your models with. Both give different looks to paint put over them.

[Ulgrim]

Oh, so the battleforces are a good place to start? I read somehwere that they were a waste of money because you may never use some of the models they come with.

[Eye of Jamie]

Hmm, maybe with some armies, i'm not sure. But the Space Marine box comes with a unit of Scouts, 2 Tactical Squads, a Rhino and a unit of Assault Marines. Thats a reasonably good starting army, and the only models you may not use again there are the scouts. But with the new Outflank rule, Scouts can be used to capture far objectives late in the game.

[Ulgrim]

Ok, I'll start there. (If I do end up buying SM.) But what I would want to do with the Scouts is use them as Snipers? Is this a good idea?

[Zarak]

I think too many people are confusing the Age of Man coming to an end, with Mankind itself coming an end. I am really hoping GW comes to its senses and breaks the backbone of the Imperium, turning the universe on its head. The plotline could really benefit from such a massive jolt. However, if the Age of Man does come to an end, it doesn't mean all Imperium armies are gone. It just means that their background plot has changed. Space Marines will still be Space Marines. Imperial Guard will still be Imperial Guard. The only difference is that they will be fighting like crazy, with their backs against the wall, like cornered animals. Therefore, any army you chose will be pretty much a safe bet. With so many people playing 40k now, I doubt there will ever again be an army removed from the game completely, even ones that aren't as "popular" as Space Marines are.

[arachnid]

as been said before the armies have their pro's and con's

eldar :
extremely specialised and takes a fair bit of getting used to, good knowledge of tactical situations is a must (harder for the beginner) however don't let that put you off, the best strategists come from those who simply *have* to have good strategy to survive.
5th ed updated codex. ( i think)


dark eldar:
The only army id say is tougher than eldar for beginners is dark eldar, but that's mainly because of the fragile nature of.. well all the units actually *except the hq's* that are utter beasts and frequently kills armys on its own.
oh, and the outdated codex. grrr.

Sm: Flexible, jackofall type of army. by far the most common starter army.
necrons come close too, but most take a look at the available units and go *that's all??*
gw's poster-boy army.
if an update is due, you bet sm's will get it first.
Its a bit unfair to lump all the different sm's under one category, but yeah, expect to play against lots of sm-armys.

new codex on the way.


chaos marines: THE way to go, they own.. totally *not biased at all*



Read the backgrounds in the rulebook, if any army grabs you by the throat saying "go to the store and buy us, NOW" - then go for it.

no point in using an army that looks good but feels horrible to play, and vice versa.



Battleforces:

yes theyre a good amount of troops for the money..

Trouble is, do you really want *those* models?
if not, then its just expensive.
even more expensive if you wanna switch armies later on.


if id just started now, i would have just got an HQ and 2 troops so i could get a feel for the army before comitting more cash.

but i got the battleforce, simply because my chosen army is the sole reason im in the hobby to start with.



Peace.

[Ulgrim]

I see. Also, nice signature Zarak. I had also considered CSM...but the idea of getting your soul eaten for power didn't seem appealing.

[arachnid]

bah, who needs a soul if trading it means you live forever with immeasurable power at your command?

either that or.. be turned into a spawn, but them's the breaks


i chose csm because of looks, the unique units (defiler.. yum..) and because, well the imperium feels faceless and dronelike in comparison..

sorta like lemmings running off a cliff if you ask me. (especially guard)

chaos hangs back, taking it easy with the daemonettes and just chilling, with the occasional
"shopping"-spree for more beer ..
oh and bloodshed and mayhem.. no real party should do without it

[Boomer]

Oh, so the battleforces are a good place to start? I read somehwere that they were a waste of money because you may never use some of the models they come with.

Far from it, the nid box is a real treat.
You could also go for the space wolf battelforce, just visit bitzbox and pick up ten bolters and arms and you will then have two full squads, a rhino and 3 bikes. Not bad at all for £50 even better if you can find it online such as ebay. The elder box set is also pretty good value.