Best Place To Start - For a Complete n00b

[JKoby123]

Hey guys,

So, we on here are mostly somewhat experienced. However, where did every one start? I have a buddy who wants to get into 40k. Aside from a rulebook, and what I can teach him, where is the best place for him to start independent research? He doesn't even know what Space Marine is, and wants to pretty much grab the basics of the fluff for the universe.

I would just take him to my LGS, but it's more than an hour away with very few players who I actually would bother to have him meet.

Stuff about the rules I can obviously handle. Just want to make sure that he gets some great foundational knowledge before he jumps into it head first. (I'm afraid of him being overwhelmed.)

Thanks in advance guys!

[Commisarlestat]

The rule book should have all the fluff you need in there. It even tells you how to write dates in the far future! I think there is a wiki somewhere that has all of the basics and lots of other more detailed stuff. Perhaps raid your older white dwarfs and look for articles of fluff hear and there.

Best place for him to start though is skip all of the rules and read the fluff sections of the rule book first.

Tbh I started with fantasy when my dad bought the core box with Bret's in it. I read the army book saw they were knights and picked it up from there. My 40k knowledge just sort of seeped in being around Gw stuff. White dwarfs were a constant source though. Perhaps being him on here and seek the fluff masters clan for your answers.

That last bit sounded like a quest lol.

Hope that helps

A

[Warlord Vrrmik]

As geeky as it sounds, I recommend he play the Dawn of War games and expansions of the first and second series. It'll give him more of a feel of the 40k universe for a very decent price (especially the first series), including background, style of and information on Space Marines, Chaos, Orks, Eldar, Imperial Guard, Tau Empire (first series), Necrons (first series), and Tyranids (second series). The main 40k races.

Although I personally like the second series better only because it has Tyranids in it, both series' provide masses of fluff to be learned and taught. It'll provide the foundation of nerdiness that he is seeking. Dawn of War II: Retribution is great in the way that, although repetitive, it provides the biggest wealth of detail on each race in the series as there is a campaign for each race (SM, Chaos, 'nids, Eldar, IG, Orks). If he's going for just Space Marines with other background detail, Dawn of War II is probably best. Dawn of War: Dark Crusade is good in that it gives him basically a planetary empires campaign map where he chooses one race to conquer a planet with. There's also more variety of choice with that one.

Get him to play at least the campaign of all of them if you can, it'll really set him up well. Best of luck to him!

[omgitsduane]

As geeky as it sounds, I recommend he play the Dawn of War games and expansions of the first and second series. It'll give him more of a feel of the 40k universe for a very decent price (especially the first series), including background, style of and information on Space Marines, Chaos, Orks, Eldar, Imperial Guard, Tau Empire (first series), Necrons (first series), and Tyranids (second series). The main 40k races.

Dunno how, on a forum for people who play with plastic toys that cost us 60$ for ten, we could call gaming geeky. I think computer gaming has reached a lot of people in the last ten years that would of considered ever touching a computer to be putting themselves into the geek bin.

But DOW did influence me for picking guardsmen for my next army, I loved the idea of a ww2 russian style army where you just push bodies on the enemies and hope to break though. Sentinels were also one of my favourite units in that game and thats why I plan to make another 2 full squads of the bad-boys.

Playing small games might be the easiest step, but give him a larger force so he can afford to lose a few more guys during the learning curve. We as a species learn mostly by doing, and that's what I think would be the best way to retain it.

[Klajorne]

LEXICANUM is the main 40k wiki that I know about. There's a couple others out there, but I like that one for random lookups.

I'd support video games. I remember when my buddy showed me his 40k collection (which amounted to a few orks and a guard artillery platform) I thought it was cool and all, but it was video games like Space Hulk that really got me hooked.

These days, the Dawn of Wars are great, if not getting a little dated. Still great for replay value, though, and you can pick them up pretty cheap. Also, xbox games like Space Marine sets the ambiance pretty good, or just Kill Team if you want a fairly brainless and fun directional shooter that you can play together.

And, of course, codexes. Codexes are full of the coolest aspects of a faction. He can look at the artwork. He can look at the models. He can look at the weapons his faction uses. Stories about his faction. All are selling points.

[JKoby123]

Thanks, all! I sat down with him this morning, and we went through some basics, and looked at some armies. His two favorites were Nids and Necrons. Him being the hot headed Italian that he is, I pushed him more towards Necrons, as he'll be upset if he loses THAT much to start with. (Sorry bugz guys, but you I speaketh truth.)

They were his favorite, also. So I'm planning to pick up the codex at GamesDay, and maybe some a couple basics. He'll need a rulebook, too, obviously.
Thanks to everyone for chiming in.

We're still open to more suggestions!

[Commisarlestat]

Just a thought but is there a possibility for you to talk to a Gw staff member and see how they'd sell the army. They may have a few boiled down background bits and basics you could pass on.

A

[pilot00]

As Klajorne said lexicanum. Let him start with the emperor searchword and have him link the rest from the text.

Afterward give him a dawn of war 1 (yes 1 and no expansions) so he can see Angelos landing on the spaceport. That very cut-scene sold me on marines. Afterwards let him progress and when he sees Varnus kicking the bloodthirster he will be convinced. At least the UM produced one memorable character.

[Sanctus]

The sixth edition rulebook is the best one stop place for fluff and rules you will get. I am very happy with mine and gave on to a friend who would like to get into the game and it is working out great so far.

[Seasonreaper]

There's plenty in this thread that I agree with and most of the bases have been covered, so I'll take a different route.

I'd take a look into some of the Black Library books. Now, since he's taken an interest in Necrons and 'nids, it's a little inconvenient since the majority of books tend to completely ignore those races, but there are probably a few around (although the only one I can bring to mind is Warrior Brood, for the 'nids). I'm not even sure why this is, most of the books are understandably Chaos related but a lot of what isn't seems to feature Eldar or Orks and the occasional Tau or Dark Eldar storylines.

Even so, I'd recommend looking into some of the Horus Heresy books as it's such an important event in the 40k universe and has influenced the majority of the races in some way or other. Not only that, but they're actually a pretty good read too. I don't know what his opinions are on Guard, but the Gaunts Ghosts series by Dan Abnett are also impressive, and I don't even like Guard myself.
Despite not being focussed on the races he's taken an interest in, those books certainly set the scene and tone of the 40k universe and give a good look at the world, at least from the perspective of mankind and should act as an effective means of introducing someone to the 41st millennium.