Warhammer 40k. Help a beginner.

[Kais86]

Buy the Battle for Black Reach box set, it's 60$ comes with Orks, Space Marines and everything you will need except the army books, or as GW likes to call them "Codex" all of the models in this are basically snap together but you might want to get some super glue. You can also sell the models off if you don't want to play Orks or Space Marines (although both are good starting armies, as Orks don't need tactics to be successful, and Space Marines are forgiving.).

When you decide on what army you want to run, you should start with their Codex and work your way from there.

 

[CakeDragon]

I started collecting Tyranids a few years ago, but had to stop cos
a) I couldn't afford it and
b) there wasn't anyone for me to play with.
It was a biiig mistake to spend a lot of money on an army what is now underneath my bed, semi-completed.

If you go into a Games Workshop and ask them to show you a game, you'll be able to decide whether or not you want to play. That's what I did, it's just a shame I had to stop collecting. It's best to get a good feel of the game and decide whether or not you like it.

I did buy a Carnifex though - bext £25 I ever spent.

 

[grinklehi]

I have always thought that the best way for a young Tactician to learn is to make mistakes. For that reason, I have always suggested when asked about a starter army to pick Orks or Tyranids, as there is a smaller army percentage lost when you screw up. The "nids and da Green Tide, while maybe a little more expensive due to the need for more miniatures then, say, Necrons or Space Marines, have larger armies with which to screw up with and learn from, and besides, Orks are just downright fun to play.

So, to recap, pick larger armies where the margin for error is less then the others, and the two main spammy armies are the Tyranids and the Orks.

 

[Aedwynn]

Pick the army you like the look of best, at first. You can develop a play style later. The first thing you'll want is the races codex and the rulebook. Don't buy anything else until you've given it a good read-through.

After that, just buy a couple of boxes of basic infantry and a commander model. Paint 'em up and try and play a game with 'em. Then add from there. Resist the temptation to splurge and buy a load of models of an army you don't know about.

Or convince a friend to go halfsies on the starter set. The 40k starter set is really good value, and if you buy with a mate you get the rulebook and a decent small army each.

Sounds good to me. Any particular website I should be looking at for the starter set cheap?

A website that should help ya! ;-)

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?categoryId=cat210004&aId=9300005

and

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod1570027&rootCatGameStyle=

 

[Warrior Irme]

Pick the army you like the look of best, at first. You can develop a play style later. The first thing you'll want is the races codex and the rulebook. Don't buy anything else until you've given it a good read-through.

After that, just buy a couple of boxes of basic infantry and a commander model. Paint 'em up and try and play a game with 'em. Then add from there. Resist the temptation to splurge and buy a load of models of an army you don't know about.

Or convince a friend to go halfsies on the starter set. The 40k starter set is really good value, and if you buy with a mate you get the rulebook and a decent small army each.

Sounds good to me. Any particular website I should be looking at for the starter set cheap?

Couple websites that should help ya! ;-)

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?categoryId=cat210004&aId=9300005

and

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod1570027&rootCatGameStyle=

Thank you sir.

 

[zen5887]

Hmmmm

I think if you have people to play with then go for it. Otherwise, unless you really like modeling and painting you might want to avoid it.

I've got 1500pts of space marines that are sitting around. Me and Purps have games every now and then but thats all.

However I highly recommend you check out D&D. It only 'antisocial' if you let it, same with 40K and even Videogames.

 

[The Gardener]

Make sure you can find somewhere that hosts games on a regular basis, preferably with multiple levels of skill and army size. Unless you can play regularly, you will lose interest unless you're a painting whiz.

 

[Grubnar]

As someone who has been collecting and playing Warhammer 40.000 for more than a decade I would advice you not to start buying stuff before you have some idea of what you want to collect. Try to partake in a few "learning" games at a local GW store if you can and get to know as much as you can about all the factions and races before buying a whole lot of junk you may not want or need.

If you can not, here is a very short description of the major factions:

Space Marines: Skilled fighters in thick armor and armed with (very) big guns they are good at both range and in melee. Are few in numbers. Come in many flavors; Vanilla (Ultramarines), Very Heavy Infantry and bikes (Dark Angles) , Melee death (Black Templars and Blood Angles)and Vikings in space (Space Wolves, they are awesome!)

Chaos Space Marines: The evil twin brother of the goody space marines. Also come in many flavors although divercity was toned down a bit last edition.

Sisters of Battle: AKA nuns with guns. The all female army is well armed and armored. Not as skilled as the space marines they do have the numbers to make up for it. Burny death!

Imperial Guard: A mix of Stormtroopers and Red Shirts, they cant hit anything and die in doves. They take horrendous casultys but have the biggest number of infantry and heavy weapons and tanks and artillery and everything!!! Not easy to use but very rewarding and very fun to collect and play with.

Orkz: Mr. Tolkien invented Orcs about 80 years ago. He has alot to answer for that man! Orkz are the mirror image of the Imperial Guard, lots of infantry, vehicles, warmacines, big guns and so on. While the Guard favors shooting, heavy tanks and order, the Orkz are all about melee, fast vehicles and chaos. Also not easy to use but very, very fun to collect and play with.

Tyranids. Six limbed aliens that remind you of the monsters from Aliens and Starship Troopers. Very good at melee, not so good at shooting. Have no vehicles whatsoever but have the biggest mosters in a game full of big scary monsters.

Necrons: Tough as nails undead robotic skeletons that fire green deathrays! Have undestroyable huge flying metalic pyramids that fire green explosive deathrays! Have god-like alien overlords tha eat souls or whole suns! Crazy sci-fi at its best. Are however very limited in their army selection so most Necron armys look the same.

Eldar: Elfs in space. If you like elfs this is the army for you. Otherwise avoid like the plage. Eldar are weak and frail, but have the best armed and most skilled specialist in the game. Their units are usually only good at one thing, but are very, very good at it!

TAU: The only "good guys" in the game. blue/gray skinned humanoid aliens that have good weapons and allied alien races (Kroot, Vespvids and even humans). They have a very Mecha-Anime-ish style and although their basic infantry is well armed and armored they rely on their Battlesuits and flying tanks to win battles.

 

[X72391]

Look into the backgrounds of each army and decide based on which you like the most. That is how I chose Chaos Marines. Learning how each army plays also helps a lot.

 

[7moreDead_v1legacy]

I don't play as often as I would liked too but as said else where (I think), I'd go to a store if possible and have a few games talk to the lads down there...

It is an expensive past time...and prices just constantly go up it seems...But yeah having a good game is a great laugh. I'm a guard player myself and nothing is better than crushing power armoured sissy soldiers (aka space marines) under the might of tanks and las guns!

 

[irishstormtrooper]

Get Imperial Guard. Have you seen the Baneblade? It's f*cking awesome!

 

[7moreDead_v1legacy]

Get Imperial Guard. Have you seen the Baneblade? It's f*cking awesome!

Quoted for truth

 

[GloatingSwine]

Get Imperial Guard. Have you seen the Baneblade? It's f*cking awesome!

It's also awesomely expensive at 40k scale...

 

[Sea Age]

Orks allow for a lot of creative liberty, I've always felt. I've painted a lot of ork models, and no matter what I couldn't get two that looked at least somewhat alike. Then again, I was always more in it for the painting. The only games I've ended up playing was Killteam with my Space Marine army -.-

 

[GloatingSwine]

I don't know how this works outside Poland, but here going to tournaments, playing battles, getting drunk and screwing around with your friends (WFB players are the fun-loving ones here, though) is a lot of fun or just playing a casual battle outside the shop, on a lazy summer Sunday is very pleasant too, so you can't "play DoW and read books instead".

This is true. The gaming club I go (though I don't play any GW games) to is in the back room of a pub. Games + Beer = Good.

Even Warhammer World, GW's global HQ (which I can see from where I'm sitting, incidentally) has a pub onsite as well as all the gaming tables.

 

[Warrior Irme]

I didn't expect this to move to a second page but note that I will continue reading the comments and suggestions as long as they are coming in. I don't want people to be discouraged thinking that their comments are in vain.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

The new IG codex is coming out soon, so, as an IG player myself, I'd reccomend you take them into consideration. We can provide you:

Massed infantry, the cheapest in the game (4pts per model), armed with the same heavy and special weapons as marines, at the basic ballistic skill of every other army (BS3, you hit half the time)

Fragile but terrifically powerful elite infantry: Our stormtroopers, when the new dex comes out, will have AP3 hellguns. Put simply, their basic weapons will ignore the armour of every creature in the galaxy save things with invulnerable, cover or 2 up saves.

We have Valkyries. Not sure what those are? Think the helicopter scene from Apocalypse Now- flying death machines that can lay down a barrage of missile fire from any angle.

Tanks- More tanks than anyone can shake a stick at. A lot of new kit is going to be coming our way, tanks, artillery, flamethrower tanks...

Mortars- no one else has them.


I should warn you though- the Guard is a demanding, punishing army to play. Currently, we have been seriously nerfed by the 'Kill Points' stupidity (as if VPs weren't a much better idea) and the new ork dex. We rely on a strange combination of strategy, tactics and brute force to win our batltes.

 

[GonzoGamer]

I've played orks ever since 40k started but I would recommend my other army (Space Marines) to start off.
You don't have to paint many for a full army and can be very straightforward.

If you're trying to get started with a friend, try and go half on the starter box. The latest comes with Marines & Orks.

 

[evilomega13]

If you want to buy the things cheap of the internet, I'd suggest Wayland Games. It's not official, and they don't have everything, but I've found it's fairly reliable...and the whole 40% off everything helps aswell, of course
Here's the link, if you want to try it out:
http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/index.php
Hope it helps!

 

[Aunel]

Most people tend to say Space Marines, but It is with the 5th edition not that good, you have to get the hang of the "combat tactics" special rule, I would advise you to play Chaos Space marines, they play almost the same, but have less complicated rules.
And Chaos has Khorne Berzerkers, which are the best assault troops in the game in my opinion.