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As the title says, what are the 10 most important things to know when you are starting out in the hobby?

I costs a lot. I've probably spent around a grand since I started in January.

-- Be thorough and do some research before choosing an army or even a color scheme, as it will stay with you for quite awhile.
-- This is not a simple game of checkers, be prepared to invest lots of time to the hobby. It will possibly consume all of your freetime.
-- Be prepared to spend copious amount of money.
-- Be prepared to face the realization that your painted models will look nothing like the 'eavy metal figs until you practice and learn new techniques.
-- Always use Primer and always seal your models!
-- Always pin pewter models!
-- Take care of your brushes!
-- When using a hobby knife always scrape, shave, or cut away from your body and its extremities or be prepared to take a blood bath.
-- No matter how nicely you paint your figs, be prepared for some d-bag you dont know to come by and pick up one of your models in the middle of a game (w/o asking)...it will happen.
-- Be prepared to roll lots of dice

Money, it costs lots of it. And you will probably get beaten very badly in your first game.

Mathhammer is your best friend.

Do NOT choose your army based on competetiveness/rules. Not if you ever want it to get painted. Choose your army based on what you think are the coolest models.

THIS is what will get your army completed.

Find a friend (or multiple) who you can battle with regularly. That way you can battle often.

And this hobby will cost you an arm and a leg

Remember that you will probably spend just as much on models as you will on paints/tools/brushes/glue and other necessities.

Um... have fun?

-Learn to laugh when you roll game-shattering dice that doom your game.

-Keep in mind that from the moment you start an army to the day you actually field it, there'll likely be (many) months in between.

-Read the codices of other armies. Better yet, switch armies with a friend now and then to get a feel of what others can do.

-Always shake the hand of your opponent after a match, no matter the result. Even if he is a cheesemeister homunculus d-bag.

-Remember when you can and cannot measure distances.

-When building scenery, do so in a way that models can actually stand on it.

-Try to spread out your purchases. Wait for discounts and promotions. Try to get a unit, paint it, and only get more when that one is ready or nearly so. It lessens the financial hit.

-Pick an army that you like, but check if the rules are at least feasible. You won't have much fun with a gorgeous army that always loses, and you won't have fun winning with an army you dislike.

Even the best player will never win all the time.

I've heard that the GW dice (with rounded corners) are unbalanced and statistically will roll a larger amount of '1's than normal.

Simple Green strips all models -- even plastic. Don't be afraid to practice painting. The new GW washes will cover a lot of 'newbie' blemishes, believe it or not.

GW hobby tools are generally overpriced. Gale Force 9 makes a pretty decent pinning kit, and I would suggest you learn how to pin metal miniatures ASAP -- it will help you immensely when it comes to multi-part metal miniatures such as the Hive Tyrant or Broodlord.

Less superglue works faster and generally better, and doesn't gunk up your seams preventing future re-glues. There is also a product called Zap a Gap that will help Superglue more or less bond instantly. Most people seem to have superglue woes.

Paint is generally better applied in a thin fashion. Keep your brush moderately clean and wet. If you've been using the same color for a while, clean the brush out once in a while anyway, as your paint will dry and clump in the brush. This will make it more difficult to paint.

Keep your brushes as pointed as possible. When cleaning, you can pull the brush through your lips to press the tip into its original point. Keep the plastic toppers on when not in use. Don't allow them to sit in your water cup and get bent. Having a well-pointed brush is essential if you want to paint anything as small as infantry!

This is about all I have for now

1 -- it cost a lot
2 -- make an ebay accont and find some nice deals
3 -- go check the swap shop
4 -- You'll do a lot of reading to get to know the rules
5 -- it is a really tiem consuming hobby
6 -- pick your army by how cool/fun they look, not by their popularity or competiveness
7 -- get a friend to start it with you that way you'll be able to play often
8 -- get all the gear that is recommended to paint/ assemble models, it is really a necessity
9 -- find FLGS near you so you can play aggainst different army, type of people
10 -- it is a relly fun hobby if you like tactics

Element206 wrote:-- Be thorough and do some research before choosing an army or even a color scheme, as it will stay with you for quite awhile.
-- This is not a simple game of checkers, be prepared to invest lots of time to the hobby. It will possibly consume all of your freetime.
-- Be prepared to spend copious amount of money.
-- Be prepared to face the realization that your painted models will look nothing like the 'eavy metal figs until you practice and learn new techniques.
-- Always use Primer and always seal your models!
-- Always pin pewter models!
-- Take care of your brushes!
-- When using a hobby knife always scrape, shave, or cut away from your body and its extremities or be prepared to take a blood bath.
-- No matter how nicely you paint your figs, be prepared for some d-bag you dont know to come by and pick up one of your models in the middle of a game (w/o asking)...it will happen.
-- Be prepared to roll lots of dice

That pretty much covers it. though don't forget that you have to become friends with the IT guys at work so you can stay on DAKKA all day, and actually be productive

Buy your codex first! It can save you a ton of money, because while you've got your eye on those 3 Pyrovores, if you know what you're using in your list you won't waste your money on models you aren't going to use.

Vladamyr wrote:

That pretty much covers it. though don't forget that you have to become friends with the IT guys at work so you can stay on DAKKA all day, and actually be productive

that is true, the best is when your working in the IT department, lol, no need to make friends to be online all day

1. The cost is over-rated. Once you do the initial purchase of the army, the cost of staying in the game is much lower compared to other hobbies. If you want to keep it cheap, stick to one army that is an elite army.

2. Have a lot of MTG cards laying around? Go look at buylists from http://www.trollandtoad.com , http://www.channelfireball.com , http://www.starcitygames.com , and see how much they offer. I'm amazed at how much I was able to sell from just junk laying around (I'm about to sell off $55 worth of commons and uncommons with various promos, and they've just been sitting in card boxes!) and fund the game from it.

3. Research how to paint. This includes thinning paints, painting techniques, learning how to use washes, etc. Also, keep in mind that you will not be looking at the models up close but rather at 3-4 feet away. If you mess up under a Marine's shoulder pauldron, unless you're a perfectionist, don't worry about it.

4. If you have a group of friends that have previously expressed interest in the game, have all of you start at once so it becomes a community thing. Having nights where all you do is build/paint models with others who just started is a great way to stay in without feeling left out.

5. eBay is your friend. Only buy directly from GW unless it is absolutely positively necessary. www.thewarstore.com is also your friend.

6. Do not buy all of the models at once. Go piecemeal. If you start off with a Battleforce, don't buy more models until you at least assemble (or paint if you're the type who doesn't like fielding units that are not painted) the box before you continue to another kit. Otherwise, you will feel overwhelmed.

7. There is no rush to get an army painted. This is a hobby first and for most. If someone gives you flak for not having a painted army, don't play them.

8. Don't buy GW labeled tools, paint, or primer. There are superior alternatives to all of the hobby/painting supplies that GW makes for a fraction of the price. For example, Vallejo Game Color is cheaper and provides more paint per bottle compared to GW. Krylon primer is the same exact thing (I read it here that GW outsourced its primer to Krylon) as GW primer for 1/3 of the price.

9. If tournaments are not your thing, field the units that YOU like and play the army that YOU like. A lot of units and armies are evaluated at the tournament level, and unless it's fairly obvious that a unit is bad (example: CSM Chaos Spawn), take any criticism with a grain of salt if you can tell that it's meant to bring a list to tournament level. Also, write a list for a certain point value so you don't waste money buying models that you won't end up using. A manageable point value while beginning is 500 points.

10. Use and cherish these charts:

http://www.box.net/shared/259ni63f7y
http://www.box.net/shared/bqzncmnocc
http://www.box.net/shared/rvm1qubh8r

They will make the game much more streamlined for you in the beginning.

1.You will lose your popularity if you play this game.
2. You will feel awesome that you paint little men.
3. You will look completely nerd.
4. You might go broke.
5. You might accidentally cut yourself more than any other hobby.
6. You will look like a complete dork just reading now.
7. Your fingers will become ridiculously strong.
8. You will have more tools than ever.
9. You will glue something to a table or to the floor in your hobby.
10. you will find out how painful it is to pull your figures apart after dropping glue between them.

Deadshane1 wrote:Do NOT choose your army based on competetiveness/rules. Not if you ever want it to get painted. Choose your army based on what you think are the coolest models.

THIS is what will get your army completed.

Oh HELL NO! that's how I ended up with CSM.

Portaljacker wrote:I costs a lot. I've probably spent around a grand since I started in January.

When you just start is always the most expensive. If you can discipline your self the costs spread out over a long time and it is actually cheaper than most hobbies. The problem is staying disciplined is no fun

Exactly! Bad idea = increasing credit limit to buy more stuff. I did that, though it was only to go over by $50. I'm starting to learn that I should just make something fun to start. Who cares if Skyclaws suck? I'll just fly em in and raise hell! If they suck all the time then I have some models painted and looking cool!

Yeah, it's expensive to buy into to start, but once you get a decent foundation for an army, it takes a lot less to maintain it.

Also, AresXB, I've never seen those pdfs before, but they're handy as hell. Will be keeping a copy of those in the figure case

AresX8 wrote:

10. Use and cherish these charts:

http://www.box.net/shared/259ni63f7y
http://www.box.net/shared/bqzncmnocc
http://www.box.net/shared/rvm1qubh8r

They will make the game much more streamlined for you in the beginning.

On the chart that talks about assualting, it says if the loser of the assault is immune to or autopasses the morale check after losing, it takes additional wounds equal to the difference between the amount caused by the winner and by the loser. Where in the rulebook does it say this? I've never heard of that before.

Always remember that this is a game. It's supposed to be fun for both you and your opponent. Every thing else is secondary to that. After 20+ years in the hobby, and probably enough mony to pay for a realy nice car, I still get that same giddy excitement when I put my toy soldiers on the table.

Warhammer is cheaper than Magic the Gathering now. Seems worth mentioning since standard has $95.00+ cards now. My friends always complained that the game cost too much and they would rather play MtG. It just is not true any longer.

Necroshea wrote:

AresX8 wrote:

10. Use and cherish these charts:

http://www.box.net/shared/259ni63f7y
http://www.box.net/shared/bqzncmnocc
http://www.box.net/shared/rvm1qubh8r

They will make the game much more streamlined for you in the beginning.

On the chart that talks about assualting, it says if the loser of the assault is immune to or autopasses the morale check after losing, it takes additional wounds equal to the difference between the amount caused by the winner and by the loser. Where in the rulebook does it say this? I've never heard of that before.

PG 44 No Retreat

tdwg83 wrote:

Necroshea wrote:

AresX8 wrote:

10. Use and cherish these charts:

http://www.box.net/shared/259ni63f7y
http://www.box.net/shared/bqzncmnocc
http://www.box.net/shared/rvm1qubh8r

They will make the game much more streamlined for you in the beginning.

On the chart that talks about assualting, it says if the loser of the assault is immune to or autopasses the morale check after losing, it takes additional wounds equal to the difference between the amount caused by the winner and by the loser. Where in the rulebook does it say this? I've never heard of that before.

PG 44 No Retreat

Ah, I see now. Thanks!

Lord Scythican wrote:Warhammer is cheaper than Magic the Gathering now. Seems worth mentioning since standard has $95.00+ cards now. My friends always complained that the game cost too much and they would rather play MtG. It just is not true any longer.

Yeah, I kinda felt that way when I tried to get back into Magic recently. I wanted to play in standard, but a $400 playset of jace, or a $200 playset of Tezzeret is ridiculous. I remember Shadowmage Infiltrator hit $45 and I thought that was high -- I'd have to be insane to invest in a deck now. Nobody to playtest with anyway. I will say, though -- Magic will probably always have better prize support and more streamlined tournaments than any minis game could have.

Radical_Edward wrote:

Lord Scythican wrote:Warhammer is cheaper than Magic the Gathering now. Seems worth mentioning since standard has $95.00+ cards now. My friends always complained that the game cost too much and they would rather play MtG. It just is not true any longer.

Yeah, I kinda felt that way when I tried to get back into Magic recently. I wanted to play in standard, but a $400 playset of jace, or a $200 playset of Tezzeret is ridiculous. I remember Shadowmage Infiltrator hit $45 and I thought that was high -- I'd have to be insane to invest in a deck now. Nobody to playtest with anyway. I will say, though -- Magic will probably always have better prize support and more streamlined tournaments than any minis game could have.

if you want to just play the game, they made a pc game of magic the gathering, it is like 5 bucks on steam

- Don't buy Heavy Support options first Buy your troops. And their transports.
- Unless you know that you'll use every single thing in the box, don't buy battleforces
- Don't model plasma pistols. Ever. You will never use them. Ever.
- Don't Be afraid to buy the mega paint set if you have the money. It's completely worth it.
- Clean your brushes every time you use them, and don't leave them in the paint pot overnight
- Use super glue for everything you might want to sell sometime in the future
Buy terrain. Books and empty soda cans only looks so good for so long.
- Buy lots of dice. The six they give you in AoBR and those ones you stole from the yahtzee box only go so far
- Don't be afraid to spend money
- Don't be afraid of ebay

AresX8 wrote:
10. Use and cherish these charts:

http://www.box.net/shared/259ni63f7y
http://www.box.net/shared/bqzncmnocc
http://www.box.net/shared/rvm1qubh8r

They will make the game much more streamlined for you in the beginning.

These are amazing! Why haven't I seen these?! I fumble through my rulebook all the time for this stuff. You just saved my life.

Samus_aran115 wrote:-
- Don't be afraid of ebay

that is true, I have around 1000$ worth of models and only spent around 400$ for them, buy used stuff and ebay is your bff in this hobby