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I got a couple of friends who recently started and I wouldn't mind joining them. The price tags are kind of intimidating. I have my eyes set on a witchhunter/sisters of battle army, but what's a cheap way to start out. This is just to start, I just want to know what the bare min. I have to buy to play with my friends is. I'm also not married to a SoB army, but they are my first choice. I also think the Tau seem alright, and I loved playing as Space Marines in the Dawn of War video game.

Good starting place might be Assault on Black Reach. Gives you a Tactical Squad, Commander, Dreadnought and a Terminator Squad.

Whilst not strictly SoB, you can add SoB and Inquisition stuff as allies, as per the Witch Hunter and Daemon Hunter books. Downside is you will need 2 books, Space Marines and your chosen Inquisition book.

If you want, you could see if someone else wants to swap their Marines for your Orks.

Far and away the cheapest way to start out!

Buy Assault On Black Reach. It's comparatively cheap, and it comes with some Space Marines you could use as Grey Knights if you wanted.

Also, SoB is a very "heavy-metal" army (i.e. almost everything is made of metal), and therefore not a great idea for a starting army.

Tau, however, are mainly plastic (almost entirely, I think) and may be a good choice.

Mind you, you probably shouldn't listen to me, I'll fill you with heresies.

ungulateman

i dont think tau are a good starting force. get yourself 2 boxes of black reach, that will give you a steady Marine force to learn the rules with.

If you build a 500 pt army, you should be able to have some good fun, and not get in to deep. But, the longer you stay in the game, there is no such thing as cheep. Check your FLGS for any sales. I haven't looked at any of the battle forces in a little while, but they can be a very good deal as long as they have the figures you are needing. I would say that the best way to save cash is to get a really good idea of the army list you want to build, and stay focused on that. Then you can little by little build your army up. Figure what you want for a 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 point armies. That way you don't spend money on figures you don't need right now.

As you enjoyed playing Space Marines, then go ahead and get the Assault on Black Reach starter box. It does a fair job of teaching you the rules.

Then, as you like the Sisters models, go ahead and plan on them as your main force. Buy secondhand via eBay, and you can save a bunch over retail.

I concur with AoBR you get the rulebook in there which is a pain in the to take everwhere if its not the the AoBR one.

You can trade/sell the orks on ebay. And try there for cheap SoB to attach to your SM force.

However I would start buy getting the codex's first. Then build an army list that way you know exactly what to buy and can set a budget so the pricetag isn't as bad. Before you are set on a full SoB army make sure they are what you want. They are by far one of the most expensive armies to buy as they are all metal. Fun army but pain to collect imo.

AOBR is the best way to start the game. Split it with a friend (a few times) and you will have a very decent starting army.

Sisters of Battle, besides guard - are about the absolute WORST army to dabble around with. Not only do the all metal models in the army cost MILLIONS of dollars to put together a reasonable force, the army itself is very technical and isn't terribly forgiving to beginners.

To answer your question though, the bare minimum to play a regulation game of warhammer 40k with sisters is, two squads of battle sisters and a cannoness HQ. That fufills the force organization chart requirements of two troop choices and one HQ. (Headquarters)

However, 40k is very expensive. I would suggest buying the sister codex (minimal investment), studying the rules and playing games with proxy models or bases. If you enjoy the game itself, and further that particular army - then start slowing building up your army.

If you need a full army I would have to agree with most of the above on the assult on black reach...

But if you want to get into painting, and want some SoB, buy a suster blister. 3 sisters to play about with and paint, not a legal squad, but its a start, and it lets you know wheather you realy want to paint the models. Cos SoB arnt the cheepest army out there, but there cheep for what you get as there practucaly all metal.

price run down(in pounds, ull need 2 check your own currency or check exchange rate, im not your slave to work for you...):

SoB suster squad box(10 metal sisters inc sarg(not sure of name) and 2 special wepons) £20
SM tac squad (10 plastic marines with misile launcher and assult wepon also a sarge) £18

Tin is more expencive by wait than plastic... not sure about the rest of the army, but its a bargen for the SoB squad if you think about it.

If your serious about the SoB you can get the battle sisters box, which gives you one full squad to use(minimal assembaly, backpacks on and bam, good to go nearly).

I feel as if im speeking a load of crap here, hope you find it usfull all the same.

good luck!

well if your looking to start cheap, and quick, marines tend to be the way to go, and are the army most people learn to play with, the AOBR is an amazing way to start them, but split it with a friend, and then by a Marine Battleforce for 90USD, and you get a tactical squad, a five man assault squad, a five man scout squad, a combat squad and a rhino, so for roughly 120USD (this is considering you split the cost of AOBR) thats 5 Terminators, 2 10 man tac squads, a 5 man scout squad, a 5 man assault squad, a Dreadnought, a Captain and a 5 man combat squad, which can be tooled up to be either a Command Squad or be played as Sternguard, and that rhino lets you move your guys around, this is easily an amazingly cheap way to start, and you get to touch on about everything, you get 1 HQ, 2 Elites(3 if you use the Combat Squad as Sternguard), 3 Troops(4 if you use the combat squad), 1 Fast Attack, which leaves you plenty of wiggle room to throw in some tanks and other units into your slots, you have 1 HQ slot open, 0-1 Elite Slots open, 2-3 Troop Slots open, 2 Fast Attack Slots, and 3 Heavy Support Slots left open, and unless you get a good deal, don't know too many armies that can get you that well off for about 120 USD, just my take on it though

The other thing I would suggest, besides AOBR, is to never buy direct from GW. Buy from online retailers, as they offer discounts. Some of them even offer free shipping worldwide.

Really the cheapest way to get into 40k is look around the internet. There are different cutrate websites that sell minis at a fraction of the cost.
here's a space marine battle force for $67.50

or check out the warstore they have everything for 20% off.

AoRB is a good way but you'll quickly get bored of the simple minitaures that it comes with.

I think I once priced out a tyranid army from superhero gameland and could get close to a 2k pt army for around $235

You guys have convinced me, Space Marines are what I'm going to play as. Have any of you ever used this Maelstrom Games site? Is it reliable? Any feedback concerning it?

yes maelstrom games is a great online retailer.

If you are looking at a budget force, forget about Sisters. If you are prepared to dish it out, however, go for it. When I first started, everyone and their dog told me not to play Sisters. They are stupidly expensive and a fiddly army. 1500 points of Nids cost around the same as my first 500 points of Sisters, and I went for 12 months of almost straight losses (and still to score a single win against any Ork player), but I prefer the Sisters models, now win more often than not, and they are still my favourite army.

For budgeting, using online retailers and tracking currency exchange rates (to buy from wherever the cheapest happens to be) are a great start. Some armies are innately cheaper to collect too (eg Tau) than others (eg Guard), so if budget is a major concern, you should focus on cheaper armies for your starting point.

In the Phili area, the Franklin Mills mall has a great GW store with 6 gaming tables, and the staf there is very good about teaching new gamers how to play and paint. They can even help you make an army list for the army of your choosing which will give you a plan of what to buy. If you're the southern phili burbs, there's also a great store in the granite Run Mall in Media. They have 2-3 tables and a full GW games and figure line, and hold regular game nights/days plus tournaments.

As for cheap armies, Necrons are almost entirely plastic, and the boxed army is actually a playable force. 2 necron battle forces can also build a good core army.

Defiler wrote:Sisters of Battle, besides guard - are about the absolute WORST army to dabble around with. Not only do the all metal models in the army cost MILLIONS of dollars to put together a reasonable force, the army itself is very technical and isn't terribly forgiving to beginners.

I play metal IG. They were my first army. I have two lessons that I think are relevant to you:

1) Play the army you want, not the army that's cheapest. This is important for your first army. Even a cheap army involves a significant investment of time; don't spend the effort unless it's the army you want to play.

2) If you have a lot of free time, all-metal armies can be one of the cheapest armies to play. Metal models are incredibly easy to strip, which means that you can pick up great bargains on poorly-painted models. If you've got the time, a metal army can be quite affordable. (Part of this time usage involves monitoring eBay / the Swap Shop and going out of your way to bargain and arrange trades with players at your FLGS.)

Sisters of Battle may be a "complicated" army, but that can be a good experience, too, as you may find you enjoy their interesting Faith Point dynamics. And most opponents will be glad to go against something new and unusual.

I sugest trying to find some kind of local forum that has an equivalent of a swap shop. You can find some good deals and this would let you build up your army for a bit less douch.

shadowalf wrote:I got a couple of friends who recently started and I wouldn't mind joining them. The price tags are kind of intimidating. I have my eyes set on a witchhunter/sisters of battle army, but what's a cheap way to start out. This is just to start, I just want to know what the bare min. I have to buy to play with my friends is. I'm also not married to a SoB army, but they are my first choice. I also think the Tau seem alright, and I loved playing as Space Marines in the Dawn of War video game.

I will be honest with you.

If you want "cheap" or "affordable" DO NOT PLAY SoB!!!

DON'T! Warren Buffet is the only man in history who has ever successfully built a Sisters of Battle army without going bankrupt. If you really want female Space Marines (and that's what they are, TBH) then wait until they come out with a new Witchhunters Codex and plastic Sisters. (This will never happen, I might add. Just don't play SoB.)

Tau are a pretty good army choice, unless your friends happen to play Orks or Tyranids. Then you're screwed. If they don't, the Tau will win for sure. Of course, there's no really "cheap" way to start the Tau. I mean, the battleforce is $90, and then the Codex is $20, and the paints are another $10-$20. Also, anybody who plays Tau is invariably asking to be hated on.

The cheapest way is to buy the Assault on Black Reach box. Two armies for the price of one. Plus a rulebook and a ready-made mini-codex. That way you can get accustomed to both armies, and if you like one better, sell the other one and use the money to get a Codex.

Simple.

P.S. STAY AWAY FROM SISTERS OF BATTLE!!!

Hi Shadowalf!

I am assembling a Sisters of Battle army. It's the first 40K army I've had in a long time. I played a 1000 pt game this past Monday, and I reckon the models for it costed about $230 retail to buy the models at GW prices. That is fairly steep for 40K, but I mention it just to give you an idea. Like people are saying here, it's not hard to find discounts or good deals on Ebay.

I second the sentiment; play what you want to play. This is the first consideration. You will spend hours painting, and it's always more enjoyable when you love the models. The Sisters are beautiful models. Anyway, feel free to PM me here if you'd like to chat about Sisters of Battle.

Frankie

Just to offer another alternative: Look on ebay or some such for the old Emperor's Fist Tank Company deal. 10 tanks, 275 bucks. Not a terribly expensive start to an IG army, but taking it from there would be pricey. You really would have to price out the remainder of your army before starting down this road, as IG can get tremendously expensive!

shadowalf wrote:You guys have convinced me, Space Marines are what I'm going to play as. Have any of you ever used this Maelstrom Games site? Is it reliable? Any feedback concerning it?

Look at the peer pressure to not play xenos. In no way are marines cheaper to start, yet there is a full court press to get the new guy into the imperium. At this rate, finding a non SM game will be like trying to get a prom date in china.


All joking aside. The cheap way to get in is to find the army that best suits your personality, terperment, and natural playstyle. Are you agressive, always charging into the fight? Then play SMs, SM variants, Tyranids, some Eldar builds, or Orks.

Are you more of a counter puncher, ducking and hitting constantly dancing? Then Eldar, Dark Eldar, and Some Tau builds. The SoB and teleporting necrons have a limited abilty for this.

Do you prefer to keep your army at range and pound your army with superior fire power? Then IG, Tau, Necrons, and SMs.

Are you about unexpected deployements arriving in ways that confound your enemy? The Deamons, Tau, Eldar, and Sm's are good bets.

Are you about soaking up massive amouts of fire power and shrugging it off? Then Necrons, Orks, or Tyranids.

These lists are not complete. They are just to give you a quick Idea of what to ask your self.


Once you know what you want to play then head down to the gamestore. Not to buy new but to ask around if anyone has an army like that for sale. Also, dont be afraid to ask about the next bits swap meet.

By asking around I Scored 2 Falcons, 2 full Banshee squads, 2 full farseer/warlock councils, 3 Gaurdian squads, 1 Striking scorpion squad, 1 Avatar, 2 WraithLords, a full 3 vidro cannons w/platforms that I swapped for 3 D-Cannons w/platforms, 2 Vypers, 3 Shining Spears, and 6 Jetbikes. All this cost me $50 US.

At the December bits swapmeet in Houston the had bags of Pewter Eldar models that equalled the value of what I got up above. The price tag on the bags was $30 US.

I'm not saying that you can always find deals like these. Just that it doesn't hurt to look around. If your lucky, the army that you like may be falling out of favor and selling cheap or you may find that gamer thats two months behind on rent and is willing to sell off his secondary army.


Hope this helps.

SOB are both fun to play as well as fun to play against, because so few people have them. They are a fantastic army, with great models and unique play mechanic (faith points). With the option to add allies from 2 different armies (space marines and imperial guard), Codex Witch Hunters gives you access to plastic miniatures as well as the option to not get burned out on one "race".

I'll just chime in to agree with the others:

The cheapest way is to buy the Assault on Black Reach box.
If you both purchase a set and swap orks for marines. You both end up about 1000-1100 pt armies.

Also asking around the local stores to see who has an extra army sitting around doing nothing that they want to sell. Most people I have seen are willing to sell their unused stuff pretty cheaply. Just this week, I overhead some guys talking at my local store about the large box of AOBR orks sitting in their car. They just wanted to get rid of them, ended up with 4 sets of AOBR orks for 50$.

Also if your looking to get armies on the cheap, might i suggest the trading forums here on Dakka, or even Bartertown.com .

Good luck,
let us know how its going.
I always like to hear about people building armies cheaply.

Step 1) Buy a Chaos Dual lash list
Step 2) win every tourny around to "buy" models with winnings
Step 3) Move to a new state where people will play you again with all of your new found armies from steps 1 and 2

Would it not be better to make step 2:
2) Go to different state and win every tournament

Yeah, cheapest is not always tehe best. Most stores I have ever been in, there are plenty of people who will play small or odd point value games.
"763 points good?"
"Groovy. Let's throw some dice!"
On the one hand, Marines are inexpensive to start. On the other, you can start out with a playable, diverse size force out there in most armies for around the same price of AoBR. You won't have as much stuff, you won't have as many points; but don't fall into the trap that I always do. Buy an ARMY, then set about to assembling and painting. For someone just getting into the hobby, that can be a daunting load, a lot to do. Just grab a unit of somehting that looks cool, flip through a codex to get some ideas on the paint job, talk to some folks who play that force, and then go assemble the new toy. Come back, play around with it, see what it can and cannot do, and you will learn where it fits in in the overall army it is from. If you like it, continue with that force. If not, then try somehting else. Getting an army that you end up being meh onn for cheap is not the best formula for hobby enjoyment.

Now, it must be said that Marines can be a very frgiving army to learn the game on.

a cheap way to get models is always on Ebay. There are plenty of people putting up models that are NIB (new in box). I've been getting plenty of them about $6-$10 cheaper, and I play eldar. You can find plenty of SM and Tau stuff on there new, and plenty of used. Sisters are not a good starting army just because the mass amount of metal.

This is an expensive hobby, make no doubt about it, before you are done with your army you will have spent hundreds of dollars and countless hours into your army.

dont fret about the price, the models you buy today will still be good 10 years from now. (as long as you dont play squats, lol)

Play the Army you WANT. not the cheapest, not the "strongest" etc.

with the investment you make, you will want to have the army that suits you the best, playstyles and tactics change every few years as the rules update and codexes change, but the sentiment you get from YOUR army is the #1 most important thing IMO.

I only play 2 armies, I have some mild interest im playing more, but I like my 2 armies so much that i find myself just expanding them insted of starting a new army.

Well you can hardly blame yourself for only Playing t3h Puppies, they are the coolest Army in 40k