Switch Theme:

Need help choosing an army!  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
»
Author Message
Advert


Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
  • No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
  • Times and dates in your local timezone.
  • Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
  • Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
  • Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.




Made in us
Happy Citizen





Hey there!

So here's the situation folks. I've been a fan of Warhammer 40,000 for as long as I can remember but have only recently found the time and interest to buy and paint an army. The problem is that I'm having an extremely difficult time actually choosing an army. Although I know quite a bit about Warhammer 40,000 fluff, the entire TT experience is completely unknown to me. I've been slowly reading my friend's rule-book over the past 3 days and can safely say I have no fecking' clue what I'm getting myself into with regards to TT.

The following may not make sense because the reasons are all a bit random and not necessarily equal, but they are the main issues I've been having the past week.

Chaos Space Marines: Part of me loves this army: they're evil (screw loyalists), they've got horns, and they're insane. CSM also contain without question some of the most bad-ass looking miniatures in the game. They've also got some kick-ass fluff. On the other hand, they look incredibly difficult to paint due to model complexity, they don't seem very customizable (I'd feel stupid not painting my army using one of the preset colors schemes), and it doesn't look as though they value ranged weaponry very much. For some reason leading a CC heavy army in a TT match seems daunting. Then again, I have no clue what I'm talkin' about.

Space Marine: I'm a firm believer that anyone who's a fan of WH40K are inherently a fan of Space Marines. I think the reason why people start looking elsewhere is because there are so freaking many of them. Space Marines do however look less complicated than CSM to paint (they also look fun to paint), they appear to have the largest selection of miniatures, and people seem to accept the sight of an unofficial chapter color scheme. Then again, Space Marines appear the most popular and I want to field a not-so-common army.

Daemonhunters: At the moment I'm leaning toward Daemonhunters the most, despite having conjured up more cons than pros.
+ They're Space Marines, only better. Grey Knights are too cool.
+ Inquisitors. Storm-troopers. Daemonhosts. Assassins. In that order of awesome.
+ From what little I've read, they can incorporate any SM/IG unit in an army. Don't know if that's right.

- They feel incomplete. The entire "army" seems to be based around Grey Knights and Inquisitors, but mostly Grey Knights.
- They seem geared toward fighting only Chaos. I know that's what their purpose is in the fluff, but in TT I'm hoping this isn't the case.
- Their miniature selection seems a bit skewered. The only unique units seem to be in their Elite/HQ selection.
- Daemonhunters have very intricate models which might be a plus if I was not new to painting. Don't seem very newb friendly.

Imperial Guard: Although I don't like that they rely on numbers, I love the IG look. They also have a huge selection of miniatures that appear to surpass even the Space Marine selection, and they don't look as complicated to paint. Then again, I get the feeling (from this site alone) that IG are even more popular than SM. And despite looking easier to paint, I get the distinct feeling they're not the best army for a new player to be collecting.

Necron: Necron are bad ass. I honestly have nothing bad to say about them except that they have like, what, 7 miniatures? Seriously GW, what's up with that? Are they planning on adding more types or did they give up on 'Crons?

Tau Empire: Tau just feel wrong. They stick out like a sore thumb in comparison to the other races of 40K. Everything is so Gothic, so war-torn, so gritty....and then there's the Tau. They do rely on ranged weaponry though, which is cool. They also have a very basic/round design which would make them much easier to paint over the other races of 40K. I'm assuming they're very customizable too in terms of painting schemes, which is great.

So if you could give me some insightful words on the above armies to help my decision making, be it from a TT perspective, fluff, painting, play-style, or current game balance, it'd be greatly appreciated.

Oh and one more thing, is there an alternative to the Gamesworkshop site for buying models online? I feel like it doesn't have the complete selection of models and my local GW store doesn't have the greatest selection either.

Sorry for the post being so long, and thanks in advance to anyone kind enough to throw some helping words my way.


This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2009/05/05 08:53:25


 
   
Made in gb
Fully-charged Electropriest





Somewhere.

I usually dislike giving folks advice on this. No one ever takes it! Seriously, folks, it's bad to disrupt other peoples Napoelon complexes. However, I play or have played most of these armies, so I can share some thoughts on the armies.

Chaos Marines get some truly nasty toys. They're on par, to my mind, with Vanilla Space Marines for long range doom, with there own Vindicator, Predetor and Land Raiders all having punch. Add in the Defiler with a Battle Cannon for more pie plates (plus close combat nastyness), Obliterator Cults for pretty much taking out anything you want them too and toys like the AP 3 Bolters carried by Thousand Sons sqauds and you have a lot of nasty long ranged power.

However, the army is usually more effective up close and personal. They're not as flexible as the Vanilla Marines and the Vanilla guys do get some better versions of the above toys. I'm sure Berserkers would love a Crusader or Redeemer to ride along in. All in all they're pretty damned nasty.

Space Marines are a fun and relatively simple force to get right. They'll do whatever you want them to and they'll it well, although not as well as an Army dedicated to the task you've given them. They're a nice, balanced force to play...and as bonus it's easy to get a battle ready force of them done quickly. The only thing I'd mention is that they have so many cool options that you need to avoid falling into the trap of minimizing the troops to grab the extra tank or Terminator Squad. As a rule, though, they're very forgiving for a new player.

And yes, everyone and there pet dog has a Space Marine army. Even my wife has one and she rarely plays. It's still possible to make something unusual (an Army mounted entirely on bikes), or of course you can look into one of the non Vanilla Space marine forces for something a little different.

The Guard are a complicated army. They've just gotten a new Codex, which means everyone will play them for a bit at least, and we're still waiting on some of the models for those, so it might take some time or some conversion work to get the models you want. However, if you want a tank heavy army then Guard are the way to go. They can easily have more tanks than any other army.

They are a fun army, but I wouldn't recomend taking them. If nothing else they have a million and one minitures for even a small guard army (my fairly mechanized 1500 army has over 70 troops) and it can be very, very daunting. Plus as a new player seeing all those carefully painted minis getting whiped off the board (Guardsmen have very little surviability) will be quite depressing, I suspect.

Daemonhunters a cool and compact army, but the minitures are incredibly detailed. I can paint a standard marine in an hour. Hell, I painted a decent enough looking Dreadnaught in about two last night. Your average Grey Knight will take about six if you want them to look good.

They're also a little complicated. Yes, you can take Space Marines with a Daemonhunter Army...but only if you take no Grey Knights. Same with a Daemonhost, you can't have Grey Knights with those. To take an Assassin you need an Inquistor.

The easiest way to do them is to take them as allies with other armies, either Marines or Guard, and see if you like them. Plus Grey Knights are very points heavy, and good at what they do, but they're as easy to kill as a normal marine. They can fight any army, as it happens, but they're actually not great against Chaos right now thanks to the rules.

As for Tau...they're communists in Space. They're actually pretty gritty, with a hint of something darker beneath the bright surface of the Greater Good, but they seem the most 'Goody Goody' of the armies. The new rules have made them somewhat weaker, as they're a lot easier to engage in close combat than before, but they still have a lot of nasty tricks and can be quite fun to play...on a big enough board. And yes, Tau was my first 40k army, so they're very easy to paint.

Necrons are a cool force, and have a lot of nasty tricks. There are few models but, unlike some other armies, you can buy everything you want for them with very little conversion required. The Deciever and the Nightbringer are two of the nastiest special characters in the game, exceptionally awkward to get rid off...and cool to boot.

However, Necrons have also been affected by the rules change, making them somewhat weaker. You absoloutely need a Monolith to have much hope with Necrons, and two or three is better...but that makes them so nasty people will give you dirty looks. I personally like them, but that's me. They are quite easy to paint, too, but you'll need to study there rules quite carefully. They're not the simplest of armies.

For cheaper models, I hear good things about the Warstore, http://www.thewarstore.com/ however I'm in the UK and so I've never dealt with them. I use Mega Minis.
   
Made in gb
Hanging Out with Russ until Wolftime







Jon Garrett wrote:As for Tau...they're communists in Space. They're actually pretty gritty, with a hint of something darker beneath the bright surface of the Greater Good, but they seem the most 'Goody Goody' of the armies. The new rules have made them somewhat weaker, as they're a lot easier to engage in close combat than before, but they still have a lot of nasty tricks and can be quite fun to play...on a big enough board. And yes, Tau was my first 40k army, so they're very easy to paint.
I really hate to derail this, but every time you call a Tau A communist, a Kitten Dies. Tau are about as communist as the USA. Read up on what Communism is, and you will see Tau are not anything like it.

As for the OP, your feelings on Tau are 100% Correct. I may be a bit bitter, but they are out of place, they were created only to try and sell crap in Japan, and I wish GW had never made them, or at least retcon them out of existence. If you like Daemonhunters, go for it. They may not be the "best" army, but sod anyone who says otherwise. If you think they are cool, play them.

Got 40k Rules Question? Send an e-mail to Gwar! for your Confidential Rules Queries.
Please do not PM me unless really necessary. I much prefer e-mail.
Need it Answered RIGHT NOW!? Ring me on Skype: "gwar.the.trolle"
Looking to play some Vassal? Ring me for a game!
Download The Unofficial FAQs by Gwar! here! (Dark Eldar Draft FAQ v1.0 released 04/Nov/2010! Download it before the Pandas eat it all!)
 
   
Made in gb
Fully-charged Electropriest





Somewhere.

Well, since Communism is based on the idea that everyone is equal and the majority decide on what to do/produce, and the Tau are organized into into Castes with a clear ruling elite they're not the same, true. There are, however, enough similarities in both the way they work (towards a common and united goal) and in how they're percieved that you can certainly see why many would call them that.

I would recomend Marines, since you get them in the Assault on Black Reach box which is an exceptionaly good way to start. Or Orks, of course. Orks are always a fun army to play. If you really like Daemonhunters then, perhaps, you could grab a squad to go with the Black Reach Marines if you choose that route, and so you can have a taste of both armies.

That way, you at least have the rules and dice needed to start playing and it'll have cost you the same as buying the main rule book and soom dice, plus you'll have the Space Marines and/or Orks to sell or trade away.
   
Made in us
Trigger-Happy Baal Predator Pilot






Right well I will tell you this my first army was Deamonhunters. I enjoyed playing them but i feel as if they had been my second army I would have enjoyed painting them more. Also I have found that since they have a low model count they can be kind of tricky to play. Not alot of room for mistakes. So My suggestion to you is go with Imp G or SM so that way you can incorperate your DH as you slowly build them up. (Basically every model in the army is medal besides the tanks.) I truley love my DH army in every way but due to the rules they really dont have that much going for them at the moment.

2000 points
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/downloadAttach/19113.page
500 points
1500 points "You don’t want to play Blood Angels to be different you play them because you finally realized that they go crazy and drink blood yet haven’t been killed off by the Inquisition. Proving that they are just bada**”  
   
Made in us
Happy Citizen





You guys really crushed my dreams of a Daemonhunters army! No I'm just kidding, you gave some really interesting information.

I think I'm gonna hold off on a Daemonhunters army and go with Space Marines. It kind of sucks that I'm giving in but I'm too scared I'll end up hating Daemonhunters because of their painting difficulty. But this way I guess I can always incorporated some Daemonhunters in my Space Marine army or something.

By the way, quick question. I was looking at the Dark Angels Space Marine miniatures and they look fantastic, but if I collect them does that mean I have to use the Dark Angels chapter color scheme? I actually don't mind it at all but was wondering what the general rule is for this. Would people give me gak if I gave my Dark Angels miniatures a slight different scheme?
   
Made in gb
Hanging Out with Russ until Wolftime







eodseph wrote: By the way, quick question. I was looking at the Dark Angels Space Marine miniatures and they look fantastic, but if I collect them does that mean I have to use the Dark Angels chapter color scheme? I actually don't mind it at all but was wondering what the general rule is for this. Would people give me gak if I gave my Dark Angels miniatures a slight different scheme?
Yes, they would, and then Jervis Johnson will come in the night and beat you with old rulebooks till you die!

Just kidding!

You can paint the Dark Angels Models however you like, you don't even have to use the Dark Angels Codex for them, you can use the normal Codex (and Unless you are playing Deathwing, use the normal codex)

Got 40k Rules Question? Send an e-mail to Gwar! for your Confidential Rules Queries.
Please do not PM me unless really necessary. I much prefer e-mail.
Need it Answered RIGHT NOW!? Ring me on Skype: "gwar.the.trolle"
Looking to play some Vassal? Ring me for a game!
Download The Unofficial FAQs by Gwar! here! (Dark Eldar Draft FAQ v1.0 released 04/Nov/2010! Download it before the Pandas eat it all!)
 
   
Made in us
Steady Space Marine Vet Sergeant







Oh and one more thing, is there an alternative to the Gamesworkshop site for buying models online? I feel like it doesn't have the complete selection of models and my local GW store doesn't have the greatest selection either.

i think at all sites you can order any piece you want.
it will just take awhille depending on which one you get


-to many points to bother to count.
mattyrm wrote:i like the idea of a woman with a lobster claw for a hand touching my nuts. :-)
 
   
Made in gb
Hanging Out with Russ until Wolftime







Must... Not... Link... Maelstrom... The... Cheese... is... too...Strong!!!!!!!

Ok, I cannot resist, don't ban me mods ;(

There are tons of alternatives, the best two generally acknowledged are Maelstrom Games (Uk Company, so you pay in Pounds, and Free Shipping Worldwide) and The War Store (US company, not used them myself so I dunno how it is).

Got 40k Rules Question? Send an e-mail to Gwar! for your Confidential Rules Queries.
Please do not PM me unless really necessary. I much prefer e-mail.
Need it Answered RIGHT NOW!? Ring me on Skype: "gwar.the.trolle"
Looking to play some Vassal? Ring me for a game!
Download The Unofficial FAQs by Gwar! here! (Dark Eldar Draft FAQ v1.0 released 04/Nov/2010! Download it before the Pandas eat it all!)
 
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






SoCal, USA!

IMO, based on your list and comments, you're big on MEQs, not so much on GEQs.

Just go with Chaos Marines, as it seems to be what you're most interested in!

   
Made in us
Long-Range Black Templar Land Speeder Pilot




Chicago

Space Marines are an easy starting army. I'd recommend a variation personally, so that you're at least playing something different like Chaos, DA, BT or Swolves.

Personally I think Chaos is a good starting army because of the modelling opportunities. Take a look at the Defiler. Also, they're surprisingly easy to paint.

Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. -Groucho Marx
Sanctjud wrote:It's not just lame... it's Twilight Blood Angels Nipples Lame.
 
   
Made in us
Regular Dakkanaut





Space Marine: I'm a firm believer that anyone who's a fan of WH40K are inherently a fan of Space Marines.



I'm a Fan of WH40K, but I hate the Marines. Guard are cool, and I'm a bit jealous of a few of their toys (being an Ork). I appreciate Tau, but I wish they were a little less gundam/anime. Love me the nids and Crons, but I can't afford more than one army (can't afford one army but I love my orks).
I just can't stand the Marines. Over tooled, elitist poster boys. The only off shoot of them I might consider are the sisters, they are just HOT bad ass chicks. I figure by the time I make my fortune in 40 years they will have just put out a re-release of Sisters, and I can die a happy man. Yep, that's my plan, no body try and burst my bubble now.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2009/05/06 07:20:12


 
   
Made in gb
Power-Hungry Cultist of Tzeentch




NYC

In my opinion, fluff=army. If you pick an army based on their pros or cons, you will end up wasting more money than you ever wanted to.

When picking an army, always go by their background. While the rules may change regularly and more models may be introduced, the fluff is sort of the same each edition.

But once again, I am assuming that you are coming into Warhammer as a casual player and not a competitive one. If you are a competitive player, then definitely pick the army that will win you more games.

So find out what type of player you are, then plan accordingly.

Examples are always helpful, so let me give you mine. When my friend first dragged me into 40k, I only really liked the fluff of two armies - Chaos and Orks. I chose Chaos as I did not know how to paint, and all those Boyz were too daunting for me. Also, fluff for the Thousand Sons were awesome. So I wanted a Thousand Sons CSM army. Using the 3rd edition rulebook, I learned how to paint the CSM with Iron Warriors colours. So I fielded a CSM force with Iron Warrior CSM and Thousand Sons. This eventually evolved into a pure Thousand Sons force.

As you can see, if you love the fluff, it gives you a bit more "staying power" for an army.

Hope this helps.

Kneadatite Blue/Yellow: search for it online and bypass GW's repackaged version called "green stuff".

Thousand Sons [2000] 
   
Made in us
Apprehensive Inquisitorial Apprentice




The darkest spot between galaxies, leading my armada.

If you like hordes, there's orks and nids. If you like firepower, there's everything else. And if you like winning, there's Sly Marbo.

Irony, thy name is bitch- My greatest quote during Nazi Zombies. 
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran






Chaos - Easy to paint because they look good even if you take some down and dirty shortcuts. They lend themselves well to slapping some paint on and then washing them to bring out the highlights. You can make them as pretty or as ugly as you like. Either way they look great when you put them on the tabletop. Once there they're a viable force against anyone.

Space Marines - It's a great beginner army. They look better when you stick to painting them nice and clean, though. Don't worry about painting a certain chapter a certain way. You can always use "counts as" models unless you're in a tournament and you want to take one of the special characters. Then again, there's nothing stopping you from painting a special character in a different color scheme. As long as you use the actual fig you should be able to paint it however you like.

Imp Guard - The guard are great because they're so versatile. You can go a lot of different directions with them. If you're on a budget you might want to think twice about it, though. All of that versatility will hit your wallet pretty hard. Whether you decide to go with a well organized looking, neatly painted army or a down and dirty, "just get it on the table" army it will look good and, once you get the hang of it, it will perform well.

Demonhunters - Not good for a beginner. They're cool but they're highly specialized and they take a lot of work to make look good. I'd pass on them in favor of a more versatile (ruleswise and painting wise) force.

Necrons - They're simple, straightforward, easy to paint and viable. This is a great beginner army but you might get bored with them pretty quickly. There are only so many things that you can do with them on the tabletop and they don't have a whole lot of interesting modeling options.

Tau - I like the Tau. The models look good and they're easy to paint to a high tabletop standard. It's pretty easy to build an all comers force that looks really good. They're great at shooting but if your opponent gets into CC with you then it's all over. Against CC oriented armies it's easy to think that you've got the game all wrapped up until your opponent gets into base to base and completely decimates you in one turn.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2009/05/17 02:13:40


   
Made in us
Pyromaniac Hellhound Pilot






Tau = Asian Communism

On the subject matter : Space Marines.

Your basic run of the mill Space Marine army is rather decent for a new player to learn with, probably the best I would say. Guard would probably be your worst first choice (it was mine, but I had no one to steer me to Space Marines). Space Marines field a relatively low model count, which makes it easy for a player to start gaming, there aren't as many decisions to make on the table, or with building you army initially, which avoids the tyranny of choice which can lead to analysis paralysis and poor decision making. Also, even if you do end up with more of a unit you turn out to not want or like, there are plenty of older Space Marine players willing to buy up the models for reasonably close to the original price, considering the predictable used nature of your miniatures. Just about everyone has a Space Marine force of some size.

Unfortunately, I can no longer say they are the cheapest army to start with, as the way Games-Workshop has raised prices on them, they aren't so cheap anymore. But with Assault on Black Reach Beginner Box Set, you can still get them rather cheaply! Most older gamers won't want to vs. a small army like from that box set, but nuts to them! You will also get equal points of Orks and you and a friend can start playing on your own! Once you get familiar with the "Boys in Blue," you'll branch out, increasing the size of your army, and the number of battle honors in that wake. Eventually you will start other armies, develop pale skin, shirk from the light of day, begin collecting bad Sci-Fi movies and TV shows in DVD Box Set form (re: Firefly and Star Trek). Eventually, females will become mythic in nature and you will begin to wear poorly designed thick glasses, and soon, you will have noticed your little collection of Space Marins has bloomed into tens of thousands of points of every army, 40k, WFB, LotR, BFG, Inquisitor, and many others. You will be in your mid fourties, and possibly "that wierd guy" wherever you go.

Or, more likely, you will be a normal person with a hobby you quite enjoy, have a wife and kids, a house, possibly a dog, cat, and/or fish. You will still probably have tens of thousands of points in miniatures, but most likely total of all your endeavors.

Just because anyone agrees with anyone, doesn't mean they are correct. Beware the thin line between what is "Correct" and what is "Popular." 
   
Made in ph
Hard-Wired Sentinel Pilot





Philippines, Pasig City

Hahahaha, I enjoyed reading that post Skinna. Well Said!

Personnaly I don't care what anybody else think even if do reach mid-forties and still very much into WH40K, It's my hard earned money and If I want to spend it on great-looking-somewhat-eccentric-expensive-tabletop-game miniatures then nobody could stop me.

As for the topic at hand. I'm also a beginning army builder,I loved the fluff,bought handful of books about WH40K, I just loved the WH40K universe! Anyway,I decided to build myself an Imperial guard army allied with DaemonHunters (specifically 2 squads of Grey Knights and an Inquisitor Lord,probably an assassin too). Why?

Well I loved the armor power of IG and their flexibility, though I hated how squishy the infantry is,thus the Grey Knights. Mind you I dont know if this is indeed a good mix for a bad-ass army, I'm not building my army for pride or glory, I just plan to have fun and enjoy my painting! Goodluck choosing man!
Best of all don't forget to have fun! Ciao!

Blessed is the mind too small for doubts.
Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.
 
   
Made in gb
Beast of Nurgle



God's own city of Glasgow

mindfield wrote:
Best of all don't forget to have fun! Ciao!


QFT. The key thing is to try and pick an army that you like the look and feel of. I've collected Chaos through every book that's ever been produced for them because I love the background and I love the look. Luckily enough they tend to be rather good on the battlefield too!

Grey Knights are a tough starting proposition and it is never fun for someone to see their hard earned army die. However if you really like their look and feel then you'll get through that stage and start to enjoy them more - personally I think you're far more likely to stick with an army you enjoy than one that is just 'good' on the TT.

I think the suggestions about AoBR and using GK as allies are sensible - this gives you a chance to try out the GK and the SM (along with the Orks) without having to make a huge financial commitment to an army you find you don't like. And if you decide you don't like the SM just paint/convert/spikyfy the marines and you'll have the beginnings of a CSM army!

As mindfield said, this is about fun so find an army you enjoy. Most gamers do became hoarders in time anyway so I'm sure you'll end up trying the majority of the forces that are available!

Good guys go to heaven.

Bad guys send them there.

 
   
Made in gb
Sure Space Wolves Land Raider Pilot




wakefield west yorkshire

As mindfield said, this is about fun so find an army you enjoy. Most gamers do became hoarders in time anyway so I'm sure you'll end up trying the majority of the forces that are available!

tell me about it
lol

but i agree with the viewpoint go with what YOU like not what you are TOLD to like
you will be happier in the long run


fear the dark
fear the angels for we are death
darkangels 15000+ pts
sisters of battle 6000+ pts
imp fists full codex company (lord knows how many pts)
space wolves - under construction but well on its away to a grand company
retired (may return) after a codex fubar
next ???????(but there will be a lot of it)

 
   
 
Forum Index » 40K General Discussion
Go to: