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When I first started playing, I only played with my close friends and so I would play 1500pts games with a lot of proxies and unpainted models.

Now that I'm home for the summer, I'm going to start at my FLGS and I want to field a completely painted army.

The problem is that I only have 500pts painted and I've never played a game of that scale before.

What can I expect in a 500pts game? Do they play like 1500pts only with less models or are they completely different?

tl;dr What is a 500pt game like?

Small, Very small
You need augmented FoC to play them.

500pts normally follow the combat patrol rules (at least around my parts).

Super elite squads become less efficient while cheaper infantry become more efficient. AT isn't normally a huge "must have" as you'll face very few tanks at 500pts.

It's also a pts level where a bad list can feth you. At 1500+ you can take enough good units where a bad unit might not be that detrimental. At 500 you must REALLY weigh your options. You might have 2-3 units at 500 and one bad choice can make it near impossible to win.

Normal 40K breaks down at 500pts. You can use the combat patrol rules (from battle missions) but this is very different - every guy goes off on his own - or you can use the 40K-in-40-minutes rules.

Just uploaded them: http://www.mediafire.com/?mezju3notmm

TL;DR
• You must have one Troop choice.
• You may have one HQ choice,
but no more than one.
• You may spend remaining points on
anything in the Codex.
• No character can have more than
2 Wounds.
• No special characters.
• No 2+ saves.
• No vehicles with a total armour greater than 33

500 point games are viable, but they play differently to larger games.

Most armies will only have two troops and an HQ on the table, one, maybe two vehicles at a push.

Some armies really struggle at that level, while others are really quite strong. In my experience, 'nids are brutal at 500 points, but Eldar are in for a world of hurt. I suspect your Orks will do well. you can field a mess of boyz for cheaps and at 500 points there is an upper limit to the number of wounds the enemy can deal out per turn.

I salute your wanting to field a painted army. I've said before, if you only have 500 points painted, then play 500 point games and paint some more.

Scott-S6 wrote:• No vehicles with a total armour greater than 33

I'm guessing this is a 1st/2nd edition thing, then (I've heard that vehicles had higher Av in the past, when the rules for penetrating were different)? 33 seems a bit much.

It adds all sides together. A normal Dreadnought would be 34. But if I remember correctly it basically started back in 4th anyway, if not earlier.

Thanks for the tips everyone!

@Fateweaver
You said a bad list can feth you. Mind checking mine out?

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/294282.page

Locclo wrote:

Scott-S6 wrote:• No vehicles with a total armour greater than 33

I'm guessing this is a 1st/2nd edition thing, then (I've heard that vehicles had higher Av in the past, when the rules for penetrating were different)? 33 seems a bit much.

Three sides added together so a rhino is okay (11+11+10=32) or a chimera (12+10+10=32) but a leman russ is right out (14+13+10=37)

Thanks for the thread and linky chaps

This will be very useful to my little club where the kids arrive and depart at various times throughout the session.