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.

I'd say you should borrow/read the rulebook first. Especially army composition is good to know when you start out (oh boy, how I pieced together my army from bits, pieces and little scraps of imperials 12 years ago... no plan at all, broken lists galore). Orcs & Goblins are nice, but are not the easiest faction, though a lot less complex than they used to be*... as a 40k player you already know half the game system.








*they used to actually KILL each other if your dice were annoyed by being thrown around by you...


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Orcs and Goblins used to actually KILL each other on a bad animosity roll... those were the times. They are far more starter-friendly nowadays.

Borrow/read the rulebook before you really start though, very usefull that.

Trying to read it bit by bit at my flgs.
Oh and 'orks' (40k)

I see and know. It occassionaly happens that people forget to spell it differently between fantasy or 40k here (or anywhere) and not everyone knows what 'getting the jitters' (positive? negative?) means... It would be even more confusing if talking about Orks and Orcs.

I would suggest either dwarfs or even ogers cause they look pretty awesome and are strong as hell

I play both regularly, just depends who is around and what toruney is coming up. Both have good points and bad points, I like WHFB a little more.

I'll advocate what looks cool. pic one and reada lil out of the army book, if it apeals then ask your friends about army composition, and how 'hard' the army is, both to play, and its best units.

Before you buy anything, proxy a game with someone at your flgs or club that plays fantasy. Better yet, proxy several games so you get a feel for how wfb works and what you like and dislike then go and buy an army. I've seen a lot of people start buying what they think they like only to start actually playing the game and finding they really don't like what they have. This is great for the rest of us who end up buying their used models, but not so good for the new player.

Pick an army that you like the looks of, something that catches your eye. While certain armies can be potentially devastating in play, it doesn't mean that you need to play these. Play whichever army you believe will amuse you the most. That is the best way to do things. But I will very briefly sum up all the armies.

Empire: The all around force, the epitome of average stat line. They can bring plenty of guns to bear, but have nothing particularly devastating to bring to the field (except maybe the steam tank).

Brettonia : The horse force. Yeah, I went there. They can field an entire army of cavalry, and benefit from high armor save value. They are devastating on the charge, and can wither shooting attacks to get there.

High Elves : They all benefit from Striking First, good amount of magic, some shooting and have good close combat units. They are however not able to take a hit, having T3 across the board, and infantry with not particularly high armor saves.

Dark Elves: The hateful elves. They hate everybody, especially high elves. They can bring a bit more in terms of shooting then the High Elves, but have access to half the lores, with the benefit of being able to cast with as many dice as they can regardless of the level of caster. They bring some monsters to the field, as well as some decent close combat units. Once again their main weakness being they are T 3 elves who don't like wearing much protection.

Wood Elves : Tree Elves, they can move and shoot without penalty, and unsurprisingly can move through trees. They are mostly a skirmishing force which rely on their surroundings to win battles. They also can bring Forest Spirits to bear, which are stronger and tougher then the elves. They have less protection than other elves.

Skaven: Being rats, you can bring a multitude of them. They have a wide variety of strange and powerful weapons they can attach to units of rats, and can utilize these to deadly effect against their opponents. They like the elves, are faster infantry then humans, O & G, Saurus. Similarly to the elves, they do not have much protection. In addition their weapons all have the potential to blow up in a spectacular fashion.

Vampire Counts: Undead led by vampires, this is a force that causes fear and is unbreakable. They have very strong characters, which are the absolute cornerstone to making an effective army. They can summon new units (potentially), and can boost others, they can even bring models back, provided the unit is still alive. The army is not particularly skilled in close combat, and without the aid of magic and vampires is not particularly strong. The general is the key to the army, if he is defeated, your entire army can crumble.The army is a top-tier army, capable of being devastating.

Tomb Kings: Undead led by mummies, has all the rules that Undead have. Their magic is oddly done, and they have some shooting (always hits on a 5+), not recommended as your first army, as they are difficult to master,as their magic simply does not allow them to do everything they require.

Chaos Daemons: A strong force that can devastate in both close combat and magic. They do not have any shooting, but have very strong hard hitting units, and true monsters of generals. They benefit from fear like the undead, but they do not lose models as easily when they lose a combat. They are considered a top tier army, and all benefit additionally from a 5+ ward save.

Orcs & Goblins: They are an unreliable set of gits, but can bring a variety of amusing units to the field, and have a strong potential within close combat. They bring a unique lore to the field, and have their own miscast table, as well as bonuses and negatives associated with their power dice.

Hordes of Chaos: The mortal forces of chaos, they all have higher weapon skill then is considered average. They have little in the way of shooting, and rely primarily on hard hitting units to devastate the enemy, of which they have plenty.

Ogre Kingdoms: Another army of monsters, this army is the fastest infantry army in the game, and each Ogre has 3 wounds and 3 attacks. They are a strong hard hitting force, but do not have the staying power other armies have due to the cost per Ogre. They have a unique lore which can serve to improve the Ogres stats.

Lizardmen: A army of lizards and dinosaurs, they bring strong infantry, good magic, and helpful shooting. Lizardmen have the most powerful mages in the game, and can also utilize a wide variety of monsters to great effect. Their shooting is fairly good, but their maximum range is not particularly far.

Beasts of Chaos: The mutated men who are half-beast (or half-human), they are a skirmishing force, with nothing in the ways of shooting. It is probably best to await the new army book which will be released in February.

Dwarves: The stunties, this is the slowest infantry army in the game. They have no cavalry, and no magic. On the plus side, they have the highest leadership, above average weapon skill, good armor, and have excellent shooting. To make up for their lack of magic, the dwarves get more dispel dice then other armies, and can produce a good magic defense. Their infantry blocks are made to take the charge and stay in close combat. If you prefer to let your enemies come to you, this is your army.