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A melee army with shooting options (that's overall solid) that's not human, and has a lot of options in painting and converting?

Ironically enough, I think you really are an ork person.

Metal_days wrote:
Fair enough !

Firstly, let me repeat I did paint some orks 4 years ago and I liked them, but dont rly want to start gathering them agian, i.e. i want a different army.
I deffo dont wnt humans, no space marines, i.g. nor anything of that sort - the inqusition (Sisters of battle?) was the only thing i was considering, and only for the fluff and the inquisitor model inself. To be honest, I'd prefer a xenos army with a kick ass story/fluff.

Im looking for an army I can rely on, thats not too challenging since I want this to be a hobby.
I want an army that I could play around with art-wise and experiment with paints.

As to the combat style, I guess Im a melee man, just sounds better and more manly than ranged...but thats said in lay terms, so feel free to correct me.

Sisters of Battle no longer include Inquisitorial units in their Codex. Grey Knights have all the Inquisition stuff now. ^_^

Hm, no orks, no humans, reliable, customizable in terms of models and color schemes, and preferred melee.

So... No Orks, no Chaos Marines, no Loyalist Marines, no IG, no SoB, no Chaos Daemons (too unreliable on the tabletop), no Eldar (supposedly they're rather challenging to learn how to use on the tabletop, plus not very customizable), dunno about Dark Eldar, no Tau (absolutely terrible melee), dunno about Necrons, maybe Nids,

So it comes down to sadomasochistic space elves, space robots, and giant space bugs. If it weren't for the No Orks thing, then they'd probably be your best bet. ^_^

Metal_days wrote:Firstly, let me repeat I did paint some orks 4 years ago and I liked them, but dont rly want to start gathering them agian, i.e. i want a different army.
I deffo dont wnt humans, no space marines, i.g. nor anything of that sort - the inqusition (Sisters of battle?) was the only thing i was considering, and only for the fluff and the inquisitor model inself. To be honest, I'd prefer a xenos army with a kick ass story/fluff.

Im looking for an army I can rely on, thats not too challenging since I want this to be a hobby.
I want an army that I could play around with art-wise and experiment with paints.

As to the combat style, I guess Im a melee man, just sounds better and more manly than ranged...but thats said in lay terms, so feel free to correct me.

I'd recommend Tyranids, but I'm biased.

If you're playing against competitive type people, you'll have issues. If you're playing in a more casual environment, you'll have a lot of fun. They have a bit of a learning curve, but they're not difficult to grasp.

They have melee galore - their most basic strategy is 'get 'em!'. They have a lot of guns, though most of them are at best medium ranged. In most lists your shooting will consist of Impaler Cannons hitting vehicles from behind cover, Zoanthrope warp powers taking down AV14 vehicles, and an absolute assload of short ranged anti infantry in the form of fleshborers, devourers and deathspitters.

This is really all there to help you get into combat. Impaler Cannons and Zoanthrope psychic powers are there for cracking transports or taking down support vehicles, so your broods can munch on whatever was riding inside. Your short ranged anti-infantry weapons are mostly there to soften up a target squad before running headlong into combat.

Despite internet grumblings, if you play in a more casual environment, there's plenty of units you can play around with. There's a few outright stinkers (Pyrovores aren't even worth reading the bestiary page), some a very situational like Lictors, but you should be able to make a non-standard list work. I mean, I run a Hormagaunt heavy list with a Carnifex, and my main opponent is semi-mech Dark Eldar, and I can still pull out wins.

There's plenty of conversion space as well, especially since a lot of the book doesn't have models or certain upgrades (Warrior wings, warrior boneswords, Tervigons and Tyrannofexes are the biggest offenders, though the latter two are apparently getting released next month). And converted normal choices are always great - makes your hive fleet look different to the rest.

They're relatively easy to paint thanks to GW's washes.

You could play a coteaz list if you like inquisitors and that. just use henchmen as troops and play gk. you can put melta guys in chimeras with jakero las cannons and then the guys withe the storm shields. An assasin with that awesome rifle. Take 3 venerable dreads with all autocannons with psybolt ammo. Its a pretty scary list.

I chose to start with Eldar, I loved their fluff and their play style. Then I sold them and got SoB, I loved their looks and play style. Then I sold them and got IG... Yea I miss my Eldar a lot... I will start anew when they get a new codex.

I got Spess Mehreens in the 2nd Edition boxed set and collected from there. When the 2nd Edition Guard codex came out, I picked them up. Same with Tyranids, and Genestealer Cult just grew out of the two plus my love of Necromunda.

When I came back, I wanted to do up my Imperial Guard army, but then I started reading blogs on True Scaling and decided to make my Marines taller but without making giant hipped ones out of Terminator legs. Then I remembered when I was younger and less well funded (I took an almost ten year break) I had always wanted a full company worth of Marines just for the awesomeness of it. So there it was. It's become a slow process, pulling apart all of my old plastic Marines, and cutting them up to make a full company of uniquely posed, nearly 75% converted models (I cut or modify nearly every part of the models except for packs and heads, lol). But I'm way more into the modelling side of the hobby than actually playing the game. Haven't posted up too many recent pictures of my progress though.

If I could go back, I'd make an Ork army though. They are by far my favorite. I didn't play 40K Orks back in the day because I already had a Fantasy Orc army.

Got back into 40K after a lapse with Nids. Loved them.

Then the new codex, worse FAQ and ZERO product support from GW killed them for me.


Traded them for Necrons.

The new models, feel and codex killed them for me too, so i traded them for DE and Daemons


I picked up some DE because the new models were awesome. I was trying hard not to, but then my wife bought me a Talos 'just to paint' I have about 3000 pts worth now.

The daemons are mostly a painting/converting project for right now, though they do see table-time occasionally.

I've also been playing orks on and off since RT, and have been playing them for several years now, since i found their crate.

My advice is to try out Eldar and DE both, by proxying at first, and maybe give Tau a look if they are your thing. I tried Tau for a while, but they didn't really click with me.

My first army I chose because of price and fluff(Dark Angels)

My newest Army I am(probably foolishly)choosing for the theme I want. I wanted to go for an airborne Imperial guard theme, and this is also a tactic I love, being able to drop off a force, blow stuff up, and move back to grab units again. And for them I wanted to go against much of the fluff insofar as heavy ground armor or human wave, but with tactics that are very modern. However as a note I really doubt if I took my end list to a tournament that I would do well, hell I wouldn't be surprised if I got tabled in the first round.

Is it worth buying the Eldar, since everyone is saying they will be redone soon ?

See if you can get your hands on any WD magasines about new releases. That's how I got into GK.

kronk wrote:I had each of my friends hold up a sign for each of the armies. I then put on a blindfold and chucked one of the older, metal lawn darts into the air.

I gained an army but lost a friend. Even trade.

True story.

Thread winner right here.


As to OP, I'd personally go with what you like the look of, either rules wise of model wise, although the later is probably just as important as the first. Doesn't matter how good an army plays if the models want to make you throw them across the room, or require a painting style out of your comfort zone.

As to me, well at the time there was little choice, I had Marines, Orks and eldar, as Rogue Trader was more of a skirmish game, expanding them to army size as 2nd edition approached launch. Probably army choices in Space Marine (old epic) helped as well.

Someone said "six-legged gun-toting space dinosaurs" and I said "that sounds cool."

I suppose it depends on which sort of film turns your crank. Did you like all of the Terminator films? Necrons. Prefer Alien? Tyranids. Like anime? Tau. Heroic war movies? Space Marines. Dark WWI films? Imperial Guard.

I think you have to pick something based on the aesthetics of the pieces, rather than their combat style. Because otherwise, you're going to be shifting army constantly, like Ascalam. There's nothing wrong with changing armies, but it tends to make the hobby more expensive.

Some people also like to have several armies at their command. I have trouble with wrapping my head around it because I'm not particularly tactical-minded, and having a different strategy for each army, let alone each build of an army would do my head in.

It should be noted that my core army (Orks) has been wih me since RT. My other armies have changed over the years, but i'm orky through and through

I like having other army options for when i'm in the mood for something different, and in any case i'm done collecting my orks (until something new comes out for them) and deep into painting them all. I need to get my modelling fix somewhere

I still love the aesthetics of the Tyranids, for example, but hated the new dex to the point that I couldn't play them anymore.

Ditto Necrons. Opening the new dex made me wince so badly at the retcons in style and feel that i couldn't stand the army army anymore. In their case the aesthetic changed also.

Play what calls to you most

If you get the yen for a secondary army as well, all the better, but it does wind up spendy

Metal_days wrote:Is it worth buying the Eldar, since everyone is saying they will be redone soon ?

I don't think that the basic units of the Eldar are going to change much. But if they do, I just wouldn't buy heavily into any one unit. For example, I got into Necron (as my first army) about the time that rumors started about them getting redone. Rather than buy into the Destroyer spam armies of the time, I bought the core of an army. Other than repainting the green rod on my guns, I haven't needed to change any of the things I first bought.

I've eyed the Necron for about a decade at my FLGS, I just haven't had the combination of money and time to put into an army until now. I was attracted by the aesthetics first, and story second. Finally, I read the rules. I've was a Johnny player in my Magic days (love to win in unique and interesting ways). I immediately fell in love with how the Necrons break/defy/just ignore rules. I'm very glad that's continuing in the new cycle.

As for Necrons being boring to paint, I challenge you to look at the new models and the Gallery here at Dakka, and not find really fabulous and interestingly painted Necron armies.

I chose (and still choose, honestly) for aesthetics/fluff and play style, both about equally. Competitiveness of the army is a consideration, but it's a distant, distant 3rd.

I started out with Orks for all of the above reasons; in order of importance, the fluff is hilarious, the models look cool, they play well in the straightforward manner that I enjoy, and even now they're a pretty tough army. I started in 3rd edition when things were a bit rougher for them, but Orks have never been bottom-tier.

I have some CSM, and play them occasionally; The fluff is very deep, grim and involving (though no humor like with the Orks, which hurts them a bit in my view), and I enjoy taking a break from massive hordes to play a small, elite force sometimes. They're not hardly competitive, but that's almost totally unimportant; CSM are my secondary army, which I play for fun. I proxy several of the models, or borrow some from friends, and just have a good time trying to massacre the weakling minions of the Corpse-God.

Talarn Blackshard wrote:The dark angels fluff always tend to pull me back to the unforgiven.

Me too, it is what made me play Dark Angels after I got some marines from 3rd edition box set...that and Terminators as troops

I stared IG after one of my friends left the hobby and gave me the codex and a chimera. I continued to collect they becasue I loved the variety and the wacky amount of tanks they have and can field.

I originally stared Grey knight to add Marines to my IG, but...yeah...

Metal_days wrote:Im having a dilemma what to start collecting...I know most of the basic fluff and what the armies are about and I can't decide ! WAAA

ObliviousBlueCaboose wrote:Obviously you want to start Orks.

Metal_days wrote:Im having a dilemma what to start collecting...I know most of the basic fluff and what the armies are about and I can't decide ! WAAA

I agree....if those are your points of criteria you can go no further than the Orks. Seriously though.....go with the rule of cool. Buy the models for the army you think looks awesome and that has either a fun or awesome story to you. I play Orks because the have a fun and silly story. Their models also look awesome to me.

Operate under the "rule of cool." You have to like the fluff and models for your army more than anything else because you'll be spending a lot of time and money painting these guys so you better enjoy them.

Well I went to the GW store today to buy the hobby starter set and a box of Eldar Dire Avengers. Didnt rly like the models and they cost 30e, whereas the Dark eldar looked much cooler and cost only about 22. So ended up with a box of Dark eldar kabalites.

Space pirates ftw!

Metal_days wrote:Well I went to the GW store today to buy the hobby starter set and a box of Eldar Dire Avengers. Didnt rly like the models and they cost 30e, whereas the Dark eldar looked much cooler and cost only about 22. So ended up with a box of Dark eldar kabalites.

Space pirates ftw!

Dark Eldar are a very cool army, both visually and on the table during play. I think you'll be happy with them.

Metal_days wrote:Im having a dilemma what to start collecting...I know most of the basic fluff and what the armies are about and I can't decide ! WAAA

Hmmm, to play da orks, or to play da orks that is the Question I think you're asking.

I go based on Models, Fluff, and play Style in that order.

Which is why I chose 'Nids over Orks. I cannot stand Ork models.

Metal_days wrote:Is it worth buying the Eldar, since everyone is saying they will be redone soon ?

Eldar have been more or less the same since 2nd Edition. They aren't likely to change too much. Literally the only change between 2nd Edition Guardians and 4th Edition ones are no more lasguns. Dire Avengers, Fire Dragons, Howling Banshees, etc. Pretty much the same as they have always been. You can still use models that are 20 years old for them without any conversion.

No, seriously, lol. Citadel Catalog 1991: Aspect Warriors

I first started buying GK then I found a 2000+ point SW army on craigslist for cheap, so I became a wolf out of pure awesomeness

I will build up my GK army over time, but too many people complain about the new GK dex that it will probably be mid year before I start, so people can calm down and start crying about the newest dex