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This was just a random question that I've been pondering over the last few days, but I thought I'd post it on Dakka to try and garner some debate. Simply put, what fators most heavily influence you when deciding what units to add to your army? For me, it's a mix of the Sculpts, the Fluff, and the image I get when I see that unit (I.E a horde of groaning plague zombies darkening the sky with the flies circulating around them).

/Discuss.

Do I like the models?

Can I convert and paint 500 points of Tyranids before Platinum Devil in Canterbury in the middle of December?

Those are my two major concerns.

I used to buy almost solely because: "That model looks cool." But as time went on, and I wanted to make my army more competitive, I started looking more at tactics. I still rely heavily on fluff to keep my army to its theme, but the days of buying/building models and units because they looked cool that way? Those are gone.

I like to have at least one of each option.

I start with the ones I will be using most and work my way down to the pyrovore ones I will probably never field.

I start out with units that look good or have nice fluff then start playing. From there I go over each victory and lose to see what was lacking on my side. I then use that to pick up new units that fit how I play the game and my overall strategy. So I start fluffy and for looks, then fill in and swap out units as needed to get my army better.

Do the rules make it sound cool? Does it have a nice model?

I just try to obtain models I don't already have. I would love one day to have a COMPLETE Ork Collection, though I have found over time that this is probably near-impossible considering the sheer variety of models out there.

I have 2 modes:

MODE 1: EFFECTIVE

I usually build the great majority of my units around an army tactic, as part of a list. They are chosen for effect and role. This forms a core list usually at the 1850 level. Then I ad alternate units for different builds as I tune for tourneys and events.

MODE 2: MODELING

Then there's the junk (game terms) I built just because I wanted to do the models, for example fenrisian wolf conversions.

I suspect Dark Eldar will be like this, I must build those awesome sculpts! I don't have much hope for the army yet...

To be honest, price is about the only thing that doesn't factor in. And from there, depends upon the unit.

Sure, I'd like to claim that the deciding factor was how much I liked the look/fluff, but that would a porky pie. Sometimes, I'll be stuck between two themes of army, and that's when 'how hard does it hit' comes into play. And yes, sometimes it's the only reason I'll stick a unit in!

But for the most part, it is the look and feel that influences me the most!

Start with whatever you can get cheap, add to it whatever you think looks really cool, flesh it out with whatever helps your army build.

I like having a lot of different things on the table and find that it confounds the badguys not knowing what to focus on... the pesky but easy to kill distraction of a vyper, the trudging inevitability of the avatar, the looming threat of a wave serpent full of whatever or the lurking harlequin squad, the difficult to kill wraithlord, or the scoring troops sniping at them. All of which are impulse buys but it's fun to make them work as a whole. The 'look' of the army is supposed to be a confusing mishmash of specialization and it helps a lot to give the badguy too many potential choice targets.

Too many decisions on what looks like a tasty target makes a person second guess what I am trying to do. I love having such a broad range of potential threats, (but hey that's an Eldar thing) all of which with their own way of doing things. Why to attack them, avoid them, or ignore them makes for a very fluid game of second guessing each other and reacting accordingly. Fun games equals vast variety of angles to approach from in army builds. I like diversity and can't stand spam armies.

Most or all of the specific reasons are factors when I buy stuff. Generally I say I'd buy what is a cool idea/has cool fluff and has a cool model (or which I have a cool conversion idea for - but only if it has some rules I can make use of, because at the end of the day I like to play against my friends without getting stomped all over.

For example, I started my Eldar based on wave serpents, aspect warriors, shining spears. I later bought vypers and pathfinders. These and the spears became less useful. I've had to buy more wave serpents, and some fire prisms. Things I feel are also cool, but my point is I modified the exact unit selection a bit, because what's cool as an idea isn't always playable on the table.

Several factors that I place in this order

1, need (my army needs a little something and unit X provides)
2, coolness (this one speaks for itself)
3, convertibility, (it isn't something I need but with some GS and some tlc it will fulfill a purpose and look awesome)

Usually I pick units that I like the fluff of. If the fluff works for me then that means I'll have a good visual image of how I'll represent them (I love conversions). Then I go for units that are more tacticly sound

Wow way to many choices here that resonate to reasonably narrow it down. There are some elements of ALL of these in most of my purchases.

1.) Tactics/List Building: Obviously, not many of us buy units that serve no real purpose. I will sometimes buy units that I really like even if they are less then effective, but the priority of those units is right at the bottom of the list: 2 years in, I don't own either a single Pariah nor have I modeled a single Flash Git. On the other hand, one of my first purchases was a Thunderfire Cannon, which I knew off the bat was not only a very difficult model but tactically useless. I really love the way it looks. So the bottom line is this does weigh in but can get canceled out by other factors. However, I have never bought a model I did not like because it was tactically or strategically powerful: I only play with friends and would rather lose with the models I like then win with the ones I don't. A unit with extremely poor competitiveness can talk me out of buying it, but a unit with very high competitiveness can't necessarily talk me into buying it; it really depends how it looks.

2.) The sculpts: Obviously this plays a part. I bought River Trolls, Deathmaster Sniktch, and Warlord Queek even though I have no intention of ever playing WHFB. I just liked how they looked.

3.) How fun they look to paint: I'm more into the modelling/playing aspect then the painting, so it's rare I even think of this; i universally consider painting to be a chore. I don't tend to buy models because they look fun to paint, but in at least one case, I avoided a model (Nightbringer) because I knew I'd have a really hard time with it. I finally got a Nightbringer about 2 months ago, and I was right; I'm having a very tough time with it and sort of regret the purchase because of it. I'm strongly considering hiring out the painting of it because the alternatives (playing it poorly painted, playing it unpainted) are also odious. So, I won't get ones that seem fun, but will avoid ones that I know I will find technically difficult.

4.) Fluff: Definitely plays a part. I love Necron Wraiths and SM Dreadnoughts because I find them compelling. It's also why I am tempted to model some Flash Gits anyway - I love the idea of the ultimate dakka-crazed orks - but in this case their poor usability really does depress my love of the fluff sufficiently to avoid them.

5.) The units image: Certainly, I wanted to convert Necron Immortals and get Wraiths because I really love the leering bone-white faceplates contrasting starkly with their dark, mechanical bodies. It's also why I did a Staff of Light conversion for my Necron Lord to match Dawn of War - I like the idea of a symbol of office for him.

6.) How it adds to my army's "look". Not sure why/how this is a different question then 5.)

7.) Impulse buying: God, I do a lot of this. I tend to browse dakka and Ebay at night while I am at work, and I get tons of stuff I can't really afford off Ebay from impulse buys. I often get a horrible logic chain going when bidding at the last minute, such as "well, if I was willing to pay $28, I certainly would pay $29, right?" which then goes until I either I lose because the auction ends, or until I win at $38 - whereas I was willing to pay $28, but not willing to pay $38, but I logic'd myself up there anyway incrementally. I've started to just buy Bitz that I want lately instead and that's cheaper and better, moreso because I tend to just use buy it now. I rarely get good deals at auctions anyway, I nearly always get sniped.

8.) How cheaply I can get them - Obviously this comes into play for everyone to some extent. I bought a Land Speeder not because I was particularly enamoured of it, but because it was fairly inexpensive on the ebay. Turned out it's also a pretty cool model and useful tactically. Conversely, I wound up fielding Immortals because I knew I could cheaply convert from Necron Warriors, and avoid Pariahs because I can't easily or cheaply field them (also, they suck).

Ultimately, the price, unless it's out of the norm (forgeworld, or $14 each models that are fielding in a squad of 10) is usually the least important consideration for me).

Used to buy every bright shiny thing that caught my eye.

Nowdays it practically has to jump off the shelf and slap me to get my attention.

I'd say that I buy models because of the sculpts/fluff, but I'd be lying. I'd say I buy them based on how effective they are on the table, but I'd be lying as well.

Truth is I don't cherry pick units from a Codex for any specifi reason because I don't cherry-pick units. I pick all units, and usually own everything within a Codex, and usually to such a degree that I can fill the FOC slot they belong in with one specific unit type, be it 3 Defilers or 6 Tactical Squads. How else would you explain me owning 30 Russes...

Typically, i have a tendency to go overboard with models...

For instance, my first EVER purchase of GW product was the Space Marine Battle Company formation for the Apoc Reloaded release, along with my first Terminator Chaplain, 2 squads of Terminators (one box of assault termies, and one box normal) and 2 Land Raider Crusader kits.

I had a plan in mind for basically every model in that whole purchase, but now that plan has gone from 2 distinctly different armies, to one completely different chapter altogether.

Basically, i start an army with a "plan" in mind, a general list in mind but mid build/acquisition what-have-you, the plan changes and i end up with some weird stuff sitting around.

First of all I would imagine the what the units look like to go along with a certain 'theme'. Then I would write a list to make sure said units fitted and were playable. I would only buy models I like though, so sculpts come into it too.

I build a 1500 point list, think it over, plot stratigies, make adjustments, sleep on it, dream about it then they arrive in the mail. Once I have all the models in the list the buying is done. No subistutions, no extra models, no flexibility. Just the list that I plan on playing.

I'm fairly shallow, so sculpts get me everytime. There is an element of tactics in my selection, but if it looks great, it goes in. Hence the presence of Deathmaster Snikch in my 1500pts Skaven army despite the fact he chews up most of my hero allowance.

Sculpts, but given a choice between two sculpts that are equally good, in game effectiveness.
Fluff doesn't have as much of an impact on my model purchases, except that the only reason I have a Dwarf army is because I love Dwarf fluff. Which is a pretty big exception, I suppose

Flashman wrote:I'm fairly shallow, so sculpts get me everytime. There is an element of tactics in my selection, but if it looks great, it goes in. Hence the presence of Deathmaster Snikch in my 1500pts Skaven army despite the fact he chews up most of my hero allowance.

This is actually somewhat of a large reason i have 2 full squads of Legion of the Damned marines at my disposal.

Ouze wrote:6.) How it adds to my army's "look". Not sure why/how this is a different question then 5.)

Perhaps I was unclear, my humble apologies. What I meant by this is, say I am an Tyranid player. Now, I mght not like the Gaunt sculpt on its own, but I may want to feild vast hordes of them to make my armies 'look' a horde. Ergo, I would still buy it for what it adds to the overall aesthetic rather than because of the sum of its parts, if that makes sense.

I definitely buy for tactics, but then my tactics change every week. I also have many theoretical lists, so about 9 months ago I decided to sell/trade my 1500 pt armies to build up a massive Guard army.

so far I have roughly;

150 guardsmen
3 LR Demolishers
9 sentinels
9 Hvy weapon teams
10 Rough riders
2 valks
3 Bassalisks
5 chimeras
Turrets for 3 hydras to be swapable with the chimeras


I still need a good bit more, this is about 2/3rds of my goal. I was hoping to achive the total before my next army was revamped, but the DH codex appears to be on the horizon. I have mixed feelings about that . . .

Aboslutely first and foremost is the 'idea' of the army. All my armies are built to a theme, and usually around a certain sort of model or conversion. This might be amodel of conversion I happen to have a lot of lying around, or maybe not. I then think what units should be in the army, given it's theme. THEN, I go through and think 'how can I make this army competitive without compromising the theme'. And if I don't like a certain sculpt, I'm much more likely to convert something rather than just not use the unit...

For example, with my IG Suicide Legion, I had a lot of Void Junker models lying around and thought up the idea of a fast, assault-based IG army. I then went through the codex and thought that Penal Legions would be most appropriate for the grunts, and Rough Riders, Vets and Hellhounds would all fit the theme quite well. Next came 'how can I make an army of Penal Legionnaires with no Heavy Support choices effective on the tabletop', at which point I decided on giving the Hellhounds converted melta turrets, including some meltagun command squads, and finding a way of fitting in some Psyker Battle Squads. Since I don't think the current psyker models would be appropriate to the theme of the army, I converted some better ones!

Certainly cheapness has a say - I've started a few armies just on the basis that I could get hold of a big pile of 'x' model, and let's theme an army around it. The only thing that I DON'T take into account is painting - I don't really enjoy the painting process (though I enjoy having them finished) so I never buy a model because I think it will be fun to paint.

I just pick an army, then buy more of each unit than I could possibly hope to use.

(44 Dark Reapers, anyone? To be fair, the last 28 of them came in a single EBay purchase that had LOTS of other really useful stuff, for a very ow price)

I impuse buy, then think about how to make them look fun and figure out how to use them.

My thought process works like this:

1. Is it "playable" (i.e. competitive)?

2. Is it "cool" (i.e. interesting-looking model)?

3. If it's strongly playable, can it be converted into something cool?

4. If it's very cool, would it be awesome to have on the shelf?

hyperviper6 wrote:I build a 1500 point list, think it over, plot stratigies, make adjustments, sleep on it, dream about it then they arrive in the mail. Once I have all the models in the list the buying is done. No subistutions, no extra models, no flexibility. Just the list that I plan on playing.

How I envy your discipline. Sigh.

I only really have time to paint stuff I want to paint, I don't buy anything that will be a chore. So I only buy models for an army that look cool or fit the feel I'm after, if the army or whatever is pants as a result, I can live with that.