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'm just now getting into 40k, though I've been toying with the idea for about 6-7 years now. I'm looking to start building an army, but I cannot figure which army to use. I've narrowed it down to Eldar, DE, and Tau, but I have reservations about each. I want to use Tau, but one of my friends already plays them. I want to use Dark Eldar, but I'm worried that they'll be too much of a handful for a beginner like me. My third choice would be Eldar, but I'm not sure how confident I feel about them. I've also toyed with playing Necron

I'm not into Space Marines (way too generic).
I'm not into morbid and grotesque creatures (just not appealing to me).
I'm into strategy and superior wits over brute strength.

My biggest concern is that I don't want to pick an army only to not like it later since I'm a poor college student. Any advice for a newbie like me?

Go with what army you think looks coolest. That, first and foremost, should be why you chose the army.

Currently to fit your criteria, the Eldar would be the best. They are less squishy than their Darker counterparts and are superior to Tau in most ways. While the Dark Eldar have some fun toys, they can scare away new players very easily due to the psychological aspect of loosing droves upon droves of your men in a single shooting phase, as well as bringing fewer numbers to the table. Eldar are a little more forgiving, but still require some tactical strategy, especially if you decide to not go with a cookie cutter force.