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For the past week or so I've been joking about playing Eldar after learning about the Nightspinner rules here, saying things like, "So this weekend I'm picking up my two Fireprisms and Nightspinner, but my Fire Dragons are still in the mail." I looked at the Codex and some of the things possible just seem unreal PLUS I can put people into a state of rage. My best friend plays Eldar and thought I was being serious at first, thinking it was a great idea.

The more research I've been doing, the more I like them. I love the models, and have an Elf obsession. I love the fluff as well. I love the sheer mobility, which is a far cry from my Chaos Space Marines. I love all of the ways to get around bad things. Doom? Guide? Fortune? It seems like a totally different playstyle than my trusty Thousand Sons. My only beef is that I got 'Nids for Christmas and only have 1500 points worth. I just wasn't happy with the fact that my opponent could walk into cover and laugh at my assaults, among other things. But that's beside the point. I like the whole Eldar bit a lot. My birthday is next week plus I'm a senior in high school, so people still give me money. Should I pull the trigger here?

Welll, how painted are your Chaos Marines and Nids? I figure it's good policy not to have more than one unpainted army lying around. If you want Eldar, just start with a handful - a box or two of Dire Avengers, a Wave Serpent/Falcon or two, and a Farseer to lead them.

One of the biggest mistakes we make is biting off more than we can chew. Unpainted plastic tends to stay unpainted if you just keep getting more of it.

However, if you've got 1500 points of Nids and don't have any plans to go bigger, go for it. You've probably got graduation presents in 6 months anyway.

Go for it.
1500 points is an okay stopping point for an army and Eldar have a very different play style from other forces.

Being about as well informed as a wasp in his death throes I can only suggest a few bits of advice:

1] Still in High School -- You still get money for your birthday. This is a +, because if/when you go to College your money will be reduced to approximately $.47 and all the money you get you will need for sustenance. Sometimes pencils. This rule also applies even if you don't go to college. Be prepared.

2] See 1.

3] There is nothing wrong with having a lot of armies and if you like the painting/manufacturing aspect of the hobby then you will have a surplus of things to do. Just make sure you are well stocked for when you hit College, because again your funds will probably be obliterated.

4] College, be wary for your available time to devote to 40K might also take a major hit.

5] You said your friend plays Eldar, could you not play a few battles with his army? Proxying a few units as you need to?

I would pull the trigger and do it. If you end up hating the army you can always sell it for when you reach the latter stages of 1] and have money to eat with for a day or two.

I literally have not painted much at all due to loads of school work, but ever since I've been done with college acceptances and scholarships I've been pumping out Chaos Marines like a machine, with tomorrow and/or Friday being devoted to painting my Defiler. The painting aspect is no problem for me. As for playing as Eldar, I've done it a lot because I have used my friends. In fact, purely using his armies we are teaming up this weekend for a BA and Eldar Combo, but we look forward to Eldar and Eldar teams (my friends and I do 2v2's a lot). I think I'm going to end up doing it.

Micromegas wrote:
General college stuff

You know? That's honestly some of the best advice I've ever heard on this board. When I shipped off for college I had a lot of Space Wolves that I'd gotten for graduation, and a lot of Marines I'd picked up cheap at flea markets. Right now I'm pretty much broke (being a college student), but between commission painting and the Dakka Swap Shop I'm never at a loss for things to paint and play with. It's all about budgeting and buying things cheap.

So yeah, stock up on Warhams while you can!

You know, I'm in the same spot as you, a High School Senior looking for a new army. I'm thinking more along the route of a small, elite army as opposed to my IG. I gotta paint my stuff first.

Brother SRM wrote:

Micromegas wrote:
General college stuff

You know? That's honestly some of the best advice I've ever heard on this board. When I shipped off for college I had a lot of Space Wolves that I'd gotten for graduation, and a lot of Marines I'd picked up cheap at flea markets. Right now I'm pretty much broke (being a college student), but between commission painting and the Dakka Swap Shop I'm never at a loss for things to paint and play with. It's all about budgeting and buying things cheap.

So yeah, stock up on Warhams while you can!

And even if money is not an issue (i.e. I also work) you just won't have any time for sure to paint and model stuff.

Don't forget space. If you're living in dorms, you may not have the space to store and work on your army.

edit: And also, tabletop gaming is somewhat problematic in college. I did my undergrad at Temple University, in (the worst part of) North Philadelphia. The closest Friendly Local Gaming Store was....about a mile from a subway stop. If you don't have a car, there's problems.