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Been playing fantasy for 11 years now, and I think I'd like to delve into 40k finally. I built and sold an ultramarines army a few years ago but never played a game with it.

I understand marines are done to death. I like tau but if I went with them I'd end up wanting the FW broadsides as they are much nicer and close to the same price as GW ones. I also understand that they are rather out of date.
I like the appeal of a WWII style IG army but I fear the price tag.

So if it's down to it. Which army should I choose?

Well, what do you want out of your army? Nice models, GT-tailoring, low cost?

Without knowing what you're looking for in an army, both on and off the field, there's not much we can do to help narrow your choices.

Knowing almost nothing about what you want in an army I voted marines. They are easy to learn and easy on your budget. They are the default army I suggest to anyone new to 40K.

What do you play in fantasy, and do you want something similar or radically different? I don't know the fantasy armies well enough to say anything there, but I'm sure others here do.

I like the look of tau. I'm a painter first and a gamer second, and I don't play tournies really.

I'd like to be competitive but by no means a waac army.

I like the idea of mechanized infantry.


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In fantasy I play high elves, dark elves, and orcs.

aerethan wrote:I like tau but if I went with them I'd end up wanting the FW broadsides as they are much nicer and close to the same price as GW ones. I also understand that they are rather out of date.
I like the appeal of a WWII style IG army but I fear the price tag.

So if it's down to it. Which army should I choose?

As for what's bolded - you say that like it's a bad thing. The Forgeworld suits are fantastic, and if they come in at close to GW price for you, make the perfect alternative to the dated GW suits.

Since you know your way around GW's more complicated game system, it shouldn't take you long to learn their simpler game system. Go with an army you want to collect, not an army that's easy to learn (ie Marines).

I'd say go with Tau. They're dated, but you can still win with them fine. They'll have one of the last books probably in 5th edition, wether that is important to you or not.

I love the FW suits, which is why I'd go with them.

So what units besides broadsides are must haves for tau?

aerethan wrote:
I like the idea of mechanized infantry.

Guard, Dark Eldar, Space Marines to some extent, and Eldar to some extent all use mechanized infantry. Especially Guard, to the point that some people get rather annoyed with them for presenting a wall of tanks, though they frequently use it more as a mobile bunker with a nice gun than to get where they're going as do Eldar to an extent, while DE and SM use transports to cross the field (at least I believe SM do, I'm intentionally unfamiliar with their specifics). Orks and Tau have transports, but they rarely form much of their strategy around them.

sounds to me like you already have ur mind made up on tau but if you have the friends that play any 40k try to play with their models so that you can decide if you like the feel of them.

If you don't mind losing a lot, Tau are pretty fething rad. Eldar also have some good models, and if you're into kit-bashing and creative modeling, I'd say go with Orks. Space Marines are always an obvious fall-back if the more colorful armies are less fun, or don't end up working out. They offer a great platform for creative painting, modeling, they look good, easy to play, there's a reason they're the most played army.

id say go with tau. help build that imperium instead of the imperium of man

Well, personally my favorite faction is the Imperial Guard. There's a huge number of viable armies, and they look very impressive. I'd say go with them.

SM's are easy to learn, build and paint, but are very common.

Tau are rather cool visually but I'd wait to play them until they get a book update, they are built very closely around the 4E Skimmer, Vehicle, and LoS rules, all of which radically changed with 5E.