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I'm kinda on my own with this 40k, and my friends have considered getting into the hobby, but they don't want to fork the money out to make an army. Any ideas or advice on how to get a cheaper army? Or do i have to force my friends at gunpoint?

Dawn of War is one of the better gateway drugs, but DoW1 is pretty damn dated at this point and DoW2 has awful skirmish AI. Get two of them to split Assault on Black Reach.

Dont tell them how much it costs

Jk!

If price is an issue, tell them it is a 1 time payment that you can expand on slowly in the future, but you drop a few hundred and it brings you years of entertainment.

I also find the best way is bring them out to a game night and get them playing. My buddy was skeptical till he came out and played an army and had a blast.

Also helped for Christmas I bought him the chaos battleforce + codex in 2010

At gunpoint.

Is your army big enough to make 2 500-750 Pt armys?

if so you could run a demo game for them.

King Crow wrote:I'm kinda on my own with this 40k, and my friends have considered getting into the hobby, but they don't want to fork the money out to make an army. Any ideas or advice on how to get a cheaper army? Or do i have to force my friends at gunpoint?

I have one solution: he can always but used army and then just repaint them.
It's a hard job but he will save a lot of money.

AOBR is a good buy... maybe get them to the store and show them?

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink - don't force the issue, perhaps they will take it upon themselves to get into it. Good luck!

Gunpoint works for me.

I'd pretty much have to do this these days to get a mate into 40k.

(Mates don't let mates start 40k. There are so many more cooler and cheaper SF skirmish rules out there - and some are even free to download rules for).

I only have to show someone the Infinity rulebook and Bam! They are in.

Run DAs:

You can make a basic Tac Squad from their chapter sprue and it's only about £12 I think.

Buy all your junk from Dark Sphere or Wayland Games for that healthy discount...

eBay is a must of course, I am always watching it for a good buy on a new item (I don't do pre-assembled since some bad experiences).

If you can sell the painting side to them, tell them that it'll bring them hours of joy and they need only expand their army as they finish painting what they already have.

King Crow I'm in exactly the same position. Conivingly talk about it to them. Slowly and snidily worm it into their skulls until you fully corrupt them like the warm embrace of the Ruinous Powers..............*ah-hem* what the hell just happened, I went a bit, evil for a second there.

But yeh, try and get them to see the cheapest options of getting a force. Splitting AoBR is a great idea. If you have the dex of the army they like the look of lend them the dex, I done it and my friend is even closer to playing. Battleforces/Battalions are great ideas to for a starting army.

is there a second army you want?

buy it, give it to them

they will either take it and play

or you get your new army

Thanks for all the tips! i figure i only need to get 1 more troop unit for my imperial guard to have a playable army. I can run them through some demo games and get them hooked!

Find someone else to play with and then while around your other friends talk about the funny/awsome parts of the games you've played. They will either get annoyed or get infected and start playing. Thats how we did it.

In all honesty, as much as I enjoy 40k, there is noway I could get a friend in to table top gaming through it.

The fact you have to pay £200 odd for a starter army - Most new players don't want second hand mashed up armies - Is massively off putting.

I get all my friends in by playing Warmahordes in front of them, the game has so much aesthetic appeal, and when you tell them they can make a competitive starter list for £50 they jump at it. One or two I'm trying to get in through Malifaux now

Talk about the balance and how GW updates all codexes at a very good pace this rules that are written clearly and consistantly. Also the cost of a competative army, pick out some of the SW armies from Nova, those will be close enough to "competative".

Honesty is the key to keeping them your friends.

Honestly i wouldnt get any of my friends into it. Try and find people who already play.

Definitely Dawn of War

Beer.

Never tried with warhammer, but beer and food is usually a door opener.

Ahhh beer. solves all problems

As suggested already, see if you can get 2 of them to split the cost of an AoBR box or something similar. If you have another friend or acquaintance that already plays 40k, it wouldn't hurt to get them involved with your group of friends as well so you aren't trying to go at it alone. The only other suggestion I'd have is to try to get them to appeal to some of the fluff with something like the Horus Heresy or other BL books or just find an army that they like theme/fluffwise and try that way; it worked for me and my friends getting me into 40k.