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Hey I'm a 40k player right now, and am planning for my next project after my Eldar are finished. I was thinking of doing Fantasy, and probably Empire.
I would like to know:

Costs in relation to 40k: I have heard WHFB is more expensive than 40k. Is that true?

Ease of Play: Would I be able to easily play Fantasy coming from 40k?

Work load: I enjoy having having a project to work on (though I can't get models too often) is WHFB much more than 40k in terms of amount of painting/modeling you have to do?

Cost wise I find it cheaper then 40k because you are not forced to buy a 35 point box for $45 every time you buy a unit.

As for modeling/painting there is no getting away from the fact that you will have to paint more models that actually have details as opposed to power armor figures and any army is going to have a min of 100 models.

If it is an issue I recommend an elite style army like HEs or WoCs.

As for ease of play I found it no harder then 40k to learn the rules but alot harder to master. However all these are worth persevering with as the game looks better on the table and is FAR more rewarding to play.

Oh and variety is a wonderful thing 90% of 40k games are against power armor armies there is no such thing in warhammer and that allone makes it worth playing.

That's what drew me to the Empire.
Plus it would improve my skill at painting faces (which is awful).

Empire are kinda pricey =( but if your starting out buy a few battalions and a couple warmachines and you will have a decent base to expand on.

One good thing about the Empire battalion is that the knights in it can be fielded as core giving you a cheap easy way to bulk out your army points wise.

just a forewarning (is that a redundant word, btw?), Empire is heavily rumored to be updated some time in 2012, I'm guessing either right before or right after the alleged summer 40k 6th Ed release. ...if that matters or makes a difference in your decision-making.

Dr. Cheesesteak wrote:just a forewarning (is that a redundant word, btw?), Empire is heavily rumored to be updated some time in 2012, I'm guessing either right before or right after the alleged summer 40k 6th Ed release. ...if that matters or makes a difference in your decision-making.

I picked Empire because I liked the models, and I'll keep that in mind. It will probably be well after the update I can start buying the army.

They may have a while to wait for an update. They are pretty strong now as is.

DoctorZombie,

It's always nice to hear about people starting WHFB (particularly folks who intend to play Empire).

With regard to the price of running Empire, I may have a few suggestions. First, though, do you do most of your gaming in GW retail stores? If not, then you can find a huge variety of cheap miniatures produced by indie retailers that are (in my opinion) of a higher quality.

For what it's worth, Perry Minis and Warlord Games have some jaw dropping stuff. For example, my Dogs of War run three units of pikes (30 each), which cost me £54 (from Perry Minis) and a bit of time spent doing conversion work.

If you'll be gaming regularly in a GW retailer, however, you will probably be shunned for any eclectic (non GW) purchases.

Best of luck.

- A

Empire are a very versitile army but when you're paying £15 for 50pts of core you may want think carefully.

Like Hulk_Smash has said look around other lines for your core state troops.

Unfortunatley Hulk Smash, I do have to do my gaming in GW shops, so I'll have to pay the GW price.

You can find Empire Battalions for cheaper then retail online, Try The Warstore or Wayland games or even E-bay.

The battalion is a good buy, although you will end up with way more Knights then you need.


Painting them is a pain, Empire were my first fantesy army and I just abou gave up on painting them(all those puffy shirts and pants )

So I picked up Ogres instead.


If you can force yourself to paint all those State Troops, The Empire can give you one of the most impressive armies on the table top, both competitivly and asteticly.

Cost-wise there's not much difference, and it'll depend on the army. If you're going for an elite army, such as HE, for example, you'll need to buy less models to reach X points, and hence it will be cheaper.

In terms of learning the rules, I'd say it's harder. There's an extra phase, magic, to learn and master along with other tricky, fiddly bits like Reforms.

As for projects, well, again, it depends. Speaking from experience, I'd say it's easier to convert 40k stuff, but there are a lot more big monsters in Fantasy to keep you occupied.

Do your best to get some games in with people who've played it before, even if you're using a borrowed army or proxies.

I was completely befuddled by the Magic and Movement phases (Shooting and Combat are fairly similar, or at least easy enough to understand) but I played a couple of games and watched a ton of batreps, and it's actually easier to figure out when you're doing.

Also, keep in mind that these are essentially Napoleanic and earlier, and imagine them accordingly. It's not necessarily about just killing your enemy, but about staying in formation, marching and wheeling properly, and all that stuff. As each single model is nowhere near as well equipped as even the least of a 40K model, they have to rely on the press of bodies and sheer numbers to fight.