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So me and my gf are long time pc/console players but we have an artsy side that most video games don't let you tap in to. So we decided to try 40k as it seemed more streamlined then some of the other miniature war games, plus being pc fans weve become somewhat familiar with the lore side of 40k (dawn of war, space marines etc).

So what's the best way to get in to it? We were thinking of getting assault on black reach then splitting the armies (orcs for me, sm for her). While it isn't a full army, thought it may give us a feel for it, but not sure if i want to play either of the included armies, or do we go to our local hobby shop and start an army of our choice from scratch a few squads at a time ( more expensive option I know lol)

Any other tips you guys may have for an aspiring commander would be much appreciated

Black Reach is without a doubt the best way to start the game. If you're both willing to invest a good amount of money, a battleforce each would be better. It's like $90-$110 from GW, or you can get them from TheWarstore for 20% off. In that case, if you like Dark Eldar and she likes Imperial Guard (just some examples) you can get decent starter forces of them.

Yes the black reach starter set and the soon to be 6th starter set are your best options. I would suggest waiting for a month or two, since the next edition of the game is coming soon.

Beyond that, getting a battleforce is the cheapest way to start any army. Just make sure you look through the codex before throwing down money.

Another thing you can do is hunt for older starter sets. 5th ed's starter box has marines vs. orks, but a few years ago in 4th ed, it was marines vs. tyranids

What I'd actually do, honestly, is to pick your armies first and buy the codex and a couple of boxes of kit. By the time you've got your basic armies put together, 6th ed will probably be out, thus saving you the bother of buying a rulebook. You could always just buy the AoBR rulebook from ebay as well if you want to know the rules now on the cheap.

Unless, of course, the armies that you want to play are marines and orks, then certainly start with AoBR.

juraigamer wrote:Yes the black reach starter set and the soon to be 6th starter set are your best options. I would suggest waiting for a month or two, since the next edition of the game is coming soon.

Beyond that, getting a battleforce is the cheapest way to start any army. Just make sure you look through the codex before throwing down money.

I agree with this advice.

The new starter set (which will include the new rulebook and all of the gaming goodies like Assault on Black Reach) will likely be out by early fall. I suggest waiting a few months and getting the new set when it comes out so you'll have the latest edition of the rules.

However, I would also suggest not limiting yourself to the armies in the starter set. While it is a phenomenal deal money-wise, I think it is more important that you play an army that YOU want to play and paint. I suggest going down to a games store and flipping through the codexes with your girlfriend. Watch a game or two. Ask the players about their army preferences.

Ask yourself a few questions: Do I like the background of this army? Do I like the look of this army? Do I like the feel of this army? Will I be able to spend hours of my life painting the little plastic men in this army with a smile on my face?

It's a phenomenal hobby, but it's not cheap. If you are going to invest the time and the money, it should definitely be with an army that you love.

First thing you need to do is pick the army each of you like the most. Since you're both PC/console players, perhaps you'd be more atracted by the gaming side of the hobby than the modeling. In that case, armies like the Imperial Guard or Space Marines would probably appeal to you, since they have nice rules and are relatively easy to paint. Orks may be an option here too, but if you want to use vehicles you'll need some skill to get them right. Or you could just spray them black and get some practice before you paint them all, of course.

Getting the codex for your respective armies is escential. After that, you can see what kind of army you want to build. In the case of Orks, for example, you can build a Green Tide (lots and lots of orks), a Kan Wall (lots of walkers), a Wagon Spam (lots of tanks), Nob Bikers (big orks on bikes), Speed Kult (lots of fast vehicles)... It's a very versatile codex. The Space Marine armies depend mostly on what chapter are you using (Salamanders, Imperial Fists, White Scars...), but most of them work very similarly.

If you want to play Orks and Marines, the Black Reach box will give you a lot of models at a low price. You can buy some extra vehicles and infantry depending on what kind of army you want to get and you'll be ready to get started!

So, let's go over this again. Get the rulebook, the codex you want and see what kind of army you want to get. Once you do that, the rest will be easy.

If you like orks and SM go for the Black reach.
But, If you have another army of interest, save some and buy a battle force and an hq choice.
By far, the tau battle force is the most value you could ever get in a BF. You get the troops,a transport and some other units. The xv8 battlesuit is practically the same as the commander so pretty good deal there.

OpticScythe wrote:So me and my gf are long time pc/console players but we have an artsy side that most video games don't let you tap in to. So we decided to try 40k as it seemed more streamlined then some of the other miniature war games, plus being pc fans weve become somewhat familiar with the lore side of 40k (dawn of war, space marines etc).

So what's the best way to get in to it? We were thinking of getting assault on black reach then splitting the armies (orcs for me, sm for her). While it isn't a full army, thought it may give us a feel for it, but not sure if i want to play either of the included armies, or do we go to our local hobby shop and start an army of our choice from scratch a few squads at a time ( more expensive option I know lol)

Any other tips you guys may have for an aspiring commander would be much appreciated

Plenty of good advice here, but the best way to start completely from the ground up is Assault on Black Reach, or whatever the new starter set will become when it is released. Not only does it include the rules and two armies you can use, it also includes getting started booklets that will walk you through your first battles from small figs up to the entirety of minis in the box. This is the absolutely best initial exposure for two completely new players who are learning the game together.

Yes you can buy the hardback rule book and each pick a codex and some minis, but buying the codex and minis requires forethought that you probably don't even have yet with zero experience with the game. Once you learn the game with the Black Reach figs you have a few options: If you both like your armies then use the minis as the basis for a much larger force of each. If you don't like one or both, now that you have more knowledge of the game and how it works you can better decide what you would rather play and can then sell off which ever force you don't feel like keeping or both to raise some cash to buy your first "real" army.

If you have a GW store nearby you should be able to go in and get a demo of the game if you don't want to buy the boxed set first and after you see things in action you can decide which way to go from there.

It is a fun hobby, but a pricey hobby so keep that in mind. A full army will probably cost you the same for each of you as buying a new video game console system and a first game for it. So be prepared for that.

Skriker

Ailaros wrote:Another thing you can do is hunt for older starter sets. 5th ed's starter box has marines vs. orks, but a few years ago in 4th ed, it was marines vs. tyranids.

This would be a decent suggestion, but that starter set sells for a lot now because of the crashed lander in the box. I used to be able to find the 3rd ed starter set for dirt cheap - I'm talking $10-$20, which was an amazing price for a tactical squad and landspeeder, let alone the cool old rulebook, dice, templates, and Dark Eldar models.