rednecroncryptek wrote:Space Marines/Wolves are a good army to start with because of their armour and their ability to bounce back as they are very forgiving if you make a tactical mistake. You should maybe consider a Necron army as they are also very forgiving, one of the more easier armies to paint (it depends on what you're going for) and can come back to life.. if that's not cool I don't know what is. But it's your choice. You probably should wait until the 6th ed comes out like tuiman said.
I agree with everything in the above post. I was going to say pretty much that.
Objectively if you want an army that lets you field fewer units (ie an elite army) in order to save money, and time modelling/painting, go with one of the many marine flavours. Primarily I'd suggest picking which ever one appeals to you most ascetically and/or fluff wise. Modelling them and painting them is pretty simple. Some
GK have more detail than regular marines, and there is more to a
SW than a vanilla marine (wolfy bits) but you'll be painting/modelling fewer of them, so it will even out. Tactics wise, more marine flavours are "easy to learn, hard to master". While some people may disagree with that for particular builds or codices, in general it's true. The army can be as simple or as complex as you make it.
If your main concern is painting, and you want an alternative to marines, those are the two main reasons that sealed the deal for my friend who plays necrons. They are (were) easy and quick to paint. I'm not sure 100% about their newer models, but they I'm pretty sure as an army they are still easier to paint than eldar and dark eldar. Necrons have a bit more of a tactical learning curve to start off, but aren't that much harder than marines for learning the basics with. Plus with them getting back up, they can be a bit more forgiving for newer players.
I would wait until 6th ed comes out in a bit to fully invest in your army. If you are brand new to the game, most of the rule changes won't make an impact on you, but don't get a 5th ed rule book. If you choose an army with a newer codex (ie
GK, necrons, or even
BA) they will still be playable as an army in 6th. If you don't want to wait, and you decided which one you wanted, getting some troops and starting to play around with paint schemes couldn't hurt. Just keep in mind that some weapons and equipment will probably change, and you may want to be careful what you commit to while modelling. This is why I magnetize everything, which I also suggest trying if you are out to get the most out of every model in order to save time and money. But definitely wait before buying your whole army with all the thanks and elites and such until 6th comes out and you see how they work with the new rules.
In the end, just remember that it's a big investment to get into
40k. So you should pick whatever you like most, for your own reasons. Pick whatever appeals to you the most, and painting/modelling will seem like less of a chore. If you like the look/feel/fluff of
GK, or you just want a more forgiving army to start with (or you are just plain looking for an army that is "powerful"), then by all means pick them. Keep in mind there will be a few people who will try and say they are cheese,
WAAC,
OP... the list goes on. But those people aren't paying for your army, you are, and your enjoyment is what matters. If you think that will bug you, and effect your enjoyment of the game, then maybe consider that, but it will only last until the next big codex comes out, and people will jump on the "I hate
OP army X and anyone who plays them is a
TFG cheese using power gamer" band wagon.