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So, I've recently gotten interested in Warhammer, and after reading this month's White Dwarf over & over again, I can't wait to get started! I've decided to go for 40k instead of fantasy, but I'm having trouble choosing an army. I just want to make sure I choose the right one for me!

I firstly fell in love with the Chaos Daemons, but I really wanted to be able to collect something other than creatures, for example, be able to have tanks or other transport in my army. I also love the new Chaos Marines and the Blood Angels. I'm just in such a muddle as to what to pick!

I'm also confused as to how much you can change the colours etc. Do they have to look exactly as they are on the box? I researched Blood Angels, and the "right" colour scheme for that is apparently red & black, but then I am confused as to why there are blue coloured squads for sale under the Blood Angels section of the Games Workshop website.

I'm not very clued up on the different gaming techniques for each army, and I guess that will influence my decision, so I would love any advice on that as well!

Sorry if these are silly questions or they don't make sense - all this is totally new to me! Thanks!

Hi Laura - welcome to Dakka. Great place to learn about 40k.

For BA - you probably want a grey or white undercoat (do you want bright marines or darker ones?), followed up by a layer of blood angels red, and then a devlan mud wash. Washes are like manna from heaven as they fill in the gaps in your models and make them look a lot better!

The blue guys you saw were either BA devastators (blue helmets - very cool) or maybe a librarian. Librarians always like to wear blue, regardless of chapter.

On another note - have you ever been to Khaos games in Exeter? Reason I ask is that they seem to have a good range of tables and I heard they are moving to Sidwell St. in Exeter. I will be down in Xmas if you want to get a game vs my sisters or Tau.

40k is an awesome game and Devon has a really good gaming scene with Rygas roughnecks and Exeter inquisition both thriving clubs. Quite jealous! Good luck!

Hey!

Thanks for the advice! I actually happen to live in Exeter, and am popping down to their Games Workshop today at some point. I'd never heard of Khaos Games, but I've googled it and will definitely be visiting there too!

Do you happen to know anything about the Chaos armies as well? I've seen mentions of using Chaos Daemons and Chaos Space Marines together - is that possible? I thought they were different armies? But then again, I don't really understand the whole allies thing yet...

Thanks again!

Oh not sure about new Chaos using daemons, I knew old ones could summon them.

There is no real requirement to paint any army a specific way so if you want black armor or gold or whatever you wanted to do you could do that.

The only thing you would want to try and do is make sure the soilders are carrying the right stuff that you paid the points for. Known as "What you see is what you get" (WYSIWYG)

Now don't sweat doing that right away, you want to get your army list good first. No sense in gluing all that stuff on your guys to find out that you don't like that.

Don't forget you could magnetize a few of them, that way you could switch the weapons out and still be WYSIWYG and it's not that hard. I just drilled holes in the torso and shoulders and put the 1/8 X 1/16 round magnets in. Anyway GOOD LUCK!

Hi, welcome to Dakka!

 laura143 wrote:
I've seen mentions of using Chaos Daemons and Chaos Space Marines together - is that possible? I thought they were different armies? But then again, I don't really understand the whole allies thing yet...

Hi there.

I don't play Chaos at all, but the 6th edition 40k rules let you match up different armies, as long as they are from different codexes.
When you drop into the shop, ask about how much the 2 armies can interact.

Shout when you've been in, and people can suggest what you might want to buy.

Thanks for all your help, everyone! I couldn't wait any longer so just walked into town to speak to the guys at Games Workshop. They said the Chaos Space Marines and the Chaos Daemons can be allies, so I can either have a CSM army with some Daemons, or vice versa. I think I will go with the CSM army as I love the look of some of the new stuff coming out, and have Daemons as allies. That way I can still collect tanks etc. (from the CSM range) but still have some of the Daemons which I absolutely love the look of, such as the Daemonettes. Best of both worlds!

Do you think this is a wise decision? Also, any tips on getting started with this army would be brilliant!

Thanks again!

Yes that is a wise decision. So an easy way to start would be to get the starter box. Sure it has Dark angles in it but for $110ish US you're getting an HQ, and troops plus the mini rule book with some other stuff which is a great deal. As buying the big rule book by itself is $75ish US so you're getting a bunch of free stuff essentially.

So the bare minimum is having 1 HQ unit and 2 Troops units and after that you can get 1 HQ and 1 Troop from your daemons as allies then you can start adding from there is what I recommend.

The starter box is a good idea - even better if you can find someone to swap the Dark Angels for more Chaos (there is always Ebay if you cant find anyone)
The next thing to buy will be the codex for your main army - wait until the hardback one is available as it is about to change. You will need a codex for the demons as well, but that can probably wait for a while.

any idea on a colour scheme

FYI on the Blue marines under the Blood Angels section.

Some units are the same for Blood Angels as they are for Codex: Space Marines. SM boxes typically show blue figures for Ultramarines. Same set the Blood Angels use just differenct color scheme.

As far as CSM goes, do you have a particular chaos god that you like more that others? Example, Slaanesh CSM are typically Emporers Children Legion; Thousand Sons for Tzeentch; etc....or some legions such as Black Legion and Red Corsairs don't follow any particular god.

 laura143 wrote:
Thanks for all your help, everyone! I couldn't wait any longer so just walked into town to speak to the guys at Games Workshop. They said the Chaos Space Marines and the Chaos Daemons can be allies, so I can either have a CSM army with some Daemons, or vice versa. I think I will go with the CSM army as I love the look of some of the new stuff coming out, and have Daemons as allies. That way I can still collect tanks etc. (from the CSM range) but still have some of the Daemons which I absolutely love the look of, such as the Daemonettes. Best of both worlds!

Do you think this is a wise decision? Also, any tips on getting started with this army would be brilliant!

Thanks again!

Absolutely.

I'm starting a small Chaos Space Marine army and will be adding Chaos Daemons to the mix.

6th Edition rules for 40k allow you to take an allied list. The rules are very specific on which codex can ally with which other codex, and limit how much you can bring. However, this allows you to build some very "fluffy" army lists.

I'll be also be adding some renegade/traitor Imperial Guard later on to add to my Chaos Space Marines.

As for tips, I would recommend starting with the codex and main rule book. Don't go out willy-nilly buying models, yet. Make yourself a 1500 point list and start building to that list.

Check out the 40k army lists and 40k discussion areas here and on other websites to get a feel for what is effective and what isn't. If in doubt, get the model you'd have the most fun modeling and painting, though. Enjoy!

Okie Laura, good to see you wanna start

Chaos space marines and daemons can be full allies, so thats a good idea.

But Daemons do get one tank. Look at this lovely chappy.

http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m1440565_99120115001_DaemonsSoulGrinderMain_873x627.jpg

One of the biggest and most awesome models in the game

Also, for colours, you can paint whatever you like. All the armies, have different "Chapters" or groups, that all enjoy their own colour schemes. So you can simply create your own, and go mad!

Especially with daemons (my favourite <3), they can be any colour of the rainbow and more. In fact, I want to make a rainbow-coloured army xD

Go Night Lords, those are chick magnets

The new chaos stuff is awesome and the boxed set is a good starting point.

Hi,

Welcome to Dakka

Hello and welcome to Dakka Dakka!

The codexs and rulebooks tell you all about armies and Chaos space marines can take tanks and also ally with a detchment of Daemons


P.s welcome to Dakkadakka

( I also new to this new chaos)

If you like Chaos, this is a good time to start them. Their army is in the starter (so they're a little cheaper to buy those troops on ebay) and Chaos gets a new Codex this weekend. So, it will be a while before you need another one or have to tweek your army.

I would get the starter, you cant go wrong. I would keep both armies though rather then trade them. This way you can show your friends the game and maybe get some of them interested.

Chaos is gonna be able to bring Demons as allies (and the reverse is true also). I honestly, would focus on the Chaos Marines. They have better armor saves and are a little more forgiving then demons. As you collect more models you can always switch off later and make the demons your primary army w/ chaos marine allies.

To pick an army/color scheme, the best idea is to google chaos marine legions and look at the background of the different main armies. One of them will appeal to you. When it does, ask here about the army and build it. Right now its kinda difficult to answer a lot of questions because we don't have the rulebooks yet (not till Sat.).

Welcome and have fun!

The best thing to do for an army is research! I know it sounds crazy, but it really helps. The 40k wiki is a great source for this. I would recommend (like Phydox said) that you take some time to read about the different legions and the 4 chaos gods. Each of the 9 has a particular flavor, and if you dont like any you can always just make up your own. Yay marines!
Once you've narrowed it down, post about it. There are plenty of people floating around here that love to help (myself included)
Welcome to Dakka!

Welcome to dakka, as Exeter is a long way away and you are relatively new to the secen i doubt this would interest you, however...

If you'd like to join us in mansfield for a Narrative Campaign Weekend we'd be happy to see you there, and your gaming friends too. Just follow the banner/link to see our dakka thread!


Animosity - In the Discordia System

We are planning other events for the future so if you feel tthis is too much and too close for you to be able to attend, consider the options for next year too...

Hey everyone, thanks for your replies!

I've purchased the Dark Vengeance pack!

Now I'm confused as to colours - I reeeaaaaally don't understand the whole chapter/colour scheme thing, and I don't know where to look. I don't have the codex yet (saving up) but wanted to decide on a chapter/colour scheme. I assumed there would be information online as to choices?

Don't know if this makes sense!

Thanks again!

Laura xxx

Hello and welcome!

The most important thing to remember is that you can make up your own colour schemes, it makes no difference. Hell, you could paint everything blue and green stripes if you liked. That said, picking an established scheme could be a good idea for having a guide to work from.

In the 10,000 years since the Horus heresy, there have been an great number of Chaos Space Marine warbands that have pillaged the Imperium.

You could easily make up your own color scheme and call them something new.

You could copy an existing color scheme and call it something else.

You could copy an existing color scheme and call your army whomever they are.

For ideas, you can see a number of Renegade and Chaos space marines chapters here. Just click on the names.

You can also see some loyalist chapters here.

Enjoy!

I like the idea of choosing an existing legion (or whatever you call them...) because of the history and whatnot that comes with it, but I don't want to stick to one colour scheme for the entirety of my army! Are you allowed different units to belong to different legions within your army? Or do they all have to be the same? Because I really like the red & gold of the World Eaters, but I also love the darker blue & gold that was featured in the most recent White Dwarf (I have no idea what that colour scheme belongs to...). I don't want an army of basically all red, or all blue. I ideally want red, dark blue and gold to be featured, but I can't find that existing anywhere!

I'M SO CONFUSED!

xxx

Well, you could paint one squad one color and another squad a different color. Sometimes a chaos warband is made up of a collection of different parent chapters. Think of a strong warlord rallying a number of smaller warbands to his cause.

You absolutely could do this.

Abbaddon, the heir of Horus, took over the Sons of Horus and renamed the group the Black Legion.

His crusades include the Black Legion along with a number of warbands from different legions and renegade space marine chapters.

On the colours to pain things there are no strict rules for what you paint your models like there are no rules against it, it just depends on your personal preference on the matter, any chaos legion could have other legion models in the force, you may just want to make up some of your own interesting storyline to explain it and help bring your army to life.

I have also seen a lot of people that do things such as a Black Legion main force, along with Plague Marines painted in Death Guard style, Noise Marines painted in Emperor's Children etc, more for the specialized units, but none the less it does work.

There are no strict rules on the ways to paint your army, but if you want to go with the existing major warbands, let me tell you a little about them...

Emperor's Children - followers of Slaanesh (Pleasure)
Colors: Black, White, Pink/Purple
Specialty Unit: Noise Marines
Tactics-all around

Iron Warriors - no specific deity
Colors: Iron, Yellow, Black
Specialty Unit: None
Tactics-typically favor heavy weapons

Night Lords (my personal favorite) - no specific deity
Colors: Dark Blue with Lightning Bolts and Brass
Specialty Unit: Chaos Raptors/Warp Talons
Tactics-favors assault and surprise, don't like daemons or psykers usually (though there is no ban against using them)

World Eaters - followers of Khorne (Blood)
Colors: Red, Gold
Specialty: Khorne Berserkers
Tactics-upfront melee assault

Death Guard - followers of Nurgle (Plague)
Colors: Greens and Browns, armor swollen and rotting
Specialty: Plague Marines
Tactics-any, but extremely durable. Typically prefer walking on foot to vehicles

Thousand Suns - Followers of Tzeentch (Magic)
Colors: Blue, Gold, usually look Egyptian
Specialty: Thousand Suns
Tactics-heavy use of psykers (mages)

Black Legion - no specific deity
Colors; Black and Gold
Specialty: Everything
Tactics-Everything

Word Bearers - highly religious but no specific deity
Colors: Darker Red
Specialty: Possessed Units (half marine half daemon)
Tactics-no particular leaning

Alpha Legion - no specific deity
Colors: Blue and Green
Specialty: no particular unit
Tactics: Stealth and Deception

Hope this helps.

The best possible source of information regarding the Chaos Legions is This website here. Look up Traitor Legions, read up on them, and see if one particular one piques your interest. Failing that, you can look up Renegade Space Marines, and look at their color schemes. Whatever you decide upon, it doesn't have to look exactly like the box, you can paint it however you want.
BTW, welcome to Dakka!