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Poll: How do you approach building and playing with a new army?

Do you write a list, and then buy models and model them to fit that list, then fully paint the army before playing?

Do you begin to assemble models to a rough outline of a list, then play games with them using what you've assembled, with some proxies, find out the effectiveness, and make changes before committing to assembling and painting certain models?

Do you play entirely with proxies until you've found the perfect balance, and then assemble that army?

Or do you assemble the rough army using magnets, able to change weapon load outs depending on what you find effective or not?

Or do you even do a bit of a hybrid, and start assembling and painting some models, until you play games, realise the units are rubbish, and leave them half done to work on their replacement?

Well... i kinda buy the units I like the most and the mandatory HQ and 2 troops if they do not belong to those favorites and start building around that... and usually it get's out of hand and I end up with a ton of units that have no purpose.

I have a base of minis (a reinforced battle company) and I make lists from the minis I have available. I play WYSWYG, with a fully painted army. I don't proxy. If I want to try something else, I rely on theory-crafting, math hammer, and if I think it looks cool. Then I will buy the mini, paint and field it. Until then I do without. Sometimes I will take a hobby knife to an old mini to make it more effective (change out war gear, etc) That mostly happens with edition changes.

When list writing, I look at my collection, and see what inspires me. I might get an idea for a theme list, want to field something I don't normally use, or highlight a new addition.

I usually just buy the minis i think look the coolest then build a list around them, adding in more effective units as I go

I just buy whatever I feel like for my army then Shoe Horn it in.

I write my list perfectly the first time; purchase/build exactly what I need, take it out for a spin, and after 5 or so crushing victories, paint it up.

I spen 90% of my hobby time painting. If I want to play a game I tend to try tested lists or just try new ideas. I usually build list ideas in army builder, before I even sort out the minis from te box.

I have carefully planned my Necron army and built it over months of proxy playing / theorycrafting so that in the end, and I succeeded, I have a tournament list with no extras.

1850 list is done, ready, and does well at tournaments. Won't buy from GW again now until we get a new codex / a new edition

I absolutely hate painting and would love to hire some Chinese children slave workers to do it for me.

JBrehaut wrote:

Do you begin to assemble models to a rough outline of a list, then play games with them using what you've assembled, with some proxies, find out the effectiveness, and make changes before committing to assembling and painting certain models?

This one I think closest describes what I do. I want to get modelling straight away, and foot soldiers you can never have enough of so they are the first to go down and the army builds around that.

Writing a list is clearly what I suck incredibly at, or maybe I just can't seem to command marines in a way that doesn't suck.

Bump, for interest in more replies