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When I first got into this it was only a hobby and didn't buy my first codex until I had already put together a relatively substantial sized army. So when I started I just put what looked the coolest or made the models I was working on look tougher and so forth. Now that I am trying to really play more often and truly learn the game I find that I have a hard time putting together a "normal" army list. Apocalypse games I can have a great time and not worry but with a normal small point game I am always having to "counts as" or "just ignore that" with my oponent. There is really no point to this post other than what the title sugests, "If I had known then".

When I first started my DA/vanilla marines, I chose a paint colour that falls under this category. The main colour is DA green (now Caliban green), with the inside of the shoulder pads and inside of the helmets skull white. If I had known how much of a paint it would be to paint that white, I would have definitely picked a different colour.

Yeah, this game does have 2 large sides to it. the painting and modeling, and the game itself. And sometimes some models just look cooler than others, and look as though they should have certain equipment.

Like for me. I really like the dark eldar models, especially the mandrakes. If the Mandrakes were any good I would have started with Dark Eldar first. I got in to the game for the game first and painting/modeling second. So i did a little research.

But as I get this army goin, I may end up getting some mandrakes to put together anyway, just for fun, and not to even play with.

Yeah, this describes my first army as well. Took cool units, lost games. It's especially bad, given that my first army was eldar...

It's not unrecoverable, though. Just make sure that you go back and get some more troops, and then get duplicates of a few units you already have, and you can make it work.

Magnetize early, and often. There are a number of things I field because that's how I assembled them. Would be nice to have options. I've retrofited a number of magnets into things, but it's a patch job and doesn't look the best.

Everything recent has tons of nice options though.

You make mistakes, you learn, same as anything. The stakes are just a lot lower in a game about plastic spacemen. The worst thing I ever did was paint a bunch of things poorly when I was starting, and a bad paintjob is only a bath of Simple Green away from being a great paintjob.

I think many here have had that thought at one point or another.

I actually did a ton of research into Imperial Guard before I spent a penny. I learned what worked and what didn't. Unfortunately, I built my Leman Russ as a battle tank right around the time they were found out to be weak. Ah well, I still field it every now and again.

All the planning in the world is no match for an edition change. Sometimes you need to adapt what you have, either with new purchases or a hobby knife and patch paint job.

After the battleforce I did extensive research for my wood elves, leading me to Asrai.org. Then research into dark elder, which lead me to The Dark City, which then lead me to Dakka. But I do know a lot of people who think something Is shiney and buy it, then wonder why there army doesn't win with 3 CC ven dreads...

 ALEXisAWESOME wrote:
After the battleforce I did extensive research for my wood elves, leading me to Asrai.org. Then research into dark elder, which lead me to The Dark City, which then lead me to Dakka. But I do know a lot of people who think something Is shiney and buy it, then wonder why there army doesn't win with 3 CC ven dreads...

I would love to have an army with 3 cc ven dreads. I think Dreads should cost 300 pts+ and be nigh unstoppable.
They make them low points cost, but so fragile.

Most of my early models look like something out of the Matrix, with guns blazing. A SM with two plasma pistols and a bolter slung. Obviously now they are built for the table but man if I had known then, I would have saved some dollars. I will admit that putting them together and painting them was enjoyable.

Tactical Marine with TWO bolt pistols... needless to say, I didn't have the Codex, neither I knew the rules.
Good ol' times :')

 PunkNeverDie110 wrote:
Tactical Marine with TWO bolt pistols... needless to say, I didn't have the Codex, neither I knew the rules.
Good ol' times :')

It does look coo, though.

 TheCustomLime wrote:
I actually did a ton of research into Imperial Guard before I spent a penny. I learned what worked and what didn't. Unfortunately, I built my Leman Russ as a battle tank right around the time they were found out to be weak. Ah well, I still field it every now and again.

LRBTs aren't bad by any stretch. The sponsons just aren't that useful because of the snap fire ruling.

"Leman Russ Demolisher? I play Space Wolves, Leman Russ is their leader, surely I can field this!"

Brother SRM wrote:LRBTs aren't bad by any stretch. The sponsons just aren't that useful because of the snap fire ruling.

Which is what makes them bad.

That and the fact that they are out-classed against virtually every target type by the exterminator.

Oh, Command squads must me great, they are veterans.
Oh a bike army will be great.
Oh, Legion of the damned are uber strong.
10 LC terminatrs are great.
10 Tactical terminators are great.
I totally need 5 full tactical squads.
Pfft, My sternguard dont need Combi weapons.
Stealth suits are great.
Kroot will be good.

 thenoobbomb wrote:

 PunkNeverDie110 wrote:
Tactical Marine with TWO bolt pistols... needless to say, I didn't have the Codex, neither I knew the rules.
Good ol' times :')

It does look coo, though.

Totally badass indeed, a shame I cannot use it :c

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Oh, Command squads must me great, they are veterans.
Oh a bike army will be great.
Oh, Legion of the damned are uber strong.
10 LC terminatrs are great.
10 Tactical terminators are great.
I totally need 5 full tactical squads.
Pfft, My sternguard dont need Combi weapons.
Stealth suits are great.
Kroot will be good.

Did you steal my army list?

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Oh, Command squads must me great, they are veterans.
Oh a bike army will be great.
Oh, Legion of the damned are uber strong.
10 LC terminatrs are great.
10 Tactical terminators are great.
I totally need 5 full tactical squads.
Pfft, My sternguard dont need Combi weapons.

Guilty of all those except I did magnetize you stern guard.

My best "I can put thunder hammers and storm shields with jump packs on vanguard vets! LETS DO 10!" . Although these guys are now also magnetized.

 pwntallica wrote:

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Oh, Command squads must me great, they are veterans.
Oh a bike army will be great.
Oh, Legion of the damned are uber strong.
10 LC terminatrs are great.
10 Tactical terminators are great.
I totally need 5 full tactical squads.
Pfft, My sternguard dont need Combi weapons.

Guilty of all those except I did magnetize you stern guard.

My best "I can put thunder hammers and storm shields with jump packs on vanguard vets! LETS DO 10!"

I think everyone must be guilty of this at the start of the hobby. Who doesn't want to see a marine with a jump pack smash face DOW style? Then you learn the rules :faceplam

Ohhhh, and my 10 vangaurd. but those look cool.

Yeah, I will say that the cooler it looks the more I want to make stuff work.

I think one can easily trace my unorthodox style of list building to the simple fact that when i started, all I could think about whileI was playing was the theme music for Robotech: Southern Cross and of course Macross et al.

I wanted to play flippin Bioroids and Destroids and freaking Star Wars Storm Troopers and hella awesome Robotech hovertanks, and WOW how awesome were THOSE!

I can honestly say i didn't think I'd EVER win a tourney and when you think that way, you end up with Best Sportsman a LOT. Lol.

But then I larned how to win with my Robotech Starwars army.

Good times.

 PunkNeverDie110 wrote:

 thenoobbomb wrote:

 PunkNeverDie110 wrote:
Tactical Marine with TWO bolt pistols... needless to say, I didn't have the Codex, neither I knew the rules.
Good ol' times :')

It does look coo, though.

Totally badass indeed, a shame I cannot use it :c

Sure you can. He's a really, really good shot so if he takes the time to aim, he can fire one bolt pistol 24" or both bolt pistols up to 12". (just like a bolter!)

 streamdragon wrote:
"Leman Russ Demolisher? I play Space Wolves, Leman Russ is their leader, surely I can field this!"

My first Leman Russ was out of an OLD Space Wolves Codex. The box even came with the metal Autocannon piece for the turret. Then they removed it from the codex...and the tank was worthless as it was not in *any* codex at the time...at least it was re-added, this time to the IG codex.

Yeah, I too had to do a big rebuild on my army some time after beginning.

 djdakkadakka wrote:
Most of my early models look like something out of the Matrix, with guns blazing. A SM with two plasma pistols and a bolter slung. Obviously now they are built for the table but man if I had known then, I would have saved some dollars. I will admit that putting them together and painting them was enjoyable.

I've gotta be honest man. The last sentence of your post kind of sums it up. If you're having fun that is what is key. I realize you spent money you didn't have to, but you did get enjoyment out of it. This is the main point of a hobby, right?

If I had known then that the Thunderfire Cannon was going to be such a traumatizing experience to build, I never would have bought it.

Lol. Was it that bad? I never tried or owned one. Love the look of them.