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This poll is more for fun really than a fact hunting mission.
I commonly find myself being advised to pick units which to me, look ugly as sin.
However, im aware that alot of people will play a competative army even if they hate the looks of the models (teclis springs to mind here)

It just amuses me how differently people think, and this tends to feature heavily in themed armies. (using DE harpies as slaanesh furies)

So, good people of dakka, how do you pick your armies when it comes to its looks?
All out power army with units you hate.
Weaker fluffy army, but love every model.
Somewhere inbetween.
Or something ive missed entirely.

I chose other for a few reasons. First it depends on which army I am using. For most of my armies I try to make them using the models I like while still being competitive, which doesn't always work. The way I see it is that if I really don't like the look of something why should I use it. No point buying a bunch of models you hate as I also find I am less likely to every want to paint them either.

For my O&G I try to always use a block of Black Orcs and the rest of the army is just blocks of Boys and a Block of Savages with a little group of Night Goblins. Yeah its not a very great army for tournaments but it doesn't stop me from taking them to one. For my DE I enjoy using Cold One Knights because I like their fluff and look. My other armies it varies but still just goes with either looks or fluff.

The ones I like! All day erry day no matter the cost!

I play daemons and my favorite chaos god is Tzeentch. So my daemons are Tzeentch and Khorne even if everyone would scream for me to use Nurgle or Slaanesh. I just like those models and Tzeentch lore.

I play Bretonnia and I like peasants, therefore I have a lot of them.

I've recently learned that Ogre Yhetees arent the best unit in the Ogre Kingdoms, that doesnt stop me from fielding them whenever possible!

I loved the HE reaver models from IoB so much that I used 15 in every one of my lists before the new book came out and made them point efficient.

In my eldar and my ogre army I take a mix of what I like and what is strong.

That being said, I won't take a strong unit just because they are strong if I don't like the models.

However, I can't actually think of a unit in either army that I have which I don't like the look of. Which I guess shows how much I like them!

The only example of a unit which people have suggested I get which I don't yet have is ogre gnoblars. I wanted my ogre army to be a small number of huge guys and a unit of gnoblars would compromise this vision.

One unit I have always wanted but not liked the models for is Eldar Wraithguard. This was because they were metal/finecast and very static poses. Now they are in plastic with much more varied poses I plan to have 10-20 of them plus a spiritseer to make them Troops.

I usually end up doing a mix of both. I will make an army that is good first. That has strong units. But I also love to make armies that just look really good, and badass, so I always collect the cooler units anyways. I find that often just getting the units you like make the game more fun anyways!

So far I play only one army in WHFB but like for all my armies, I go big (5-10K of painted stuff at least) and I stay with my few armies, I don't switch to the new stuff nor would I ever consider selling away my toys to get new ones, I just add new ones to the already existing ones
And there's no way I'd part with the things I spent time building, converting and painting
That said, I do try to go for the win and I am a decently skilled player, so I tend to field efficient armies but never trying to pack as much overpowered as I can
I try to include at least small measures of stuff I love but that are sadly bad (Rat Ogres for instance) or just decent
So I play with armies I love and have been collecting for a long time (Started back in the days when the Goblin vs HElves box was quite new) and I would never use ugly models (meaning I don't have the most recent Rat Ogres, nor the official HPA), but I still build quite efficient lists, usually following a "soft" comp pack (with good/nasty points) and staying close to "neutral" list

i play with the models i enjoy. as a HE player and a huge fan of the whit lions and the look of mages it turns out that i can take competitive list with the stuff i like.

Depends. Friendlies, I just pick what I like and even field stuff like a Triarch Stalker, but in tournaments, I just roll my typical list which isn't a competitive list anyway, I roll with 2 GA and Warriors. Still going for the old Silver Tide stuff instead of HERP DERP DAD BOUGHT ME OVERPOWERED FLYERS.

A little bit of both? I'll run things that are suboptimal if I love the models, but avoid things that are really strong if I don't like the models (but you can usually figure out a conversion, I'm debating what route to take with the Demigryph Knights I probably need)

I also don't really like things that have an "OP" reputation, even if I love the models (flyers).

I wobbled around buying Night Runners for a long time because they looked so..... so very ugly. Yet in the end I got them because I love the idea of the unit and they were good, also when painted up they look, okay.

The look of the models has the biggest effect on my choices. After that, the fluff does.

So if I really like a model, I'll almost definitely include it in my army. If I don't like a model but I really like the fluff (example: Varghulf for Vampire Counts), then I'll find another model to use.

As for mechanics or whether the models are "good" in the game, it's almost a total non-consideration for me. I will definitely try to win with the models that I've chosen (by developing new strategies, changing their equipment, whatever), but I will always use the models that inspire me to model and paint. When it comes down to it, unless you play a LOT, getting models ready for the table takes more time than you spend actually playing (for me, anyway).

And if I can make a themed army... watch out!

One other thing that factors into my decisions pretty heavily, actually, is that I don't like using what other people are using. Not in a hipster way, really... but if my club has another Vampire Counts player and he uses Terrorgheists, I'm far less likely to use Terrorgheists myself. I guess it comes down to me wanting my stuff to look unique on the tabletop - even if I'm using vampires, which everyone has seen, I want my vampires to look different.

A mix of option 2 and 3.

I'm primarily into this for the painting and modeling, so I will always buy a model that I love the aesthetics of. However, I will also always buy a model that is utterly strong on the battlefield, regardless of its appearance. If the model is not particularly attractive, or considered good, I usually pass it up.

The ones I like, maybe with a counts-as for a few of the stronger ones to keep the army at a decent level of strength.

Because unlike certain other games you actually can pick units based on looks or fluff and not be hideously crippled.

I prefer to field all the units I like, so much so I end up playing MSU to get all them in lists too small to keep them.
In addition to that I pretty must insist on trying to squeeze a monster in every army because Warhammer without monsters is missing something, even if playing against Empire.
My only concession to survivability is to explain my army creation motives openly and gauge opponents opinions on them, when they agree I steer the opponent into building a list that also offers diversity and a fair fight. If the opponent disagrees I take an amended list with fewer toys, though I still will try and squeeze the monster in somehow, though it may well be a lesser monster or one with a more limited role.
Due to my love of collecting most if not all the units in an army book my 'master list' armies are 4K points each. I can and love to field those armies, though in every case there are some units which i dislike or don't fit my ideal of theme and are omitted. Orcs are my exception to this also, I only have a fraction of the force types available and some units I never will have, but mainly because I don't like the silly stuff and envision that orcs and goblins should be a faceless horde without much character to it. Consequently I have no savage orcs, paint my night goblins as a cult in brown robes, converted up forst goblin spider riders as ordinary goblins and will never ever own a doom diver.
My main army, High Elves, has units that it pains me to field due to cost and what else it limits me to, even now with the points drop like to take some Shadow Warriors. The only unit I don't have, ore more accurately didn't have before I got my copy of Island of Blood were Sea Guard, I don't like them in looks or ability which due to the way I have to husband my list points means they are straight out. I wont be buying any Phoenixes either for a while, and if I do he will be hot like a Phoenix ought to be, not frozen and the sisters who stolen their bows from Tzeentch can stay out of my warhost either. Ugly models, ugly rules, and not enough points to go around.

For 40K I am just the same.
I have an Eldar jetbike army with Shining Spears, but I bought them when their codex entry really left a lot to be desired.
I have many units that I bought to play because I liked the look and or background at a time when they were poor and got blessed by codex changes. Tyranid warriors, Razorbacks, the aforementioned Shining Spears and various weapon choices chosen for variety and look over raw performance.
Conversely I will still field my Howling Banshees, guardsmen with grenade launchers, Tau sniper teams, Hammerhead etc
This will never change. I hate cheesehead armies.

When originally choosing which army to play, the look of the models and a low model count were my main two considerations (as well as having a chance of kind of competing with friends)

Given that I like most of the models, I pick units purely on strength. If there was a hideous model I would use it and I won't field a unit just because it looks cool (although I do want to get a Chaos Dragon...)

Generally, as long as my models are assembled, I don't give further thought to what they look like. I've sprayed about half of them black, will get round to doing the others at some point andmay even dry brush some colours onto them eventually.

For those of you feeling vaguely queasy at the thiught of all that grey plastic (3 - 4k totally unpainted...), I should mention that II'm legally blind, so the visual aspect is far less important to me than the tactics, the striving, the banter and the crushing of friends' dreams ^.^

Initially, look, feel, and theme are huge when picking an army. There has to be an initial "hook". Playstyle is pretty big too... i usually like low model count elite armies, i can do diet horde (VC), but not full bore horde (skaven). That's mostly because i paint slower than fossil fuels form.


With models, it's kind of a mix with me.

I'm drawn naturally to powerful units particularly assassination prone models / stuff - anything that can point at something and say "You there, yup you, i might die next turn, but you're going down first." is right up my alley ... it's the residual highly competitive player in me from other games.

But one of the things i like most about WHFB, is that i sort of like making thematic lists - at least, insofar as i can without gimping myself. Silly stuff like, "Oh, i like using the ghoul king blender lord, sweet, i'll take lots of ghouls as core, and lets round out the theme of the list with Crypt Horrors and a Terrorgheist", and fill in from there, for a "ghoul" kinda theme.

But i stop short of gimping myself.

That said, though i like power, if i flat out don't like a model - which is fairly rare - and i can't come up with a reasonable way to convert it, then unless there's absolutely no substitute for the role it plays, i won't play it.



A great example was old White Lions (metal). I knew they were great. Every time i forced myself to use them, they performed wonderfully. I hated the models, so would actively look for reasons not to use them (usually by defaulting to sword-masters). Got so used to swordmasters, that even with the new sculpts, it's hard to break out of the old pattern (i'm hoping the paint i'm putting on them will change my mind).


When i played Warmachine, i was drawn to Cygnar due to their denial, and was delighted when come Superiority they got the best assassination caster in the game (and later releases only made him significantly better - lookin' at you Squire and MK1 A+H). In 40k when i played, it was all about Tau ... loved the long range feel, and the whole "greater good" thing - plus the idea of hyper advanced dromedary inside battlesuits i found awesome.

With Malifaux, it was leveticus - i loved the feel of Outcasts, and the playstyle immediately struck me as unique and fun. The anti-hero necromancer old man theme along with the "kill yourself to come back and win" playstyle hooked me.



So i suppose i'm all over the map on this topic. Theme is the initial hook, but performance and playstyle have to follow quickly behind, or i'll lose interest.

--Haight

I think a good majority of people tend to look with their eyes first, I know for me...when I was looking to start my Tomb Kings, I immediately gravitated over to Ushabti, despite them not being the choice competitively....it's something about those guys that made me just want to buy them.

I'm spending quite a bit on my models so I sure as hell better like them! I put alot of effort into their paint jobs so I sure as hell better like them! so yeah.... its all about how much of good looks/good stats as I can get!

Look and fluff are the most important for me.
If I hate a model I typically won't touch it.
If I really feel the need to use it I will go without or find a way to convert my own.
I love themed armies even if they aren't the most effective.

In 40k I play with what is strong (I find it almost always cool) in fantasy I like to have a strong army but it is always themed and entirely on what I think is cool. My main army being my "host of ancient Lhamia" themed army. The one that fights Alcadizzar when he tries to invade it. I'm also trying to add my own scratch built Arkhan and am looking for a sculptor to do a Nagash for me.

Rule of Cool for me. Oddly enough, it rarely steers me wrong...

I went with Skaven so kinda got the best of both worlds.

I am told that most WHFB are somewhat balanced so unless you go Wood Elves or Brets(?) you can pick what you like based on looks alone.


If there's a model that I love with rules that suck I usually just try to use it to counts as something better with a bit of conversion.

Not all WHFB is balanced. I have learned the hard way that if you bring banshees against WoC you may as well go cry into a flannel

 PrehistoricUFO wrote:
A mix of option 2 and 3.

me too basically.

I try to go w/ some sort of theme w/ my armies, whether it be fluff or a focal play style or some sort of unit pattern (i.e. contrasting size, zoo list, etc). However, as theme-y lists are limited, I try to pick the strongest units that'll fit that theme, regardless of the model aesthetic.

I usually wind up with everything in the book. I like playing around with different units and trying different things. Playing the exact same army list over and over and over again bores me to tears, no matter HOW effective it is.

I recently bought a bone giant just because the model is so derpy. He hangs around my skeletons so it's a big derp surrounded by all the little derps. It has been a 100% increase in how fun my games have been since not because it is good, but because we get such a kick out of the model