Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I'm new to 40k, and I still haven't bought any miniatures. I find numerous armies to be alluring, and every time I think I've made up my mind on which army to chose, I change it. Do you have any advice on how to stay committed to a single army?

Whoops... there doesn't seem to be anything here.

Nope, not really. After nearly 20 years in the hobby the one constant is my constant inability to stick with a single army for any period of time.

I guess one piece of advice is to pick a simple and quick to paint scheme. Test paint a couple of models and see how long it takes you and estimate the time it will take you to do a whole army, if you don't think you can stay focused that long, mayb try something else. That's probably my biggest killer, I get bored of whatever scheme I pick after a couple of squads.

First and foremost you need to break a few things down, as being an indecisive player myself these helped me choose the armies I want to do:

-Play Style: Do you prefer/have more fun running into people and smashing their heads in or rapid firing into their face or sitting back and them up with God Like Fire Power and Artillery?
-What Army Looks Cool/Has cool fluff to you?: Now I know this could cover a broad range of topics but when you take others into account it helps, trust me. The biggest reason for doing my Elysians for example is because of their cool fluff, look of the army and how it plays.
-Swarm or Elite?: Do you think you would be better off playing a smaller army or a massive horde? Personally I cant stand moving that many models which is why ALL my armies are elite! Also I save $ which is mentioned below .
-Cost: Do you have enough $ on hand to build up a might WAAAAGH or Imperial Guard army? Or do you prefer to run a more Spec Ops feel with less units that hit harder and are more durable? When it boils down to it depending on how much $ you have really can dictate what you want to do over the course of time playing the hobby.

Just a few things to take into account, what armies are you trying to decide going if I may ask? Might help us give you a better picture of each and their strengths and weaknesses.

Go with the one you like the look of the best! You wont enjoy building/painting them if you don't like the models. Its not all about gaming (I know for some it is)

I personally chose Orks for the wide variety of things you can do with them and I just absolutely love all of their models. They are a ton of fun to play too haha, nothing like fielding 100 boyz plus trukks and such!!! Love it.

Anyways ya, go with the ones you like the look of/fluff, and play style. Like mentioned above, do you like a horde army (orks, tyranids, Imperial Guard), or something more like space marines or grey knights?

Goodluck on your choice, all armies are fantastic and welcome to the 40K hobby!!

Can you borrow someone's army to give it a try first?

Pick an army that you enjoy the fluff and paint schemes. Pick an apoc formation. Make that your long term goal. I would rather have 1 impressive, massive army than a bunch of smaller ones. I like being able to field just about any combination possible in a 1500-2000 point game or field a giant fighting force once in awhile for apoc style games.

Proxy is always a good start.

Space Marines are Space Marines. Buying one set means you can play them as 4~6 different books depending on how lenient your play area is.

It's best to just focus to one army at first and learn what you like about the game. If you spread to thin, you won't have resources to make a solid army out of any faction, which will leave you mighty bummed. Just take your time and feel out the game.

When i first wanted to get into 40k, I felt overwhelmed. I wasn't even sure what army I wanted, where to even begin. Then, I started by proxy. I literally fielded armies using quarters in order to play around, test units, and get a feel for the game. Once I got into Orks...I knew i found my army. And thats when I strted to actually put money into the game. Play around until you find that army you click with. You'll really know it when you play it. I love playing with a massive army, against my opponent's smaller, elite group. It feels cinematic, and is always hilarious for me.

Being new to any game can be a big chore at times, because there can be so many places to start. I felt the same way when I played Magic, unsure of what color deck to play, what cards to even use. But I played around with friend's decks, and even did a few proxy decks until I found my niche, and then invested into the game. Same as with 40k. You'll find that army that you love, and wouldn't trade for the world. And when you do...it's amazing.