When did you start your second army?

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.

**Lennac**

Not just to answer the question, but also to have a discussion.

When (if you have already) did you start your second army? Who did you pick and why? Were they similar to the army you started with in terms of gameplay, or did you try and pick something entirely different? How big was your original army (point value/dollar value, whatever) before you decided to branch out and invest in a second army of miniatures?

**CadianGateTroll**

When I got tired of GW taking a gak on the chaos space marine codex with their blatant money grab supplememts such as crimson Slaughter, black legion, khorne daemonkin etc...

**Nevelon**

Hm. A few ways to answer this.

When I started playing 40k, it was more of a RPG and less of a wargame. This was back in the RT days. So I had multiple forces and odd collections of minis.

My first “army” at the time was BA. It was around 50 marines, mostly infantry. I was getting tired of painting red, so did a squad up as Ultramarines. Kept painting blue from there on out. There were no chapter rules at the time, so they were still basically the same army. But technically, that first squad of Ultras was my branching out into my second army. Especially as they were painted as a squad, not just an odd mini for fun.
This is roughly what my BA looked like when I started my Ultras:

My next major split was near the end of 2nd edition, with the release of the Flacon grav tank. At that point in time, I needed to get one (or two, as it turned out). Seeing that we were playing more formally as a wargame, with army lists and point values, I needed to work up a full army. This has been an on-again, off-again project for a while now. Once 3rd dropped, a lot of my thoughts for Eldar got shelved as I refocused on my Ultras. It wasn’t until 6th that I took up the banner again, and fleshed them out into a valid force.
This is roughly what my Ultras looked like when I started my Eldar:

**SYKOJAK**

I branched out with a second army when I was given a Chaos Space Marine Starter set with a couple of extras thrown in. Then I bought a bunch of extra units on top of that.

Currently I have 2300 points+ of Imperial Guard. I have over 2400 points + of Chaos Space Marines, and I still have 3 units of Chaos Space Marines left to assemble.

**NoiseMarine with Tinnitus**

Well I will throw one in. Started in 2nd Ed with a Genestealer Cultist army from the Tyranid codex. Loved it. But....then Choas got me and it has been Choas, of all flavours other than Deamons, since then.

How much have I spent on Chaos since then? Please don't ask. It would have probably been cheaper to buy a detached house in a highly affluent area of London.

Also have impulse buys for pretty much every other army barring Tyranids ironically.

If the rumoured Genestealer Cult codex comes out I may be able to relive the halcyon days. Although considering 7th Ed rules I doubt it somewhat.

**skullzz**

I branched out with death marque.
I have played off and on since 4th but a lot in last year.
My main is tau and have over 4k with upgrades and 2.5k+ painted.
I branched into harlequins which is a completely oposite game play style.

I choose armies based on the lore I read in the brb and codeces, I find sm to be a bore so they would only be picked up if all other races are aos'ed.

If you want to branch out I suggest reading up on lore or how armies play for the style you want to go with. I don't recommend going for the OP armies just because they are the current flavor of the edition.

**Stormonu**

First army was, of course, marines - from RT01 and starter sets.

About a year after Tau came out, I picked them as my second army, and they were the first where I actually had planned my purchases, rather than just grabbing anything I could afford, whether or not I could actually use it in my army (such as the Baneblade and Leman Russ I had previously bought because it was a cool tank model).
At the time, they felt like the only really "good" faction in the morally questionable 40K universe. I have also always liked gunline armies - I generally hate melee-centric armies. The robot suits were also a plus, as a fan of battletech & robotech.

**CynosureEldar**

For me, it was a natural buy into Harlys shortly after they came out as a separate codex. As a footdar player, having some better melee units is a huge plus.

Finally picked up DV about a month ago, but those are just to introduce others to the plastic crack.

**gummyofallbears**

I started playing Grey Knights as I wanted an extremely tanky sluggy army (That's what my friends described it as) and I went with it for a bit, building a very small force.

I played with them for a few months and then realized I didn't like their lore or the way they played, so I grabbed all of my older brothers old beat up space marines and I went and built up about a 2500 point army of Space Marines, and then I fell in love with Dark Eldar, as I played a game against them and loved everything about them.

I got slowly into Dark Eldar, until I loved them more than my Space Marines so I slowly ended up selling off more and more of my Marines without realizing to fund my addiction to the DE.

Then I started Astra Millitarium as I really liked the look of them, I went on a huge AM binge and painted up like 200 minis over the course of my entire summer. I dug up some old Blood Angels of my brother and started using them to fill points and holes in my lists and the such, I never expanded upon them very much at all, but I did have a ton of fun kitbashing them.

Then one lonely eve I started looking at some of the space wolves range, so I decided to start them. I have a lot of armies (sadly), my DE collect dust and honestly my brother fields them more than I do but that's okay because they are still by far my favorite army in the game. My AM are being used as points fillers for my space puppies until I can get them to a solid playable points level.

My issue is that I love the look of so many armies that GW produces I can hardly control myself, and I put so much time into my armies that I can't bring myself to sell them. It makes for a crazy bits box though!

~Mikey

**Bobthehero**

When I realized that all the random stormtroopers models I bought were worth enough points to play a 1000 pts army

**Hawky**

When I got my hands on Adepta Sorroritas codex.

**godardc**

I collected / played Space Marines for several years, and one day I got sick of painting the same thing every week.
I wanted something different, to paint and to play.
So I went for an army that please me and is different to paint and to play: mechanized guard, painted with camo, in November.

Then I bought a Calth box recently this year, because I got a great discount on it, and I began an army that I always loved in the fluff: Great Crusade / Heresy-era Emperor Children.
But this time again I choose to paint them very differently from my marines.
I wanted something not personal, something described in the lore, with official paint scheme etc...
So, doing an official legion was perfect.

As you can see, painting is very important when I choose to beggin an army, then the lore.
The gameplay isn't really important.

**Gamgee**

I still need to paint my DE start collecting set but I'm hoping and waiting for the inevitable end times supplement.

As it is I start my DW one as soon as my titan is done. It will likely be painted over the course of the winter months.

**Jimsolo**

I started with Space Marines, and after about two and a half years started Dark Eldar.

They were a completely different type of army to the one I was playing, which was definitely what attracted me to them.

**Buddingsquaw**

I started my 2nd army the same time I started my first, by getting Ikit Claw, pair of adepts, and a box of Stormfiends.
Tech priest with 3 Kastelan robots and 2 Datasmiths right there, along with just using them as themselves in AoS, which I've actually yet to do after having them for 8.5 months.

**SicSemperTyrannis**

When Orks and Tyranids refused to play my Necrons anymore :(

Until the power gap is fixed they stay shelved. My KDK Army is now probably bigger than my Necron one.

**DeffDred**

My first army was 3.0 Chaos Marines. I used loyalist models because in those days all that was available was metal and a few boring plastic kits (2nd ed). I was totally sold on the artwork in the Obliterator unit entry.

My second army was Space Marines. I made my own color sceme so for a few years they ran as Ultramarines, Black Templars (Armaggedon) and Space Wolves (3rd).

I started collecting the Loyalists because, by even that point it was clear that, they would forever be a useful faction with constantly updated books and models.

Over the years I've also played...

Chaos... again (undevided)
Orks (Cuz VDR was insanely awesome)
Eldar (Beil Tan)
Tyranids (when hormaguants were awesome and ravengers could move 9" and charge 9")
Space Marines (Ultramarines, my main army for the longest amount of time)
Death Guard (3.5)
Imperial Guard (Mechanized)
Grey Knights (the metal version)
Orks (again)
Sisters of Battle (one game... never will i play them again)
Imperial Guard (again)
Death Guard (again)
Chaos Demons
Orks (again! Speed Freeks)
Dark Eldar (never even built the models)
Space Marines (Blood Angels)
Space Marines (Blood Angels... new awful codex)
Eldar
Chaos Demons (Khorne again)

That doesn't even include the Mordheim warbands, Fantasy armies and Necromunda gangs over the years.

**ShieldBrother**

I started my KDK from my space wolves because I really liked CSM, Khorne, and Daemons. It doesn't really offer up a totally different playstyle, but the aesthetic and rule change shook it up a bit. The Dark Eldar however, wow. I've never played an army so different to my last 2 in my life.

**pm713**

I started Eldar because they had some really nice models (that backfired), I liked their fluff a lot and they seemed to be different and a bit harder in terms of playstyle than my existing army. (That also backfired).

**adamsouza**

I bought a box of Marines and a box of Orks with my Rogue Trader Rulebook.

2nd Edition I started an army with almost every Codex Release Blood Angels, Orks, Eldar, Imperial Guard, Chaos, Tyranids, Necrons, Sisters of Battle.

To this day, I still pick up almost every Codex, and have to fight the urge to start a new army after reading it.

For 7th, I have a force for every major faction, with the exception of Adepta Sororitas, Skitari, Cult Mechanicus, Inquisition, and Dark Eldar.

My Tau force is pitiful at the moment, and I would gladly acquire Adepta Sororitas, Skitari, Cult Mechanicus, if I were to get a good deal on them.

**Ankhalagon**

Word Bearers with the EoT-campaign. Because.....just because.
Dead since 5th edition. Like my Tyranids(3rd one).
My first one was a Salamanders-force.
What I actualy play: See signature. Because GW sucks at writing Codices.

**gmaleron**

Imperial Guard have been my army for several years and for a little while and I was in the market for an army that had a different playstyle. I have always loved the Skitarii models when they came out, in particular the Dragoon model and thought it would be cool to do a Dragoon themed army and at the same time give me an army that was more Close Combat oriented, the opposite of my IG. Started them a few months ago and already almost have enough to run 2,000 points!

**Vankraken**

Probably 3 months after starting my Orks. I always wanted to have some variety in which army I could play and its nice to have 2+ armies for getting new people into the game. I liked the Tau design a lot (Fire Warriors and XV8s is where its at) so I knew starting Tau was going to happen. Also Orks are a choppy army while the Tau are shooty so it gave some variety in playstyles. My Ork force was probably 1500 points at the time but wasn't much of a financial burden because I started 40k buy trading in MtG cards for in store credit at a FLGS.

**Scott-S6**

When the first mk7 marines came out (metal bodies, plastic arms). They looked so completely different to the RT01 marines that I didn't want to mix them.

**StorminWolf**

My first 40k Army back in the day where Space Wolves That must have been around 1994 or 1995 during 2nd edition. My second army did not come around for 10 Years, I think it was either late 2004 or early 2005 and I went for Tau a year or half a year later I got some Grey Knights and Imperial guard to go with them. I also had Gorkamorka Orks around whcih turned into an army with Black Reach, then some BA as payment for a painting commission. more recently Dark Angels and CSM with Dark Vengeance, inbetween some Tyranids which got sold off, but thanks to the GW Boardgames there are some around as is deathwatch and now some Harlequins witch will probably get some Eldar to go with them.
Space Wolves are around 10k Tau are around 4.5k (but need still all the fancy stuff from the last release) Orks are probably 1500 pts, Grey Knights are around 5k Imperial Guard must be around 12k BA are around 3k, the rest i don't know but probably everything between 500 and 2500

**Nazrak**

Back before my lengthy Hobby Hiatus, I had bits and bobs of lots of different armies, but never really "finished" anything. I've just finished painting up a full 1000pts of Orks, and while I'm intending to expand that, I want to get a fair few games in with it before I decide what to add next. So in the meantime, painting-wise, I'm planning on banging together another army. After doing all those Orks, I fancy trying something with a considerably lower model count, for some variety in terms of both painting and playstyle. I'm currently trying to pick between Eldar and Space Marines but haven't quite reached a decision yet.

**VeteranNoob**

1994 my first army was Squats, then break 1999-2011 playing 40K so Orks, then space wolves(2012) (played under 100 games with them), then after getting HH30K Death Guard to playable force with several options started cult mech upon release cuz...

look at those models! Slowly adding some skitarii now.
After the Squats of course I enjoyed the range of options Orks have. SW too, and 30K legions. I'm dealing with the limited admech units and still having a great time playing them.

**Pr3Mu5**

I started at about 8 or 9 with Ultramarines. I was (and still am) pretty obsessed with ancient Greek and Roman mythology and civilisations. I've ended up with tattoos of Ancient gods and myths.

I remember Tau being released and seeing the models in WD. I was hooked and had my made my Christmas list a Tau only affair. That was probably 2 or 3 years after I started my SM force.

In that first stint I also collected Black Templars, Orks, Chaos Marines and nids.

Now I've come back to the hobby at 26 after a break I've built a Ultramarines force again at just over 3k in about 6 months and I've just bought my first sisters of battle. That's about 16 years after first seeing sisters artwork and falling in love. I'm so happy.

**Slayer-Fan123**

Probably when I just wanted to model some Space Marine HQs, as that provides a lot of variety. Eventually I got very cheap copies of the SM and CSM codices.

**Ir0njack**

I started my second army when Admech dropped. I played solo IG for many years and I love their lore as a the everyman fighting in this galaxy of superhumans, deadly aliens, and nightmarish extra dimensional daemons. As much as I adore IG, I have loved admech since the moment I read about them and always lamented how they had no presence in the game except for enginseers and servitors (techmarines dont count

), so when they were announced I was ecstatic.