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Hello all, new to the forum (and 40k really). Hope I'm posting this in the right place but here goes.

I first got involved with 40k about 17 years ago as a 12 year old. A friend of mine was selling his Eldar Fire Dragons and he'd done a decent job painting them so i bought them without having a clue what they were and built a decent sized army from there. About 2500 points total. I also encouraged my brother to buy some space marines and one of his mates to buy some orks. My friend knew what he was doing and showed us all how to play passing on a rule book. Maybe the 2nd or 3rd edition. We kind of understood the rules but made some 'house rules' as we went along. After a year or two we all lost interest and sold all our armies for a song.

I always popped into Games Workshops, mainly just to see the awesomely painted models etc until last year I gave into the urge and bought some tactical marines and the painting materials I needed. I've since bought, built and painted a bike squad, terminator assault squad and an assault squad. I haven't considered anything other than what I think looks the coolest whilst painting them although I think I've largely adhered to the ultramarines paint scheme.

I haven't been able to dedicate a massive amount of time to build and paint so progress has been slow and I'm currently abroad for the next 6 months or so. When I get back I'll pick up where I left off and will hopefully be close to having an army I could field in battle.

I've read the codex and would buy and read a new rule book prior to any battle but as I don't know anybody at all who plays the game and my previous knowledge of rules was sketchy at best my question is.... If I were to just walk into my local Games Workshop and lurk would somebody be willing to talk me through a game or two of theirs or would I be shunned? I've watched a few battle reports on YouTube but I think I'd need to watch a few in real life before I begin to really understand what's going on. I don't really know what I'm allowed in an army or what special rules I can use etc.

Also any tips on what units I should go for next would be appreciated. I'm thinking something heavy. I've always liked the look of Predators. Also need an HQ obviously.

Usually you can walk into a GW or LGS and talk to someone who works there to point you in the right direction. Sometimes even that person can give you a demo or get one scheduled for you.

I would start small, maybe give a 500 Point army to try and learn basics then just add up points from there until you get comfortable with your units and what try can do.

Get HQ and some troops and throw in a tank, see how it goes. Maybe even proxy or borrow one for a game. Sometimes the store will lend you a model or 2.

Also I would state your knowledge of rules up front so they can adjust expectations accordingly.

You're in luck if you are going back to Teesside. I've always found the GW store to be friendly and helpful.

Asgard Wargames near Middlesbrough bus station are also a friendly and helpful bunch.

Last but not least, there's an active wargames club on a Thursday night at Middlesbrough Gamers Club. Google them when you get back in case the venue changes, but they've been pretty stable at Corporation Road for some time.

Happy gaming!

I love new people and everyone I know loves new people. I have never seen someone be a jerk to s new player because we all want the community to grow and remain strong.

Go into any GW and ask the guy behind the counter (or more likely, in a GW shirt at the painting table) for an intro game. Explain your situation and they should be able to run you through the basics. If you are still keen, wander over to the paint table and ask if anyone would be able to give you a walkthrough game of [however many points]. The GW guy should probably be able to point you in the right direction for someone with the right knowledge and attitude.

You should usually find most of the regulars will give you a game and a run-down of what's going on and why, and will probably give you a few pointers on things to focus on going forward if you want to expand your army and a few tips on list building too.

Most of the regulars are usually happy to see new or returning people, if nothing else, it expands the number of people and armies they get to play against.

The same applies to non-GW stores, but they probably won't have the starter set all set up ready to go for an intro, nor will they have a guy to immediately drop what he's doing to give you a game.

I find great enjoyment in helping new people learn the game because most of the time they're very excited and that rubs off on the one they're playing against.
All I require of a person to enjoy teaching them is a willingness to learn. As long as you try, I don't mind explaining the same thing 5 times over. God knows I still have to go over the rulebook every game I play because how rule X or Y works. Why would I expect you to understand what I'm saying the first time.
What I can't stand however, is willful laziness. I've introduced multiple people to the hobby and there is one particular person I really regret reaching my hand out to.

Some examples of why I regret helping him:
- He started Chaos space marines, the same as me, and asked me what he should get to go with his Dark vengeance set. I told him about a lot of units and what they do but that ultimately, he should just get what he likes the looks of the most and try to go on from there. After an explanation that literally took almost 10 minutes on a wide range of units he asks: "Okay, that's cool but what units should I buy to go with my Dark Vengeance set?"
He keeps asking me "Should I get unit X for my army?". My answer has turned into "If you want to, you should". He still keeps doing it and I have no idea why. Mind you that this is completely separate from the question "is unit X good" because I always provide him with my point of view on the unit and whether it's good or not.

- He was looking into second hand models and asked me for some tips. I told him that 50-66% is the most common price to pay depending on the state of the models. New in the box would be ~66%. Products that were half-assembled or weren't insanely well painted would be leaning towards 50% but ultimately it was up to him whether he thought it was worth it.
He would text me EVERY GOD DAMN TIME he found a lot of models asking me "Is this worth it". I'd just tell him I'd pay X% of store price for it. He'd just text me back "Okay, so how much € is that?"
Holy fething gak, go figure that out yourself, you lazy piece of gak. I don't know the shelf price of every single model out there and it's just as much work for me as it is for you to figure that out.

- He ignores most advice I give him. He asked me how army building works and I explained to him what the FoC is. When I was done he asked me whether there was any other way. I explained to him the concepts of unbound armies and formations but explicitly stated numerous times that to start out he should try getting the hang of using the FoC because our group does not allow unbound armies and formations are more restricting and complicated to use.
The same evening I go on Facebook and there's like 3 paragraphs worth of questions about formations, how he should use them and of course what formations he should buy to go along with his Dark Vengeance starter set.

Phew, that turned out longer than expected but I'm glad I got that off my chest.

Generally people like helping newcommers in this hobby. Most of us have fond memories of ourselves starting out so as long as you're polite and friendly you'll have people showing you the ropes in no time.

Varies by area some will welcome new people but some have social issues and don't like strangers joining their clique.

It'll vary by area to area, if they're not very tolerant then their group will likely stagnate anyway and those people who would probably feel like elitists won't be worth the trouble of trying to spend your time with. You'll be best trying to start off conversation though, just bring along your models say you're looking to get started and someone is bound to help you join in.

Also if you're going for units you think look best, then it's fine to just keep going that way. Better to enjoy working on a model then hating it just to get what's absolutely best, if you're into how things look. Cause most of the time the new codex will come out and shuffle around whats best a little bit.

Only time peak performance will really matter is in a more competitive group. Like, I would suggest ranged centurions cause I think they look pretty decent and I know they can perform alright as well.

Thanks for the encouragement guys.

Particularly good to hear about the Teesside action. Not sure where I'll be when I get back to the UK but I'll at least visit Teesside regularly so nice to have that option.

I'm sure you'll see more of me and some noob questions in the next few months.

Seems to me that the only place that people might be a bit intolerant of newer players like that is at tournaments. A tournament isn't a teaching experience...

In general, if you're learning the game, ask for "small" points games. I think most people are happy to explain the game "in game" at 1000 points or less. Once you hit the 1500 point mark, you should probably know what you're doing or it will take forever to play a game.

Once you start playing a decent sized game, you will want to know your rules.

I just started about two months ago. I jumped in on my lgs escalation league. Many of the players knew me from playing age of sigmar. But they were great. I did try to learn on my own but they knew I was new and eager to play. Even with my rules questions I got a lot of people asking to play games with me. I'd try to get down most of the basics, which to be honest isn't that bad, and glance over some of the details. They can help you with that as you go

There is a difference between a player who is new and that guy who STILL does not know his rules. Please read the rules, even just once.

Just let people know you're new, and a good club will introduce you.

When I started in the hobby as a kid I went along to the GW shop every Sunday to play practice games with all the other new kids and between those days I'd read random sections of the rule book. It took a long time to get a good understanding of the rules and it seemed like every time I read a section of the rules I'd learn something new. These days you could probably do the same with Youtube battle reports. Try to follow what's happening and pause often and refer to the book to understand why everything is being done. Watching/playing games is important for picking up the general flow of the game, but you'll never learn the game in depth without reading through the rules at least a couple of times (and probably more than that)

Starting small is good because there is so much variation in the units you can field and come up against, and it will really complicate things playing a standard sized game with a couple of dozen different units on the table all acting differently

In my experience it completely depends on the group. Some are welcoming and will show you the ropes and to be more understanding that you are new and have not played many games even after say your first game or two and be more lenient, others will be more or less I don't have time for low point games and see it as a waste of time and you quickly tell who those people are by how they tend to act because they usually tend to act snarky or condescending when asked questions as though everyone should know this.

Hi, welcome back to 40k.

Not only long ago I was in a similar situation to yourself and was really concerned about the reception I'd get coming back in as I've long had anxiety issues around social situations. I can't stress enough how good a decision it was coming back in to the hobby. I've now played, in the past 7-8 months, in three different groups and I have to say I'm yet to meet someone who isn't open and friendly and out to help. I'd even say the TFG's I've come across have tried to help in their own way by telling me what to do to increase the power level of my army (not that I consider that approach to the game healthy).

Mainly I'd just say go to GW and talk to the staff and they will be more than happy to play a quick game with you. Get a copy of the rules and give them a read bit don't be too concerned with learning them in their entirety. Pretty much every GW has a beginners night or Sunday set aside for those that aren't as experienced. It's there that you'll really learn the game, I'd say for me mainly by changing my force up quite frequently to open myself up to new situations as often as possible to evolve and learn how the mechanics of the game work.

Just get stuck in. It does seem daunting at first but I cam promise you from experience that having played before really helps you pick up the rules quicker.

In terms of what to get next I'd just say go with what you like right now. Early on just enjoy the excitement of picking up new models and building and painting them in anticipation of their debut on the battlefield. I'd just point out with Marines you'd do well at small games using a Librarian. Otherwise a chaplain with a jump pack would fit well in your assault squad. With what you have right now just pick what you like the look of and enjoy yourself.

I generally run intro games for people so tolerance is something of a requirement for me.

Whether or not I like you will depend on how you behave But that goes without saying.

Snark aside, I'm pretty sure the store owner would be willing to give you a quick crash course through the game and, if there's any sort of population in there, most people would be friendly and willing to give you a game. Just note that if the person doesn't seem to like explaining things, he might be playing to win and just take the loss in the chin. No need to argue with someone who's so desperate for a win that he'd take it out on a newbie.

Newbies are forgiven for not knowing and encouraged to learn more about fluff and lore and strat guides.

On the other hand, when you are a scrub who never made it to top rankings like me and understand how mess up the game is and how GW genius marketing practices work (They are super successful because fanboys are willing to drop hundreds -thousands of dollars), experienced poor sportmanship and even been a bad sport, then you are hated for telling it all in spades.

in all honesty to the OP, if you have a word with your local shop staff explaining your situation they will be great!

Back in 5th I had a GW staff member who helped me re-learn the rules during that ed.

Despite me turning them down, he invited me to multiple gaming nights and other players were more than helpful to invite me to their own gaming groups.

The general rule is, unless you give someone reason to be qorried (via creepy behaviour) you'll be open to most groups.

I have at times let someone use one of my army's more so if they are thinking of using that army