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I have been into the hobby for many years. I used to play fantasy in my teens (now 24) but then i chose to hide my interest in the hobby as it wasnt "cool" something I hugely regret now. Consequently I don't have any friends even slightly interested in tabletop gaming!

I really want to start playing again as I've collected numerous armies but haven't played a game with any of them.

What's the best way to get a few games under my belt whilst finding people to game with? I know I can go into a GW when they're having gaming evenings etc but do they tolerate beginners well? I don't want to ruin someone's game time by spending the whole game with my nose buried in the rules.

Any advice would be great and just a discussion with other 40k fanatics would be fun so thank you in advance.

(Apologies if this is in the wrong section)

GW stores typically have a Facebook which makes the guy running the shop easy to contact.

Get in touch with them, and request a session to learn the rules. They can set aside a day and time for you, and explain the rules with a practice battle. From there it's fairly easy to schedule meet ups with people, and just be up front that you're learning.

Unless the community is totally toxic you will be welcomed.

When I was beginning to play I went into my local GW with the start of my Ork Army. The store was pretty dead so I asked the manager if we could run through a game using my models. He quickly came up with a small SM list using the Dark Vengeance models, and off we went. He could have told me to use the Chaos Army from the DV box set as that is how they typically run demos, but he took the time to cater to what I had available. He took the time to cover each phase, and made it a point to have me pull up various rules spread throughout the Codex/Core Rule Book. I had previously watched all of the Miniwargaming Intro videos, but this demo game did a good job of bringing it all together. He didn't take it easy on me or talk down to me, which helped it feel like a legitimate game.

I've met a few other players at another store too during a WH40k night, and all were very welcoming to new players. I didn't have my army on hand since I only intended on watching a few games, but each table encouraged me to ask questions about things that were not clear. I couldn't be happier with how accessible these people were. If only the game itself was easier to get into for a new player... steep initial cost with Rule Book, Army Codex, paint/modeling supplies, etc. before you even factor in the models.