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Can you believe it? Another new player thread! Thanks to everybody who has been so helpful in the other threads, I've been lurking for a few weeks now trying to amass information. I picked up the BoC and BoP box sets and I would like just a little bit of advice. My thought was, to take each box set and try to make one loyalist and one traitor out of the contents of each one so I can still play the board games and be able to lend an army to friends in order to play. I'm still trying to figure out what legions to go with for each. Do you think that's enough content for two decently sized starter armies? I was lucky with ebay and was able to pick up a few Primarchs and would like to base either army on them: Leman Russ, Mortarion, Angron, Perturabo, Konrad Curze, and Roboute Gulliman. I'm still reading through fluff and different tactics threads to see which legions speak to me most. I'm hoping Magnus gets a non daemon prince release one day soon, but until then, I need to get to painting. Was there anything you've read that helped make your choice? Was it their tactics or maybe the Primarch that swayed you most?

Back to the crux of the matter, I'm gearing up for my first purchase directly from Forgeworld and I want to make the most of it. With free shipping on orders of over 250 I figured I would just load up to that price point. I was hoping to be able to find the red books for trade, on Amazon or Ebay. But have had no luck so the two red books are mandatory to get. From there, I'm not sure where to go. I thought about getting a Leviathan because they look amazing and a Legion specific contemptor. Outside of that, I'm not sure. I do have some 40k Space marine vehicles that will do for the time being so they're low priority at the moment. I'm sure it'd be an easier ask if I knew what legions I was going for. I'm thinking Space Wolves or Ultra Marines for loyalist and Thousand Sons, Night lords or Death Guard for traitor. Or even possibly go shattered legions. Lots of fun options, 30k is very exciting.

Thanks for taking the time to help out a new person.... again

(Brief note on the Red Books: Black Library will give you digital copies of both for $55. You won't get the rules for Space Wolves (of the Legions you mentioned), but it's cheaper and more convenient than hauling the actual red books around (I just got them in hardback and they're heavy).)

I don't think I'd suggest splitting the two boxes between two Legions; you do need a lot more bodies in 30k than 40k, and you may wish to have your Rite of War slot for something other than Pride of the Legion (the way you get Veteran Tacticals (squads organized like 40k Tacticals) in Troops) now and again.

The iconic 'I-want-to-start-30k!' FW purchase is a Primarch, a Spartan, and a Sicaran; the Primarch/Spartan is for the inevitable moment when you decide the coolest thing to do is a Primarch/Terminator deathstar and you need something to put it in, the Sicaran is awesome-looking and a generally good all-round tank. Depending on the Legion this may change some (Mortarion doesn't need a Spartan to get around, Curze doesn't run with a Terminator deathstar, Ultramarines need a Damocles, Death Guard have too many cool Terminators not to get some...).

 AnomanderRake wrote:
(Brief note on the Red Books: Black Library will give you digital copies of both for $55. You won't get the rules for Space Wolves (of the Legions you mentioned), but it's cheaper and more convenient than hauling the actual red books around (I just got them in hardback and they're heavy).)

I did look into the Black Library versions. My concern was that I wouldn't read the tablet version as much as the physical versions. And it's epub which I have had a tougher time in the past reading.

 Gamerely wrote:

 AnomanderRake wrote:
(Brief note on the Red Books: Black Library will give you digital copies of both for $55. You won't get the rules for Space Wolves (of the Legions you mentioned), but it's cheaper and more convenient than hauling the actual red books around (I just got them in hardback and they're heavy).)

I did look into the Black Library versions. My concern was that I wouldn't read the tablet version as much as the physical versions. And it's epub which I have had a tougher time in the past reading.

Depends on your tablet, depends on how you interact with the game, depends on how you interact with technology. Some people prefer the physical versions. I just felt the need to point out the option; I find having digital books makes 40k easier and more organized for me.

(Also 'epub' is the most open/accessible possible ebook file format; it's literally just a compressed folder full of pictures and XHTML files. There's no copy protection and almost every e-reader program in existence knows how to open it.)

 AnomanderRake wrote:
(Also 'epub' is the most open/accessible possible ebook file format; it's literally just a compressed folder full of pictures and XHTML files. There's no copy protection and almost every e-reader program in existence knows how to open it.)

Maybe he referred more of to finding what you want? I find finding proper page on my phone to be bit of a bummer.

If you are trying to make an army that works across the two games, then Night Lords aesthetics carry over very well indeed. Identical colour schemes, lots of skulls, bat wings, chains and human skin.

If you are getting a Leviathan I doubt you will need or want a regular Contemptor. Give him a Dreadnought Drop Pod and he will have an impact on almost every game.
You could stock up on Sevetar, Night Lords infantry upgrade packs, Volkite Chargers and Nostraman Chainglaves, and have a working army out of one Calth Box alone.

EDIT: Also if you are not a confident painter, you can add their transfer sheet to your basket and it has lightning bolt transfers on it. You need not fear, but your enemies will (on a failed Ld Test ofc)

Freakish1987 wrote:
If you are trying to make an army that works across the two games, then Night Lords aesthetics carry over very well indeed. Identical colour schemes, lots of skulls, bat wings, chains and human skin....

Addendum: I've been looking into what plastic Heresy jump units would entail (one of the main issues with Calth/Prospero is you don't get chainsword/pistol arms so melee-focussed Legions are left out in the cold), and Night Lords are a place I could see using the plastic Raptors almost unaltered.

Further edit: On trawling Ebay I've discovered you can get eight pairs of bolt pistol/chainsword arms out of a Space Wolf kit for $5.50, with minimal knife work to remove the wolf icons/teeth and minimal greenstuff work to make the vambraces Mk.IV they could be a solution to not having melee Tacticals.


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tneva82 wrote:

 AnomanderRake wrote:
(Also 'epub' is the most open/accessible possible ebook file format; it's literally just a compressed folder full of pictures and XHTML files. There's no copy protection and almost every e-reader program in existence knows how to open it.)

Maybe he referred more of to finding what you want? I find finding proper page on my phone to be bit of a bummer.

Bookmarks, my friends, bookmarks. (I know iBooks and Kindle have that feature, and I find it hard to imagine an ebook reader that wouldn't. It's not like it's a complicated thing to add to a program.)

I had been using an iPad and couldn't find a way to work it. I haven't tried ePub since switching to Windows 10, it might be easier. I'm a huge fan of terminators, so maybe Death Guard is my best bet. And it looks like they'll get some love soon in 40k so might be a good cross play for chaos too. But it always will come down to who is most fun to paint, and that might not be Death guard.