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Made in us
Painting Within the Lines






Charlotte, NC

Hey folks! I have what (to me) is an interesting thought experiment. We all know that 40k has, for many of us, a steep buy-in cost in RL money.
We also know that Ebay is a good place to get cheap(ish) second hand models, and that trading is a thing, but let's assume for the purpose of this exercise that we are the original purchasers of the models, and everything is retail.
The question is:
1. Is it possible to buy a competitive list at a reasonable cost? Another question is:
2. What is considered a 'reasonable' cost? $300? $500? Let's assume that we have the BRB and the codex for our army.
I'm interested to read what you think!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/04/25 14:41:43


For Commission information, PM or contact me at cataclysmstudio78@gmail.com
 
   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka





Endrun around your question:

Even if there's a "budget" way to get a competitive list, in the near future, it won't be competitive.

The meta shifts far too quickly.
   
Made in gb
Executing Exarch





London, UK

What you'll find is that meta builds influence the eBay market, much like the secondary market with MtG, Yugioh etc. so the actual savings are quite minimal outside of job lots where you might get a few usable units. Just to use Eldar as an example, Dark Reapers and Shining Spears go for higher than other aspects.

Almost pro gaming on Youtube had a recent video where he looked at how cheap you could make a competitive base from the start collecting boxes. To boil it down, the IG and Admech sets are the best value in terms of viable units.

   
Made in ch
The Dread Evil Lord Varlak





With or without books?

Bare minimum would be Codex +CA so theres allready what, 70$ out the window. (help me out i am swiss i use CHF)

As said above the meta influences the market on Ebay, so that is a variable we need to eliminate in our thought experiment.

We also would need a size limit, say 2000 pts?

Painted or unpainted? also colour.

So basically: A 2000 pts army. I would also add not comptetitive but an allrounder, that is easier to balance out and less thrown under the metaprice bus.


https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/766717.page
A Mostly Renegades and Heretics blog.
GW:"Space marines got too many options to balance, therefore we decided to legends HH units."
Players: "why?!? Now we finally got decent plastic kits and you cut them?"
Chaos marines players: "Since when are Daemonengines 30k models and why do i have NO droppods now?"
GW" MONEY.... erm i meant TOO MANY OPTIONS (to resell your army to you again by disalowing former units)! Do you want specific tyranid fighiting Primaris? Even a new sabotage lieutnant!"
Chaos players: Guess i stop playing or go to HH.  
   
Made in us
Shas'ui with Bonding Knife






 Tyranid Horde wrote:
What you'll find is that meta builds influence the eBay market, much like the secondary market with MtG, Yugioh etc.
I've definitely found this to be very true. Meta influences eBay. For example, the halves of the Dark Imperium box. To the best of my remembrance, I don't think the Dark Imperium box went up in price with the recent GW price hike. I could be wrong, and if I am, please someone correct me. But, I remember that when 8th launched, getting a second set of both the Primaris side as well as the Death Guard side was fairly inexpensive... $65USD or so... maybe less. Now, I'm usually lucky to find them for less than $80. Yes, it does happen, but it's not overly often. This would make a lot more sense if it actually came with something more than just the sprues and models. The book is worth a fair amount... $40 to $50 I believe, and it comes with every copy of Dark Imperium. But, it seems with Deathwatch making Primaris useful and Death Guard being fairly good in 40K and very good in Kill Team, the prices are going up even on these push fit models taken out of a box set that includes the core rule book.

SG

40K - T'au Empire
Kill Team - T'au Empire, Death Guard
Warhammer Underworlds - Garrekā€™s Reavers

*** I only play for fun. I do not play competitively. *** 
   
Made in gb
Gore-Drenched Khorne Chaos Lord




 ServiceGames wrote:
 Tyranid Horde wrote:
What you'll find is that meta builds influence the eBay market, much like the secondary market with MtG, Yugioh etc.
I've definitely found this to be very true. Meta influences eBay. For example, the halves of the Dark Imperium box. To the best of my remembrance, I don't think the Dark Imperium box went up in price with the recent GW price hike. I could be wrong, and if I am, please someone correct me. But, I remember that when 8th launched, getting a second set of both the Primaris side as well as the Death Guard side was fairly inexpensive... $65USD or so... maybe less. Now, I'm usually lucky to find them for less than $80. Yes, it does happen, but it's not overly often. This would make a lot more sense if it actually came with something more than just the sprues and models. The book is worth a fair amount... $40 to $50 I believe, and it comes with every copy of Dark Imperium. But, it seems with Deathwatch making Primaris useful and Death Guard being fairly good in 40K and very good in Kill Team, the prices are going up even on these push fit models taken out of a box set that includes the core rule book.

SG


I don't think dark imperium is down to a meta shift, it's more likely supply/demand on that. It's an older box now and fewer people will be buying it, so fewer sets go on ebay = cost more.
   
Made in gb
Grim Dark Angels Interrogator-Chaplain





Earth

See I got a sub to audible the other day so that I could listen to all the 40k audio books as and when I want for almost free, so when thinking about doing this game on a budget I often wonder why GW does not do a similar thing for the codex's or books
   
Made in us
Shas'ui with Bonding Knife






Not Online!!! wrote:
With or without books?

Bare minimum would be Codex +CA so theres allready what, 70$ out the window. (help me out i am swiss i use CHF)
Wouldn't you need the Core Rule Book as well? 40K Core Rule Book is $60USD + Chapter Approved 2018 at $35USD makes up your core rules... at $95USD. Then, you'd have to add your Codex. Some aren't as expensive as others depending on if they are digital or tangible. But, let's say $40. So, $95 + $40 = $135 just for the rules.

Not Online!!! wrote:
We also would need a size limit, say 2000 pts?
I think Warhammer World recently made all of their tournaments 1850 points... or was that any tournament hosted by GW (like the London GT... at least I think that was hosted by GW). ITC is usually 2000 points. So, you'd have to decide where you'd be playing.

Not Online!!! wrote:
Painted or unpainted? also colour.
This is another big question. Since most tournaments these days (which I'm guessing you're asking about since you're looking for competitive) require at least three colors on a model before it's allowed to be in the tournament. But, are you just gong to use a basic three colors or are you going to pick a color scheme from your codex that requires maybe six to 10 base paints. What about shades/inks? Do you plan to use layers to get the color you want, or are you just happy with the closest color you can find? Do you have an airbrush that'll make it much easier to cover a model in a paint with less pigment (layer paints from GW for example)? Are you going for just tabletop quality, or is hobbying a big part of Warhammer for you? If hobbying is a big part, are you going for Tabletop+ or display quality in all your miniatures? Also, the recent changes in prices at GW seems to have seen a rather large jump in some of the metallic paints. So, are you willing to dish out the money for metallics or go with a different brand or color scheme? Would you rather skip all of these questions and just hire a commission painter to paint your army for you?

Overall, the highly unfortunate part of Warhammer is that the secondary market isn't necessarily easy to get into. Yes, eBay is a good place to sell models. There are always going to be people who want to trade. But, at the same time how much effort do you want to put into an eBay sale. How much of a markdown do you want to put on a squad of models that took you several evenings to paint (keep in mind that your time is valuable)? It's very different than say MTG or YGO where you can trade cards back into the same shop you bought them from for a lesser value to get new cards. Having a shop that's willing to buy or trade used/second hand product from you would make things far easier. But, those shops, if they exist, are few and far between.

There are a few armies out there now that will probably place well each month. Almost Pro Gaming puts up a video on YouTube on a monthly basis listing the top armies of the month based on Best Coast Pairings. For the most part, you're going to find three or four armies that are on that list every month... or may skip one month and come back the next. You could maybe pick one of those armies to focus on.

But, keep in mind that overall, the meta changes so fast that you'll be buying new models all the time to keep yourself competitive. Depending on how well the model or models you're trying to sell are doing in tournaments right now is going to affect how much you can get for it on eBay. For example, I wouldn't try selling a Grey Knights army right now... even expertly painted, you'd probably get far less than you'd want for it.

Apologies for the novel... but this is a great question that requires a lot to answer.

SG

40K - T'au Empire
Kill Team - T'au Empire, Death Guard
Warhammer Underworlds - Garrekā€™s Reavers

*** I only play for fun. I do not play competitively. *** 
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut





Dudeface wrote:
 ServiceGames wrote:
 Tyranid Horde wrote:
What you'll find is that meta builds influence the eBay market, much like the secondary market with MtG, Yugioh etc.
I've definitely found this to be very true. Meta influences eBay. For example, the halves of the Dark Imperium box. To the best of my remembrance, I don't think the Dark Imperium box went up in price with the recent GW price hike. I could be wrong, and if I am, please someone correct me. But, I remember that when 8th launched, getting a second set of both the Primaris side as well as the Death Guard side was fairly inexpensive... $65USD or so... maybe less. Now, I'm usually lucky to find them for less than $80. Yes, it does happen, but it's not overly often. This would make a lot more sense if it actually came with something more than just the sprues and models. The book is worth a fair amount... $40 to $50 I believe, and it comes with every copy of Dark Imperium. But, it seems with Deathwatch making Primaris useful and Death Guard being fairly good in 40K and very good in Kill Team, the prices are going up even on these push fit models taken out of a box set that includes the core rule book.

SG


I don't think dark imperium is down to a meta shift, it's more likely supply/demand on that. It's an older box now and fewer people will be buying it, so fewer sets go on ebay = cost more.


Probably more that the BRB is dead weight that won't sell.

eBay has little change in prices for non-second hand units. It's either 15 or 20% off. The only time I've seen NiB prices fluctuate is when people bitched about shadowspear chaos so much that I got the CSM side for $65.
   
Made in ch
The Dread Evil Lord Varlak





Ayy Op would probably need to further specify:

For simplicities sake though

135 as you stated for rules SG.

let's make it easy and start with 2000 pts?

Assuming Tabletop standard (min 3 + colors).

eBay is a dillema, because why go ebay when f.e. you could also go to anvil etc. so let's refrain from that and stay with the official sales ways.

ALSO important: IF we go with this we automatically rule out Soup, because we would else need to buy more rules.


https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/766717.page
A Mostly Renegades and Heretics blog.
GW:"Space marines got too many options to balance, therefore we decided to legends HH units."
Players: "why?!? Now we finally got decent plastic kits and you cut them?"
Chaos marines players: "Since when are Daemonengines 30k models and why do i have NO droppods now?"
GW" MONEY.... erm i meant TOO MANY OPTIONS (to resell your army to you again by disalowing former units)! Do you want specific tyranid fighiting Primaris? Even a new sabotage lieutnant!"
Chaos players: Guess i stop playing or go to HH.  
   
Made in gb
Mekboy Hammerin' Somethin'





Dorset, England

There was a thread recently by a guy who found all the scratch built ork stuff he and his brother played with in 2nd, it was simplistic and boxy but damn if it wasn't far closer to the heart of 40k than most the overpriced and over-designed stuff GW put out nowadays!
   
Made in us
Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba






I would assume you can attain about 15% of retail reliably for models, and retail price for rules. So, a start collecting box, which is typically about 1/2 of a battalion, will run you 80.75, and a codex 40$. So for a budget starter army I would advise someone to choose one of the more elite factions, like Necrons, Tau, Eldar, or Deathwatch, and buy 2 of the SC boxes for 161.50 plus their codex for 40, and end up with around ~1000 pts hopefully for about 200$.

some of those factions it would really behoove you to pick up a few troop boxes as well (such as Eldar who only get HQ+HS). Realistically, that will mean you'd probably drop at least 300$ between supplemental units and paints/brushes to get you actually going in the hobby at 1000-1500 point games.

The latter 1k points will always be solidly more expensive than the first, because you'll need to pick up those lynchpin units that aren't included in the SC boxes, and YMMV with the quality of the units in those boxes.

The Admech one is absolutely killer, including everything they need for a good list but Castelan robots, while the Blood Angels one is absolutely terribad, and some like Eldar don't get you a "standard" list but instead one of the more common niche variants, the wraith/walker focused eldar list. If you like that, great, but if you don't it's not helpful.

There are also a few notable armies like Custodes and Knights that are super easy to build up on a budget. A pair of Skitarii SC boxes and one big knight like a Castellan would be one of the best ways to get to 2k on a budget with a good, fluffy list.

My rating for going the SC route would be:

1) Tau. 2x sc boxes gets you a solid battalion with 20x FWs, 5x crisis suits (with 1 built as commander), and 1 ethereal, then you're just stuck with 1 extra ethereal and all the rest is great stuff, core to pretty much any Tau build. From there you can get vehicles for a mechanized force, more suits for a suit army, or more infantry for a horde army.

2) Deathwatch. All the best stuff you want in a competitive DW force is right here baby. 2x SC's is solidly in the 1k range and gives you a great little TAC list with a mix of antitank and anti-infantry.

3) Admech. Ranked lower only because overall the faction isn't great, the SC box is maybe the best for content.

4) Daemons of Nurgle. solid core to a competitive list, you'll want 2 of these for sure. Lower because I don't know if that's a lot of points.

5) Eldar. Loads of points! Units aren't AMAZING, they're good, but not amazing, and nothing you'd bring in a tournament list.

6) Nids. nothing in there that you don't really want in your competitive army, but it's also not a ton of points and you don't necessarily need 2 Broodlords.

the rest I either rank as not very competitive, or horde armies you don't reaaaally want to be buing into on a budget.


"Got you, Yugi! Your Rubric Marines can't fall back because I have declared the tertiary kaptaris ka'tah stance two, after the secondary dacatarai ka'tah last turn!"

"So you think, Kaiba! I declared my Thousand Sons the cult of Duplicity, which means all my psykers have access to the Sorcerous Facade power! Furthermore I will spend 8 Cabal Points to invoke Cabbalistic Focus, causing the rubrics to appear behind your custodes! The Vengeance for the Wronged and Sorcerous Fullisade stratagems along with the Malefic Maelstrom infernal pact evoked earlier in the command phase allows me to double their firepower, letting me wound on 2s and 3s!"

"you think it is you who has gotten me, yugi, but it is I who have gotten you! I declare the ever-vigilant stratagem to attack your rubrics with my custodes' ranged weapons, which with the new codex are now DAMAGE 2!!"

"...which leads you straight into my trap, Kaiba, you see I now declare the stratagem Implacable Automata, reducing all damage from your attacks by 1 and triggering my All is Dust special rule!"  
   
Made in ca
Fireknife Shas'el






 CATACLYSMUS wrote:
Hey folks! I have what (to me) is an interesting thought experiment. We all know that 40k has, for many of us, a steep buy-in cost in RL money.
We also know that Ebay is a good place to get cheap(ish) second hand models, and that trading is a thing, but let's assume for the purpose of this exercise that we are the original purchasers of the models, and everything is retail.
The question is:
1. Is it possible to buy a competitive list at a reasonable cost? Another question is:
2. What is considered a 'reasonable' cost? $300? $500? Let's assume that we have the BRB and the codex for our army.
I'm interested to read what you think!


1.) Depends entirely on the result of 2.)

Let's look at the SC boxes as a base. Admech gives you a TPDominus (92pts with Eradication Ray and Macrostubber), 10 Skitarri (70pts probably built to MSU with no specials) and a Crawler (120 with Neutron Laser and Cognis Heavy Stubber). That's 282pts, and it's easy to bring that up to 300-310 by kitting up the Skitarri a bit. Let's say you get 3 of these, you've spent 285 USD to get roughly 900 points. You spend another 30 USD for a TPEngineseer, so you can double batallion (2+2 HQ), and you're at 930-ish for 315 USD.

It only gets more expensive from here. Doubling the cost won't get you double the points for most armies, so to get to tournament standard (1750-1850)you're probably looking at another +150% outlay, or somewhere in the ballpark of 750 USD.

So 'reasonable' for a tournament army is somewhere under this figure. Online retailer discount of 15% puts you around 640 USD for the same army. I imagine it's possible to get a tournament scale army for around 500 USD if you choose really carefully. So I'd say it's reasonable to expect to pay 600 USD for a tournament army, though depending on how competitive you want it and which army you could be into 700 USD very easily.

   
Made in at
Second Story Man





Austria

Basics would always stay the same
BRB+Codex+CA and maybe Index is needed anyway, can be found for cheap but the first 100 is spend on rules.

Paints are another thing, if you wanna be on a budget stay away from GW, get a coloured primer (or better 2), basic colours (prime colours for artists will do fine) and washes.
So another 50 gone.

Basing materials, as a good base makes a better overall look.
One can get a lot for free if nature is not far away or for cheap if you keep it simple (white/wood glue + baking soda makes good snow)

First question would be, if it need to be GW models only or not.

If it need to be GW, a faction were lot of modelling and scratch build can be done would be the way to go to stay competitive with the meta change and still be on a budget.
This means going with Chaos and a Nurgle themed army as Damons are easier to be build in your own and every Marine can be turned into a Nurgle Marine.
And here I mean that one plays the favourite Chaos Soup of the day but stick with the theme and just uses the same models as cultits, tzaangors, whatever

Or you keep up with import/export and buy/sell stuff on a regular basis and only keep stuff around you currently need.


If 3rd party models are an option it is much easier as you just need to take something GW does not offer and that can be used as the army of the month with small adjustments.

Going with a Baneblade army for cheap (1/32 historical tanks + bits) is nice but as soon as they are not competitive any more it is hard to use them as something else or sell them

eg a Mantic Plague or Veer-Myn models would do as well as Genestealer Cult as they would as Nurgle or Imperial Guard.
Warlords Gates of Antares Armies can do the same.

Some historical models would work as imperial Guard or Tzaangors, which would limit it to only one faction but British Zulu War Infantry makes nice Pretorian themed Astra Militarum and you get 38 models for 20 pounds (add some historical tanks and WW2 heavy weapons and be done for ~100)

Puppetswar has nice Walkers of different sizes, as does Bandai with Gundam and will do well as Imperial Knight or Tau.


So 40k on a budget would do best if you make an army, either from historical or non GW models or scratch build that can be used for as many different factions as possible and a list that use as less large models as possible to keep up with the meta change

But I would say the minimum if go in as new player is 250$-300$

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2019/04/25 17:12:52


Harry, bring this ring to Narnia or the Sith will take the Enterprise 
   
Made in ca
Painlord Titan Princeps of Slaanesh





Hamilton, ON

You can make a 1500pt army pretty easily with three SC! Slaanesh Daemons boxes, three Daemonettes boxes and a box of Seekers. I think that tops out at 1591pts for

six Heralds (three on foot, two on Steeds, one on a Seeker Chariot)
60 Daemonettes (3x20 w/ Instrument and Banner)
18 Seekers (3x6 w/ Instrument and Banner)
3 Hellflayers
2 Seekers Chariots

You may be able to stretch it further with Heralds on Exalted Chariots instead of the other chariots, too.

$440 (CAD), plus HST, and you'll need to buy three 105x70mm bases, which are $5 each, IIRC, for a grand total of $514.15. xe.com advises me that at the time of writing, that translates to ā‚¬342, Ā£295 or $381 (USD).

There's probably a reason you don't see Slaanesh Daemons in tournaments, though.

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Made in ch
The Dread Evil Lord Varlak





 Kroem wrote:
There was a thread recently by a guy who found all the scratch built ork stuff he and his brother played with in 2nd, it was simplistic and boxy but damn if it wasn't far closer to the heart of 40k than most the overpriced and over-designed stuff GW put out nowadays!


Modern GW is hit or miss, the new CSM really capture that antique baroque insane sociopath feeling off arogance. Then there is the sleigh which is just


Automatically Appended Next Post:
the_scotsman wrote:
I would assume you can attain about 15% of retail reliably for models, and retail price for rules. So, a start collecting box, which is typically about 1/2 of a battalion, will run you 80.75, and a codex 40$. So for a budget starter army I would advise someone to choose one of the more elite factions, like Necrons, Tau, Eldar, or Deathwatch, and buy 2 of the SC boxes for 161.50 plus their codex for 40, and end up with around ~1000 pts hopefully for about 200$.

some of those factions it would really behoove you to pick up a few troop boxes as well (such as Eldar who only get HQ+HS). Realistically, that will mean you'd probably drop at least 300$ between supplemental units and paints/brushes to get you actually going in the hobby at 1000-1500 point games.

The latter 1k points will always be solidly more expensive than the first, because you'll need to pick up those lynchpin units that aren't included in the SC boxes, and YMMV with the quality of the units in those boxes.

The Admech one is absolutely killer, including everything they need for a good list but Castelan robots, while the Blood Angels one is absolutely terribad, and some like Eldar don't get you a "standard" list but instead one of the more common niche variants, the wraith/walker focused eldar list. If you like that, great, but if you don't it's not helpful.

There are also a few notable armies like Custodes and Knights that are super easy to build up on a budget. A pair of Skitarii SC boxes and one big knight like a Castellan would be one of the best ways to get to 2k on a budget with a good, fluffy list.

My rating for going the SC route would be:

1) Tau. 2x sc boxes gets you a solid battalion with 20x FWs, 5x crisis suits (with 1 built as commander), and 1 ethereal, then you're just stuck with 1 extra ethereal and all the rest is great stuff, core to pretty much any Tau build. From there you can get vehicles for a mechanized force, more suits for a suit army, or more infantry for a horde army.

2) Deathwatch. All the best stuff you want in a competitive DW force is right here baby. 2x SC's is solidly in the 1k range and gives you a great little TAC list with a mix of antitank and anti-infantry.

3) Admech. Ranked lower only because overall the faction isn't great, the SC box is maybe the best for content.

4) Daemons of Nurgle. solid core to a competitive list, you'll want 2 of these for sure. Lower because I don't know if that's a lot of points.

5) Eldar. Loads of points! Units aren't AMAZING, they're good, but not amazing, and nothing you'd bring in a tournament list.

6) Nids. nothing in there that you don't really want in your competitive army, but it's also not a ton of points and you don't necessarily need 2 Broodlords.

the rest I either rank as not very competitive, or horde armies you don't reaaaally want to be buing into on a budget.



What about DG?
Decent troops, good rules, best HS in all off chaos.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Excommunicatus wrote:
You can make a 1500pt army pretty easily with three SC! Slaanesh Daemons boxes, three Daemonettes boxes and a box of Seekers. I think that tops out at 1591pts for

six Heralds (three on foot, two on Steeds, one on a Seeker Chariot)
60 Daemonettes (3x20 w/ Instrument and Banner)
18 Seekers (3x6 w/ Instrument and Banner)
3 Hellflayers
2 Seekers Chariots

You may be able to stretch it further with Heralds on Exalted Chariots instead of the other chariots, too.

$440 (CAD), plus HST, and you'll need to buy three 105x70mm bases, which are $5 each, IIRC, for a grand total of $514.15. xe.com advises me that at the time of writing, that translates to ā‚¬342, Ā£295 or $381 (USD).

There's probably a reason you don't see Slaanesh Daemons in tournaments, though.


New slaanesh stuff incoming though soo i duno.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2019/04/25 18:29:41


https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/766717.page
A Mostly Renegades and Heretics blog.
GW:"Space marines got too many options to balance, therefore we decided to legends HH units."
Players: "why?!? Now we finally got decent plastic kits and you cut them?"
Chaos marines players: "Since when are Daemonengines 30k models and why do i have NO droppods now?"
GW" MONEY.... erm i meant TOO MANY OPTIONS (to resell your army to you again by disalowing former units)! Do you want specific tyranid fighiting Primaris? Even a new sabotage lieutnant!"
Chaos players: Guess i stop playing or go to HH.  
   
Made in ca
Fireknife Shas'el






Not Online!!! wrote:

What about DG?
Decent troops, good rules, best HS in all off chaos.


Lacks a SC to keep the price down - maybe in the next year or so we might see one.

   
Made in us
Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba






 John Prins wrote:
Not Online!!! wrote:

What about DG?
Decent troops, good rules, best HS in all off chaos.


Lacks a SC to keep the price down - maybe in the next year or so we might see one.


Yeah my rating was purely based on the SC boxes, so I didnt' rate factions who didn't have one.

Some of the best armies on a budget like Custodes don't have one, I was just thinking about the boxes.

"Got you, Yugi! Your Rubric Marines can't fall back because I have declared the tertiary kaptaris ka'tah stance two, after the secondary dacatarai ka'tah last turn!"

"So you think, Kaiba! I declared my Thousand Sons the cult of Duplicity, which means all my psykers have access to the Sorcerous Facade power! Furthermore I will spend 8 Cabal Points to invoke Cabbalistic Focus, causing the rubrics to appear behind your custodes! The Vengeance for the Wronged and Sorcerous Fullisade stratagems along with the Malefic Maelstrom infernal pact evoked earlier in the command phase allows me to double their firepower, letting me wound on 2s and 3s!"

"you think it is you who has gotten me, yugi, but it is I who have gotten you! I declare the ever-vigilant stratagem to attack your rubrics with my custodes' ranged weapons, which with the new codex are now DAMAGE 2!!"

"...which leads you straight into my trap, Kaiba, you see I now declare the stratagem Implacable Automata, reducing all damage from your attacks by 1 and triggering my All is Dust special rule!"  
   
Made in ca
Fireknife Shas'el






the_scotsman wrote:

Some of the best armies on a budget like Custodes don't have one, I was just thinking about the boxes.


It's an important point - low model count armies are generally cheaper in terms of dollars. Knights are expensive individually, but a 170 USD Castellan is 550-ish points? That's highly competitive with most SC boxes.

   
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The Dread Evil Lord Varlak





 John Prins wrote:
Not Online!!! wrote:

What about DG?
Decent troops, good rules, best HS in all off chaos.


Lacks a SC to keep the price down - maybe in the next year or so we might see one.


what stops someone from converting some regular marines?

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/766717.page
A Mostly Renegades and Heretics blog.
GW:"Space marines got too many options to balance, therefore we decided to legends HH units."
Players: "why?!? Now we finally got decent plastic kits and you cut them?"
Chaos marines players: "Since when are Daemonengines 30k models and why do i have NO droppods now?"
GW" MONEY.... erm i meant TOO MANY OPTIONS (to resell your army to you again by disalowing former units)! Do you want specific tyranid fighiting Primaris? Even a new sabotage lieutnant!"
Chaos players: Guess i stop playing or go to HH.  
   
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Commander of the Mysterious 2nd Legion





I'd argue DG right now defacto have a SC set in the form of Know No Fear. KNF runs the same cost as a start collecting set, and gives DG players a HQ choice, 2 squads of troops, and a decent fast attack. really when you look at a SC box it's pretty much on par, consider the space marine SC box, which is a captain, a squad of tac marines and a dread

Opinions are not facts please don't confuse the two 
   
Made in us
Hellacious Havoc





Yeah the 3 8E starter sets are a nice value. Starting back up in 8th I got all 3 of those sets, both codex', and added a few boxes for 2 full 2000 point armies at around $550 after the online discounts.

"Competitive" is of course the rub. These aren't going to stand up well against real tournament armies. Then again, a new player with a new army isn't going to win much against those armies no matter what they bring.
   
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Ultramarine Chaplain with Hate to Spare






Yeah, how competetive is "Competetive"?

Right off the bat I can think of a Castellan and 3 Shield Captains on bikes will get you pretty far in points/competetive for not too much money. Throw in some Guard for CP and add other stuff for flavor.

And They Shall Not Fit Through Doors!!!

Tyranid Army Progress -- With Classic Warriors!:
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/743240.page#9671598 
   
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Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Sweden

Make your tanks out of cardboard and scraps. Use non GW minis for infantry. This is easier and more affordable for some armies, but really hard to capture the right style with others. I've seen really nice DE raiders out of cardboard for example.

This would be the truly low budget way to 40k. Get all the army rules with battle scribe, and share/borrow the main rulebook with some likeminded friends

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Painting Within the Lines






Charlotte, NC

Great responses so far, people! Thanks!
As I was reading, I caught a couple of questions that made me want to clarify a couple points.
1. At the end of my post I stated that we can assume we already have the BRB and codex. Most codices cost around the same, and the basic rules are free, so we can assume we already have those.
2. I've been playing a long time ('92) and have seen the prices creep up as the game has grown in popularity. I even saw them come down (!) A little bit when GW went through its leadership hange.
3. Let me also stipulate that 'competitive' means 'tournament ready', so painting and modelling would be at that basic standard of 3up colors. And, as sanctioned tournaments tend to say, 'NO RECASTS!!!'
4. Points wise- let's say ITC standard. 2000, I think?
To summarize, what would be a reasonable retail buy-in cost for a 2000pt, painted to minimum standard tournament ready list that has at least, with some decent generalship, a chance of placing.
Hopefully that focuses the question- sorry for not clarifying before.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2019/04/25 23:05:20


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Second Story Man





Austria

At least 600$, including paint/basing, without rules (and while the core rules are free you need the BRB) if you use GE models without conversions and additional ~100-200 to keep up with meta changes a year.

You can save on 200-300 if you use core box models only and convert them (as you buy the stuff no one wants for cheap) or use non GW models.

 CATACLYSMUS wrote:
. And, as sanctioned tournaments tend to say, 'NO RECASTS!!!'.


No one said anything about recasts

Harry, bring this ring to Narnia or the Sith will take the Enterprise 
   
Made in ca
Fireknife Shas'el






BrianDavion wrote:
I'd argue DG right now defacto have a SC set in the form of Know No Fear.


Fair enough. You're getting single pose minis with no weapons choice, but it's basically 2 SC for the price of one and a bucket of space marines to boot. If you don't have the Rulebook, Dark Imperium is basically a SC+ Rulebook as well, with even more bonus Space Marines.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Not Online!!! wrote:
 John Prins wrote:
Not Online!!! wrote:

What about DG?
Decent troops, good rules, best HS in all off chaos.


Lacks a SC to keep the price down - maybe in the next year or so we might see one.


what stops someone from converting some regular marines?


Don't even have to convert, just get some Mark III marines and paint them old school Death Guard colors. The Heavy Bolter is a good stand in for a blight launcher, and you can order weapons kits from Forge World.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/04/26 06:00:58


   
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Longtime Dakkanaut





Hey, just because I gotta stick up for it. The space wolf Santa Sleigh is amazing. It will see each and every space wolf game I ever play, it is model perfection. Face me on my sleigh and be smote with the fury of Russ !
   
Made in us
Painting Within the Lines






Charlotte, NC

 kodos wrote:


 CATACLYSMUS wrote:
. And, as sanctioned tournaments tend to say, 'NO RECASTS!!!'.


No one said anything about recasts


There has been some mention of using other ranges as 'counts-as'. In the vein of further clarifying my original stipulations, I wanted to make sure I covered all of the bases. Especially since some of the resin recasts I've seen recently equal (or even surpass) the quality of certain FW models. What people do or do not choose to do with their money is up to them. I just thought it bore mentioning.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
To kind of throw my hat in the ring of my own personal opinion, I agree with the poster that mentioned IK. It's kind of counterintuitive, given that they are large expensive models, but they are also huge point sinks, which makes them a 'deal' insofar as bang for the buck.
Having said that, from what I've seen so far, they dont fare as well in the tournament circuit standing alone.
In addition, with the basic color scheme required, I can outfit myself with the paints and tools needed for around $30. It does add more in the time investment category, which is an expense in and of itself, and wont yield the highest quality in terms of paint scheme, but for basic requirements, it'll do.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2019/04/26 14:56:01


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Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





Now that metal models are gone it is impossible to very difficult to determine if something is recast.

Some recasters even ship in forgeworld packaging.

For the sake of this post I am going to assume OP means netlist that has won a major tournament = competitive.

If that is the case, then you cannot buy 300usd army. Not even 500. With eBay at 15% off you could get some net lists for 750 new on sprue/new in box.

You can buy 2k pt armies for less than 300, or 500 although the internet's would not consider them competitive. The Christmas bundles, and the bigger boxed sets with 2 factions are excellent values, but they won't directly build you a net list.

That said net lists are fairly over rated, there are many RTTs and GTs that are won by not net lists.

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2019/04/26 15:36:44


 
   
 
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