How to make warhammer 40k a cheap hobby! (6 tips)

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**Amishprn86**

Stormonu wrote:
#1, #2, #3 and #6 are actually helpful ideas. #4 and #5 are just "feel good" perks, and actually aren't that helpful.

The only drawback to #3 - "buy only what you use" is that a unit's worth often doesn't really become obvious until it hits the tabletop in the real world, against real opponents (and meta). And a lot of times, what's good or bad changes with the winds of GW's rules writers. That makes getting and more importantly keeping useful units difficult - unless your willing to trade/buy/sell models as the meta shifts.

It also isn't just units tho. It also works for the paints, glue, hobby tools, etc... also many MANY players will buy something just to buy and not actually play/build/paint it.

**Amishprn86**

the_scotsman wrote:
Overread wrote:
the_scotsman wrote:

Honestly, 40k has it pretty good when it comes to that stuff, it's obvious to me that GW feels new AOS projects are much riskier/lower volume. When I got my AOS stuff I was frankly amazed at the going retail rates for some of this stuff. There's a biggish character, about C'tan sized, in the AOS army I play and it's a hundred goddamn dollars retail. Literally for something that's about the size of a C'tan or venomthrope, smaller than a dreadnought.

Which model?

The yodeleheehoo of math camp, aka Wave Man.https://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Eidolon-Of-Mathlann-2018 sorry, 110$.

Hilariously, for 5$ more, I can have this: https://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Idoneth-Deepkin-Akhelian-Leviadon-2018

And that sits on my shelf next to the suspiciously similarly sized and 75$ less https://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Drukhari-Raider

If I hadn't gotten those models in a trade... O.o

Well IDK and FS are the "costly armies" and no one knows why. But you can easily make a 2k army for $200, and a "viable and fun" 2k army for $300-400. Honestly there are many armies that can do that, BCR, FeC, BoC, Goblins, any death army with Nagash can be cheap, SCE, NH.

How many 40k armies (I haven't looked) can make a army worth playing (not GT level that is) for less than $400? Heck even my Quins with 18 bikes alone are $360 and thats only 800pts.

**Amishprn86**

Overread wrote:
One big difference is that AoS currently uses fewer models on average than 40K. You can see this when comparing demon armies (which work in both games). I think that GW has made AoS a bit more expensive in points so that army sizes are smaller since the game is "new" and has a lot of newer customers. Whilst 40K hasa greater legacy and a lot of older customers with bigger forces and more desire to put down more models.

I fully expect AoS armies to creep up in size over time. Either by the points values lowering and/or the "base point level" rising.

Nah this heavily depends on the army just like in 40k. Clanrats, Ungors, and many others are 4ppm, some armies has 3ppm guys too. One of my armies that i play for events has 164 models, but another one i play only has 69 models. BUT funny enough, the army with 69 models costs more than the one with 164 models, i have 15 chariots each costing $45 ($675) and those 15 chariots is only 750pts, lol.

Also if you play Horror spam, you can have 9 units of Pink Horrors on the table turn 1 if you get first turn (good chance of it too), 90 pink horrors turns into another 180 models that also can turn into another 180 models. But no one plays that b.c its stupidly boring and long turns. Also a chance you get screwed over and can't summon them all.

**Amishprn86**

I didn't say IDK was 200, i said you can make AoS armies for 200, i said IDK is one of the costly armies.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
You can literally get SCE/NH units for pennies per point. You have to get odd sets but its easily doable. And Nagash being 880pts you only need another 1k worth of models as you'll take a battalion, bonus CP, etc.. its easy to get 1k in NH for less than $100.

**Amishprn86**

PS, then you have armies like FeC and BCR. Their SC boxes are 700pts, 2 of those is 1400pts. 3 of them is easily 2k. Sure its a bit over 200, but i also said many armies can be 300-400. I said you "can" make a $200 new playable army.

If you want ot get into AoS for cheap you can. But at the same time an army could cost you $1500 as well as some AoS units/Armies are EXTREMELY costly. Like my chariots (Scourgerunners) 50pts for $45....

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Overread wrote:
The way you worded it made it sound very much like you were saying you could build an IDK 2K army for $200.

Sorry, no i meant IDK and FS are costly armies but at least in AoS there are some cheap ones. PS LoA is also another costly army, but its FW so....

**Amishprn86**

the_scotsman wrote:
Amishprn86 wrote:
I didn't say IDK was 200, i said you can make AoS armies for 200, i said IDK is one of the costly armies.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
You can literally get SCE/NH units for pennies per point. You have to get odd sets but its easily doable. And Nagash being 880pts you only need another 1k worth of models as you'll take a battalion, bonus CP, etc.. its easy to get 1k in NH for less than $100.

"Well IDK and FS are the "costly armies" and no one knows why. But you can easily make a 2k army for $200, and a "viable and fun" 2k army for $300-400."

Apologies if I misinterpreted there, that just VERY much seemed like you claiming that you could make an idk 2k army for 200$.

and if you're talking about getting the older, ported from fantasy models secondhand for penies per point...that's been a thing you can do with 40k for an extremely long time. I could probably make a fairly competitive guard army for an extremely low price buying super-cheap painted secondhand ebay crap, especially considering how good the barebones battlecannon russ is right now. I remember getting the third-ed era sculpt of the russ for like 10-20 bucks off ebay - that's a 140pt model.

Space Marines, Eldar, Guard, pretty much any long-existing army where you can get old sculpts that are good in the current meta, you can easily make a cheap secondhand 2k army for 40k. Even the newer competitive stuff can be real cheap - starter box intercessors are a tournament winning unit right now, after all.

Its NP at all. But man I wish lol. I had a LARGE IDK army... when i mean large i mean larger than the normal IDK player, i've spent way to much on them for sure.

Spoiler:

Also i mean new models still in the package. GW has put many smaller 4-10 man units in a lot of odd box sets, in magazines, and just small push fit sets in general over the years. Some of the kits oddly tho are not released in all countries, so the $200 claim might only work for some countries. Some shops even limited some of those released to 1 per customer b.c everyone is looking for them as they are great deals (basically free models). They are using NH and SCE to get new players into AoS for cheap.

**Amishprn86**

I've heard that too, also have no idea if it is true. But there has been AMA's from e GW workers that has said they will work on armies and then add something to that army that did sell well. Let me see if i can't find that.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Boom, Andy Chambers himself
https://www.reddit.com/r/Warhammer/comments/7decnl/im_andy_chambers_ask_me_anything/

**Amishprn86**

Sgt_Smudge wrote:
Martel732 wrote:
Span your collecting over 20 years. Don't buy an entire army all at once. Don't buy the gak units for a given army.
Generally agree on spacing out purchasing. Sure, buy a nice core of units (or just start with Kill Team!), but you don't need everything all at once.

However, I will disagree on not buying bad units generally speaking. The bad units of one edition can become the stellar units of others, and the inverse is true too (Guard Veterans, for example). Pick the units that you think look good from a playstyle or aesthetic perspective, if you're interested in getting involved beyond the immediate rules. But, if all you care for is winning in the current edition, sure, get the meta units.

You don't even need meta to win tho. Just don't take the terrible units. Like TH/SS terminators in a Land Raider.

Asking what units to avoid" is better than asking "what units to get?"

**Amishprn86**

Martel732 wrote:
Maybe there is no good answer. Most of the units I like have been garbage for over a decade now.

I've been playing Nids and DE from start of 5th. I feel you very much. At least DE has good units finally and i just sold off my nids b.c i was tired of them. Its the same 4 units that are good for over 10yrs Tyrant, Genestealers, Rippers, Hive guard. Anything else that was good is gone or changed to be bad (Pod, Doom, Tervigon, etc..)

But at least for DE venoms, raiders, warriors, a core of units has almost been a "must" each army has a "must" from 1 edition to another for the most part unless the reset the army (Primaris marines). So there is at least a good core to get players into.

**Amishprn86**

If you are making less than 500 a month you are not going to have ANY hobby that costs money.