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Hey guys, I'm very new to the hobby of wargaming in general and I'm gonna play my very first game of 40k on the 12th with the Alamo City Wargamers club, and was wondering if you had any tips for a 40k virgin.
PS: Playing Dark Angels if this helps at all.

Tip 1 - RTFM (read the fragging manual)

In short- read your codex and your rulebook until you know the rules. Work at it as you learn the game. You doin't have to have it all down from day 1, but it does save a lot of tedious looking stuff up..

Tip 2 - Have fun! This game is meant to be fun. If you aren't having any, then why do it

If you weren't aware already the Dark Angels are getting a new Codex (mini rulebook of their own) on the 12th.

So my advice would be to not make any expensive purchases until you have the new book.

Be nice and respectful when playing, other players will help good-mannered players all the time. Welcome to 40k

Try to think 2- 3 turns ahead

Quit before you waste your money...

Moisturise.

Look for your favorite model. The one that is either invaluable to your strategy or the one that holds the most emotional weight. Once you have found it come to grips with its inevitable demise. Turn one. Without it actually getting to do anything.

I know that sounds harsh, but I have seen an uncounted number of new players become emotionally compromised during their baby steps because the models they turned into a labor of love were blown sky high by the first unpainted Space Marine to look at them funny. If you come to grips with this you will be better off than most. Good luck!

Shoot the choppy and chop the shooty.

And don't be a dick.

Top two rules to live by.

Oddly enough the Codex comes out the day of your first game.

In all honesty I'd pick up the codex, slop some stuff together and give it a whirl.

Don't be scared of a match.
Roll with the punches, don't get emotional or mad at bad rolls, it happens
Smile and talk to your opponent. It's a game so have fun.

 purplefood wrote:
Moisturise.

And lather, rinse and repeat as necessary.

jdjamesdean@mail.com wrote:
In all honesty I'd pick up the codex, slop some stuff together and give it a whirl.

This terrible advice. Unless you're one of those people who doesn't care how awful their models look as long as they're winning games "just slop some stuff together" means you're spending hundreds of dollars on models that you're going to throw in the garbage in shame once you learn how to build and paint properly. Take your time, play with proxy models if you have to, and build things properly even if it takes extra time.

From a gameplay point of view:

1. Make sure you know all the rules, at least how the basics work, as well as any key rules you are using with your army (ie, Deathwing Assault).
2. Remember to think about objectives. New players can often get caught up trying to kill all of their enemies units, and end up realizing that on turn 6 they are 12" away from all the objectives. Start moving towards objectives by turn 4 at the latest in every game except for relic. Then, you want to start thinking about the objective on turn 1.
3. Remember secondary objectives. There are 3, line breaker, first blood, and slay the warlord. First blood has been argued to be the most important, so make an effort to try to achieve first blood while denying it to your opponents (deploying out of LOS if you are playing second, for example).
4. Remember that when shooting, you want to shoot at something until that target is no longer a threat to you. For some units, that can mean shooting until all the special/heavy weapons are gone, sometimes it means shooting until the enemy falls back, sometimes it means stunning the vehicle, sometimes it means wiping the target out to a model. You should rarely spread your fire out, as 20 marines with 2 melta guns are more dangerous than 22 marines with 3.
5. Always shoot with your largest units first. You are less likely to overkill this way.

From a social point of view:
1. Be punctual, don't make people wait for you.
2. Be polite. Nobody wants to play with TFG (which, contrary to what some posters believe, is not dictated by what list you bring)
3. Be clean and well dressed. That means shower (if not immediately before you go to play, at least sometime the day of), be well groomed (keep your hair nice, not fancy, but not a mess) and dress well. People will like you more if you are better dressed and it helps make a good first impression. I would personally suggest a simple button-up shirt with long sleeves and proper pants (not sweats or pajamas).
4. Have fun. While you have to try to remain polite (I always suggest keeping trash talking and crude jokes to a minimum at any first outing) make sure you enjoy yourself and, most importantly, you look like you are enjoying yourself.

Don't pick imperial guard as your first army if you value a good financial situation ;~;
Do you like money? Yes? Run. Run as fast as you can.

Or, pick Grey Knights and laugh as your cheap cheese army obliterates everything. The only downside? Everyone will hate you.

Remember, A healthy Dose of Cynicism will get you along way.

Though some disagree, I like to say "start small". A quick 450-750 point game is fun, doesn't take too long, and let's you get to grips with the basic game before throwing multiple special units and complex situations in. There is plenty of time for 1500+ games later on. Right now the goal is to roll some dice, learn the rules and have fun.

Dance, even if you have no where to do it but your own living room.

Don't let the kool aid drinkers try and hype you up into buying a bunch of stuff you don't really need