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I'm mostly an AoS player but have been wanting to make the leap to 40K for a while, not so much for 7th edition but in preparation for 8th (whenever it turns up). I had been collecting a small Deathwatch force which I'm slowly painting, but with all the confusion over the codex FAQs I thought I'd put them on hold for the moment and start something else. I'm not sure what to go for though - I'd want something similarly elite, with a fairly small model count (my AoS armies are hordes), but I'm not a fan of massive centrepiece models like the Tau stormsurge so would want to avoid having to get something like that to make them properly competitive. Any suggestions very much appreciated!

If you like an army that is close combat oriented go for space wolves: wulfen, thunderwolves and some infantries in drop pods, nothing else, their start collecting box is one of the best. Or if you like some crusaders style warriors go for grey knights, probably the most elite based army in 40k, they do have massive models though, as stormravens and especially dreadknights are very powerful. Not sure about Gen cult or thousand sons, I've only seen them on youtube but they appear decent at least, and without the horde style.

richstrach wrote:
I'm mostly an AoS player but have been wanting to make the leap to 40K for a while, not so much for 7th edition but in preparation for 8th (whenever it turns up). I had been collecting a small Deathwatch force which I'm slowly painting, but with all the confusion over the codex FAQs I thought I'd put them on hold for the moment and start something else. I'm not sure what to go for though - I'd want something similarly elite, with a fairly small model count (my AoS armies are hordes), but I'm not a fan of massive centrepiece models like the Tau stormsurge so would want to avoid having to get something like that to make them properly competitive. Any suggestions very much appreciated!

Firstly it is a good idea to hold off until 8th edition, because there might be a points rebalancing with the combined factions that may arrive e.g. with the Eldar combining at the minute. What might not look clear now may be really easy for you with a bigger chance of variety post 8th edition. As for advice, there are standout factions tailored to a certain play style and model count, but as for model count pretty much any force can have an elite small model count army if you choose the right units and put upgrades on them. This also means you get a good reason to do some interesting conversions and make them stand out. I am probably really naïve to say this, but when I started I just looked at what I thought was really cool and from there which armies had the most models I liked, that made choice a lot simpler. It is one thing having a really winnable army tailored to suit a certain play style, but nothing beats having a force that you really like and can make really personal, even if it isn't a super winnable combination..

Thanks for the recommendations - Space Wolves are what I was leaning towards already, I love the idea of the 13th company and theming the army around the Wulfen and thunderwolf cavalry. It's a good idea to hang fire until 8th though, as it seems clear 40k is going to have more of a Grand Alliance aspect to it, like AoS, which at least means I can use my Deathwatch as more of an allied faction rather than the main army.