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hey guys!

Im Really struggling to choose between the two armies to collect... I really enjoy the whole look of the guard army, but i love the individual look of orks just as much. I'm not overly fussed about winning, but it'd be nice to not have my ass handed to me every game. My main goal is to just enjoy myself.

Can any veterans of the two armies give me any advice?? Thankyou

Both quite expensive armies, I'd suggest to invest money in the models you like most.

IMHO AM is a very boring army to play, mostly shooting, static and no decent close combat.

Orks are very fun to play and I think their competitive lists are better than AM best ones. Both among low-mid tiers though, orks especially require some practise (and a significant number of bad losses) to learn how to use them efficiently.

Orks are also the most customizable army, even with tons of models you won't have two identical dudes and you can scratch build and convert a lot of stuff.

Well between the 2 I'd say the orks would be the safer choice. Now keep in mind I'm new to the game and I don't own either army. However with the release of The Fall of Cadia I'm thinking that the imperial gaurd might be getting a new line of miniatures in the near future. With orks however there miniatures never go out of date. Seriously GW orks from the 80s would look perfectly well with any of the more modern minis. Also every one loves playing against orks so there's that too.

go with the minis you prefer the look of, rules come and go, but an armies style is... if not forever, at least likely to evolve slowly.

that said guard might be worth considering more IF, you have a sizeable force of space marines or something, as you can slowly bulk our a guard army while running a castellians detachment

My honest advice: Neither.

Both are horde armies, preform poorly on the battlefield and are time sucking monsters when you want to finish it.

I could paint a regular army in the same time as I can paint 2 blobz of guard or orks. This usually results in either an unpainted "army" or a low quality painted army that you do not really like the looks of. My advice stay away from both unless you have a decent plan on how to build, paint and play them.

Honestly, I stopped playing 40k with random guys because they always take the most unfluffy, cheesedripping armies just so they can win.

Imperial guard is a fluff army, of course you can make a leman russ army and always crush your opponent without a single fluff element other than "its a tank regiment", but the guard is made to be versatile, having flyers, bodies, tanks, but the guard sucks at it. In the guard, you have to spam your units to be effective, otherwise, you'll get your ass handed.

My advise would be, only play with your pals, and only themed lists. The only viable way to play guard is mech. Russes spam, and vet spam.

And to the ones who say "hur dur take 50 man blob invinsible blob stronk " this gak doesn't work, maybe used to work, but there are so many anti inf options out there your infantry blobs are going to get slaughtered.

I would say try orks, guard is always the same thing novadays. Same vet spam, same russes, same cadian models.

Personally I'd say go with the army that you like better, I went guard because every time I see one of those models I get giddy. Personally I'm a looks and fluff over competitness kind of person. Remember you're going to have to build and paint every model. It's nice when you really like the models. Gameplay wise Orks are going to be more melee while guard are more shooty. Orks have really bad BS, but good WS, IG had eh BS and bad WS. IG air power is probably better. As well as their tanks. I personally with an all tank army for my first list and working on a second army of shitons of troops, as to combine them into one big army latter. As they said before the gam is not going to be cheap, but the 85$ start collecting are a good place to start, the Cadian Defense force is back for 165$, which is a really good deal since with that you enough to make 2 squads of vets(or average Guardsman, but then you still will need a PCS), 1 ccs, 3 weapons teams (you can only use 1 per vet squad and pretty CCS can take one, not sure if it's worth it), 1 chimera, and a LR. If I recall correctly is 50$ cheaper than buying them idvually, but only take it once you've committed to Guard, and know you won't be switching (which there is chance you may wish to after you buy them).

All in all I'd say go with the army that inspires you and makes you want to grab a sword or something and charge headfirst at enemy fire. You're going to be spending a ton of time painting and building so also keep in mind you should like their aesthetic, if you think the green skins look cooler by all means do so, or if the IG is the more interesting and better looking go with them.

Finally for IG being a cheesy spamming list. IG tanks aren't great, they lack split fire so squadrons aren't amazing, each weapon has to shoot at the same thing, despite having crews, meaning usually the best you can hope for is one sponson, you're hull and main cannon. They aren't skimmers so no jink. Sure we have smoke, but that needs to be done the turn before, planned out, jink is just an immediate response (and IIRC is 4+ and smoke is 5+), skimmers also flat out better. Eldar are more sleeek meaning they are covered by terrain easier. As for vets I don't have any experience with them, yet (new list is going to have a couple), so I can't speak on that. Same Chadians models, yes it's sad the Cadians are basically cheapest and easiest to get. Catachans are next, Steel Legion third. The rest lack any support really. Krieg can be found on Forgeworld, if you're willing to pay. But then again Orks have only one unit you can buy for boyz. Both though can be painted to you're prefrance, be it purple Orks or IG in winter camo, urban camo, or pink with purple poke-a-dots (I went winter camo).

Sorry I just had to say it.

I collect both so I can offer some advice. Orks are more versatile in melee while guard are more versatile in guns. A guard squad can be tricked out in war gear but orks don't have many options. Other than that I can say when I get tired of painting one I go to the other. Orks are silly and guard are sad so it's opposites to paint which is why having both is a good idea. Also both of these armies are made for apocalypse because at 2k points they both suck but at 5k they are really overwhelming not to mention both have a huge selection of models so eventually you will want to collect it all lol.

Game wise they are very similar in play style: unreliable shooting with no answer for knights, riptides and big things like that not to mention they suffer from thier super heavies being pretty ballancedarn while top tier armies have stupid cheap better options.

If you care about getting good at painting do orks first because they have big exaggerated features and tons of tutorials online. not to mention once you have the colors to paint orks you have more than you need to paint guard

I'd go with guard: they just look so much better than Orks and both armies can play on equal sorts of levels with the right list/tactics. Plus, if you have the money, you could make a DKoK army, god do those guys look amazing.

Obviously both, and ally them together.

 Melissia wrote:
Obviously both, and ally them together.

Do this! and then go ultimate doomed horde and make it an army entirely made up of grots and conscripts*


*i have no idea how possible this is