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Hey guys, so this is another one of those what should, I pick posts.. and as always I know no one can give me a yes or no answer really but I am hoping your opinions can push my in a certain direction.

So I. want to get back into 40K after about 4/5years.. And I am having trouble choosing between Space wolves, Black Templar, Genestealer Cults and Necrons.

So I like the look of GSC, the whole alien movie vibe, and from some battle reports I've seen their play style looks interesting. I was thinking of getting DeathWatch Overkill because that way I get to try two armies out and if I don't like them then at least I still have the boxed game.
But as I was thinking that someone came along with brand new Sanctus Reach Stormclaw box with everything in it for £90, which was a box I always regretted not getting. (Also Orks have been getting my attention as well lately). So this also seems like a good starting point.

Space wolves were the first army that caught my eye back in the day and never got to playing them. I love the kinda Viking theme, not so much the over use of wolves. The models are great, Lore, they are well established (BT doesn't even have a codex etc.. and GSC are new)

Next is actually an army I thought I wouldn't like too much are the BT, mainly due to them being fanaticly religious.. But something about them just hooked me. The look, lore and I think the lean towards melee which I like. But from what I can tell they don't have much diversity and buying upgrade packs would end up being expensive. (I know you don't need it)

And lastly Necrons, also an army I thought I wouldn't like but some of the models are great, good lore and mainly I thought it might be different as I normally go for assault styles in games.

Anyway I guess the question is.. why do you like/dislike these armies? What have your experiences been etc..

I appreciate the replies,

Jamstrap

All great options!

Space Wolves:
Never played with these, but I've played against them a bunch of time. Steel yourself against the inevitable "space puppies" joke, because that will never get old for the person making it. The viking vibe is great, and it's real. Long Fangs, Grey Hunters, Logan Grimnar (before he became Santa Claus). In recent times they have started venturing away from the viking feel, and more into a wolf-rider vibe. Not quite the same. Space Wolves were always cool (and sometimes reviled) because they got all the Space Marine goodies, plus extras. My first encounter with something like Split Fire came from fighting Space Wolves, as did the old "True Grit", and Counter-Assault. Before them, my Nids were happy assaulting even assault-themed armies. After that incident, not so much. But now the Space Wolves, outside of the Wolf bit, are feeling a LOT like regular marines, and in many cases now have less than their codex-pure kin. So, yeah, they're cool, and they have some neat stuff, but only grab them if you really want the Wulfen and Wolf stuff, or if you're truly a fluff-orientated player.

Black Templar:
Had a friend back in the day who played these guys. He put the shoulders on sideways. After we pointed out his mistake, he did a Donald and double-downed on it, claiming it was on purpose, and then made all his marines like that. He never played them as real Black Templar. When I first encountered a "real" Black Templar player, I was surprised by how many dudes could actually fit into a Land Raider Crusader! These are mostly seen as the weakest Chapter Tactic in Codex: Space Marines, but they still get access to almost all of its goodness (I believe no psykers though). They have a really nice motif, and the idea of having a bunch of marines charging left and right is a really fun thing.

Genestealer Cult:
I'm currently collecting this myself! Watch out, it's a money sink. The kits are expensive for few models, and you'll need a lot of models! There's lots of ways to stretch your dollar though. Have only had a single game with them so far, but I'm looking forward to more. They feel like a horde list, and your opponent will never completely get away from them. They are alien, but the kind of alien where you look at them and remember that they were sorta human. Feels really cool.

Necrons:
Of all the factions you've listed, I'm the least enthused about the Necrons. There are some people that really like them, and they kind of have an Egyptian feel. Generally speaking, they are a very "grindy" army. If you ever played Magic, they are the Black-White life-drain deck. They don't kill fast, and they aren't killed fast (or sometimes, it feels, at all). I haven't had a lot of games that I'd describe as "fun" against the Necrons. They're a challenge, and I don't think they're OP (for quite a while "able to beat a Decurion" was the entry-level of playing in tournaments), but they are very strong and very tough, and... yeah. I wish you the best of luck in playing them, but really try these out first before committing, because their style may sound good on paper ("I have an army that can slowly kill anything and is really hard to kill!") but in reality suits the tastes of a much smaller group.

I shy away from every color of space marine because in my previous local meta almost everyone played some color of space marine. Yes, spacewolves have a lot of unique flare that makes them pretty distinct from other breed of marine. But it's all bolters and chain swords. It gets monotonous fast. But thats me and my meta. Check on yours.

I own necrons as my second army purchased but my first army by choice. When I started my first army the latest necron dex had not yet come out. Their last book was from 5th ed. I went with my second choice, Nids. After I finished getting what I wanted out of Nids I started on Necrons. They make a good parallel from Nid especially with the way I play them. Vehicles, hyper durable, less blobs of hordy units. Everything able to deal with armor. Necrons have a surprising amount of ways they can be played and be generally effective. Easy to learn (probably the easiest) and tons of fun. Be very careful of how much cheese you bring or games can get real dull for the opponent, Rule #1 should always be fun.

GSC are a real neat blend of the Nids hordes and IG armor coupled with a real unique play style in the game. I haven't had a chance to play as or against them yet. But it looks fun. One warning... this army costs ALOT to build. The $ spent per point in army building might be the worst in the game.

Great replies. it's a pity about the Space Wolves as I'm not too keen on going full wolf.

I did worry marines were overused. I guess I'll go alien, but apart from Necron or GSC what others could you recommend? Orks look fun and possibly Dark Eldar but I don't know much about them.

Jamstrap wrote:
Great replies. it's a pity about the Space Wolves as I'm not too keen on going full wolf.

I did worry marines were overused. I guess I'll go alien, but apart from Necron or GSC what others could you recommend? Orks look fun and possibly Dark Eldar but I don't know much about them.

I'll definately second Necrons here as a good starter. I have a good size necron army that I love second only to my Dark Angels. I'm currently working on a DE force, which is more a labor of love than anything. DE's "thing" is being the hardmode army. They're a difficult to use army that relies very heavily on positioning, proper target selection, and luck. A single misstep and you're done. But victories (few, though, they may be) are all the sweeter for it, when all the careful planning pays off. Of course, being one of the best looking armies in the game softens the blow a bit, and being one of the more rare armies played means that your army will stand out, regardless of wins or losses.

I'm surprised with the Necron love.

I guess Deldar might have to be an army I pick up when I'm a little more experienced I guess.