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Made in gb
Fresh-Faced New User





Hi all,
I decided I would start getting into Warhammer 40k 2 months ago when I purchased the 8th edition rulebook, and I still haven't decided on an army!
I have tried quantifying each army based on the three criteria I keep hearing about: lore, playstyle and models/art; however It's almost like I have Warhammer army ADHD or something, my preferences keep on flip flopping between factions. I'll get all monomaniacal about Necrons for a few days and definitely feel like i'm going to collect them however another day i'll like the Adeptus Mechanicus more, this keeps on repeating and repeating and honestly it's stressing me out, I just want to paint cool miniatures dammit! I can't collect multiple / play kill team as I have nobody to play with, I can't go to my local store as we're all under quarantine, and I don't have enough money, so that option is out of the window.
Thanks for any replies, good luck in quarantine!
   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

Welcome to my world - don't worry you're not alone. I too can get fully into the Tyranids then in a day I want Skitari then I want Mar-- no wait I oddly never want marines (love the lore and games just never really taken with the models).


Basically sometimes you've got to jump in and get started. Doesn't mean you have to jump in the deep end and buy a whole army; but just that you make a start anywhere. If you're playing Killteam then you can at least build several armies with options for the cost of one full army in 40K itself.

One trick I've found of help is to visit the GW website; go to an army and open a new tab for every single model in that army. I then go through the list and close the tab on any I don't really love.



In the end it can sometimes help because you might realise that you only like one or two models in a range; or that you really hate all those mandatory troops; or perhaps you really love it all etc... Sometimes you can even find that you like the theme and idea of an army, but that none of the models in the army itself really grab you.

A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in gb
Fresh-Faced New User





 Overread wrote:
Welcome to my world - don't worry you're not alone. I too can get fully into the Tyranids then in a day I want Skitari then I want Mar-- no wait I oddly never want marines (love the lore and games just never really taken with the models).


Basically sometimes you've got to jump in and get started. Doesn't mean you have to jump in the deep end and buy a whole army; but just that you make a start anywhere. If you're playing Killteam then you can at least build several armies with options for the cost of one full army in 40K itself.

One trick I've found of help is to visit the GW website; go to an army and open a new tab for every single model in that army. I then go through the list and close the tab on any I don't really love.



In the end it can sometimes help because you might realise that you only like one or two models in a range; or that you really hate all those mandatory troops; or perhaps you really love it all etc... Sometimes you can even find that you like the theme and idea of an army, but that none of the models in the army itself really grab you.

The idea of opening tabs of each unit sounds very unique, i might try that and attempt to spot any patterns in my preferences, thank you!
   
Made in ca
Longtime Dakkanaut






Most of us have hobby ADD. I have literally tens of thousands of dollars of stuff accumulated, some built some not.

My suggestion would be to look into an army that you like the looks of most. That will keep you focused for the most part.

Maybe look into an army that has a more diverse range of miniatures if you find yourself looking at many different armies.

Chaos Marines, Daemons, Tyranids, Eldar all have many units that vary in size, shape and colour. When you get bored of painting one type of thing, move onto another.

Square Bases for Life!
AoS is pure garbage
Kill Primaris, Kill the Primarchs. They don't belong in 40K
40K is fantasy in space, not sci-fi 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




While building a kill team might be uneconomic - I'd say buying, building and painting one unit of basic troops will give you a good feel on whether you *like* the army or not. If you get 3 models in and you are left going "I'm just not feeling it" then its probably not the faction for you.

Really though the only way I've stayed loyal to an army is by socialising and playing. It means I want models to play the game which means building an army, not just having a half assembled/painted version of every start collecting box.
   
Made in us
Sneaky Sniper Drone




You can dip your toes by starting with Kill Team. You can usually get a decent team together with a couple boxes. A small outlay compared to a whole army! (though going in deep can be not-insignificant, also to think about is that many KT equipment options are things to avoid in 40k, or vice versa)

Now, the Playing The Army feel doesn't necessarily translate between the games so well, but you'll get to assemble and paint stuff and maybe you'll decide a faction looks cooler or sucks to paint or something!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/04/02 21:50:54


 
   
Made in gb
Aspirant Tech-Adept




UK

It’s not uncommon, I think most people have it to some degree. In fact I’m always more surprised when someone says they staunchly stick to one army.

Imperial Soup
2200pts/1750 painted
2800pts/1200 painted
2200pts/650 painted
217pts/151 painted 
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut




UK

Nothing to stop you using the Codex for one faction, and the model range from another. Like the Ad Mech models but the Necron rules? Go for it. Just make sure your opponents know they are ‘counts as’ Necrons.
   
Made in ca
Commander of the Mysterious 2nd Legion





One thing others have said but I can't stress eneugh.

You can have multiple armies. In fact I think it's the NORM for everyone to have a smattering of stuff, Things that have graced my hobby table (as in building, or painting units of) off the top of my head are: Space Marines (3 seperate flavors) chaos space marines, Imperial Guard, Tyranids, Orks (so far only assmbled some, no painting) Sisters of Battle, Admech, Custodes,

I've not played all these armies, some Ive simply assmbled some because I wanted to paint or assmble the kit, (my brother in law has a Hive Tyrant sitting in a place of honor on his book case... much to my sisters annoyance )

Opinions are not facts please don't confuse the two 
   
Made in de
Longtime Dakkanaut




Well, you got to accept that you probably won't be able to play everything. The nature of the hobby is you cannot just switch factions as easily as you can in a computer game, etc..


Just cross off a couple of things with "they are cool, and I hope I'll play against them some day, but I won't collect them now".

It also helps to keep things for the future. Make Army X your 2020 project, and stick to it, but know that you might do another cool thing as your 2021 project. Try to not purchase obscene amounts of stuff before you're finished painting stuff you already have.


Also, sticking with one of the more allies-friendly super-factions such as Imperium or Chaos can help. If you're not dead-set on a single factions, no matter what, avoid things like Necrons, Tau, Orks, etc.. If you collect, say, an Adech Bataillon or an Imperial Knight, you can later paint some Sisters of Custodes or whatever and still play them together on the table.
   
Made in de
Longtime Dakkanaut





Throw a coin and stick with it.
   
Made in fr
Regular Dakkanaut




Birdoctor wrote:
Hi all,
I decided I would start getting into Warhammer 40k 2 months ago when I purchased the 8th edition rulebook, and I still haven't decided on an army!
I have tried quantifying each army based on the three criteria I keep hearing about: lore, playstyle and models/art; however It's almost like I have Warhammer army ADHD or something, my preferences keep on flip flopping between factions. I'll get all monomaniacal about Necrons for a few days and definitely feel like i'm going to collect them however another day i'll like the Adeptus Mechanicus more, this keeps on repeating and repeating and honestly it's stressing me out, I just want to paint cool miniatures dammit! I can't collect multiple / play kill team as I have nobody to play with, I can't go to my local store as we're all under quarantine, and I don't have enough money, so that option is out of the window.
Thanks for any replies, good luck in quarantine!

Relax, with the quarantine, many online shops are not even sending orders, so you are forced to wait it out before spending a penny anyway. + The GW factory is shut down so most stocks are almost out until probably mid-may (at best)

here are a few tips from someone with several attempts to get in the hobby before settling:

- first, rank every armies based on looks alone (check the gw website, and painted armies on the net)

- check if an army minis haven't been updated in a while , specifically the troops - those are due an update sooner than those who were upgraded recently. (Necrons, tyranids, orcs, astra, GK, drukhari, eldar have old troops sculpts). Investing in those armies might be a regret down the line (looks wise, it's probable that they'll be updated within the next 2 editions) [check https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Category:Miniatures, for each faction you'll see an image history of every model per edition]

- check the current meta to see if you will get steamrolled to narrow your choice further; that is if you plan to play within 9 months. Meta evolves pretty quickly with FAQS and CA;

- when you made your choice DO NOT buy a full army. Buy and paint one box at a time, create and prepare your army slowly. Painting is a MAJOR part of the hobby. Having too many minis to paint when starting the hobby will disgust you from it.

- don't buy tons of paints. get a primer, a base coat, colors for details, and washes. check the citadel app, they have great templates for the most common official color schemes. check warhammer TV "how to paint" video guides. They are great.

- about money : you can find some sweet deals on eBay /Craigslist etc. Don't like the paint job on a second hand army ? All you'll need is a paint dissolvant that doesn't eat plastic and a toothbrush - altho i don't recommand going this way when you begin. By one official box, and start painting.
Also, many online stores discounts GW prices 10 to 20%. Don't buy on the GW online store.

- get involved in your local GW shop ( buy some stuff, be a spectator To in-shop battles, participate in painting classes), whatever you read about GW being greedy etc, every shops owner is different , and regardless of "evil GW", the local guys earn their keep from local sales like every kind of store. Support them a bit because shops are part of the hobby , but don't buy everything from them if you're tight on money.

- if the local GW shop owner is an ass or there is no shop, get involved in the tabletop local scene . This is a social activity and you won't get much enjoyment from painting alone in your basement.

- don't play before you painted your mini to an acceptable level. At least not with your first ever army. As a newcomer, coming in with half or not painted , quickly assembled, army, is not the best introduction

This message was edited 14 times. Last update was at 2020/04/03 17:01:20


 
   
Made in pl
Fixture of Dakka




Maybe if you are so focused on painting the get 2-3 models from each faction, maybe something like a kill team starter. And start paining each one. If after a few models you still think you may want to paint 60+ models of the same kind, it could be an army to paint for you. If you paint 10 necron models and decide it is more then enough, or you stop painting them in the middle of the squad, then you are probably not going to enjoy painting the bucket of necrons you need for a full w40k army.

If you have to kill, then kill in the best manner. If you slaughter, then slaughter in the best manner. Let one of you sharpen his knife so his animal feels no pain. 
   
Made in se
Fresh-Faced New User





Things related to the hobby I cannot decide:

1. Setting: historical, fantasy, sci-fi 40k, whfb,
2 System: mass battle, skirmish, what edition etc
2. Faction: Race,nation, army, point in time,
3. Painting style: Gritty, colourful, clean etc
4. Style of miniatures: Oldhammer, newhammer, combination of all.

Combine this with a slow pace of painting and I manage about 1 model before I get interested in something else. And when I get back to the previous interest I have changed preferred style of painting So I feel your pain I usually end up admiring other peoples blogs instead
   
Made in gb
Furious Fire Dragon





Midlands, UK

Like some of the others have said, I'm surprised when people just stick one hobby project. Even people like me who very much has a 'main' army, a first love, tend to branch out into other armies/projects too. My first and main faction has always been (Biel-Tan) Craftworld Eldar, but that hasn't stopped me over the years picking up Space Marines of a couple of different chapters, Deathwatch, Sisters of Battle, Imperial Knights, an Imperial Titan, Harlequins, Adeptus Titanicus, WHFB High Elves, Orcs and Goblins, Lizardmen and a BFG Nurgle Fleet. I think the challenge is making sure that when you pick these things up, to actually get them 'complete' before moving on to the next shiny thing. That depends on your goals of course, if all you wanted is to paint some cool models from a faction then that's easy, but if you want a playable, painted army it takes a bit more dedication to get it done before being distracted by the next thing. Out of all those things I listed, many of them got stopped/set to one side partway through my original plan. I can still revisit them, but that's often unlikely when something new catches my eye.

If anything the choices I find most difficult are which options to glue onto my models when I'm building them - such as which special/heavy weapons to glue onto the Battle Sisters I just built. I magnetise vehicles but I don't bother with infantry, and I can often find that it really prolongs the build process while I deliberate over whether to glue on a flamer or a meltagun. Which feels especially daft given that they basically don't ever see the game table, and even when they do they're the most casual of friendly games. So I try to tell myself to pick whichever option is coolest, while a part of my brain still insists on considering the meta.

The best advice probably depends on what you're in this for. I'm much more of a modeller/painter than I am a gamer, so having half-finished armies doesn't really matter to me. My models live in the display case much more than on the gaming table. If you're like me, dive in with some models you like, then if you enjoy painting them pick up something else for the same faction and if you keep doing that you'll soon have a playable army. If you've got more focus on the gaming than I do then you just need to choose one and try your best to stick with it. As has been said, if you're feeling indecisive then picking a faction that's part of a broad over-arching faction can help - if you start with Mechanicus, then you can ally them with anything else Imperium for example. So getting distracted with some Imperial Guard doesn't really matter because you can field them together.


   
Made in ca
Commander of the Mysterious 2nd Legion





IF BTW it's over all even on 'crons vs admech once you make all the decisions, I'd start with Necrons, they're proably a little more forgiving for a rookie painter

Opinions are not facts please don't confuse the two 
   
Made in fi
Locked in the Tower of Amareo





Birdoctor wrote:
Hi all,
I decided I would start getting into Warhammer 40k 2 months ago when I purchased the 8th edition rulebook, and I still haven't decided on an army!
I have tried quantifying each army based on the three criteria I keep hearing about: lore, playstyle and models/art; however It's almost like I have Warhammer army ADHD or something, my preferences keep on flip flopping between factions. I'll get all monomaniacal about Necrons for a few days and definitely feel like i'm going to collect them however another day i'll like the Adeptus Mechanicus more, this keeps on repeating and repeating and honestly it's stressing me out, I just want to paint cool miniatures dammit! I can't collect multiple / play kill team as I have nobody to play with, I can't go to my local store as we're all under quarantine, and I don't have enough money, so that option is out of the window.
Thanks for any replies, good luck in quarantine!


2 armies would make it easier to introduce game to friends for opponents though ;-) Have done that with multiple games. You could keep points down to begin with alleviating cost issue. You don't have to play 2000 pts games after all. 2 1000 pts armies can be even cheaper than 1 2000 pts army.

Another option would be change game. LOTR makes it cheap to build multiple armies(50£ can be used to get playable force...). Or kill team for 40k system. That's like box per faction. You can then paint cool models and slowly expand if you wish while having good rules.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/04/04 10:52:38


2024 painted/bought: 109/109 
   
Made in us
Monster-Slaying Daemonhunter





Get both!

I have Imperial Guard, Sisters of Battle, Space Wolves, Adeptus Custodes, and Grey Knights. Sometimes, you want different things out of your force on different days.

Also, it allows me to have different paint schemes so I don't get tired of painting as fast. Both my Sisters and my Grey Knights are silver, white, red, and gold, and when I'm tired of painting shiny I can paint my grey and dark grey Guardsmen, or my blue and white and black space wolves.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2020/04/04 20:36:35


Guardsmen, hear me! Cadia may lie in ruin, but her proud people do not! For each brother and sister who gave their lives to Him as martyrs, we will reap a vengeance fiftyfold! Cadia may be no more, but will never be forgotten; our foes shall tremble in fear at the name, for their doom shall come from the barrels of Cadian guns, fired by Cadian hands! Forward, for vengeance and retribution, in His name and the names of our fallen comrades! 
   
Made in us
Powerful Phoenix Lord





Honest advice?

Don't buy a thing till you actually make a decent decision. GW prices are pretty astronomical for the hobby...so it's not something I'd suggest just kind of waffling into. I say this as a guy who has sold over $10,000 worth of used 40K stuff on eBay for the local community. Heaps, upon heaps of wasted money and time in half-ass projects or armies that were never realistically going to be...

Short version: You don't make much money back on selling used or half-assembled crap, so don't plunk down your money unless you're actually sure. I have numerous friends (almost all the same stereotype, early 20's, IT gigs, etc.) who each have a half dozen armies...and not a single complete, nor painted one.

You're in no rush to play the game, just chill and think about it before you end up wasting a bunch of cash.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/04/04 22:25:18


 
   
Made in ca
Longtime Dakkanaut





So I see you said loud and clear kill team isn't and option, but just hear me out on this one.

I find that the only thing that stops people from playing GW games is $. If you have a Necron Kill Team and and AdMech Kill Team and the rules, no one who is a friend or family member will deny you a game, because they literally don't have to do anything but play.

If on the other hand, you just buy an army,WAY harder to find an opponent.

This is why I have five armies.

The one thing working against you is that the factions you like can't ally. If they could, combining the two kill teams would be the core of an army right there.
   
Made in ca
Junior Officer with Laspistol





London, Ontario

Consider the factions you like, decide on one, buy a unit and paint it. You might find you can’t stand something about it, so you’re only out the cost of one unit.

Bonus if you can buy second hand. Less risk, equal reward. In my case, I love Ork lore, love Ork playstyle, like putting the models together... but after painting one squad of Orks I’d rather... I don’t know. Think of something awful and I’d rather do that than paint more 40k Orks.

And even if you won’t paint another squad... you’ve still got an option for Kill Team.

I say dive in, one unit at a time. And don’t let gatekeepers stop you from playing unpainted minis. If they have a problem, feth ‘em.
   
 
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