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So I used to post on here a long, long, LOOOONG time ago. Tbh I don’t know why I stopped…kids I guess. Life takes over!

However I’m looking to finally get back into 40k. Issue is…I have zero idea where to begin. Last time I collected or played was probably back in 5th/6th edition, late 90’s/early 2000’s. Used to enjoy eldar, but looking to get into maybe chaos space marines.

I watch content creators such as auspex tactics, for example, who has tier lists on which armies are spoof good, bad etc…but does any of this matter at all to someone who isn’t gonna do tournament play? I just wanna collect some chaos and have fun…win some, lose some, etc.

In particular I was looking at night lords, as they are my fav CSM legion. Potentially iron warriors as well! Are both armies totally fine for casual play? I imagine all of them are but figured I’d ask.

All that aside, any recommendations for a great starter force in general? I like all armies/lores in 40k, and there really isn’t any faction I dislike if I’m being honest.

Thanks for any suggestions/help!

Common advice is not to chase the meta. Pick the army / models you like and go with that. The meta changes frequently too (especially these days) so a trash army today could be top tier tomorrow (or vice versa).

I wish you all the best on your Night Lords journey. I don’t have any advice specifically for this army, there are plenty of posters who will though.

First of all: welcome back, I hope you will have a good time!

When you say "5th/6th edition back in the late 90s" I assume you are talking WHF? 40K 5th/6th edition was a good ten years later.

In general: collect what you like building and painting. Most armies have a variety of playstyles, and chances are high there is at least some way you can play any of them in a way you like. So the building/painting part is more important to "get right" - as long as you value this part of the hobby.

In a casual setting things like "the meta" or "tier lists" do not really matter. By working together with the player(s) on the other side of the table you can make pretty much any matchup a good experience for everybody involved.

There is a new (10th) edition of 40K coming this summer - you can check the first official news from GW here - so you might want to hold back on any rule purchases. What you could do: start with one of the Combat Patrol boxes GW does these days. Not only do they come with a reasonably varied starting army, there will also be a gaming format in 10th edition - aptly named "Combat Patrol" - where you can field the contents of any of these boxes against one another and have a balanced game.

Personally I do not think the CSM Combat Patrol is particularly thematic for Night Lords, but it would fit great with Iron Warriors. What either of them get in terms of special rules - no idea as of now. Just keep in mind that the current Codex: CSM will be useless once 10th edition drops.

Welcome back!

Like Darnok said - 10th edition is coming soon ( June-ish ) and it looks to be very different from 9th ( in a good way ).

The initial rules will be free as well as unit rules ( printable cards ). They should help you figure out how the units come together thematically and that could help you make purchase decisions beyond the Combat Patrol box.

The new edition is supposed to have a rules format specifically for playing with the Combat Patrols, so if that functions as advertised you will be able to get into games with just that one box. Night Lords have traditionally been about leadership checks which is something that we know is going to work very differently in 10th so it's hard to say how they'll operate.

Night Lords aren't really Chaos though are they?

Look up wahapedia for current rules but know they will be changed in a few months. Getting a combat patrol box wouldn't be a terrible Idea though as by the time you have it built and painted you should also get a nice game mode and free army rules for your trouble. Generally it is best to pick what you love, don't worry about rules as they come and go.