Building an Army on a budget

[Antony Copeland]

I'm looking for a cheap way I can build an army. Probably Space Marines or Chaos. It's been over 10 years since I had a playable force and my income is nowhere near as disposable as it once was. Any suggestions?

[Chaoschrist]

Dark angels, specifically Deathwing is a cheap way to go. 6 Terminator squads, Belial... and that should round out about 1800 points already. Don't know how many points you're aiming for.

The upside for this approach is that it's a low model count, thus not so overwhelming to get back into the hobby again. Having to paint 100+ models just to get back in it, might be bit much to some. Uniformity in the army might help out learning the rules again as well.

Another option might be Grey knights, but also here... I think Grey knight terminators (or Paladins even) might be a budget solution.

Deathwing can be had for (and I'm not from the US, so I'm doing it purely on conversion rates) I guess... about 150 minus paints and hobby neccesities.

Grey knights might be a bit more up, since you can't get cheap Terminators from a starterset. But still significantly less than most armies.

Another option might be to get a hold of 2 Dark vengeance Marines sets (10 tactical marines, 5 terminators, 1 Librarian, 1 Commander, 3 bikes; times 2; might sell off the Librarian + commander somehow) and work from there... might be about the same pricerange as a full deathwing army. And clearly more versatile to expand. And you can probably run those as either Dark angels as well as regular Marines, something which is harder to do with only terminators.

Chaos armies; the Dark vengeance models, most people probably only use the cultists. And from what I've heard, it's hardly worth it to start a Chaos army with Dark vengeance models. So you're probably doing a lot of shopping at gaming stores, which clearly ups the price a lot (read; retail price for boxed sets). That, and the fact that everyone and their mother plays Helldrakes because they're somewhat good (or so I've heard...) that's almost a mandatory unit and runs 70 something dollars, for single model, and it's most likely about 10% of the full army points you'll end up playing. No, a chaos army wont run you 700, but it does mean you need a lot more on top of the money invested in such a model to flesh out a playable army.

But I guess it depends on the amount of points you want to run as well. And maybe the type of army you want.

[Deadlift]

I would have said a Draigowing / Grey knights are your best bet. Still competitive (enough) and when your ready to expand later quite a few options. Darklink here knows his stuff about Grey knights and if he drops by will add some worthwhile advice.

[Digitarii]

I've been working on my minotaurs army for the last two years at roughly 50 dollars per month and recovering bits and pieces from failed/stalled projects. I have 6 troops squads, 8 or more HQ's, 3 fast attack, 4 elites, and 2 heavy support units. I'm finishing up this project and moving on to either a Sons of Horus CSM project or a Crimson Fists project.

[daboarder]

All my nurgle stuff down in the modelling forum is from kits I had collected over the years and greenstuff. Trawl ebay, grabn deals and pain strip would be some of my advice.

[Cap'nSmurfs]

Pace yourself. It's amazing what you can get done if you limit yourself to one unit a month, say. Start off with something like a Battleforce so you've got something to play with in the meantime, and then just gradually add to it. (This is what I do).

[lobster-overlord]

to answer the original question directly without hitting specific builds, go to ebay, find auctions for models you want that are shoddy paint jobs, buy them cheap, use breakfluid on or simple greeen to strip them, and enjoy recycled warhammer.

john m.

[clotheshanger]

Save beforehand and buy in bulk, that was the thing I failed to do when I got back into the game - as a result I paid way more than I need have because I bought in dribs and drabs, P & P/ shipping racks up pretty quickly.

[The Sovereign]

Dark Angels are definitely one of the cheapest and easiest options now, what with the tactical squads, Ravenwing bikers, and Deathwing terminators from the Dark Vengeance boxed set available in squad sized increments on eBay.

[Dave Mcturk]

ebay... pik up wot vry1 else is dumping...

[SotonShades]

Be happy to play small games. 1000 points can make for some really fun, fast paced games, especially if you stick to 4'x4' boards.

I'm certainly not disputing what others have said about low model count builds and eBay being your friend, but if those armies aren't your thing and you just can't find what you really want, there is nothing wrong with building an army up slowly over time and either asking your opponent for a smaller game, or asking a friend if you can be an ally to their force.

[deinol]

Be happy to play small games. 1000 points can make for some really fun, fast paced games, especially if you stick to 4'x4' boards.

I'm certainly not disputing what others have said about low model count builds and eBay being your friend, but if those armies aren't your thing and you just can't find what you really want, there is nothing wrong with building an army up slowly over time and either asking your opponent for a smaller game, or asking a friend if you can be an ally to their force.

This is good advice. Just pick an army you like, and build a little at a time. I'm actually building up a small marine force for my friend to play against me. One tac squad and one scout squad vs one avenger squad and one ranger squad will be our first battle for 250 points. And we'll keep building up from there, one squad at a time. (Need to hurry up and paint my rangers and scouts!)

[jgebi]

ebay and gum tree. my army only cost me a few hundred for about 2k worth of stuff

[Katharon]

And if you decide to purchase directly from GW -- you can always just get a battleforce box set. That is usually enough points for a 500 point game, or more for upgrades. Try ebay for codices.

[Arkhan Land]

ebay and gum tree. my army only cost me a few hundred for about 2k worth of stuff

craigslist is great too, can find people ditching whole armies for cheap. I got almost all of a complete chapters rhino chasis vehicles (Rhinos, Razors, Preds, Whirlis, Vindis) as well as bikes and lot of loose infantry in two fell swoops buying 100 dollar grab boxes from people who hadn't played their armies in forever, took some stripping but happy to have 15 mars pattern vehicles for less than the cost of 5 of them new

[madlants]

If you're into converting like I am, it's not a bad idea to invest in some green stuff and look into models from other miniature ranges, at least for casual games. Wargames Factory has really good prices, although their models are more suited for Fantasy than 40k. Converted Reaper miniatures can make good HQ characters for IG, Chaos cultists, Inquisitors w/ retinues (if you're going the Grey Knight route), and Eldar.

[dirkspair]

i would get the dark vengeance set, it has all the rules etc plus the DA are a great starting force. the captain can easily be played as Azrael, try to find someone to swap the chaos stuff for more DAs, get one box of DW terminators to convert some different weapon load outs and you are pretty well set.

[Chris Copeland]

I built a HUGE Genestealer army out of bitz from the bits bin at my LGS. I also built a moderately sized Space Marine army the same way... so I'm a big fan of building stuff out of bitz from your LGS. This only works if you have an LGS with a rich bitz collection... Cope

[Antony Copeland]

Thanks everyone, you're help is greatly appreciated. I think I'm going to start with the Dark Vengeance set and build up from there. I'm tempted, given the models included, to build a Fallen Angels army with Chaos Allies. Word Bearers perhaps?
I've also been playing with another idea for a space marine chapter under the care of an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor called "The Seekers of Absolution". The twist is that they are all former Chaos Space Marines who've come to regret their decision and are once more serving the Emperor. The models would have obvious signs that they're really trying. Horns removed from helms, chaos stars filed off, holy scripture tattoo'd on mutated limbs, purity seals all over the place, etc. Is this too weird, or should I go for it?

[madlants]

It's actually a pretty cool and fluffy idea for a radical Inquisitor. A puritan would know that the only absolution comes in death.

[kire]

if you are interested in space marines the best way to go would probably be a bundle deal this one will save you quite a bit and comes with the codex. http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod2160196a

[Digitarii]

if you are interested in space marines the best way to go would probably be a bundle deal this one will save you quite a bit and comes with the codex. http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod2160196a

That's kind of a budget killer. That's almost a third of my yearly income.

[Chris Copeland]

The Dark Vengence box can be a really good deal if you are a Chaos player because almost everything can be fielded by a Chaos player. Alternately, you can go in with a buddy. You each buy a box and then swap stuff... one player walks away with Chaos stuff and the other with Space Marine stuff. You can even use the Dark Angel models as regular Space Marine models if you so desire... I just wouldn't paint them green if you don't want to play DA (you might also take an exacto knife to some of the DA iconography)... Cheers. Cope



Thanks everyone, you're help is greatly appreciated. I think I'm going to start with the Dark Vengeance set and build up from there. I'm tempted, given the models included, to build a Fallen Angels army with Chaos Allies. Word Bearers perhaps?
I've also been playing with another idea for a space marine chapter under the care of an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor called "The Seekers of Absolution". The twist is that they are all former Chaos Space Marines who've come to regret their decision and are once more serving the Emperor. The models would have obvious signs that they're really trying. Horns removed from helms, chaos stars filed off, holy scripture tattoo'd on mutated limbs, purity seals all over the place, etc. Is this too weird, or should I go for it?

[Mark Mallari]

This is such a helpful thread. I am going to purchase the Dark Vengeance set for the rulebook, templates etc. I may or may not play the armies that come with it. When I stepped away from 40k I played CSM and was collecting a Ravenwing Army. But, this time around I am into Orks. I just am being a little careful and TRYING to be patient in purchasing my Ork warforce. Hopefully Games Workshop will give us a definite time when the Orc codex will be revamped. Anyone have any insight to how long of a wait this may be? I may play Dark Angles or Chaos that come with the Dark Vengeance set to tide me over till the Orks are revamped

Thansk

[knas ser]

That's kind of a budget killer. That's almost a third of my yearly income.

And don't forget you'd have to give up a couple of years work to get it all painted!

[Deadlift]

Thanks everyone, you're help is greatly appreciated. I think I'm going to start with the Dark Vengeance set and build up from there. I'm tempted, given the models included, to build a Fallen Angels army with Chaos Allies. Word Bearers perhaps?
I've also been playing with another idea for a space marine chapter under the care of an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor called "The Seekers of Absolution". The twist is that they are all former Chaos Space Marines who've come to regret their decision and are once more serving the Emperor. The models would have obvious signs that they're really trying. Horns removed from helms, chaos stars filed off, holy scripture tattoo'd on mutated limbs, purity seals all over the place, etc. Is this too weird, or should I go for it?

I really like this idea of yours, sure it's a bit different and the fluff bunnies may disagree, but you have a great idea and as long as it's wysiwyg you would have a great start into 40k. Now you just need to start a hobby blog in the painting section ;)

[Ravingbantha]

Ebay is certianly your friend for most armies. If your doing Dark Angels then it is definatly your friend. If you have a little patience you can find some great deals. Every once in awhile an auction will slip through the watchers and you can find some great deals. I've gotten a number of Dreadnoughts for under $15, tactical squads for $10-$13 for a 10 man squad, even a Land raider or two for around $30 each. It's a matter of learning the average price range for what army you are working on. I got 7 Tyranid Warriors for about $25 for my nephew

The only down side is that these mini's will need some TLC. But in the end you can have a huge army for little cash. My DA army is around 8,000 points with roughly a $300 investment.

[phreakachu]

also, check you FLGS: you might be able to pick up an army on the cheap from another player, then strip the *******s and repaint to taste

[goldenS]

I have some Marines I'm wanting rid of..... if your interested, PM me and I'll let you know what I'm offering!

[Ben Fail]

Space Marine Strike Forces are going for roughly 160 on Ebay, its a pretty good deal gives you some armor and the troops you need. Following that I think you'd fill out an army if you chose a couple signature pieces for yourself. Personally I picked up one, some sternguard, stormraven and extra rhinos and I am done with my army once more.

[FreedomHammer]

In lieu of money, do you have stuff to trade? When I returned to 40k years after having gotten rid of all of my 40k stuff, I was able to build an army with a little bit of money and trading on wwww.bartertown.com other items I had. Specifically, when Warmachine/Hordes didn't turn out to be interesting, I was able to trade my way entirely out of that hobby and back into 40k.

[Muninwing]

Years ago, I started my Deathwing army with plans for 2500 points. 3 Dreads, 2 Land Raiders (godhammer and crusader), 5x5 squads, Chaplain, and a converted Lysander as Belial. I got old metal termies as the plastics were hitting shelves, and I picked up most if the vehicles from a friend.

That's not as good as my original army: 3rd ed DE, where I got 100+ warriors for $30 from someone with too many starters. (At the time it was DE/SM). Another friend had just won a large eBay lot with some extra metals, and gave me all the raiders and extra options for $100, and I played that army with only the purchase of three haemonculi and three jet bikes. I played it with good effectiveness for six years before selling it to help fund my wedding.

Cheap options exist. Cheap armies are around. But nothing is cheaper than a strong community with the "pay it forward" mentality. I just gave a starting-out friend a ton of Tau stuff, and will soon get back my BT army I leant to a friend's son when he wanted to learn. LGS with the ability sometimes have store armies that people can borrow (if they are very careful), and test new ideas. It's all about community.

[Jason Stoneroad]

having a solid army list/shopping list. my game shop is doing a progressive league where we start at 750 and move up to 2000 points.

[Alan Braggins]

I think I'm going to start with the Dark Vengeance set and build up from there. I'm tempted, given the models included, to build a Fallen Angels army with Chaos Allies. Word Bearers perhaps?


Modelled as allies, or using allies rules? I'm not sure how the latter would work.

Also, consider scratch built vehicles:
http://thegrimcheapness.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/paperhammer-catalog.html
http://40kpapercraft.weebly.com/why-paperhammer.html

[dinnerkingalex]

Sisters of Battle, the cheapest of all!

Joking aside. I found the cheapest army to build was Sm since there's so many different options. At least troop wise. Admittedly this was during Assault on Black Reach where the SM were a lot more generic than the Dark Angels of Vengeance so buying the tactical/terminators off ebay was good for nearly any chapter. Another thing I did was buy a couple tactical squad boxes then go to bits sites buying more bodies/torsos. Meant for every special wepaon you made you could make another generic marine.