What is the best 40K army for beginners?

[Bigred]

What is the best 40K army for beginners?
Simple question - the tricky part is not only what your answer is - but WHY?

The army has to balance both ease if learning for a new player and ease of collectability and fielding a cost effective army (in points and real world dollars).

Space Marines
Space Wolves
Dark Angels
Blood Angels
Grey Knights
Imperial Guard
Chaos Marines
Chaos Daemons
Eldar
Dark Eldar
Tau Empire
Necrons
Orks
Tyranids
Adepta Sororitas

Lets hear it!

[Emerald Rose Widow]

Space Marines easy, they are fairly durable, and the rules are fairly straightforward. They have some decent strengths and weaknesses, and lots of options to play around with.

[Katharon]

Vanilla Marines.

[Mr.Pickelz]

"Vanilla" or Codex: Space Marines, they have basic and simple enough rules that a newbie can easily get into, while also offering a very straightforward unit by unit break down. Said units are also forgiving and plentiful enough to give expansion options as well. With the new book, the Chapter Trait system gives a bit more special rules to remember, but they are easy to incorporate and don't require lots of "book-keeping" or a table-top marker system.

Unlike: Orkz, tyranids, or IG where the player has a steeper learning curve and must have good understanding of basic mechanics to make an army-list, generated from these books, work.

[Deadlift]

I would have said marines, but to buck the trend I said Necrons. Dead easy to paint, and quite a forgiving army. No real bad choices in the codex and the rules aren't difficult to understand.

[Wolfshade]

Spacemarines


I would have to say Space Marines. Which, I know is kinda boring, but they are quite simple to play, their rules make them very forgiving to play, so if you make a mistake you still have T4 and 3+ Sv.
...
Then once happy with the mechanices, read the fluff, look at the models and which ever one you like the most play them



Interesting to see how things have or haven't changed from these:

http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?34976-A-Newbie-s-Guide-to-Army-Choice
http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?26952-Most-forgiving-army-for-a-new-guy-to-start-with
http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?20696-Best-Starter-Army

[Popsical]

Id go for tau gunline. No need to learn much about the assault phase. Plenty of park and shoot units. Can make small forces of suits.

[knas ser]

I voted Space Marines. It's the obvious choice. They are the standard against which all other armies are compared. If your army is faster than Space Marines, it's a fast army. If it has better fire power, it is a shooty-army. Everything you ever say about an army is based on the unspoken comparison to Space Marines.

I was tempted to vote Dark Eldar just for humour value, but there's always someone out there who will take me seriously. ;)

[Mr Mystery]

Another vote for the Adeptus Astarters here.

They're iconic of the game, flexible in the system, easy enough to assemble (not too fiddly), and straight forward to paint to a decent level. Plus they have a decent back story to each Chapter, whilst leaving you free to create your own.

[Mike X]

Definitely Space Marines. Not because of any specific rules, but because they're basically half a dozen (if not more) armies in one. That means if the player doesn't like vanilla marines, he could easily switch to Blood Angels, Space Wolves, Dark Angels, Black Templars, or even Chaos Marines.

[sfshilo]

The space marine thing is BS.

Tau are BY FAR the easiest army to wield. Shoot at things until they are dead.

Space Marines are such a odd sack of stuff. You can't just take a bunch of random stuff and win with SM. Tau? Battlesuits, railguns/missiles, and S5 30" spam. (WIN)

You are all living in 5th ed...

[Mr Mystery]

Or you know, have our own opinions based entirely upon our own experiences.

[LordRex]

Its hard to say - I think there's a lot to be said for picking an army based on the models you like and would enjoy building and painting.

I think there are clearly a ton of reasons to pick Space marines, but I voted Chaos Marines. I think if a person is drawn to the more dark side they can get a lot of the same benefits from Chaos. They can be played a variety of ways, but the Codex is not as overwhelming as Space Marines. The models have a bit more variety as well which is fun.

[Katharon]

Except that, you know, Space Marines have been in the game since it's inception. They've grown alongside the game and been one of its core pillars.

[Lexington]

Dark Angels, at the moment. It's a cheap start via the Dark Vengeance box, while the DA's are a solidly simple army to learn - arguably even easier than Vanilla Marines, as your choices end up being more streamlined.

[odinsgrandson]

Honestly, I'm pretty against there being an "army for beginners" at all. I feel that it is the main contributor to the unbalancing of faction representation.

I mean, it is pretty much cannon that Space Marines are the army for beginners- they've got solid statlines that are pretty forgiving of mistakes, the painting isn't too complicated, etc. Honestly, I find that the majority of factions work just fine for beginners (I know people who started out playing Eldar, Tau, Imperial Guard, Tyranids, Orks and Chaos Space Marines and they got along just fine).

However, the problem I have always seen is that once you begin with a faction, a lot of players just stick with it. I've known a lot of players who go from Space Marine force to Space Marine force (I've been playing Dark Angels for a while now- I think I'll start up a Blood Angels force next). Which is why every tournament force is tailored to fight Space Marines.

And with an army being such a large investment in 40k, it takes a good long while before anyone starts a new force at all- and some people just expand their marine force forever (or drift away).

I'd rather people picked a faction that they're particularly interested in without regards to what works best for beginners. Even if it is one of the factions that's "tougher" to play.

[Spamthulhu]

Except that, you know, Space Marines have been in the game since it's inception. They've grown alongside the game and been one of its core pillars.

Just because they have been in the game forever doesn't make them a good starter army.

Durability used to make them a good army but who thinks most space marine units are that durable these days?

For me Necrons are the winners. They have solid units with forgiving rules. Durable troops section. They have answers for everything in their book and can become very specialized as the players collection increases. Easy to paint a basic army.

[Wolfshade]

The space marine thing is quite interesting.

I do believe that they are a great starter army, indeed GW inclusion of them in every starter box bears testament to this, indeed perhaps imperial guard would present a better "human" good army.

But while Space Marines are quite simple to pick up they are hard to master. They are very much jack of all trades, but there is nothing that they can do which any other army can't do better. On top of this they are expensive (pts wise) so in small games the loss of a squad could mean that you have lost 1/3rd of your amy.

Consequently it can be a challenge to get a Space Marine army to be working efficiently and effectively.

[Brehamut]

I would personally suggest orks, while not as forgiving on the pocket or table top for new players lets say space marines, the are however as far as i'm concerned easy to learn to play and far better at allowing a new player to access all areas of the hobby. Lets face it orks are probably the easiest race to paint (with the exception on the quantity), convert for and build scenery for and still have it fit in. Plus as far as i have ever seen anyone whos been in the hobby for a long time will never seam to get rid of there orks, not sure if this is quit true but its an observation I have made.

[tierdar]

Necrons. Easy to assemble (mostly), paint, and play. They are powerful enough to avoid the months of early losses, and have a unique flavor. It's hard to make a bad build.

[Dimitrios]

For me its Tau. Buy an army, buy an aegis, stand back and shoot. All units work together to stop attackers, no need for strategic planning or movement. No need to worry about assaults. Its a point and click army.

[sfshilo]

Just because they have been in the game forever doesn't make them a good starter army.

Durability used to make them a good army but who thinks most space marine units are that durable these days?

For me Necrons are the winners. They have solid units with forgiving rules. Durable troops section. They have answers for everything in their book and can become very specialized as the players collection increases. Easy to paint a basic army.

Pretty much this.

I play, ALOT. Space Marines, Daemons, Guard, Sisters, CSM. I play against Tau, Crons, Orks, Eldar, Space Marines, etc.

Space Marines are not easy to win with. Tau and Necrons are. (I give Tau the edge)

Not only that Tau have the same thing going for them painting wise, nice flat surfaces with little or no skin, high point models that can be fielded as low volume armies (cheap), and very good overall performance on the table.

People are picking space marines because of ignorance and 5th edition bias, there is no reason the poll should be this biased to a faction that cannot even play well at a 1000+ point level.

I have a hell of a lot harder time coming up with Space Marine lists then I do the other armies, even sisters.

Examples:
Sisters are much more durable 3+ army. (Cheap effective transports, 3+ armor, lots of shooting, and overlapping special rules for a low point cost) but are cost $$$.
Tau are better at shooting, have just as good armor, have better vehicles, better slots, cost less $$$ and can ally with more armies then any other.
Crons are tougher then SM, have good $$$ ratio, have excellent firepower, and can stand alone as well as any army. Their basic troop gun can kill land raiders!

[Aspire to Glory]

Best? Space Marines are the most forgiving of mistakes, allowing one a less frustrating chance to learn.

Easiest? Tau. However they're so point and click that you won't learn anything. They ignore half of the rules! A pity, too, as they're brilliant looking models.

[Aspire to Glory]

People are picking space marines because of ignorance and 5th edition bias, there is no reason the poll should be this biased to a faction that cannot even play well at a 1000+ point level.

Really? Is that kind of attitude necessary? Take that mouth to 4chan if you want to be a jerk about it.


The space marine thing is BS.

Tau are BY FAR the easiest army to wield. Shoot at things until they are dead.

Space Marines are such a odd sack of stuff. You can't just take a bunch of random stuff and win with SM. Tau? Battlesuits, railguns/missiles, and S5 30" spam. (WIN)

You are all living in 5th ed...

You, too. Learn to share your opinion without crapping all over everyone else's.

[Archon]

Its the Space Marines (sad? but) true!

Buy the knew "Strikeforce" (http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat440270a&prodId=prod2220002a) Box and you got a whole Army to start with for less than 200,- € add the Codex and it´s 250,- (you can get it cheaper if you buy it at your local store or mailorder discount). Add in the basics for TT: Paints, Basing-Stuff, Brushes, Glues etc. this will eat up easy another 50,- €.

But the best way to start is simple: Look at the armys, read something about the armys, read some 40 K stuff and choice the army you like best - don´t look for playability. Buy some stuff (roughly about 500 pts), build it, paint it an make some games.

And: Play Chaos!

[Wolfshade]

The other option is Grey Knights, all the advantages of space marines, though more complicated rules. But for just 11 models you can play 1,500pt games ;)

[Hello1701]

I went SM because they are durable (3+) forgiving of misplays. You don't generally break the rules so if you move on to another army you a good understanding of the basics. Easy to paint. Plenty of available used models so you can spend less $. Not to mention in the poll all SM are grouped together, if they had been separated I would probably went necrons.

[Power Klawz]

I just don't feel Space Marines of any flavor are overly beginner friendly in 6th edition. They are still rather resilient on an individual basis, but with their relatively high cost it would be hard to say that they're any more resilient overall than cheaper horde armies who can just throw bodies at problems instead of hoping to roll 3+'s.

Actually the depth of tactical nuance to the current (6th edition that is, i.e. DA and C:SM) space marine armies has made me take a much deeper look at them than at any point in the last decade.

But I don't think they're an overly easy force to get good results out of anymore. Their damage output when compared to reigning destruction kings Tau isn't all that amazing. They don't really have an all-killy iwin button personified in a single model and rely on synergy to achieve great results. Not the most technically complex army of course, but not the easiest either.

I'd have to say that Orks make up the easiest to grasp beginner army. You just need a lot of green bodies with guns and hacksaws. At its basic level its about having more boyz than the enemy has bullets and tossing lots of dice.

I make my estimation based on the intended use and spirit of the army, not necessarily on current strength within the meta game. Obviously most people consider Tau to be a might bit cheddariffic and its not very hard to obtain decent results even if you have no idea what you're doing. Just because a bazooka can cause a lot of damage doesn't necessarily make it a beginner friendly item.

I also wouldn't lump all the space marine armies together like that. I mean especially Grey Knights, they're hardly comparable to the other power armored armies.

[warflail]

I consider myself a beginner - bought the Dark Vengeance boxed set about a year ago and have been painting and building up the DA and CSM armies to 1500pt+ strength each. The boxed set was the easiest way to get into the hobby, as there were enough models for a variety of battles, as well as the beginner's guide, rulebook, dice and templates - in short, everything but the paint to get started.

I found both the DA and CSM armies quite easy to learn to play. Subsequently, I picked up an AoBR boxed set and my 12-year old son has been getting into building up an Ork army, which has also been pretty easy to learn (and paint).

I have little doubt that if the 6th ed boxed set had contained, say, Tau and Necrons instead, I would have gotten into those just as easily and would have put my vote for either of those. What's friendliest to the beginner is whatever is included in an all-in-one boxed set.

W

[khambatta]

Space Wolves, although the reasoning fits some other armies.
Grey Hunters give you a solid & versatile core of troops to build on. You're not locked in to a particular playstyle: Long Fangs let you stand back & shoot, but if you find you prefer to get stuck in, Thunderwolf Cavalry fit the bill. You're not overwhelmed with too many options, or too many rules; nor do they have the expense/model count of a horde army.
While they may not be regarded as top-tier right now, they are solid performers - anyone'll enjoy learning the game more if they actually manage a few wins now & then.

[Gunndrakk]

Space marines, especially vanilla marines...
Cause they are easy to learn and their rules are simple to digest :)

[Themaninthegreenhat]

The other option is Grey Knights, all the advantages of space marines, though more complicated rules. But for just 11 models you can play 1,500pt games ;)

This, kinda(?)

i started playing 40K about two or three years ago. i Chose GK, the simple reason? I'm not confident in my painting, i didn't want to make a heavy investment, and they had an interesting backstory. I was drawn to the arthurian and Crusades inspired mythos and really liked the whole "secret agents of angry space Catholicism".

Later on i was really inspired to cross-breed and convert a unique Henchmen style army, and then i got some DA that i play like "fallen angels"

and so forth. I won't bore you with details.

About the same time i roped in a buddy of mine, and they run with Tau. And, well, yes, they do have a neasier time. Their main problem is "when you get in punching distance, DAf*Q do i do?"

Whereas i have, "How doez i'z antiarmour/Y MY GUYS DIE AL DA TIME/ HQ! Y U NO go for under hundred points" and so forth. Now i might be biaised (i keep winning our matches after all) but i think Tau is a pretty decent beginners army, but GK and DA as well. But neither is an automatic win army.

[AlexRae]

Codex Space Marines.

Specifically Ultramarines running Tigurius, Tactical Squads in Rhinos with a Lascannon and Gravgun, couple of Stormtalons, couple of Thunderfire cannon and some Devastators with Lascannon. This will teach you about alot of what there is in the game and you can compete against most armies also.