New guy, where is a good place to start?

[Razahhh]

I am new to Warhammer 40k but not new to tabletops and I was wondering where is a good place to start? I got the Dark Vengeance box for this newest edition while at a game shop because of an anniversary celebration and I have not been able to paint any of the models since I am deep into Warmachine. I have gotten some free time and looked at the factions pretty much only in art and a little fluff since each codex runs $35-50. I don't know how the factions play out really and wanted some veteran players to give a rundown.

[Arkhan Land]

theyre all so different and varied, check out the tactics threads to see how different armies/units excell/dont excell, then sort of weigh options about point cost, real money cost, and how badly it deviates from your own perspective on the fluff and go from there.

most armies though comparably have various different focuses such as Speed, Firepower, Durability, Model Count (Number of models in your army), and Abilities (Special Rules) that each one can be built on as a facet of its playstyle.

If you enjoy fast moving gameplay Eldar(s), Space Marines/CSM, Chaos, and Orks all have you covered on bikes/jetbikes

If you enjoy lots of heavy vehicles moving methodically and deffensively while shooting their targets most armies can do that too (Some certainly cannot at all though)

maybe you want your entire force "On the Bounce" like a RH's Starship Troopers (the book) if so the Tau, SM and CSM can all do jump/jet-pack heavy builds

if you want you can make an army of almost entirely winged beasts to swoop in on, harry and ravage your opponents forces from above, while attempting to avoid their shots, Tyranids and Chaos Space Marines/Daemons excell in this field

Some armies focus on the ability of a few small units to utilize Special Rules for a great deal of protection from wounding and extended offensive traits, Grey Knights and some Chaos Daemons are great for this oftentimes though not always theres a focus on psyker abilities.

thats all just a small small slice but you get the picture

[Razahhh]

Thanks, I'll check out the tactics posts. Thanks for taking the time to give me a glimpse of how to go about this.

[Wolfshade]

There are possibly 3 options to which way to go

1) What has the coolest background/fluff
2) What army has the playing style that is most appealing
3) What army looks the coolest

Any of these options are cool.

The trouble is with some of the armies that they can play in different ways so its not just as simple as faction X plays in a certain way.

So maybe describe how you would like to play and then go from there?