Help me pick an army to start 40k with please :D

[Majyk]

Okay, so coming from warmachine, i have just recently moved and decided to get into 40k
So right now, i have it narrowed between

Sisters of Battle/Witch Hunters
Chaos Daemons
and Eldar

So my main questions are
-How fun to play are they?
-Cheapest (Money-Wise)
-Most Competitive
- How fun to paint
Thanks guys :D

[DoctorEvil]

1st off, all of them are fun to paint :) The only one of those 3 that I own and have played is SoB/WH (and it's a small army only). So I'll comment on that....

-How fun to play are they? - Actually, I find them quite fun to play. Acts of Faith really add interesting tactical option that I still don't fully understand how to use properly :)
-Cheapest (Money-Wise) - They are not cheap. The basic troops are currently only available in metal
-Most Competitive - I'm not sure as I use mine as a small supplemental force for Apocalypse games. I do believe there is a steeper learning curve for SoB/WH and the codex is out of date, so competitively it will be a tough army for a starter army

As for other armies....I think most of the current codex armies (Space Marines, Imperial Guard, Space Wolves, Blood Angels, Tyranids, <am I forgetting one>) are all very competitive in 5th edition. In general, the older a codex is (from the 5th edition release), the less competitive it will seem to be. For example, 5th edition was release in 2008, and the Ork codex is a 2007 release, while the Eldar codex is 2006. The Ork Codex is still fairly competitive as it may have been designed with 5th edition in mind, the Eldar codex a little less so as it's point costs don't match up well with the more recent codii.

It terms of cost, in general Space Marines and Orks are the cheapest to assemble an army from due to the Assault on Black Reach (AoBR) starter set. Models that have troops choices that are metal (for instance Witchhuners and Demonhuners....Sisters of Battle, Grey Knights, Storm Troopers) tend to be the more expensive options. Everything else is relatively on par with each other in terms of cost.

[BuFFo]

Tau Empire

[Majyk]

1st off, all of them are fun to paint :) The only one of those 3 that I own and have played is SoB/WH (and it's a small army only). So I'll comment on that....

-How fun to play are they? - Actually, I find them quite fun to play. Acts of Faith really add interesting tactical option that I still don't fully understand how to use properly :)
-Cheapest (Money-Wise) - They are not cheap. The basic troops are currently only available in metal
-Most Competitive - I'm not sure as I use mine as a small supplemental force for Apocalypse games. I do believe there is a steeper learning curve for SoB/WH and the codex is out of date, so competitively it will be a tough army for a starter army

As for other armies....I think most of the current codex armies (Space Marines, Imperial Guard, Space Wolves, Blood Angels, Tyranids, <am I forgetting one>) are all very competitive in 5th edition. In general, the older a codex is (from the 5th edition release), the less competitive it will seem to be. For example, 5th edition was release in 2008, and the Ork codex is a 2007 release, while the Eldar codex is 2006. The Ork Codex is still fairly competitive as it may have been designed with 5th edition in mind, the Eldar codex a little less so as it's point costs don't match up well with the more recent codii.

It terms of cost, in general Space Marines and Orks are the cheapest to assemble an army from due to the Assault on Black Reach (AoBR) starter set. Models that have troops choices that are metal (for instance Witchhuners and Demonhuners....Sisters of Battle, Grey Knights, Storm Troopers) tend to be the more expensive options. Everything else is relatively on par with each other in terms of cost.

Cool Thanks :D, I dont really like space marines because like...for some reason ive never been a fan of the characters that get picked the most or that every1 uses, and orks...i juts dont really like the look of :P

And for Tau empire, I did consider them at the start, but after watching a few games online and reading some battle reports, it seems like the only way to play them is a gun line :/

[DarkLink]

Sisters are pretty much the most expensive army to start in the whole game. They are, however, looking at a possible new codex and plastic models sometime next year.

[Erasmus of Baal]

My vote goes to Chaos Demons. Eldar are a very tricksy group to play, but done right they can wipe the floor with anyone--not really good for a beginner unless you like the really steep learning curve. SoB are likely the most expensive end of your three, but have very mobile playstyle with a roughly MEQ basic Troop. Also, Inquisitorial allies can add some serious hitting power, but that's going to be the most expensive thing you can get from GW. Chaos Demons, however, might not be good if you think you even think that you might take on a second army as they play very uniquely--every deploys by Deep Strike and no transports (not really any vehicles at all, but one unit that behaves like a walker). Also, since they don't have Armor saves, many armies have a very difficult time dealing with them. All of them are going to be fun to paint, Eldar will certainly require the steadiest hand, but Chaos Demons has the strictest pre-ordained color scheme.

In the end, though, it's not about who you get but what you do with them that counts. Any army can play competetively, any army can be fun to paint, any army can be extremely expensive to buy. It's all about what you do with them.

[DaveLL]

Actually, I'd have to suggest steering away from daemons.

They're fun.
They are not, however, cheap; even with the new wave coming out in a couple of months, most of the models you'd want to use are still metal and expensive.
Nor are they particularly competitive/beginner-friendly. They rely heavily on CC. Especially against fast vehicles, they're difficult to balance properly and play.

Mech Eldar is a perfectly good option. Possibly somewhat expensive, but still less so than the other options you were thinking of, and at least as beginner-friendly. (None of the armies you picked is truly beginner-friendly, though.)

[plasticaddict]

Sisters of Battle: are due for a new Codex very soon so right now is not the best time to start the army. They also have rules uniqe to their army that confuse even veteran players. This is an expensive army as the entire range is in metal.

Eldar: have a fairly steep learning curve to play well and can be a hard army to master. Of the three the troops are the least expensive to build up however needing to buy vehicles will negate that benifit.

Daemons: Having your entire army come in via deepstrike can lead to some learning curve issues and some of the "better" units are still in metal so the costs are high.

Space Marine make the best starter army, sad but true.

[Duke]

Go with eldar. Simple newer, no 10 paragraphs.

[Majyk]

thanks guys, so i guess ill more than likely go space marines, I kinda like the look of the Black Templars or Imperial Fists, I know BT have their own book and Fists are in the regular marine one, is there really a difference? can i paint like imperial fist but use as a BT army and vice versa?

[Cossack]

Yeah, those are three pretty rough choices for us to choose from. Of them, I'd recommend Eldar for a first army. But if I can go 'off list' with my suggestion it would be another vote for Space Marines. The army is solid and forgiving as you learn the game and you can tailor it for many play styles.

[Bean]

Absolutely Not Tau Empire

Fixed that for you, Buffo. =P

[Aldramelech]

Sisters are pretty much the most expensive army to start in the whole game. They are, however, looking at a possible new codex and plastic models sometime next year.

Na, The "Keeping Melissia Miserable" Dept at Nottingham aint gonna allow that......

[Erasmus of Baal]

thanks guys, so i guess ill more than likely go space marines, I kinda like the look of the Black Templars or Imperial Fists, I know BT have their own book and Fists are in the regular marine one, is there really a difference? can i paint like imperial fist but use as a BT army and vice versa?

The BLack Templars codex is rather dated and not likely to get an update soon; I don't know much of anything about how they play save that they focus on foot-based and mech close-combat infantry. You could represent them with another Codex, but I'd advise against simply because the Vows system can give you some pretty strong advantages. The Codex: Space Marines will (as far as I am aware) give you stronger ranged options, but I've heard very little negatives about the Black Templars Codex.

As far as using one codex to represent another force, of course you can! Just make sure that it's clear what's what in your army and that the opponent understands what rules your army is using.

[Col.Gravis]

thanks guys, so i guess ill more than likely go space marines, I kinda like the look of the Black Templars or Imperial Fists, I know BT have their own book and Fists are in the regular marine one, is there really a difference? can i paint like imperial fist but use as a BT army and vice versa?

I'm just gonan say be cautious, it's better to have an army that you get really enthusiastic about then one which you pick just because it's more forgiving and/or cheaper, remember you don't have to start off with a whole army, build it up in stages 500pts being a good starting block, Sisters and Eldar are both good choices and are both still competetive - Demons less so.

[scadugenga]

I'll second what the good Col. said.

Pick an army you'll enjoy/be enthusiastic with over one that just has competitive value.

Of the three you initially chose, Eldar have the most background/fluff, as they've been around for over 20 years. WH have a lot of interesting and unique choices, but it's almost all metal, so pricier. (unless you can find it on ebay, etc.) Chaos Daemons will be the most expensive per mini, and probably have the longest learning curve, but possibly the smallest model count.

Marines overall are pretty much the most forgiving out there.

Good luck, and welcome the fray!

[Melissia]

Na, The "Keeping Melissia Miserable" Dept at Nottingham aint gonna allow that......

Mid to late next year is what current rumors suggest. DE, Grey Knigths, Necrons, then Sisters.

Also, I'm hardly miserable. I had two awesome codices released in the past few years. Codex: Orks and Codex: Imperial Guard. The two most iconic and awesome armies in 40k.




Go with what you like dude. People make Necrons and Grey Knights work for them, and they're the two weakest armies in 40k right now. But you won't ever finish your army if you start something you don't like.

[HsojVvad]

Mid to late next year is what current rumors suggest. DE, Grey Knigths, Necrons, then Sisters.

Also, I'm hardly miserable. I had two awesome codices released in the past few years. Codex: Orks and Codex: Imperial Guard. The two most iconic and awesome armies in 40k.




Go with what you like dude. People make Necrons and Grey Knights work for them, and they're the two weakest armies in 40k right now. But you won't ever finish your army if you start something you don't like.

I thought you were a huge Sisters player. I never seen you ever mention IG.

[Lane]

Go with the army that appeals to you. As a veteran gamer, even from another system, you should be able to adapt to any army. the problems you would have with Sisters or Eldar would still be present with any army until you get used to the rules.

Sisters:
Beautiful models for painting.
The sisters have good armor and weapons and average toughness making basic troops slightly better than average. Their weapon options are however limited so a pure Sisters army is a bit challenging. Taking inducted Imperial Guard or Space Marines does make them more flexible, and gives an excuse to start a second army.

Eldar:
Also great looking models.
The wide range of unit types and vehicle choices makes the very flexible in how you play. Good selection of weapons and a wide range of armor types, low toughness. Expect a lot of troops to die, your own and the enemy.