Tips for Starting Warhammer 40k #1

Tips for Starting Warhammer 40k : Post #1

This post will be a general guide for starting the hobby. Before you go out and buy a ton of models, or give up on the hobby entirely, just read this. It will hopefully give you a clear perspective of what to expect and how to go about it.

So, you have decided that you are interested in Warhammer 40,000! That's cool.  It is very fun and rewarding for lots of people. For others, it is a money-suck that ends in them having a ton of unpainted models in a box somewhere. That's what happened to me for a while, and it really sucked. So, I made it one of my goals to prevent this from happening to as many people as possible.

First thing's first...

Before starting anything major, you should probably weigh the pros and cons. Warhammer has a few of both. 

Pros

- It is very rewarding to see a finished model that is painted well (or even just ok).

- Playing the game with friends can be very fun.

- The gaming community is great

Cons

- It can get VERY expensive (this is the big one).

- It can get very time consuming.

Obviously there are more for both categories, and it varies from person to person. If you can think of any more, leave a comment! 

Actually Getting Started

Once you have decided that Warhammer is right for you, it's time to get started. There are a couple things to consider before making your first purchase. How much money are you willing to spend? Is there a particular army you have always had your eye on? (It might be a good idea to check out the "Picking an Army" label if you are unsure on what to chose, or just want some more info on your favorite army). Do you have some friends that would want to get started with you? 

The absolute first thing you should do is look around at all there is to offer. This can be in your local hobby store, or just online. If you're up for it, probably the best way to get acquainted with the game is two watch two people play. This can be as simple as sitting in on a game in progress at a hobby store (as long as they don't mind). Players are generally very helpful and willing to give tips to anyone who asks. Otherwise, just go to Games Workshop and browse. Look at the models, the paint schemes, everything. You want to be able to make your decisions as educated as possible.

If you are starting fresh, I suggest just buying the Warhammer 40,000 Paint Set. It comes with a brush, a few  basic paints, and 5 Space Marines. Just assembling and painting these miniatures might just be enough to let you know if the hobby is good for you or not. Even if the paint job came out not so great, as long as you had fun doing it, that's good! Nobody is good when they start. But if you were miserable doing it, that does not bode well for your Warhammer future. 

SIDE NOTE---  If both you and a close friend are joining the Warhammer 40k legions together, you can always go halfsies on a box set, like Dark Vengeance. It has both Dark Angels and Chaos Space Marine starting forces, as well as a mini-rulebook, dice, and templates. Basically, everything two people need to start playing.  ---- 

Once you have a taste for Warhammer, or just want to get right into it, buy a squad of basic infantry for the army you want (Again, look at "Picking an Army" if you haven't decided), and maybe an HQ choice. Nothing more. An HQ and two troops choices are all you need to play a basic game! Also, you should make sure that you actually enjoy painting/playing with that particular army before you go crazy buying things. I know the tanks and some elite squads look super cool, but you won't need them for a while. Also, having a ton of unpainted models can be kind of demoralizing, and may lead to you giving up (and we don't want that!). 

Once you have really, really decided an army is when you should finally start to branch out and pick up more elite, fast attack and heavy support choices. That's when things start to really pick up. You can play big games with lots of models, and sometimes it's just satisfying to look at your army all assembled together in one place (preferably painted as well).

The Next Step...

Once you have a small army amassed, you're free to do whatever you want. Find some friends to play with. Go to you're local hobby store and ask around. I'm sure there are some veterans who would love to show you the ropes, or other newcomers who would love to learn with you. Most players are friendly people, you just need to talk to them.
Also, check out some Warhammer forums. My personal favorite is DAKKADAKKA. There is so much useful information here, you just have to find it.



So, there was my first in a long line of (helpful?) tips on Starting to play Warhammer 40k. Keep an eye out for the label "Starting Out Tips" for more like it!
Please comment if you found this helpful, unhelpful, or just have any general questions or ideas!


-Dana