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View Full Version : What do you look for in an army before collecting it?



foostoofoo
08-28-2009, 06:24 AM
Well as the title says, what do you look at when you want to start a new army? Rules? Models? Fluff? or a combination maybe?

I'll kick things off, I will always narrow down the armies by the models first, when I've got it down to about 5, I then start to think about each army and how I can make it unique, this involves the army itself and the paint scheme, for example I've recently thrown up a thread on the army list section about a 2000 point Necron army I've decided to do. It's army list is unique to the usual other necron lists and I plan on giving it a unique paint scheme, so not the usual boring metal skeletons we see walking around the table so often!

So what about you guys then, how do you go about picking a new army?

Skragger
08-28-2009, 08:11 AM
I look for an army that I know will be a riot to play against. Not necessarily a funny army, just an army that has some unique form of randomness or bizarre-ness to it. Hence why I love my orks so, no game with them goes without several minutes of laughter.

After all, isn't this what the hobby is about? having fun?:D

Dwarflord17404
08-28-2009, 08:40 AM
Well typically I look 3 things when starting a new army:

1) The play style has to be different from my current army. As example my next 40k army will be Orks because i currently play shoot and scoot with my sisters & guard army.

2) Ecnomics. I typically only start armies that are mostly plastic and have army boxes or good battlions. The whole 6 years to build my sister force ($100 a troop choice) left a bad taste in my mouth not complaining because the models and units look great. So in the case of my new army the orks i can buy 2 battlions and maybe a wagon . added together from AOBR orks and a unit of 2nd edtion grots i had lieng around will give me a playable and hobby tournemnt army . All for about 250 dollars not too shaby if i stopped at that but i won't because I am addicted to GW crack.

3) Advice i always give to people just starting out the hobby or in my case starting a new game system is too pick one of the armies in the Starter box. (Vanilla marines, orks, dwarfs, O & g) with the xception of fantasy O& G the armies featured have a easy learning curve, are flexible ( severeal competive army builds), forgiving ( high leadership, good armour save or toughness), and the models provided in this set give you the foundation of your force (no wasted models). If you then buy a batte force/ battlion and codex you have spent $200 and have a well rounded 1k list in which to learn the game. You can then figure out what you like or don't like and go from there. Again not to bad. I had played 40k for like 3 years and wanted to try fantasy so bought the 6th edtion box (empire vs O&G). I sold my orks in the set and got a empire codex and battlion. I now have 3000 k of Empire. (do not work for Games workshop I swear)

Levitas
08-28-2009, 09:12 AM
I go with:

1- Can i get everything in plastic - everything- or can i convert. This helps with cost and ease of converting.

2 - Do I like the fluff and background

3- Will I have tons of stuff to paint? If its yes then that rules it out as I paint slow and like them to look decent. Also not a huge fan of fielding unpainted stuff.

4 - Is it upto date and has a good selection of units and models.

oni
08-28-2009, 09:25 AM
I have to like the models first and fore most. Next I have to like their play style and over all feel of the army.

Example: I like the Whitch Hunters models, but I don't like the over all feel of the army. When I think of the grim dark future I don't think of an army of nuns with their mistresses and madams sporting red lipstick running across the battle field.

Duke
08-28-2009, 09:35 AM
I am personally all about fluff. I once started a 2500pt Luna Wolves army and made the whole thing converted to slightly Post-heresy standards just cause I thought it would be cool to have a 'what if Loken survived,' army.

Duke

Exitus Acta Probat
08-28-2009, 09:52 AM
To a certain point, I am with Levitas and Duke (I made an entire pre-heresy Istvaan III loyalist army after reading up to and including "Flight of the Eisenstein". It's DG focused.)

But I Follow a flow more like

Is it competitive. I like fluff, but I like to go into a Tourney with a chance at least... :)

Fluff. Just cause it can win, doesn't mean it won't bore me to tears. These first two are ALMOST interchangeable.

As levitas said, PLASTIC all the way. I quit building daemons because converting's such a B##ch.

and like Dwarflord, Economics! (to me, can I START with minimum-model count to qualify, THEN expand numbers as money and time can accommodate)

Bung
08-28-2009, 11:07 AM
For me its a Combination of all three Modells, Fluff and Rules.

Like my BT Army, Plastic Conversion Kit, Crusade Theme and the Kodex is for me one of the best ever written by GW.
They are not over- or underpowerd and the Codexrules catch a lot of the Fluff and all Marines can have HElmet cause i hate painting Flesh :D

Mike Dunford
08-28-2009, 12:23 PM
Probably models, fluff, and rules, in approximately that order. The models have to catch my interest, and the background has to be good enough for me to be able to get some kind of feel for the army. Last, the rules have to be able to accommodate a play style that I think I can get comfortable with.

Right now, my main armies are orks and marines, which both fit all three. I could also easily see myself playing IG, Tau, or CSM. DE and DH/WH aren't on my list because the existing ranges don't catch my interest. The Eldar and Chaos Demons play styles are hard for me to get comfortable with. I like both the necron range and play style, but the fluff just doesn't do anything for me.

Abominable Plague Marine
08-28-2009, 07:59 PM
For me, my Death Guard was easy. After reading as much fluff as I could get my grubby little hands on I asked myself one question, what army appeals to me and translates through BFG, Epic and 40K?

For my second army, Im doing Nurgle aligned Traitor Skitarii so I can do all three systems plus Aeronautica Imperialis! (Ive got a few Death Guard Thunderhawks though).

vman
08-28-2009, 08:07 PM
Its a combination between everything, but the models have to be stunning for me to begin

Drunkencorgimaster
08-29-2009, 09:50 AM
Models, models, models, fluff, models, models, rules.

RandomX
08-29-2009, 01:45 PM
Art. That is what kicks off any army for me. Usually Blanche or Smith.

My Black Templar started the second that I saw the 3rd edition box, the day that it came out way back in the day. John Blanche's art.

My Dwarves are because of Adrian Smiths art.

Chaos because of all the different Blanche art. And his models.

My Orks because of Blanche's Nobs that were in his Blanchitzu a few months back.

Gameplay is secondary to me, as I roll dice just to have fun, even in GT environs.

-Eric

KnightShift
08-29-2009, 06:49 PM
I started playing Warhammer 40K with the Assault on Black Reach set and although I will always be very proud of my Ultramarines 'cuz they were the first army I put together, lately the Orks have won my heart. Why? 'Cuz their perverse sense of humor matches my own :D

BlacknightIII
08-29-2009, 08:54 PM
First - Rules
Second - How many off the wall tactics can i come up with
Do the transports blow up easily when i ram them? (yes i ram my own transports for instant portable cover)
Does it have big scary and intimidating units? (A land raider or lemun russ does soak up a lot of fire that would be sent to other weaker vehicles)
Does it have units that opponents are likely to ignore or not see as a threat? (scout sentinals or bike squads)
Are my squads going to be preforming one task or multiple tasks? (After a units done its job what use is it?)

The list goes on and on.