Getting Back into 40k - Intimidation

[DrBored]

So, the past year has been a really busy time. There was a major move, a big vacation, and a lot of other shufflings going on, and in the process a lot of my 40k stuff was given away to try to reduce the amount of sheer STUFF that I owned. Tau, Imperial Guard, Dark Eldar, Chaos Marines, Lizardmen, and a few misc things were sold or given away, along with old paints and tools, and the only thing I kept was one box of my best painted minis and my small Carcharodon force (since I figured at least with Space Marines I'd never have to worry about complaining that my Codex is too old :P)

I went to a game shop in my new location and there were tons of 40k players. They were all playing in a league, a lot of them with Forgeworld things, and it became very readily apparent that a lot of people were bringing the cheese. People were rolling dice and reciting rules, and it was pretty clear that I was way out of my game.

After a year of being out of the hobby, I'm feeling a little intimidated about jumping back in. Even if I wanted to try to play a competitive list (and I don't), it'd take me a long time to collect the miniatures and build up my army all over again to that sort of point, and then re-learn all the rules and re-learn all of the new Codices that have come out, and all the FAQ's and little tidbits that you need to learn to play properly. It's not like I haven't done it before. I've played at least half of the armies that GW offers in 40k, and I've learned new editions. I think it's a combination of having gotten rid of so much and now being in a new location.

Has anyone else gone through this sort of thing? I'm sure I would have no problem finding casual games, but looking around it felt like I was this small fish in a big pond.

[Charistoph]

Every time I show up at the store hoping to get a game (and those are rare enough as it is).

However, the time I'm not looking for a game, I chat up with them and talk with them about the fluff and some of the rules to get a general feel and pulse of the environment. I can also help you from making mistakes with your purchases. Let's face it, just as there were certain builds that would make it hard to find a game back in 4th or 5th, and it is no different now. If there is a pariah unit (no, not the Necron one, necessarily), it is good to know before diving back in.

Also, a lot of the rules may be House Ruled differently by the group because the group doesn't like it, or it is just simply to vague to nail down to specifics. How those Rules work may adjust what units you want to bring.

And if they know you're basically "combing back in from a hiatus", most people you want to be playing with in the future will try to help you get back in the swing of things without making things too crazy (Hormagaunt Swarm vs Imperial Knights, GO!).

[Cap'nSmurfs]

Having just moved to a new country, I'm feeling this a bit myself. New location, new players, new location - and I left all my armies, paints and tools back in the UK! My way back into it is to concentrate on doing the things I like doing and let the rest follow: my getting-back-into-it project is building and painting Nagash, then using that as a springboard for an Undead Legion. Beyond that I'll probably go down for a games night somewhere and see what's what; start meeting people and getting the lay of the land.

I think it's a perfectly reasonable reaction you're having. Hope you can overcome it and get back to having hobby fun!

[DrBored]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll definitely spend some time watching and waiting, and in the mean time I'll get my Space Sharks all painted up. I've got a Rhino, Tac Squad, and Land Raider to catch up on, and then I'll be able to face my new opponents with a fully painted army to boot

[confoo22]

I'd also recommend playing Kill Team, Combat Patrol and other smaller games to try and get a feel for the game again before jumping back into larger "standard" size games

[Hexx2019]

I am going through similar right now actually, having returned to the game after a period of time away. Right now I am just focusing on painting and building getting an actual force ready. Although once some of them are ready a kill team game might be needed now that you mention it.

[duncanainsworth]

I'm in a similar position, having not played since 5th edition and probably not having been keeping a close eye on the hobby for about 18 months because I'm at university, now that I'm coming up on graduation soon, I think I would quite like to get back into the hobby and I just feel like I've missed an awful lot

[Phoenix492]

I'm in the same boat - Returning to 40K after 15(?) years since my last game in 3rd Edition.

End of last year, I popped into a local GW, and watched some kids play a quick game having found out that everything had changed (for starters...where is the Movement Stat?!?! lol), and that it's probably not best to ask a load of teenagers questions about the game that I last played before they were born The staff weren't helpful either, but they never were!

I still went away wanting to get back into the hobby, and now am the proud owner of about 2500pts of Dark Angels that I'm painting and converting. I know that its pretty stupid having not played a game, but I just brought every model I wanted / had in my last DA Army, and figured I could use them to play smaller games to break back in when I'm finished painting them all.

My view would be to find a local games club and pop along, chat away before actually playing a game, maybe see if you can "join in" a game, maybe as a foursome or so, just to get into the swing of the new rules before jumping in at a 5000pts mammoth game!

[Erik Setzer]

There's a very important point in the rulebook, one that should help you ease into it: Both players must agree to what's allowed in the game. That doesn't just mean unbound or not. That also means you can request no super-heavies, no Lords of War in general, some restrictions on psychic powers, no formations, stuff like that. Most players should be okay with leaving out some of the "heavy stuff" in order to help someone ease back into the game.

[Orkimedes1000]

yeah moved about 6 years ago. still in this limbo area between trying to play and not finding any gamers/games. but it's good to sit back and focus on what you want out of the hobby.