In the summer I'm going to return to 40k after some 15 years of not playing. I've been giving a lot (and I do mean a LOT) of thought on what armies appeal to me and what I would be interested in playing. I plan to play almost exclusively for fluff/narrative, with little thought given to competitive beyond, obviously, not wanting to lose every game I play just by army choice.
I've narrowed down my choices, I think, to either the Space Wolves or the Minotaurs chapter. I brainstormed some pros/cons for each to help me decide, but I'm still having trouble:
MINOTAURS
Pros:
- Awesome color scheme
- I like Greek Mythology
- Asterion Moloc looks ****ing awesome (Leonidas as a Space Marine? Hell yeah)
- Always supported by virtue of being Space Marines
- Unlikely to be played/unique
- Easier to justify battles versus other Imperium players
Cons:
- "Required" to use Moloc, no real flexibility in customizing the narrative
- Still normal Space Marines playstyle
- Can get expensive if using ForgeWorld (e.g. shoulderpads, Tartaros pattern Terminators)
- 3rd party bits needed to customize further (e.g. Spartan shields or helmets)
- Not supported as an individual chapter outside of limited ForgeWorld products
SPACE WOLVES
Pros:
- Army has a unique visual appearance
- Lots of customization of characters/narrative
- Models look cool with little or no conversions needed
- Plays different to regular Marines
- Supported by GW by virtue of being a "Big Four" chapter
Cons:
- Forgeworld/3rd party bits would be helpful (e.g. Rhino doors)
- Wolf wolf wolfy wolfy wolf wolf wolf
- Relatively popular army, likely to be played
- Hard(er) to justify games versus other Imperium players
Now, I am leaning towards Wolves mostly because what is really appealing to me is being able to theme my own force while still playing within the context of an army. For example, having a particular Great Company but having the flexibility to still make it "my" army with my own characters and the like. The Minotaurs don't really give me that since IIRC you need to take Moloc to get the benefit, so he's almost a requirement to play with. Also I am not a big fan of extensive conversions, and with the Wolves it looks like most everything I'd want to convert is easier to do and well provided for with the wolf bits available to still look like Space Wolves as opposed to just bronze/red Marines without using 3rd party bits.
Any help making up my mind would be appreciated