"All-time favorite 40K army?" Topic

Regardless of what edition of the rules/codex, who was your all-time favorite army to collect, paint or game.

I think I have had them all (except those robotic guys) at one time or another (yes, even a Squat Mercenary band!) and I would have to say the Eldar were the most fun. Maybe not the best army, but I enjoyed all the varies troop types.

I'm currently rebuilding my Eldar army (my first in over 10 years) without any vehicles…strictly ground pounders. Lots of Guardian infantry, including storm troops. Gonna win with numbers!

Anyway, here you go:
Squats
Imperial Guard (all Regiments)
Eldar
Chaos
Tyranids
Orks (incl. Chaotic and Freebooters)
Space Marines
Tau
Sisters of Battle
Necons
Rogue Trader or Mercenary Force
Dark Eldar

Sisters of Battle. Who doesn't like hot chicks who are all the more enticing because they are nuns, in power armor, in flying rocket packs, with flame throwers?

Chaos – Iron Warriors.

Beakies. Or Wombles. Or whatever your favorite name for them, the original Rogue Trader Space Marines. The sculpts of those compared in today's quality level are not even close, but oh well. The heavy push to the Mark VII went entirely too far. I'd really like to get the back story on exactly why this happened.

They had the techno-knight-barbarian look down and, IMHO, still look better. I like the Mk. VII's as well, but the Beakie, whatever the army, will always have a place in my heart. I figure it is the cover of Rouge Trader (SIC;) that put them there. Dark. Morose. Hopeless. The nightmare future. Not happy, definitely not shiny. That sort of thing.

Given the enormous (or it would seem judging by Ebay) draw for the fellows, GW is stupid not to come out with a conversion kit of all-Mk. VI helmets.

Actually, come to think of it, anything from Rogue Trader's original days springs to mind as being my favorite; before the Imperial Army became the "Guard" (does anyone else think Guard vs. Army sounds…wrong?) or "Stalinists on Skulls" era I blame Andy Chambers for or the flat stupidity of just massive over-powering Gothic out-of-control that is now entrenched to such a degree as to be as pleasant as a wind break in a phonebooth. I studied Gothic structure for a degree in architecture and even that was less Gothic than 40k would make it.

Although I don't game (and can't comment on how well the army fares on the fields of battle) my all time favourite army is my metal Catachan force.

The only vehicles are 6 Sentinels and the rest of the army is troops…three platoons plus lots of heavy weapon squads.

The metal Catachan models were just so cool that they really gave you a 'Vietnam war in Space' feel…Great :).

SoB for me

Still have my origional custom Space Marine chapter. the Sledge Hammers. Always wanted to get Sledge and Dorrie figures for command <chuckle> Charcoal gray with orange trim. Had the other races, too, but gave them away when GW dumped Rogue Trader <sigh>

Beakies. Or Wombles. Or whatever your favorite name for them, the original Rogue Trader Space Marines. The sculpts of those compared in today's quality level are not even close, but oh well. The heavy push to the Mark VII went entirely too far. I'd really like to get the back story on exactly why this happened.

Battle Hymn of the Ultramarines:

YouTube link

Those nostalgic fellows.

Space Wolves for me, but as I am using mine with Rogue Trader I am gradually repainting them dark grey instead of that duck-egg blue that they are now.

Then Eldar, Imperial Army and so on, but all for use with Rogue Trader.

AS

epic / spacemarine game with my Imperial Guard army of mechanised death.

'Stealer Cult.

Beakies. Or Wombles. Or whatever your favorite name for them, the original Rogue Trader Space Marines. The sculpts of those compared in today's quality level are not even close, but oh well.

I could not agree with this less. In terms of QUALITY i doubt there is much difference. clean crisp sculpts with little or no flash. I guess the detail may be better in the modern plastics than it was on the original multipart beakie plastics but in metal it was no different.

I agree there was a massive gulf in STYLE. with the beakie marines being far superior to anything in the current space marine lines. At least back then it looked like the marines could walk and aim a weapon. Todays figures are just a skull and seal delivery platform with so much detail and extraneous additions that they look more like halloween costumes – albeit costumes that require pelvic surgery for you to move about it. I strongly believe that GW has turned much of their 40k line into the worst models in the industry (style wise).

But then thats just me, i'm a notorious fence sitter.

As to the topic question, my favourite by a mile has to be the Tau. And i mean just the tau , not including the kroot or the vespid silliness.

It's an army that has a cohesive look, isn't obliterated in unnecessary detail (like SM and orcs) has a functional sci-fi look to them (without having some kind of nostalgic veitnam/WWI look – cadians, vostroyans, krieg etc), doesn't look like an explosion in a paint factory next to fancy dress shop (eldar) and isn't a pastiche of any other 'bugs in space' line (tyrranids).

Clearly though my Tau forces don't have battle suits. Walking robots… now there's another thing that's just wrong. But again…another fence…

Now, thats not to say that I actually use 40k rules to play with the tau… 40k rules… now there's an entirely different fence to sit on! :)

Harlequins.
Definitely Harlequins.
link
That first Rogue Trader RTB06 Box Set Harlequins in 1989
brought me back into miniatures after many years away;
I'm still pondering if that was a good thing,
or endemic of some sort of severe personality disorder…..

Squat Homeguard (the Godwin Stronghold); my own army list (the one in WD 111 was crap, and the p.v.'s were WAY off). I don't care what anybody says, I love the original stunty minis (come on, it's the Perry Twins, for Pete's sake!)

Also, eldar mercs (Void Dragons)based off the Chapter Approved lists.

I had always really wanted slann, but they were almost impossible to find around these parts from the very beginning, and I was in on RT right off. Was it that way everywhere?

Walking robots… now there's another thing that's just wrong.

Clearly you haven't seen BigDog or the other monstrosities being churned out. And in Japan you can actually *rent* a powered exoskeleton (although it's a low-gear old-person lifter)

Loved the Tau, though. Space Marines were good too before the skull-and-seal-and-censer silliness.

Imperial Guard. My force is mainly made of Cadians, Catachans, and various models from other manufacturers (esp. a lot of old Void/Vor figures) that fit in reasonably well with the above.

Rogue Trader Space Marines Nothing better

"That first Rogue Trader RTB06 Box Set Harlequins in 1989"

Now that indeed was one of my favorite boxed sets! Although I had a of a time painting them, as I recall.

Space Marines (My Ultramarines subchapter, Storm Hammers)
Necrons (you shoot one down, then you see a shiny metal finger come up!)

Genestealer Cult

Walking robots… now there's another thing that's just wrong

Clearly you haven't seen BigDog or the other monstrosities being churned out. And in Japan you can actually *rent* a powered exoskeleton (although it's a low-gear old-person lifter)

I've ranted long and loud about this elsewhere and i dont want to derail this thread unnecessarily. The short argument is that given all of the complexity and expense necessary in making and maintaining an unstable slow walking platform you could create many tens of faster more stable less inherently complex and therefore reliable platforms on wheels, tracks or even airborne. There are NO quantifiable benefits of a walking system over more traditional approaches.

I now return you to your regular programming.

Praetorian Guard. Bring back the Praetorian Guard!

why would walking robots be slow?

I loved RT orks from the "E'er we Go "book.
Lots of Orky feelin in the force. You never know what would win or lose the battle for you. It was all about shooting

but all the old armies had lots of feel to them that is the big thing that GW lost since 2nd ed.

Currently I like the look and feel of the Tau and the 'Nids but my favorite to play, when I played, before GW mucked everything up…the first run of chaos marines.

Slaanesh was my favorite back then. Things were a bit more fun and easier to digest…blood for the blood god, gross rotting buddy just wants a hug, gender benders with plans of torture in their smile, and the shape shifting masses.

You had unique models to convert, nearly everyone had mutations that differed from the rest…although goat head came up quite a bit. Loved cloud of flies…I had made a template out of a plastic dome with plastic flies glued on and painted inbetween…I could set it over my guy and anyone else close enough…

Good times…

Another for Praetorian Guard. If you're going to be wiped out, at least dress well, I say!

2 Favorites

Rogue Trader Era Eldar Pirates (aka Eldar pre-Aspect Warrior).

Rogue Trader/Red Compendium Imperial Guard (beastmen assault squads, grenade launcher tarantula platforms, thudd guns, Ogryn squads, Ratlings, jetbikes, Sentinel walkers, old style rough riders, Rhino APCs).

Dabbled with many and have bits and pieces of them all.Regarding the post though will always go back to the old Rogue trader beaky womble marines half painted as Space Wolves (These are my Favourites) and the others a mish mash of other chapters with quite a few Salamanders in there.

The first marines , cool covertable plastic . Liked Squats , not fast but could shoot and did not run away . Now everybody moves the same …except when the moon is full on alternate tuesdays in months ending in Y .

I was fond of my Rogue Trader Ogryn/ratling army… It was a sight to behold!

Overall, I like my IG army the best (only one tank in the whole lot!), but I feel my Space Marines are painted the best. I used both new and RT marines, painted black on Yellow with the Machine Head logo on all of the shoulder pads picture

I happen to like the skully Imperial iconography, but my favorite army is IG. I played Blood Angels for years, before starting an IG army recently. I like the footsloggers and their tanks. Once I discovered the pig-iron helmented/gasmasked heads, I was set!

Being that I like the GW gothic-ness, I also have started some demonhunter allies, just to work in some of those great figures.

Anything RT, not for the rules of course but the whole system has become a big self parody now.

I loved my 2nd and 3rd edition Orks. I certainly used them the most.

My favorite army is Sisters of Battle, which I sold many years ago-. Over the last month I've reacquired that army… plus most of the new models released since then.

Uesugi it sounds like you and I are running a parallel course in some ways… getting back into 40K, with some delving into the past?

Nurgle Marines.The more bloated and rotted, the better!

I like the emperor's children, when you win, your opponent knows that they were beaten by a pink army.

I do like the old noise marines with the guitars. There are quite a few of them in my army still although the majority of the troops are the newer sculpts.

Eldar were my first real army in 40k but I have to say I like the old RT imperial army list. Squats and other abhumans to spice up the IG. I have a pile of squats and old RT army troops but never did figure out what to do with them.

Eldar were my first army and by far favority army. I got them around 1996 when I was searching the web for information about WEG Star Wars miniatures. I stumbled on some sites with information about these really cool looking Eldar figures and was hooked. I've been a fan every since.

A close second is the Imperial Guard.

I never could understand the big fascination with Space Marines. I have some, but only because so many boxed sets come with them.

My favourite 40k army to this day is a Nurgle army that I rolled up using the rules from the Realms of Chaos books "The Lost and Damned" and "Slaves to Darkness". I created it with my two best friends watching over every dice roll to make sure there was no cheating.

All of the figures are converted from RT era plastics and milliput as I couldn't afford much in those days. It took me forever to convert each marine to show his mutations and make them look like chaos marines.

We are having a reunion soon and my army will take to the field once more.

Imperial Guard!

Zoats! And the little runty Tryranids which have since become the termagaunts.

Plague Guard, Harlequins, and Orks.
Love to paint them, loved to play them.

Yep Dr. Mathias….I've been completely sucked back I. I've picked up the 4th Ed. rules and am in the process of picking up Eldar and Khornish (not Welsh!) armies.

Considering how NOT a GW fan I am, I am kinda surprised how excited I am to play again.

OK, I admit it -- the Orks have been my favorite since "Gorka Morka," primarily because they don't pretend to have any class. Just "Go get'im, Boys." Bash them. Hit them. Charge! There's no such thing as a stupid move with Orks.

Besides being loads of fun to play, I love making vehicles and fortifications for Orks. Anything goes: rams, cobbled together armor, big guns, trophies, and even boarding planks. Guard towers can be made of sticks, rocks, and tin plates. These guys are the trash-yard dogs of the gaming world.

I have assembled a complete army out of Gretchin.
Yes all 1,100 of them on the table at once muhahahahaha,,,,.

(Actually I remember it being some five of the six foot folding tables to be honest.)

I like Orks a lot, but I also like Imperial Guard and Space Marines. Depending on my mood one of those three would be my favorite army.

I liked the Beaky marine plastics.. not the metals so much. The Squats were ace. The plastic Space ork set was awsome aswell.

My favourite range was the old Imperial guard. LOVED the rough riders, some could be lancers some could be dragoons. You had some with cuirassier look about them. you could equip them to look like dragoons shooting lasguns aswell. They plastic set was great too, and the metals that backed it up fitted in nicely. They were ALL human sized, no fatties or steroid abusers there.

Inquisition and Orks. The two armies with more personality by a long way!

I don't play 40K anymore, but I like the look of the Tau the most, closely followed by Inquisition and Necrons.

Man… hard choice for me… I think Chaos… specifically Slaanesh.
At one time or another I've favored most of them.
Originally I was a big Eldar fan… but I bought into everything except Space Orks cause they seemed too silly (and Slaan cause I never did see any for sale).
Lately though I've been assembling a force of the original orks and really enjoying them.

Luckily I never got rid of anything so I've got a RT gameable force of most all the races except for Tau and Necrons.

Space Pups. I really like the feel of the new codex, but I'm still not going to play 40k anymore.

Dark Angels back in the 'Angels of Death' days.

Tau. Because there's no such thing as too much firepower.

When I played I liked the Tyrannids and the Space Wolves