"Where to start in 40K" Topic

I have no experience in 40K genre since I do only historical. But, son is interested in starting this and thinking ahead to Christmas I am looking at starting him off at what he needs. He's talked about a 2008 rule book, codexes, blood angels and orcs. Need some advice please on what he needs to start. Thanks.

Well they just came out with a new starter set. Its got Chaos and Dark Angel Space Marines though. If you can find a copy of one of the previous starters that had Orcs and Ultramarines.

On the otherhand you can just pick up the main rulebook and one each of the battalion sets for Blood Angels and Orcs. That will set you back around $300 USD

Best bet is to just purchase the new starter box that came out. It is dark angls and chaos as chuck said but it is the best bang for your buck to get started.

Take out a loan.

I would ask him if he wants the older edition or the current one. It seems that the current one would be the most practical but his buddies might be playing with the old one and he needs that to go along with them. When I was a teen we stuck to old editions of RPGs because we had all the stuff and didn't feel like upgrading.

That being said if you want Orks and space marines the last edition was a very good start even if you toss the rulebook out.

Incidentally, this is the starter kit the guys above are talking about:

link

It's one of the few bargains to be had on the GW site. Lots of models, the rule book included, and some measuring sticks. It's a great place to start.

Try buying it all on ebay or a similar discount website. You will save a great deal of money!

(nods to Bede), or better yet… DON'T!

Alternately, wait until the new version of codex you're interested comes out and go to convention flea markets and pick up the suddenly obsolete previous codex armies.

Seriously, the box set armies are probably the best bet.

I'd recommend taking him into the store first (unless he's already been).

Say what you want about GW's business model, etc, but the staff there are always eager and happy to demonstrate the games and give demos.

If son hasn't yet played, then might be a plan to get the demo done and see which force he particularly likes. If it's not one in the main boxed set then I'd just get him the main rule book, Codex for his chosen force and the Battalion box for his chosen force. That should set him up fine.

Despite my dislike of Chaos and general indifference for the Marines, the box set is absolutely the best way to go

I think you are legally obligated to buy rules eds 1 to 5 before you buy 6, under the international GW bottom line infringement act of 2011.

But, if set on this course, seems like a two stage plan. In one stage buy assault on black reach, get a start on orcs and space marines. In the second stage get dark vengeance and get the new rules and dark angels. This doubles your marine force and you can either sell the chaos or use em as allies. Pu can expand the orks off the used market or maybe mantic, if you don't care about tournament play or kit bash.

Build your tanks and such from paper or kit bash. Set a strict budget, or force him to earn up grades through grades and mineal tasks.

Sorry. That was blood angels you wanted . To me a marine is a marine. Painted em red.

Wayland Games has good discounts and free shipping to anywhere on them right now.

The Starter set now is pretty ideal. All you'd have to do is pick which army to fill out and grab the codex, plus another squad. (Cultists are weak and squishy if you go Chaos. Do not rely on them. They are good for sitting on objectives or screening important units, but well trained combat infantry they are not.) Or grab both books and a squad for each and turn it into a father/son bonding project. Which becomes Win/Win for you two and GW as well as adding new blood to your local gaming community, which is always a good thing.

Dark Angels codex is expected out around February too. Some rumor mongers say December or January, but I suspect later rather than sooner is more likely….unless they want to push it out last minute before Christmas. Would not be first time they've rushed something, but hopefully, they will not rush it.

Agreed with Kokigami above. Make the kid earn his reinforcements. When I was younger, my parents either gave me money, or set up a reward of similar to value to what I'd earn through chores and such. I'd also strongly encourage him to paint each unit entirely before getting the next one. Having a massive backlog like some of us can get…..overwhelming later when you realize how many things you have unpainted. I dread to think how many unpainted figures I own……

You never mentioned his age or maturity level – when you are talking about a game as expensive as GW's, those are factors in making a recommendation.

Like if he is young and/or "new shiny" gets him going, I would take the extra effort to have him get to know the rules, to read up a bit on each faction's backstory, and then have him pick out a faction to ENSURE he sticks with what he is (for the moment) saying he wants.

He may be wanting Codex X and these guys now, but after more exposure to the rules, various codexes and the mythos, he may change his mind and wants Codex Y and that army instead.

The game is so expensive, you really do not want to invest the cash (or him to invest his cash) until he is pretty dead set on what he wants to do. Who knows, after exposure to the rules he may change his mind altogether.

If he is a more methodical type or tends not to fall into the "new shiny" thing, you may have more confidence that his first expressed desire is a thoughtful one, and will not result in wasted investments.

Ignoring some of the unhelpful advice, here is what I would do:

Pick up the pocket version of the rulebook from TheWarStore: link

Pick up a Blood Angels battalion from Miniaturesmarket (you'll have to call it in): miniaturemarket.com

Alternatively pick up the Ork battalion from the same place.

Pad both orders till you reach $100 USD after discount (throw in a Space Marine commander for the Blood Angels, from the Space Marine range, and the Codex).

All of this should cost you a little over $130 USD-$140. Then he can look at future purchases to pad out the army.

If you're especially ambitious, and he has been a very good boy, buy two battalion boxes and the commander kit and he'll have a decent sized army with a few choices almost immediately. But of course 2 army boxes will cost $160 USD from Miniaturesmarket.

Damon.

Touche' Garand.

And who said you can't get good value from GW if you know how to bargain-hunt?

Holy Crap! I could build a Napoleonic Army for these prices!! OK thanks for the advice guys. When you say battalion are you talking about the "Battleforce"?

Sorry yes, Battleforce. IIRC Battalion is for the fantasy contingent.

Damon.

Y'know, for all the "omg prices!!11!1!" sticker shock, I know I've run up HUGE totals with 15mm Napoleonic armies as well, so GW stuff ain't all that horrible a thing to spend money on.

Yep, so I just added up the points costs for all of the materials I mentioned for Blood Angels, and the points come out to 1200pts with somewhat conservative gear choices (FREX, I did not equip the Tac sergeants with power fists, though with come creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, I think the set comes with enough to give at least one Tac sergeant a power fist, or probably a power sword for all). Point is, for that money you're getting IMHO a very solid core that is certainly playable (ALL of the figures in the Battleforce box are troops), but more importantly very expandable from.

Damon.

My kids dragged me into GW about a decade ago when they started, I was a disdainful "historical" gamer – we now have every main force except Tyrranids :).

I think it depends on what army your son wants, mine wanted Necrons and I started with Orks as you don't have to take them very seriously (and soon start talkin' Orky, much to the kids' amusement :)

If your son wants Space Marines or Orks you are sorted, start off with the old Dark Vengeance starter box – Marines, Orks, rules, dice.

The GW hobby can be insanely expensive if you go OTT, but in reality 40K armies are a lot smaller than say a 28mm Napoleonic or WW2 army, so not that expensive, and there are ways of reducing costs:

- A few years back eBay was your best friend, you could buy entire constructed armies cheaply, now it seems that everyone wants to sell individual figures (dunno who buys them as postage often makes them more expensive than buying new) but if you search "XXX Army" you can still pick up large forces quite cheaply. Older models are cheaper than newer replacement ones We would do this as the Xmas or Birthday present.

- Next best deals are the Army Battle Boxes

- Get friends and relatives to fill in with other models.

Painting – I kick started my kids with spraying their base colours and doing a quick Drybrush n Wash, they did any detailing after that.

Thanks Damon and all. My approach will be to take him to a GW store and see if I can get him a demo game. If he is sold then I think I will do a combination of ordering new and looking for deals for rules/codex and miniatures. He has already started some terrain pieces on his own, of course using my materials! And he said he'd do his game board on his own time. So I have a plan at least, thanks again for all the advice.

Garand hit it right on the head!

The only things I'd add:

-Don't bother with the 2008 rulebook. Get the new one as it's what people will be playing. If his friends are still using it, you should be able to find a cheap used copy, but get him the new one also.

-Take him to the GW store and let him settle on an army that he really likes.

-The Starter Game Box is a great deal, but unless he really likes Dark Angels or Chaos, I'd skip it and do the battleforce thing as Garand advises. With kids, it's important to get them a force that they like. Saving $ is no bonus if they don't take to it.

-Remember also, that once you get your first batch, careful scouring of TMP, Bartertown and Ebay can expand his army at a significant discount.

I'd try to get him to play a game or two of 40K at a shop first to see if he likes it.

Then, I'd steer him toward Mantic's website to look over what they have to offer. He might find that he likes the Warpath lines. Or, he might find that he likes Orks.

After that… then jump into a 40K Battleforce.

By the time he has a decent force to play with, you'll be looking at around $500 USD, including the books, if you're going with the current edition.