Poll of the Day > Let's say I'm mildly intrigued by Warhammer but don't know anything about it

(+) Yeah! (+)

Where do I even begin?

All I know is that theres a game where people paint miniatures and something called space marines

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Mead posted...

Where do I even begin?

All I know is that theres a game where people paint miniatures and something called space marines

Yes.

I have a Space Marine army and a couple knights... that's basically it

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Mead posted...

Where do I even begin?

All I know is that theres a game where people paint miniatures and something called space marines

Honestly, that game is VERY bad for new players. They don't make it easy for you to find the army that fits your play style. Every "race" has different factions within the "Race" that add flavor to them so it isn't too bad if you play something like Space marines. But If you get something like Tau because you like robots and super battle suits, invest in it, and then find out the SUCK melee or close range, you are gonna have a bad time.

So I would say you should watch videos on every faction of all the races... I went through FOUR armies till I settled on the one I finally liked.

Also, some weirdos will also play an army only because of the lore... so be that guy if you want? But personally I think sticking power would be going with something you like how it plays.

Also AoS is pretty good if you don't wanna go the 40k route, my suggestions stick. However I do find AoS harder to paint, not sure why.

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Just start with the free games :P
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/3-poll-of-the-day/79493781

Or ask me for Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf
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https://www.youtube.com/user/miniwargaming

That is a decent enough place to start. I mean each of the people who work they have their favorites(Hardcore loyal fanboys) but they have a lot of people from the community that comes in and plays them so you will see a good mix.

Also don't listen to the hate of _______ the editions change and the power levels move with each edition/update, but for the most part they are balanced more than most games.

ALSO, I personally would stay away from armies with a lot of model options because of the updates and what have you. It sucks when you have a few dozen Blah only for that unit to go to the trash in the next update. Smaller model count factions don't have that issue as bad.

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hypnox posted...

Honestly, that game is VERY bad for new players.

nay, just pick the models you think look the coolest and then complain on the forums about buffs and nerfs

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I dont think I want to play the actual miniatures game. My bad for not being more clear sorry. I know that is the core of the whole thing, but it is mostly the lore and setting that seems intriguing to me.

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Mead posted...

I dont think I want to play the actual miniatures game. My bad for not being more clear sorry. I know that is the core of the whole thing, but it is mostly the lore and setting that seems intriguing to me.

ok, basically 10'000 years ago or so God had 20 babies with a dude named Malcador and 2 of the babies were expunged from the records never to be mentioned again and the other 18 were lost in space cuz space satan wanted to mess things up so God went on a pokemon collecting spree to find his lost kids but it took like 100 years or so but eventually he found all 18 kids and they all had demi-god powers as well as a finely developed temperment based on what planet they were found on for some reason oh and by 18 I mean 17 'cuz his starter pokegod was Robot Gillman, hero of the imperium and anyways he game each of his 18 kids a legion to go conquer human controlled space and he did and then half the legions were all like satan is cooler so they lured people to istvaan5 into a trap and killed basically just the Salamanders 'cuz they're racist and that's why they only have 7 companies instead of 10. Then for the next 10'000 years there was only war and Malcador was all like 'shoulda had some girls, y'know' and god was like 'shut up, logic' and then one of this sons killed him sorta but not really 'cuz he's immortal god oh and one of his sons killed one of his other sons so now all the marines from their legion gets psychic trauma visions of being murdered which makes them insane and get +1 to hit or wound or something in melee.

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Well you can read the literal THOUSAND books(I am talking Harry Potter and the goblet of fire sized) that they have on it.

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Also,
https://youtu.be/xCGKPRiJp84
https://youtu.be/Y6jnsX77TCU

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http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZBWSaacMYECsidx4go8buJnx9SkCOqD7
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Mead posted...

I dont think I want to play the actual miniatures game. My bad for not being more clear sorry. I know that is the core of the whole thing, but it is mostly the lore and setting that seems intriguing to me.

The most important thing I would emphasise with Warhammer is don't get too invested in the gameplay side of things early on, unless that's literally all you're interested in.

The game changes super quickly these days and building even a small army can take an enormous amount of time (and money) depending on how much effort you invest.

I'd recommend grabbing a starter box (either one of the big two player boxes or a box of units or several units for a specific faction you like) and just play around from there. Put some time into building and see if you like it. If that appeals to you start dropping your toe into painting, or if you don't like painting, start to maybe build towards an army and playing.

Alternatively if you're just interested in having a completed set you can play games with, look into some of the smaller side games like Warcry, Underworlds or Kill Team, where you only need like ten models.

Definitely try to get in touch with a group in your local area. Most groups seem to use Facebook. You'll also probably find that depending where you live, the "popular game" can be way different. Some areas might have no 40k players at all.

Different parts of wargaming appeal to different people so don't feel obligated to go down a path you find unfun.

The only judgement you'll get from me is regarding the memes. Every single 40k meme is shit.

I love the Warhammer so would be glad to talk about it more or recommend content to check out. Tabletop Minions on YouTube is a channel aimed specifically at new stuff wargamers.

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And I guess to give some context for my own hobby, I've been painting Warhammer for about two and a half years, have two fully painted Age of Sigmar armies and have played less than ten games, but watch battle reports literally every week lol

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Mead posted...

I dont think I want to play the actual miniatures game. My bad for not being more clear sorry. I know that is the core of the whole thing, but it is mostly the lore and setting that seems intriguing to me.

Tbh I've never heard anyone talk about actually playing the game, only about the lore and painting miniatures so it sounds like you'll fit right into the fanbase

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All I know about Warhammer is it inspired WarCraft, then they made 40K and that inspired StarCraft, then Space Marine came out and that game kicks all sorts of ass. And that's the entirety of my experience with Warhammer.

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papercup posted...

All I know about Warhammer is it inspired WarCraft, then they made 40K and that inspired StarCraft, then Space Marine came out and that game kicks all sorts of ass. And that's the entirety of my experience with Warhammer.

Also, the term "Nuns from Space", "Ninja Nuns from Space" And pretty much anything else related is based on that.

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I enjoy the novels, but the tabletop game is too expensive for most people to play.

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papercup posted...

All I know about Warhammer is it inspired WarCraft, then they made 40K and that inspired StarCraft, then Space Marine came out and that game kicks all sorts of ass. And that's the entirety of my experience with Warhammer.

Well, more that Games Workshop made Warhammer in the early 80s, then they made 40k in the late 80s. Then years later Blizzard stole both ideas and did Warcraft first, then Starcraft, in the 90s.

Warhammer Fantasy (the one I actually care about - I was never overly interested in 40k) also led to Vermintide (aka Left 4 Dead with rat-people) and the creation of the HeroQuest board game in the 80s:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx8sl2uC46A
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If you're talking about lore, the game WH40k - Inquisitor is a very mediocre diablo clone, but has pretty good story telling and lore; it's where I learned the most the quickest. then I filled in the gaps with youtube videos, such as the one posted above.

there's also the Dawn of War games, but I don't know how deep they get, or if they're just mostly Orcs VS Humans, which it seems like they might (but dunno)

there's the game WH40k - Mechanicus which has awesome presentation and good gameplay, but is hard enough that I didn't make it very far yet, and I think it's just Mechanicus VS Necrons the whole way (not sure)

there's also the Horus Heresy books, which I've considered starting to read, but they seem a bit hard to obtain and/or fairly expensive


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Sahuagin posted...

there's also the Horus Heresy books, which I've considered starting to read, but they seem a bit hard to obtain and/or fairly expensive

From a purely narrative standpoint, this is I think what most people mean when they talk about the "story" of 40k. Even though it's technically 30k. It's a vast sprawling book series covering every aspect of a galaxy spanning civil war. I don't think there's anything comparable for 40k "proper".

A lot of the overall narrative for the 40k setting outside of Horus Heresy is tied into codexes or campaign books that are also designed to promote the game and models (this is an intentional business decision, every aspect of the hobby advertises the other aspects).

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Play Warhammer Underworlds, it's their best game by far

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I will point out even assembling one good sized army can take hundreds of dollars and in some cases well over $500 to get your foot in the door. Warhammer 40k is definitely something that should not be taken lightly, because unlike other games with a huge requirement to be competitive, Warhammer 40k costs the same no matter what.

I can go get a bunch of cheap MTG cards and play with friends and have fun and the only way to simulate that in Warhammer 40k is use random toys to represent the actual miniatures playing with friends.