I have always wanted to build a Warhammer army. It's one of those things that has just been in the back of my mind for roughly the last 25 years.
My boys. Their lack of paint breaks my heart at the moment. They deserve better.
I've been trying all manner of games for as long as I can remember but war-gaming has alluded me. Aside from a small stint playing Mage Knight Rebellion way back in 2001, which I loved, I've never been able to get up to the table. Wargaming seems to somehow be twice as nerdy as games like Magic the Gathering and, because of all the crafting skills needed to get involved, the barrier to entry is many times as high.
Why Wargaming?
So why do people even do this? In short, we're autistic. Wait, that's true but also a joke.
Why build an army of figurines, customize them, make up a whole story about your army, and head into your local game store to clash against others who have done the same? Because, if you are a very specific kind of person, that sounds friggin' awesome. There is really no other hobby that even approaches the level of dedication required here but, if you do decide it's for you, the benefits are huge.
My craft table is up to the challenge
I'm really sick of buying new gaming cards. I quit Magic the Gathering a few years ago (for the forth time in my life), if I decided to return to magic, the unfortunate truth is maybe 1/10th of my old cards will be at all usable and I'm going to need to build back up from near scratch. This is how things are with nearly all games.
Wargaming does not have this problem. Each army will have a few dozen different types of units (often each can be built a variety of ways) and their rules change over time. New units come out and you can add them to your fighting force if interested but there is no massive re-investment each time a new set or edition comes out. Sometimes units are retired but, in nearly all cases, in casual games there is still a way to use them.
Unpainted but still ready to krump some 'umies!
Five years ago I decided to start work on an Ork army but got sidetracked by a cross country move. Now, in my new home, I'm unpacking my Orks and they are ready to play! There are some new units the but Warbosses, Painboys, Weirdboys, and Big Meks I bought all those years ago are still all ready to lead my army in battle!
The Elephant In the Room
I need how many models for an army? Ok and how much is each model? ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?
There is a reason people joking refer to Warhammer 40k as Warhammer 401k. If you show up to the Games Workshop website and don't have a strategy it would be easy to think this hobby is impossibly expensive. Learning to work around your personal budget is a very necessary skill here.
First, you'll quickly come to understand that you need a plan. Coming up with an army list is just as import as coming up with a deck list so you know what to collect. There are absolutely some things you can rely on though:
- Your army will need a HQ or commander type character. In all but the smallest games they will require a few.
- Every army needs a "battle line". These are a series of units that make up your infantry. These are not the flashiest units but battles very often hinge on how they are used.
- The majority of armies are going to need some 'troop transports'. Depending on the army these can be trucks, tanks, gliders, giant mechs, or bugs that puke other bugs. No army is complete without a few of these to get you around the table.
- Armor penetration. Your enemy is going to be running troop transports and likely some big threats. You're going to need some way to deal with this. Even the biggest horde armies are going to need a can-opener or two.
These units are very safe to buy and build right away due to their general usability. You can often find Games Workshop releasing boxes that have a combination of units that can be used as a foundation for a larger force. My first purchase back was the Orks Combat Patrol box.
Guaranteed to make you feel like it's Christmas morning.
This box came with:
- Warboss in Mega Armor (HQ)
- x20 Boyz
- 3 Deffkoptas
- 1 Deff dread
In this box you save maybe 25% off the units individually which, to most people, will mean the Deff Dread is free! This force comes out to about '500 points' of units and, the majority of Warhammer armies are 2000 points. Thankfully, I'm not looking to play competitive 2000 point Warhammer games. Like Magic the Gathering there are a variety of formats in which you can play Warhammer.
I'll be joining whats called a 'Casual Crusade'. This crusade will involve 12-20 people split into 3-4 teams who will fight in a narrative campaign spanning the next 5 months. Over this crusade our armies will build from 1000 points to 2000 points and, every 5 weeks, there will be a climatic event! Over the weeks, your units will level up, gain wounds, find custom war-gear, and be a part of the overall story being told by everyone involved.
Scratch built Grot Tanks because I'm not paying ForgeWorld $70 for 3 mins. Ever. I swear they'll look good when primed!
The general mood here is new folks looking to play simpler more interesting games with cool narrative rules. I could not be more excited. I have a month left to get my army to the 'fully built' stage, finalize a list, and get some level of painting done. You can always show up to the table with bare plastic but I think even just having an army primed in the colors it will eventually be painted very much within my time and skill limits.
Id love to bring you on this journey with me! Please follow this account if you'd like to see my army come together over time and would like to hear more about the Crusade starting soon. Thank you for reading!
Now this is hella cool! You need to have a chat with @zakludick he is quite on the ball with these!
Aha! Thanks for the mention!
Thanks for the kind words and connection. Really excited to be back on PeakD and finding folks.
Glad to have you back bruh!
What a fun venture! I don't have the patience to build miniatures but I can definitely admire the art. I can't wait to read more as your crusade begins. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for the kind words. I find mini-building extremely relaxing to completely infuriating depending on the miniature involved, haha.
Well met @walledcity! I have been playing Warhammer 40k since 3rd Edition, I took a gap between start of 6th and end of 9th, returning to play a bit of 9th and now 10th edition.
I have a vast Imperial army and I have A LOT of models that still need to get painted so I know that feeling!
I have joined our local Hobby group's Slow Grow event to force myself to paint my minis!
I shall add you to my tag list for 40k posts. Currently doing a review of datasheets in 10th edition. I also have a "Hive hobby fund" which I collect in HP which I will eventually unstake and spend on my hobby stuff!
Which reminds me... I need to do a post about that...
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