New to 8th and Ordo

[zwanson]

Hi all, I'm a (mostly) new 40k player looking to get started and I wanted to introduce myself to the community and gets people's thoughts on the best way to get started.  I played a few games each of 5th and 6th edition but never really got hooked.  I've been reading up on 8th and it seems like they've done a great job with it.  I'd love to hear folks ideas about:

• Building my collection: I want to go Chaos and picked up a set of the Death Guard from Dark Imperium.  Any suggestions on building out my first list?
• Where to play: is there still a league at Guardian Games?  How do folks find games?
• Etiquette: is it cool to play before have painted models?  What are the general feelings on acceptable conversions (for example, if you want to run obliterators but find the models ugly)?

 Thanks in advance everyone.  Looking forward to seeing you across the table.

[InfestedKerrigan]

Early on, buy what you like. Learn how things interact, then start fine tuning purchases based on covering weaknesses in your lists as you build up your collection.

Impulse shopping 40k is bad on the wallet.

Portland has lots of play zones. 

Unpainted, partially assembled is generally fine in pick up games. Events, not so much. 

Same with proxy. Don't show up and tell me the large base is a greater demon and all the small bases are varous lesser demons with no indication .... you get the picture, I'm sure.

[InfestedKerrigan]

Conversions... rule of cool, cohesion, and consistency are winners.

[Guest]

54 minutes ago, zwanson said:

Hi all, I'm a (mostly) new 40k player looking to get started and I wanted to introduce myself to the community and gets people's thoughts on the best way to get started.  I played a few games each of 5th and 6th edition but never really got hooked.  I've been reading up on 8th and it seems like they've done a great job with it.  I'd love to hear folks ideas about:

• Building my collection: I want to go Chaos and picked up a set of the Death Guard from Dark Imperium.  Any suggestions on building out my first list?
• Where to play: is there still a league at Guardian Games?  How do folks find games?
• Etiquette: is it cool to play before have painted models?  What are the general feelings on acceptable conversions (for example, if you want to run obliterators but find the models ugly)?

 Thanks in advance everyone.  Looking forward to seeing you across the table.

Personal suggestion for your first army is to buy used models. Get what you need in cheap old models, ideally metal (cause metal is easy to strip and retains it's used value). For Marines (chaos or loyalist), focus on getting models with bolters and models with missile launchers (other weapons work great too, but those are the most common and versatile). Then paint them to a low standard (3 colors, simple painting with a goal of just matching the rest of the models). Basing is unimportant at this stage, but you should test a few basing styles to see if you like them. 

Once you have a few games in, slowly replace mediocre units with well painted models. Perhaps strip the old ones and paint them again, or buy new ones. 

GG has a league presently on wednesdays from about 6-10pm. Lots of other game nights/leagues exist, depending on your transportation and schedule options. Additionally, you can just ask for a game here, and often get games that way. 

Etiquette wise, unpainted is fine. Most conversions are fine. The main thing is that your behaviour should not mock other players for paying full price while you field cheap conversions. The other main thing is that conversions should not exist to abuse rules mechanics.

I will note that if you intend to play at the GW store, they do require 100% GW models (which can include conversions made from other GW models). No one else cares, but something to consider if you live near the Portland GW store. I never go there, personally, but that's mainly because they are hard for me to commute to and they have really lacking hours of operation.  

EDIT: Oh, welcome to the boards. 

[zwanson]

Thanks for the tips everybody.

[Dark Trainer]

17 hours ago, zwanson said:

Hi all, I'm a (mostly) new 40k player looking to get started and I wanted to introduce myself to the community and gets people's thoughts on the best way to get started.  I played a few games each of 5th and 6th edition but never really got hooked.  I've been reading up on 8th and it seems like they've done a great job with it.  I'd love to hear folks ideas about:

• Building my collection: I want to go Chaos and picked up a set of the Death Guard from Dark Imperium.  Any suggestions on building out my first list?
• Where to play: is there still a league at Guardian Games?  How do folks find games?
• Etiquette: is it cool to play before have painted models?  What are the general feelings on acceptable conversions (for example, if you want to run obliterators but find the models ugly)?

 Thanks in advance everyone.  Looking forward to seeing you across the table.

First off, welcome to the fray!

Here's my 2 cents to get started affordably and quickly.

1) As for building the collection: Just like stated above, I HIGHLY recommend starting small (like patrol or 500pt games). This will let you toy with units, even proxy alternate models to play with (before you buy models). You might even be able to borrow someone's minis beforehand. Friendly games usually are ok with proxied models if you're learning what works and your style. I played with a carboard monolith back in the day (sized properly, even had straw guns, but cardboard none the less. Also did 32oz Gatorade bottles primed black for drop pods when I started marines). Always hate buying something, then never using it. We recently finished an escalation league recently that is great for new players building armies (starts small, ends around 1500pts). If cost is a concern, consider buying models from another person (rather than new). Of course stripping and such is an issue, but it's much less cost. If you prefer pristine models to start, then buying a kit is nicer. Can often find on sprue or new kits opened too.

2) Where to play. We have a clubhouse that plays 40k usually every Tuesday (currently in a 2k league). But yes, game stores are also good options. I don't know when Guardian does it's league, but I think it's Wed? Also, numerous other game stores (find your local store and ask?). Also, our forum offer HUGE access to lots of players. You can always post, looking for a friendly game and see what happens. Make sure to clarify your city (as we have a large collection of groups on our boards). 

3) Etiquette: Have fun? Painted models are only really needed for 'events or tournaments'. Typically a 3 color minimum is required. That said, I play friendly games (even our current 40k league with some unpainted models). I'll be working on improving that, but it's acceptable for friendly games or less competitive environments. As for conversions...I've seen SUPER converted models that aren't even GW models. That's fine, as long as it's clear what is on the mini (WYSWYG). Most events would allow it too, because part of the hobby is innovation.

 

Welcome to the addiction, I mean hobby 

[pretre]

Welcome to Ordo!

 

I have a nice breakdown on counts-as in my sig for models counting as others.

[zwanson]

2 hours ago, pretre said:

Welcome to Ordo!

 

I have a nice breakdown on counts-as in my sig for models counting as others.

super helpful.  Thanks!

[Purajh]

Oh No!!! Pretre your signature is out of date.

"moving all the guns on a model to one side to get a better arc of fire"

There are no more firing arcs 

[zwanson]

One more question. Are super heavies rude in casual games?  Because a big stompy chaos knight looks real appealing. And yes, I realize that flies in the face of all the collecting advice you’ve given me. 

[WestRider]

1 hour ago, zwanson said:

One more question. Are super heavies rude in casual games?  Because a big stompy chaos knight looks real appealing. And yes, I realize that flies in the face of all the collecting advice you’ve given me. 

It varies quite a bit. They are becoming more and more broadly accepted. I would at least wait until you're playing well over 1500 Points before adding one, tho. Having too much of your force wrapped up in a single model can result in boring games. They are unquestionably awesome.

[InfestedKerrigan]

1 hour ago, zwanson said:

One more question. Are super heavies rude in casual games?  Because a big stompy chaos knight looks real appealing.

I currently own 4 knights and prefer running them every chance I can.  There is a lot of baggage and distrust of them from a lot of players, though, so it's not a simple binary answer to your question. It depends on who you are playing with. There are several clubs on here that pretty actively discourage their use. Other clubs fully embrace them.  

Like WR said, though, building 1000 pts of your force and then adding a Renegade Knight to bump you to 1500 is a good way to go. This will help you learn how it all works together, and if adding a second knight to get to 2000 would be chill in your environment.

[Guest]

15 hours ago, zwanson said:

One more question. Are super heavies rude in casual games?  Because a big stompy chaos knight looks real appealing. And yes, I realize that flies in the face of all the collecting advice you’ve given me. 

They are fine in casual play. I wouldn't bring them to a game with noobs, as they just aren't very good units for teaching the game to people. 

In 40k the main thing with super heavies is that they consolidate your points into a dense, single target. This is a double edged sword. 40k weapons can be divided into groups of Anti-tank and anti-infantry. Anti-infantry are typically able to shoot more often, while anti-tank deals more damage to each model shot. For example, a lascannon shoots once and deals d6 damage so is anti-tank. If the opponent has mainly anti-tank weapons, the presence of a super heavy can be a liability due to how quickly the opponent can destroy them (the liability is in how many points are dedicated to a unit that does nothing and dies quickly).