How to Pick Your Army

Choosing an army for either Fantasy or 40k is a big deal.  With the army books/codices costing close to 100 dollars (NZ) the amount of money you invest in an army starts to sky rocket very early on. That’s why its important to choose an army that you will stick with, an army that you enjoy playing, as deciding to start over with a new army will cost you more than sticking with your current one. Here are a few points to consider before choosing an army that will hopefully help you pick a army that you will stick with and enjoy playing.

At roughly 100 dollars a pop (NZ) make sure that they army you pick is one that you will enjoy playing

Play style

How an army plays, what are its strengths and weakness, what’s its overall combat “Theme”. These are all key points to consider before choosing an army. Do you like getting into combat quickly and murdering things? Then perhaps a Close Combat Eldar force would be a good idea. Do you like the idea of creating a killing zone in front of your army? Where enemy units will suffer heavy causalities before they reach your lines? Then perhaps you should look at a Empire Gunline army. Remember that you should pick an army whose play style best reflects what you like about most about the game, be it 40k or Fantasy.

Army Fluff

For some gamers their army’s background and lore means nothing to them. For others it can be the deciding factor between two armies with similar play style. Each player will have their own preference fluff wise and it’s up to that player to find an army that matches that preference. Use the internet for this, there are dozens of websites out there that document the fluff of both 40k and Fantasy armies. Search, read, learn and most of all don’t rush.

Battlefield Performance

So you have found a army whose play style complements what you like the most about the game and whose fluff you enjoy.  The final question you should get a answer to is “How does this army preform in game?” Luckily you don’t have to buy the army you find this out, sites like Warseer and many race specific forums have battle report sections where you can read up on other players experiences with the army you are thinking of buying. Also there are now a ton of battle reports on youtube. The race specific forums will also be a great help to you in this regard as they are full of people offering tactical advise about the army you are interested in. In addition these forums often have lively debates about these tactics allowing you to see their upsides and downsides.

Hopefully that helps you pick an army that you will stick with. With GW constantly raising the prices of its product (especially in New Zealand and Australia) it has never been more important to pick a army that you will enjoy playing, as the cost of starting a new army continues to rise.

Until next time

Rex