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I was wondering if anyone played Warhammer fantasy and if anyone had any advice for starting out playing. I stumbled upon a couple of how to play videos a couple of weeks ago and started researching it and it looks like a lot of fun and there is a comic shop in town that sells the kits and has a miniatures night.

I was considering playing dwarfs and to start out either picking up an old battle for skull pass starters kit or a dwarf battalion box. Any advice on a better place to buy figures or paint or brushes? And any advice for a total miniatures noob?

Are you talking about the Fantasy RPG or the Warhammer 40K strategy game? I have the Fantasy RPG but the new rules are confusing as shit. I am waiting for a guy at my comic shop to start a game so I can see it in action but he has yet to do so.

If you are talking 40K talk to Krisken.

'Fish is talking about Warhammer Fantasy Battles, the tabletop wargame that the RPG is based on.

Oh, and one big word of advice - paint your miniatures in batches. Apply one layer of paint at a time so that by the time you're done with the last model of a regiment, the first one is dry and ready for you to paint another bit of it.

Dwarves are a pretty good choice for a beginner on a budget - they're a small, elite army, so you won't have to shell out nearly so much.

I probably can't answer questions satisfactorily. I play Warhammer Online, which is based in the Warhammer Fantasy IP but doesn't share many of its rules.

/warrior priests and bright wizards EVERYWHERE
//black orcs chummy with dark elves and the cult of Tzeentch
///skaven openly accepted on the battlefield in the ranks of both sides, often simultaneously

Iaculus said:

'Fish is talking about Warhammer Fantasy Battles, the tabletop wargame that the RPG is based on.

Oh, and one big word of advice - paint your miniatures in batches. Apply one layer of paint at a time so that by the time you're done with the last model of a regiment, the first one is dry and ready for you to paint another bit of it.

Dwarves are a pretty good choice for a beginner on a budget - they're a small, elite army, so you won't have to shell out nearly so much.

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They're also very good at stopping the opponent's magic phase.

I played a lot of 6th edition Fantasy. They are now in 8th. I've read a few things, but it is all second hand knowledge.

Sorry!

If you end up with 40K questions, I can most likely answer them though

I played 7th a lot in 2008. I won't try to dissuade you, but I've found Warhammer 40k to be a much more engaging game, even if Fantasy has a lot of cool models and races.

What you will need:

- Paint (acrylic)
- Brushes
- Primer (this is a spray that you put on the models before painting--do not breathe it in)
- Models (derp)
- Sprue cutters (for clipping models off the sprue)
- File (smoothing out where you cut the model pieces from the sprue, although a hobby knife can do wonders)
- Rules for Warhammer Fantasy
- Army Book for your chosen race
- Measuring Tape (Preferably stiff, to measure your army's movement
- Movement trays (because your armies will move in block formation, not as individuals, and having them on trays will make it easier)
- Carrying case
- Dice
- Templates (for spells)

Some of this is for modeling, some for playing. Skull Pass is a great way to get your Dwarfs, dice, templates, and an archaic measuring tool, however, you're going to be stuck with an outdated rulebook and about 50+ models for Orcs & Goblins. If you want lots of easy, cheap Dwarf models, I'd get Skull Pass Dwarfs from Ebay. But use your discretion.

In any case, you'll still need the latest edition of the Warhammer Fantasy. You can get the starter set, Island of Blood, which will give you lots of Skaven and High Elves you can't use . You could buy the hardcover rules for $50. Or you could go on Ebay and get the rules that come with Island of Blood for probably $20.

Thanks for all that info escushion! From what I have been reading online it seems like fantasy is more strategic which I like, but that could be just fanboys on the internet. What are the major differences in your opinion and why do you think 40k is more engaging? Are there any races that play like dwarves in the 40k universe?

Well, if you want "small, slow, and hard as nails" in 40K, there's always the Necrons, though they've been due for a new codex for a while now. Which part of the Dwarves' playstyle particularly appeals to you?

Catafish said:

Thanks for all that info escushion! From what I have been reading online it seems like fantasy is more strategic which I like, but that could be just fanboys on the internet. What are the major differences in your opinion and why do you think 40k is more engaging? Are there any races that play like dwarves in the 40k universe?

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I've found Fantasy to be more decided by what models you put on the table and what spells you give your characters, as opposed to strategy. It works on the mode of combat of two armies charging at each other across a field.

I find 40k more engaging because formation matters, you can change that formation to make terrain part of the game rather than something that gets in the way of your army block, so every movement of your troops is vital. You typically won't see one squad charging another across an open field unless there's a very good reason for it.

I never played as Dwarfs. I played against them a couple times, but I never read their Army Book, so I don't know what's unique about them rules-wise. Most of what I knew about races besides my Orcs & Goblins was that everyone but Skaven players put out less models than me, and High Elves meant death.

Iaculus said:

Well, if you want "small, slow, and hard as nails" in 40K, there's always the Necrons, though they've been due for a new codex for a while now. Which part of the Dwarves' playstyle particularly appeals to you?

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I really like the small, slow, and hard as nails approach that the dwarves usually have, able to take a beating but hit back as hard as they were hit. Mostly I am a fan of the dwarf aesthetic. If I was to start playing Necrons what would it mean if they got a new codex? Will it just affect how units are used and possibly add new units? Or is their something greater that will happen?

escushion said:

I've found Fantasy to be more decided by what models you put on the table and what spells you give your characters, as opposed to strategy. It works on the mode of combat of two armies charging at each other across a field.

I find 40k more engaging because formation matters, you can change that formation to make terrain part of the game rather than something that gets in the way of your army block, so every movement of your troops is vital. You typically won't see one squad charging another across an open field unless there's a very good reason for it.

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You make 40k sound like so much more fun and so much more engaging, I like the idea of being able to use terrain. Is there somewhere (other then my local shop) I can watch games of both types unfold and see which one I actually like more?

Youtube? Not sure if that counts. If you can find a Games Workshop, most will have players playing both games, though some stores are more bent toward Fantasy and others more toward 40k.

Absolutely. Go to Youtube and put in "Warhammer Battle Report" for your search.

You'll find quite a few battle reports . Blue Painting Table puts up a pretty good set of battle reports that are easy to follow.

The main difference between Fantasy and 40K is Fantasy focuses on regimental movement and large numbers while 40K is more squad based. You'll get that from the videos, I'm sure!

Warhammer Fantasy:

I tried to find videos where they showed the guys actually moving the regiments around, but these guys cut between turns. I chose these examples because the guy explains some of what's happening as it goes.

That one gets it all down in one video.

If you have a lot of time:
- Part 1 of a Blue Table Painting, which will lead to links to more of it. This first part is mainly explanation of units, but the following parts will show movement and dice rolling. I tried finding a Dwarfs one, but only one guy seemed to have battle reports of Dwarfs and it was a bunch of still-shots.

Warhammer 40k:


I like this because it shows the movement, battle, etc, all in shortened form rather than just skipping to between turns and telling you what happened.

Hope these help!

After watching all of those videos I have to say 40k looks like a lot more fun. Now I guess I have to find out what 40k army I want to play >.< After doing a bit of research I seem to like Tyranid's, Eldar, Orks, or possibly Space Marines. Any suggestions on what races are the most fun? I would like to play a race that not a lot of other people play but I assume that is a local thing. I saw that there is a starters kit that has the Ork's and Space Marine's, so I might pick that up and see how I feel about the two races and 40k and go from there. I appreciate all of the help from you guys, Its been very useful.

If you're looking for an army that not everyone else plays, you'd be out of luck with the Space Marines. They're the beginner force, and it's easy to see why. They're small and elite, making it easy to collct an army, very forgiving to play, and near-infinitely customisable in background and aesthetics.

Tyranids and Orks are horde armies, so you'd be shelling out a lot. Admittedly, 'nids do also have the 'big stompy monster death' option, but... still. You might actually have your best luck with Eldar. They've got a bit of a learning curve to them thanks to relying on fast, fragile, and highly specialised units, but this also mean that there'll be less folks playing them, and some of the best gamers in the world use the pointy-eared ones. You can even go for your tough, slow elite force if you decide to play an Iyanden Spirit Host (lots of Wraithguard and Wraithlords, with heavy-duty psychic backup).

If you like big, nasty vehicles and highly customizable infantry, I highly recommend the Imperial Guard. Their new codex is pretty awesome and really gives them a lot of the love they needed before. Besides, there isn't a lot that can stand up to a Leman Ross or a Baneblade.

They're another horde army, though, unless the new codex really shook things up while I wasn't looking.

Iaculus said:

They're another horde army, though, unless the new codex really shook things up while I wasn't looking.

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It's not QUITE as bad, but it can still run a lot if you buy tons of Guardsmen.

I can totally understand the sentiment of not wanting to play what most others around you are playing, but it's difficult since that's a very local thing and also judged by the times. In 2008, most 40k players in my store where I lived were playing either Necrons or Tyranids. Where I live now, there's mostly Space Marines and their versions (Space Wolves, Blood Angels, etc).

Universally though, you'll find Space Marines to be pretty popular for the reasons stated above. Easy to paint, don't need a lot of models for a small army, easy to play.

As far as horde armies for low price goes, Orks are best since you can get plenty of Boyz and Nobz from purchasing starter kit pieces from Ebay. Imperial Guard and Tyranids are the other 40k horde armies.

Odds are that you'd be seeing a lot of Dark Eldar pretty soon since their army just had their first big relaunch since the mid-90s. Like regular Eldar, they're a fast, fragile force.

Necrons are few and hardy. They may come out with a new Codex this year, but most models you get should still be good. I expect more variance since right now you have very few options in a Necrons army, but I also expect the current unit types to still exist. The Codex will just change how those units are used and what their stats are. It may not be an enormous change either. And it's not for certain coming anytime soon. I think Tau will be getting a Codex before the Necrons.

The problem with 40k is that, in its current form, it is super unbalanced. If you want to simply play casually with some friends its fine (and lots of fun), but if you are seriously considering playing compettively forget about it, it is far too heavily min/maxed at the moment for there to be much variety.

For anyone who disagrees, eat my SpaceWolves/Blood Angels.....

As for where to pick up miniatures...EBAY EBAY EBAY EBAY EBAY.

only place to buy them.

Necronic said:

The problem with 40k is that, in its current form, it is super unbalanced. If you want to simply play casually with some friends its fine (and lots of fun), but if you are seriously considering playing compettively forget about it, it is far too heavily min/maxed at the moment for there to be much variety.

For anyone who disagrees, eat my SpaceWolves/Blood Angels.....

As for where to pick up miniatures...EBAY EBAY EBAY EBAY EBAY.

only place to buy them.

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Yes, this. Games Workshop's website charges obscene amounts for models. Hell, they charge an obscene amount for SHIPPING. I almost had to eat a $15 shipping fee, merely because my order was less than $30! That was just for a book!

Yeah, I'm having trouble making anything reasonable back on some Dark Eldar stuff I don't want compared with what I paid, since Ebay prices are so much lower than GW.

And Necronic: I don't expect him to be rushing into tournaments when he's just getting started.

I haven't played in probably about 10 years. I made the beginners mistake of picking Skaven as my army. Don't get me wrong, Skaven are a FUN race to play. You never know what's going to happen when your troops' leadership is dependent on how many ranks are in the battalion, especially if you've got lots of volatile, unpredictable Clan Skyre weaponry in your army!

But its an EXPENSIVE army to build. You need probably 3X as many units to achieve the same points value as your opponent. Which also makes it a bit of a pain to paint.
Man, I'd love to dig my army out of my parents' attic and get back into the game!