New to Warhammer 40k

[Admiral-Badruck]

False alarm on the SoB comment. He is actually going Black Templars. Rockin'

All of this stuff about Orks, Claws, Big Shootas, etc. is so damn exciting, but also quite confusing, haha. I just wanna play now! lol.

If I were to make a normal Nob with a "claw" could I just swap out his arm without the claw for the one with it when I get it?

No prob at all man I can even make some Claws for you if you want them..

[Jolith]

Hey guys,

I'm the 3rd for Waite and Dom, so I thought I'd post in here as well. So I'll be playing Black Templars with our little group and no some basics for the army, but will appreciate any addition tips/tricks that you guys have for them. Also I am trying to figure out what I should buy first. I was looking at the sword brothers but not really sure what other units to go with.

[me_in_japan]

I'm sure Prim will have more concrete advice than me, him being the marine fanboy that he is (some use "marine fanboy" as a slur. Not me, not when Im talking about Prim. Nobody is more a fan of space marines than Prim. He's also in no way girly. Hence: fanboy...)

but I digress...

Black Templars are a cool army, theres no doubt about that. One thing I would be wary off as a new buyer-of-templars is that the codex is old. (altho, only a few months older than the eldar codex. I did not realise that till now...)There are rumours (only rumours, mind) that Black Templars will get a new codex sometime next year. This is definitely good news for you (if it is in fact true) but be prepared for two things when/if it happens:

1) you will be hacked off because all the new versions of the miniatures will be nicer than the ones you just spent a bunch of money on. However, they will probably also be more expensive.

2) you will need to buy more minis, because your units will now be all out of whack with the new rules. Youll need to redistribute special weapons, jig around unit sizes, and buy a whole bunch of the funky new special things that dont exist yet.

So, bearing that in mind, if youre still set on Templars (and tbh I dont see any reason not to be), then Id recommend going for the basics. I have no doubt there are loads of "This is the killiest Black Templar list in the world" lists out there, but youre much better off buying the models you like and learning for yourself.

Briefly looking at the codex, Id say:

It's a space marine army, with a greater ability to tweak it. The various unit entries are not so different from those in the marine 'dex, but there seems to be greater ability to customise them. This is not a bad thing. The same pros and cons for marines will apply to the templars (pros: hard to kill, v.g. shooting and CC stats. cons: pricey, and their commonality means many players gear up to kill marines)

The emperor's champion is rather dangerous.

Some vows are good. Others less so.

High Chaplain thingey is quite cool, and rather hard to kill.

So, based off my experience playing against marines, id say:

get 2 - 3 units of initiates/neophytes. Mix these as you like. Get rhinos/razorbacks to put em in.

get a dred. Marine dreds are cool. (and choppy)

get an emperor's champion. The model is ace, and it's a compulsory choice.

get an HQ model (marshal/castellan type). You can always buy more HQ later, as theyre single minis and tend to make good impulse buys

get (sigh) a Land Raider Crusader. As an eldar player, I hate these things, but if I was a Templar player, Id revel in em...

Anyway, dats wot I think. Im sure Prim will disagree, but Im just trying to be helpful

[Primarch]

Actually, I would go along with everything MiJ said.
As and when the Templars do get a new book (and that isnt anytime soon) there shouldnt be many major changes. GW are slowly stripping away metal models and releasing plastics to replace them, but the sword brethren are still cool models. Character models will remain in metal so Grimaldus, Helbrecht and the Champion are all good choices to pick up.

Templar Armies come in 3 styles, choose the style you think will suit you best.
1. Infantry Horde - Max out on Initiate/Neophyte units.
2. Mechanised Infantry - Switch out some troops for tanks. Crusaders are awesome at killing infantry.
3. Drop Pod Assault - Take the cheap drop pods in place of tanks.

Everything that is in the current codex will be in the next book as well. The only things that might be an exception is how many flamers/plasma guns etc you can take in a bike squad and how many heavy weapons you can take in a terminator squad as they are currently more than any other army.

The current rules for Templar Drop Pods are very good as your opponent cant do much to prevent your guys from attacking where you want. That said, the rules will eventually change. They will still be good, but there are some things a clever opponent can do to counter them.

Whichever option you go for, dont put missile launchers or other heavy weapons into your infantry units. You wont be using them. Take a Powerfist in EVERY squad, especially since you are playing against Tyranids. They will help even the odds. Take either flamers (good for killing large units) or meltas (for killing tanks/big bugs) every time you can. Take Bolt Pistols and Knives on all your Neophytes, currently your shotguns are below par.

Consider buying a Predator tank and then either a second Predator or a Vindicator. These will help support your units as you close. As has been said before, Land Raider Crusaders are great.

[Jolith]

I will start by saying, I will add more to this later, I just got home from a crazy day and my brain is shot.

Thanks for all the info. I have some decisions to make and well do it fairly soon. MiJ has me questioning my freaking choice, I do love me some Eldar, but I love Space Marines as well I just don't really know 100% anymore. In Fantasy I played Bretonnian, High and Wood Elf. But as I didn't get a chance to play much of 40k not sure what I want to do. I'll probably stick with Templars just because it's easier, but we'll see. Thanks for the help and keep it coming

[Primarch]

For the time being, marines are easier on the wallet (especially if you split a starter box of Black Reach). Speaking from my own experience, there is nothing stopping you from picking up a new army at some point in the future.

[Jolith]

True, I would like to still play when I get back and I'll probably just add to my Eldar army if I'm not super in love with the Marines. I do have some more questions though. I'm thinking about Space Wolves also, anyone play as them before? Also I read that there is a rumor of the Grey Knights coming...and new info on that?

[Primarch]

True, I would like to still play when I get back and I'll probably just add to my Eldar army if I'm not super in love with the Marines. I do have some more questions though. I'm interested in the Grey Knights and the Space wolves as well. I know the Space Wolves have their own codex, but do the Grey Knights have their own. I started reading the Grey Knights' Omnibus again last night and it's kinda got me thinking about playing Grey Knights. Can you have a mixed SM army like grey knights and templar or do I need to stick to just one? Thanks for the quick response

The Grey Knights do indeed have their own codex, and up until recently they were allowed to be taken as allies for a regular space marine force. However, their codex got a slight overhaul a few months back removing the "allies" rule.
The Grey Knights are scheduled to get a new range of models and a new book in the first quarter of next year. The current models are all metal and an army is VERY expensive. If you want Knights, wait until next year when it will become merely expensive.
Sadly you cannot mix and match armies from different books without your opponent's permission. You can ask, and most decent folks will say yes unless you appear to be doing it to powergame. However, you cant get away with it in tournaments. So Wolves, Knights and Templars will generally leave you with 3 small armies rather than 1 big one. There is an expansion called Apocalypse which permits you to field mixed forces. However, the recommended minimum size of game is 3000 points (about double a standard sized game).

[Jolith]

True, I would like to still play when I get back and I'll probably just add to my Eldar army if I'm not super in love with the Marines. I do have some more questions though. I'm interested in the Grey Knights and the Space wolves as well. I know the Space Wolves have their own codex, but do the Grey Knights have their own. I started reading the Grey Knights' Omnibus again last night and it's kinda got me thinking about playing Grey Knights. Can you have a mixed SM army like grey knights and templar or do I need to stick to just one? Thanks for the quick response

The Grey Knights do indeed have their own codex, and up until recently they were allowed to be taken as allies for a regular space marine force. However, their codex got a slight overhaul a few months back removing the "allies" rule.
The Grey Knights are scheduled to get a new range of models and a new book in the first quarter of next year. The current models are all metal and an army is VERY expensive. If you want Knights, wait until next year when it will become merely expensive.
Sadly you cannot mix and match armies from different books without your opponent's permission. You can ask, and most decent folks will say yes unless you appear to be doing it to powergame. However, you cant get away with it in tournaments. So Wolves, Knights and Templars will generally leave you with 3 small armies rather than 1 big one. There is an expansion called Apocalypse which permits you to field mixed forces. However, the recommended minimum size of game is 3000 points (about double a standard sized game).

Cool, I'll just stick with the BT until next year then. Now time to get this show on the road.

[dyllybones]

4th Nagahama Boy, checking in:
Starting a company of Space Wolves, which I developed some badass fluff for so that they reflect more of a Native North American theme than the whole Viking thing.
I'm thinking of playing them with Rune Priests as HQ, and using mostly Grey Hunters, with at least one unit of Blood Claws as a sacrificial first strike force. The Rune Priest may be accompanied by Wolf Guard. I will also use the Scouts included in the BattleBox. I also like Long Fangs, but I have no idea how to construct them.
Most importantly, since I don't like the idea of Vehicle-heavy (coming from Warmahordes, it doesn't make much sense), I will be resorting to Drop Pods, which I happen to think sound awesome.

How competitive is that build? I still don't have a really strong grasp on 40k rules, but I really want to play what I LIKE.
What do Space Wolves play like? I've read plenty of Dakka articles that break them down as being not quite the melee-centric army most people make them out to be, but rather more of a flexible close-quarters army. I like the flexibility, especially when it is combined with a "jam your claws down the enemy's throat ASAP, but on your own terms" battlestyle.