Choosing the Correct Army for your Playstyle

Tutorial Tuesday

Player One Select

When it comes to choosing the correct army in Warhammer 40k, new players are often at a loss. Of course there are as many different answers to this question as there are people to ask. Do they buy the models that look coolest to them? Do they buy the strongest army? Do they start small? Or  buy it all in one go? Just where in the world IS Carmen Sandiego*?

Luckily I have the answer... OR rather you do, You just don't know it yet.

Allow me to explain.



Over the years I have been asked this question literally HUNDREDS of times (being the resident rules go-to-guy, people seem to trust me for some silly reason). As such I have discovered there are really just three types of players. IF you are honest with yourself, you'll realize what type of player you are and this should provide you with the almighty answer you are looking for (42).

Beans formula of Fantastical 40k gamer types (guaranteed to provide you with the perfect army**)

**All guarantees are not guaranteed.

Well...? ARE YOU??

Smashmouth:
Smashmouth players love to get in their opponents face and lay the almighty smackdown upon them. Close combat is usually preferred by these players.Objectives usually mean little or nothing, and the whole point of the game is to utterly dominate their opponent and remove them from the board. Often heard to yell "GET OFF MY BOARD! THIS IS MAH HOUSE! GET OUTTA MAH HOUSE!"
Smashmouth players tend to gravitate towards strong colors such as red, yellow, blue and black. Their models wend to stand out. Bigger can often mean better. Simplicity is also a strong point for the smashmouth player and they will often play with a "mostly" painted force... Painting is often a secondary consideration for these players and they enjoy the game much more than the hobby side. "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!" "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"
Suggested armies: Chaos, Orks, Tyranids, Named Space Marine Chapters (Blood Angels, Space Wolves, Black Templars), Chaos Daemons

Planning.

Tactical:
Tactical players tend to think about their games a lot. They will write and re-write their army lists many times over and will constantly search for the optimized list. On the gaming table, the objectives are the only priority and the opponent is just in the way. These players are very cerebral and will generally have plans within plans within plans (HARKONNENS!) all ready to counter each of their opponents actions with the correct countermeasures. Tactical players armies will be incredibly well balanced, with highly optimized short, medium and long ranged assets all in place to deal with all comers. "A place for everything and everything in its place".
Suggested armies: Eldar, Codex Marines, Imperial Guard, Grey Knights, Dark Angels, Necrons

King of the Castle:
King of the Castle players tend to sit back and obliterate their opponents from afar. Overwhelming firepower is generally the name of the game, and applying this artillery support from the most highly defensible and far away position possible is par for the course. These players will generally have a small number of highly effective units supported by "suicide squads", used to hold the enemy in place while they bring their big guns into place. On the Flip side, these players are also well known for playing super elite armies. High powered, low model count units that are applied like a scalpel to exorcise the opponent from the table, one overwhelmed piece at a time. Though my guards may sleep and ships may rest at anchor, our foes know full well that big guns never tire.
Suggested armies: Imperial Guard, Tau, Eldar, Orks (yes orks!), Dark Eldar., Sisters of Battle, Grey Knights

SO, that's how I see wargamers and hopefully you all can, if you are honest, categorize yourself into one of the above archetypes. And of course these arn't the be-all and end-all, as many players are hybrids of two of the different styles. But the acute amongst you will notice a few of the armies are in multiple categories. In the end it's up to the individual player to decide what kind of game they want to play and choose the right army for themselves. Personally I could never play an army I don't like the look of. So I hope this helps you all, and of course, comments and criticisms are greatly enjoyed.

Until next time,
Stay out of my way or I'll Smash your mouth in ;)
Bean out~

*Found her.