Getting started with 40k - the financial cost of Space Marines (Part 1)

In Part 1 of 2 I will run through a couple of options to consider if either you or your child are curious about Warhammer 40k and you don't know where to start.  The prices are GBP, but I'm sure you can convert if needed.

I have always had an interest in getting new players into the hobby.  Having run a school club for a number of years, parents have often asked me how much it costs to get started with a basic army.  Some have even asked how much a good army costs.  I have always been open with them that this is not the cheapest hobby ever.  It is also well-known that GW is a model company, which exists primarily to sell models.  I also always add that the hobby compares well in terms of cost against the more prevalent games consoles, whilst also promoting more creativity, problem-solving and social skills.

First off, a few bits of advice.  To start with, don't get carried away too soon.  I have seen parents enthusiastically buy boxes and boxes of models, only for the little one to get bored before they finish their first squad and it all ends up gathering dust.  The hobby is not for everyone and requires patience to build, paint and then play every model.  Secondly, book an intro session at your local gaming store, where they can hopefully make their first model and start learning how to play.  If they like it then, you will need to take them back a few times to learn more and more rules.  (This never ends.)  Ideally, take one of their friends along, so they learn together and have someone to play against.

How much you spend on glue and paint is up to you.  GW will try to sell you their own hobby supplies, but there are cheaper options available for brushes, plastic glue and so on, especially if you plan on doing this all at home.  A decent set of clippers is a good idea, with the right supervision of course.  Halfords and Wilko do decent spray primers for a fraction of GW prices, but 4 pots of GW paints for just over £10 is a good start.  Leadbelcher metallic paint for the guns, a skin colour for any bare heads, another colour for the armour depending on your chosen chapter and then a colour for the base - I like Zandri Dust.

The Dark Vengeance box is an excellent entry point for the game itself.  £65 for a handy rulebook, 2 armies to split with the friend and some other gaming tools (including dice) is very good value.  The main limitation is that you may not be interested in Dark Angels or Chaos as forces.  Whilst DA are at least mid-tier in terms of competitiveness, Chaos is currently desperately in need of an update - hopefully soon.  One possible option is to combine the two forces into a Fallen army, representing former DA who have succumbed to the lure of Chaos.

Alternatively many players are quite happy to paint the DA models as whatever Marine chapter they like.  However, this does depend on the player's level of OCD, as some can't cope with anything but the 'official' colour schemes.  This will help determine which codex to get next.  This will take the overall spend to £100.

The codex gives a more detailed description of the full range of units available to the army and is essential for writing army lists and understanding how the army plays.  As stated above, I would avoid Chaos for now and go for either DA or so-called 'vanilla' Space Marines.  

 

If you avoid DV and grab a mini 7th Edition rulebook on eBay for around £20 (don't get the hefty £50 hardbacks), you could instead spend £40 on a Tactical Squad and a Commander for a legal, playable army of 2x5-man squads and a leader.  This is the traditional 1 HQ and 2 Troops choices for a Combined Arms Detachment (CAD).  However, I would suggest the Start Collecting! Space Marines box for £50, which also gives you a Venerable Dreadnought (normally £28) for an extra tenner.  The box also contains a formation data sheet, which means it is also a legal army in its own right.  Or you could include the Dread in your CAD too.

GW has introduced the 'Unbound' option to players, which basically means you can use whichever units you have in your army.  This seems specifically designed to help new players with a more limited selection of random figures to be able to play.  However, many of the formations and detachments available tend to have much better rules for a similar price.

In Part 2 I will look at how much it costs to start fielding some of the more competitive formations now available to Marine players.