Why do you play Grey Knights?

[Brother Captain Kezef]

I'm curious, what are everyone's motivation? How many play GK because they are the latest comeptitive army and give an edge over older codex lists? How many play for the fluff and the theme? ow many are die hard Knights who have been playing since codex daemon hunters (some have had GKs since lost and the damned).

 

I play because I love the concept of the Grey Knights, I fell in love with them with codex daemonhunters and have played tem ever since. I don't play wn-at-all-cost games so avoid the cookie-cutter stuff like draigowing, riflemen dreads and razorbacked purifiers.

 

My army isbased around a group of GKT who go in, do the job and kill anything that gets in the way.

 

I have a love/hate thing with Ward as he writes good rules but horrible fluff.

[stephane4985]

I choose to play Grey Knight because I wanted to have an army different from the ones I already have. My first army was Tau, so an army that has long range capability and zero CC. After that I got Tyranids, so not so much shooting, a lot of CC and a lot of bodies on the table. So the next step for me was to have a balance army, one with a mix of CC and shooting.

 

I also like the fluff, being the elite of the elite. I just wish I could remove the Draigo fluff from the codex.

 

Another thing with grey knights, is that a first sight, it could seems that the army is always the same, and not as diverse as the tyranids, being mostly PA and a little of termies. But once you take into account all the combination of henchman that you can setup, and the success of purifiers spam and Draigowing, it is really a codex that gives you many different build options. Well for friendly games anyway, because I don't go to tournament.

 

And lastly, although i had success with Tau and tyranids, it is finally nice to not playing an uphill battle for the first time since I have start playing 40k.

[Dark Bjoern]

I had played my first GK in 2nd Edition. A single Terminator squad was allowed then.

When Codex: Daemonhunter appeared, it had been the fantastic models and the background. The story about Brother Captain Aurellian during the 1st War for Armageddon side by side with my beloved Space Wolves was great. I was very happy when we got the new Codex. Meanwhile i have three generations of GK models and they are still my favorite models.

[Vesper]

I'm not a GK player, because I find the whole elite of the elite of the elite² a bit ridiculous. But I have some things to say about Daemon Hunters. The DH codex had something that the GK one lacks. It is called character. There was something awesome. Building the retinue of your inquisitor, DH enemies rules. The cool factor was here, even if the codex was a bit weak (even if it had some strong builds against xenos). Back then, I liked the DH thing. It made sense and had depth. It is not the case anymore.

[Marius Corsican]

The only reason I started a Grey Knights army is because the WitchHunters codex no longer exists. I had a Order Hereticus Inquisitor army that is not longer supported in the Sister's Codex. I really liked the idea of having an army that had some ambiguity as to whether or not they were good or bad. It seemed like an Inquisitor character opens up more fuffy reasons as to why my army would fight Imperials and Xenos alike.

[Inquisitor Fox]

My first Warhammer 40K models were Seraphim, and I started really playing 40K right when Codex: Tau and Codex: Daemon Hunters hit the shelves. I've dabbled with Eldar, added on various Imperial Guard units that were Inducted, allied Grey Knights, and toyed with Inducted Space Marines (that floated between Chapters several times until the IA:10 fluff came out and solidified it for me) and a Tau army. When Codex: Daemon Hunters and Codex: Witch Hunters arrived, they brought with them the Inquisition, and it was here that my love for all things 40K really arrived. Before then I played Warhammer Fantasy with my beloved Bretonnians, and although people tried to get me to play 40K I just never really found an army that called to me at all (though I do have to admit, I remember the Exorcists Chapter calling it's sirens call to me at the beginning, ironic that I found my way back to it).

 

The Inquisition changed all of that. Suddenly there was a faction of 40K that appealed to my nature. I have a complicated multifaceted personality (although I view it as simple in that I simply am what you see, but that's a long debate). Part knightly warrior, part roguish thinker and observer, part bardic performer, all sorts of "multiclass" or "hybrid" character. The moral dilemmas, the philosophical approaches, the combination of science and faith. Questions of "where do we draw the line of heresy?" "can we use the energies of the warp and daemonic against itself?" "do we use the wisdom of the Xenos or do we annihilate anything not human?" appeal to me. The battle for the immortal Emperor's soul, humanitys war against itself, this to me is the essence of 40K. It is the thing going on at the core of the game, brought to you in a package of battles against Xenos on all sides.

 

I immersed myself in the Inquisition, found joy in fluff and older aspects of the game, the lore that the average citizen of the Imperium never knows. Like an Inquisitor I found myself seeking and pondernig, postulating and theorizing, using science and faith hand in hand to find a path of what I thought. For once, I was brought into the game. Later via the Blood Ravens in the Dawn of War franchise (a Chapter I could remotely relate to in that they were scholar-warriors) and other digital entertainment (Fire Warrior for PS2, Space Marine on Xbox 360) I could really develop my love of Power Armor, but it was the Inquisition and the Adepta Sororitas that got me first.

 

So when Codex: Witch Hunters was no more, and my beloved Sisters (who fight the aliens, the mutants, the heretics with nothing more than moxy, a gun, and faith) were no longer tied to the Inquisition, I merged my love of the Inquisition and my growing appreciation for Space Marines and went with the new Codex: Grey Knights. Thankfully I already had 7 termies and 20 of the pewters power armored from C:DH (which look awesome) so I can still beat people over the head with my army box of pewter figs if they call me a band wagon-eer :tu:

[Drachnon]

I just like storm bolters

[The Holy Heretic]

I chose Daemonhunters, because I liked the fluff of being the most fascist of fascists, and I liked the combination of 'ordinairy' stormtroopers and super elite terminators.

 

I hate being a GK player, cause my army was suddenly based around a SC, and how the dex ruined the meta with abundant force weapons, cleansing flame - and having Draigo, the dumbest SC evrr, to ruin the fluff. The only good thing was the introduction of new fun models, like the 'raven and The dreadknight - even though the last one is a bit off, and the baby carrier design could have been done better :)

 

But hey, it could be worse. At least I can have a decent army, even though I gimp myself and play it "The way it ought to have been written" :D

[T3mpl@r Crusade]

When codex daemon hunters came out I browsed through it because with every new release, I oggle the miniatures, and the fiction in the books. "oooo pretty". At the time, I was thinking of starting a new army, but didnt really have the financial capacity for too many new boxes to start something of 1000pts, a cap at which my local GW had for veterans night (40k gaming, come in, play a few rounds, usually got quite busy).

 

I knew the staff by first name, and one of them was really excited about DH when they first came out, and tried to convince me to get some since he knew I had my Black Templar army as my only army for about its 6th or 7th year at that point (started sometime between the release of Armageddon and 4th ed black templars codex, while the 3rd edition box set was a hot seller). once he told me that I could use them as allies, I jumped on the idea of being able to play with a new army in limited engagements without the full financial commitment. I started off with some terminators, because I loved them. so. much. I thought they were the coolest. I eventually got a vindicaire, a callidus, an inquisitor with some retinue units, and some kasrkin which made some very nice inquisitorial stormtroopers.

 

I had fun mixing them in with the templars for a while, but it was never very competitive. My lists were never very competetive and i think I lost almost every single game for my first few years since I was pretty young and didnt realize what constituted a good army list, and strategy wise, I had alot to learn. When I finally joined this forum a while back in 09, I learned SO much over in the BT section that i reinvented my entire army, learned what was effective and phased my DH out completely. had a bit of Dh to work with as a seperate army, but ever since I joined the forum, I was obsessed with getting everything I needed for my BT to have maximum options for list creations. and thats where all my money went that I was able to spend on 40k. Since i didnt have any vehicles for DH, i couldnt hash out a complete list, and I shelved them, knowing that sometime in the future I could continue.

 

When GK were announced I was so happy, since I finally had money after taking a warhammer hiatus for school, and I went nuts during release on ebay. I managed to get a bundle that saved me a ton of money with startup, and fast forward, I think ive gotten up to 4k points if I use some of the more expensive GK toys.

 

I'm really happy now that I think about it that I didnt go nuts with DH, since i value WYSIWYG so much that older models mattered with their arms for what they were armed with. The terminators i did paint were luckily good enough for my current standard, and were armed well, at least close enough for optimal terminator arming, so i didnt have to touch them. Some of the unpainted ones got arms swapped out, and I blended my older metal models into the new plastic boxes i received. I also found a faster method of painting the models to get the effect I desired, so I essentially had a clean slate with a leg up in the model department. Im also relieved since I had learned how to use magnets to great effect, and I decided that I would no longer forfiet more money for WYSIWYG, but would use magnets to achieve my goal.

 

What it ended up with was an army that I am very proud of. All the skill I had learned over the years modelling my templars would be put forth onto this clean slate as a new flexible, and well painted army that was built to the best of my ability, and customizable to my requirements. Complements on the magnet work and paint scheme swell my head so large that I cant get out of the GW, and I love that the work I put in back at DH release is paying off with an army that looks good, and plays well too.

[shortysl]

I play Grey Knights because I already have an all round army in my Dark Angels and a shooty army in my Cadians, so I wanted an army that is dangerous in an assault.

 

That, and after all the RPG's I've played with a morally tormented/ambiguous character, I like the fact that the Grey Knights aren't beholden to anyone, aren't seeking redemption, and make no apologies for what they do. If killing you is what's best for the Imperium, then you're dead, regardless of who you are.

[NoLifeKing]

I started to play Grey Knights simply because i've always been a big fan of knights over ninjas, pirates and such. But when i got my hands on my first terminators and finnished my 3rd read trough of the Codex: Grey Knights, i fell in love with the lore behind Grey Knights and the Ordo Malleus as a whole. Being an extreme absolutist my self, the whole concept of the Grey Knights chapter is fit for my personal way of life. I also got my self the old Daemon Hunters codex, and love the lore the both codices provide.

 

Sure the old codex had some nice things in it that were left out in the new one, but the new codex Grey Knights gave alot of new and interresting stuff. In my oppinnion people complain too much about new things like draigo, when they really aren't too far fetched. You just need to get into the story, read it and then re-read it like i have done. The only thing wrong in the new dex is the overexaggerated description of the grey knights as the elite above elite, but here is how i see the grey knights: They may have the same bodily strenght as their brothers in fellow chapters. (Storm)Bolter may be their primary weapon of war(accompanied by the sacred nemesis weapon). They may ride the same spacecraft(altough with added bling) as their brother marines, and they are gona die to a bolter round trough the forehead(altough my fav grey knight, thawn, would be just "bitch please" :tu:).

But what separates a Grey Knight from a Space Marine is that a Grey Knight, gives the emperors famous words "And they shall know no fear" a meaning. A Grey Knight will stand and fight even if it would rain Bloodthirsters from the sky, and he will stand even if he has to stand alone. And the thing in Grey Knights and the Ordo Malleus i like the most is exactly their purity of purpose and their Unyeilding will.

 

Tough i mainly play Grey Knights due to their lore, i greatly enjoy the possibility of playing such a elite force where i can express my preference on quality over quantity(I mean who wouldn't enjoy enjoy the horrified expression my opponents face usually gives when i field all 3 of my dread knights.) Grey also happens to be in my top 3 favorite colours and i absolutely love the Grey Knight Terminator models. I LOVE my knights, and my love for them shall stand at their side at the end of time! WE ARE THE HAMMER!

 

 

 

 

"They shall be My Hammer, the sword in My hand, the gauntlet about My fist, the bane of My foes and woes of the treacherous. When no others may stand beside them, they shall fight. Only the greatest shall enter their ranks, for unto them do I entrust stewardship over the Gates of Hell" - The Emperor

[nurglez]

I first came across daemon hunters, as my regular opponent back then collected a grey knight force. Since then I have progressed to really enjoying terminator armoured forces and low model armies (my usual chaos force is pure deathguard and I have a chaos count as loganwing).

 

Hearing the rumours about having elite terminators got me interested, so as soon as the codex came out I picked it up, planned a Draigowing force and bought the model's i would need (this was before all the net hype about Draigowing, I honestly expected to lose my first few games as I had with loganwing).

 

The fluff for Draigo is rather silly, but I do love how in some games he just tanks everything and comes out shining (and other games he forgets to turn his shield on).

[Myxx]

cause its the only "approved" way to play the Inquisition...

[Mr.darkness]

Couple of reasons.

 

For one they look cool. Personally I think they are the best models GW has produced since I started. Fr the first tim ever, I want an army that I would actually paint and complete, unlike all my other which I just painted to get on the table as quick as possible.

 

On top of that, the fluff behind coteaz is awesome. I love he idea that in this massive universe, one guy has eye ability p raise army, with some of the most highly prized fighters thrown in for some good measure.

 

And finally, they are one of the best codexes. Whilst I don't agree hat they are OP, hey aree good, and definitely a to tier cods. This is always going to be m op consideration when startin army. This meant It was either GK, SW, or IG. Gey knights topped it on the fluff, so they got picked.

[Valerian]

I started playing 40k back in '89, when a high school buddy discovered it, bought some models, and we rotated some 40k "all-nighters" into our regular routine of DnD "all-nighters". I was immediately drawn to the Grey Knights, whose first list came out in Slaves to Darkness in '88, as I had been almost exclusively drawn to playing Paladins or Cavaliers as characters when role-playing. Since I didnt have extra money for models at the time, I particularly enjoyed the fact that my "army" could consist of just a handful of borrowed miniatures, since I could easily blow 1,200 points on a single Ordo Malleus Daemon Hunter.

 

In college, 2nd Edition was released, and I finally had just a little cash to start collecting with, so I started my first real army, the Space Wolves. Their new retconned fluff was cool, the codex was strong, and they had a ton of new metal models to support the line, unlike the Grey Knights, who had been quite neglected.

 

When the next iteration of a Grey Knights list was finally released in the form of Codex Daemonhunters, along with some of the best metal models Citadel had ever produced, I collected and added a second full army to my ever-expanding Space Wolves.

 

With the release of the latest codex, the Grey Knights have finally come into their own. We've got a top tier army list, fully supported with a wonderful line of plastic boxed sets. I'm very excited about the 'state' of the army in the game, and am fairly confident that we'll never be as neglected as we always had been before. This comes at a bit of a price, however, with the advent of GK haters, but that, too, will wane as time moves on, and other armies get some GW love.

 

I'm not very happy with the treatment if the background material/fluff in the book, and would have preferred that a more traditional/conservative approach were taken. I also would have done quite a few things differently with the army list, to align it better with my view of how they ought to be designed, but it is a great list, regardless, and no list is going to make me 100% happy (other than those of my own design). I give him a B+ on the list, which is better than most, and certainly good enough to be content to continue playing with them.

 

Valerian

[Abyssel]

I play them so I can learn how to beat them with other armies.

[jeffersonian000]

I started playing GK because they were a small model count army, and I'm poor. Bought my first GK army (17 models at 1500pts) with pocket change picked up in parking lots at the mall during the holidays (mostly quarters). And until their 5th Ed fluff, I thought they were truly a force of light in a dark universe. They still look prety, though.

 

SJ

[Lord Ragnarok]

Although, It may seem I'm a bandwagoner, I've loved inquisitors and GK's since I joined the hobby in 2004 and read the Eisenhorn series and looked at the last GK dex. I never built an army as I've restricted myself from building painting anything else until I finished my SW army.

 

Grey Knights always looked cool and I love that they are experts in fighting Daemons

Love the idea of all powerful inquisitors. Normal humans with extreme power to command throughout the Imperium. I also like the different factions and infighting. Lastly have a army of unique hand picked henchmen always gushed character for me.

 

My "perfect" army would have various different looking elements (GK's, Inq's, various models/conversions for henchmen, and maybe an Exorcist count as squad thrown in for good measure)

[Aeddon]

I started playing Grey Knights when it was Codex Daemonhunters. The reason being that I liked having a small elite force which required the player to be very tactical and clever in order to pull off a win. I also really liked the fluff associated with them. Now though...not so much. I still like them and will probably eventually start playing them again (under my own DIY chapter, the "Gray Knights", who are just like the "Grey Knights" minus the ridiculous fluff ward added and minus the DK's) but every time I try I get images of Drago, DK's and GK's bathing in Sisters of Battle blood, then I loose my taste for it.

[the jeske]

I dont need as much sleep on 2 day tournaments to do good on second day. on day one even if am tired I can offten go auto pilot against lower class opponents.

[number6]

I got into 40K near the end of 3rd edition because my friends convinced me I'd love playing with them. I saw the GK Terminator models and was hooked.

 

I nearly picked Sisters of battle -- because overall the models were very cool (and I always allied some Sisters in with my Daemonhunters) -- but there was no denying the Cool Factor of GKTs. And thus it has been ever since.

[RedemptionNL]

The GK Terminator is one of my favorite 40k models, but when I started playing 40k the Daemonhunters codex was already relatively old and I didn't want to start an army with so many metal miniatures. When I saw the new plastic miniatures I immediately preordered a multitude of the new kits before ever having seen the codex. :D

 

Visually their 'gothic space knight' look always appealed to me, and polearms are my favorite type of weapon so having an army filled with halberds was an easy match. The general pragmatic approach of the Grey Knights also suits me very well, and generally matches my own disposition on life. They're not led by imperial dogmas on xenos, as they recognize the true enemy is Chaos.

 

As for the few bits of fluff I don't like, I just disregard them. It still amazes me that some people make their decision on whether or not to play an army because there are a few lines of text in the fluff they don't like, that have no influence of how the army looks or plays.

[Valerian]

Wow, 23 years now. I just came to the sudden realization that I've been playing around with Grey Knights for longer than a good chunk of the current players (and board members) have been alive. I can't imagine ever quiting the hobby, so I'll probably still be doing this for another couple of decades.

[Twin .44]

They were my first army when my friend introduced me to the game and sold me his unused Grey Knights which I repainted (and made him sort of upset). Not long after, I picked up Templars and concentrated heavily on them, leaving my GK small and unfinished. Years down the road, I decided to repaint the GK army I had and began soaking them in Simple Green, which I forgot about and ruined every Grey Knight model I had after soaking for months (Yup, I'm an idiot).

 

Then the new codex came out. And I found that I could rebuild them (new models). I had the technology (airbrush). Make them bigger, faster, stronger. And much better looking this time around since I actually knew a thing or two about painting :P

 

But as to exactly why I play GK is because they are the tabletop embodiment of that rare moment when I take the gloves off and say "Ok, enough :D ing around. Time to put you in your place you smug little :cuss "

The Grey Knights are a rare chapter and only show up when about six tons of crap are about to get thrown into a wind tunnel and I play them as such. That's why I play Grey Knights.

[grand_admiral_shirra]

I actually only started a Grey Knights army recently - part of the main appeal for me was getting away from my big, tank-heavy Imperial Guard list and starting with a smaller, Termie and Paladin based list.

 

The other reason is that whatever I do with the Guard, I can never seem to get my head around playing Daemons. I hate them. I want to find them all and destroy all of them - the GKs and I are almost kindred spirits in that respect :P