Advice Needed; My future with the 40k hobby and 9th

[Warsmith Uveron]

Today I look for advice, I am going to tell my story of where currently I am with the 40k hobby. 

 

It all started at Christmas 1996 when I was gifted the 2^nd edition box set as a gift from my parents. And for the next 10 years 40k was a key part of my life. I had what I thought at the time were ‘Vast’ armies of Chaos, Orks and Imperials…   

 

I took a short break as I moved from the UK to the USA but in 2011 I was back and collecting again. The from 2011 to 2017 40k was my life, but that last year before 8^th was released, I was burnt out on my Chaos force. It was sitting at like 7000 points and I was after something I could challenge my painting skills with so I started a blood angles collection. And as an added complication as we waited for 8th dropped I started to play a lot more Age of Sigmar, it was great and I wanted 8^th to be just like AOS.

 

The first issue hit when the rules were not easily acquired. My disposable income had dried up and I couldn’t afford all the rules I needed.

So I picked up what I needed too to focus on my chaos units. SO I played ‘Index 40k’ with my Chaos forces and it was OK, but not great and realizing that many of my old units were not that usable anymore as we moved to ‘Codex’ 40k I got increasingly despondent, the games were not as fun as AOS and I was increasingly just playing it, and my AOS chaos forces grew and grew, even re-converting models that I had built for my Renegades and Heretics force into folks for my conquest of the mortal realms.

 

But then 2years ago Kill Team dropped and word of a new Ork Codex was on its way, I started to have a bit of funds again so I decided that I needed a break from Chaos in 40k and started collecting Orks.  From mid june to Orktober I build and and converted and played a pile of games, in that time I built and painted some of my best models…

 

But then, I got the Ork codex. I had hoped on building a Ork Cult of speed, but the new buggy’s although cool were things that I would not be able to build out of my bits box (Mostly made up of parts from a ork 3^rd edd cult of Speed), but worst of all I had a pair of hobby killing game the day I got my shiny new codex. I wanted to use my Stompa, I told both my players I haven’t played much 8^th. Both games were filled with players ambushing me with rules, and running stuff that just destroyed my Orks. I was done, and since the last game against the custodies… I just stopped and haven’t played 40k since.

 

I went back to AOS, I all but abandoned my gaming club I had built.

 

The in early 2019 I discovered Titanicus, and the game became my world. (Story of that can be found in many other places including my podcast ‘The God Engine Cast’)

 

But now I sit watching all my friends become exited for 40k again. I still listen to a select few 40k podcasts and they are also really exited… so I look to my boxes of 40k and wonder what I should do.

 

I have a truly vast collection of chaos forces. But its all set up for 7^th edd and doesn’t have any of the new things, and it looks like my Renegades and heretics force is all but dead.  

 

I have a small collection of Imperials that could be a start of a new army for the new Edition but it’s all ‘Old Marines’ and while the paint scheme is cool, and is a standard higher than my normal model, its way to detailed and intense for the casual after work painting I like doing, and what I enjoy.

 

On the other hand then we have my Orks, probably the closest to edition ready.

 

So there we have it… 3 armies. All needs me to buy new stuff, all needs some TLC… I probably now have less funds than when 8^th dropped. But Iam willing todo the unthinkable, it’s time to see some more of my beloved armies and use these funds to invest in to what becomes my ‘9th edition army’.

The there is the radical plan of sell it all and pick something new, I have to say the Admek call to me..

 

So yeah, that’s my story… if you were me what would you do? Do you have any advice on how I should nurture this flame of interest…  

 

[Redrandy93]

I would sell the old items for what ever you can get and start all over with the new stuff.      

I have my sons Tau army to sell and an Imperial guard one I never really built.      will be taking pictures and start selling it off on ebay.

 

Good luck with what ever you decide.

[ThePenitentOne]

If I were in your shoes, I'd think about Crusade.

 

Don't worry about the journal or the box; everything you need to start is in the BRB. You already have a diverse collection of models- build a 25PL Combat patrol for every army you own. Get your friends to do the same.

 

If you like painting and modelling challenges, just think about what crusade has to offer you: modelling Battle Scars and Battle Honours as your models age in game time. And vehicles and squads got these two, not just character models. Every game has a consequence. 

 

Crusade uses PL, not points, which means you really don't need Chapter Approved 2020. You've got a large collection, which means you have the models to give your Combat Patrols the optimal load out. 

[Warsmith Uveron]

Oh yeah. Regardless of what I do its going to be a Crusade based force.

[Vermintide]

It sounds like you've been deep into this for a long time. Do you have any other hobbies?

 

As much as I love 40k, it's a big nostalgia thing and it's pretty much always been there in the background. Even for the 15+ years I wasn't actively collecting/playing because I was lying to myself that "I'm a nerd, but not THAT much of a nerd..." I was still reading the occasional book, watching batreps and such. The thing is, I can never stay into it for long.

 

I'll go through phases where I get really hyped to paint up whatever I'm working on, and it's all I can think about for two or three weeks, and I spend every night painting leading up to a game I have planned. But after a little while, it's as though I've got it all out of my system, and the paints go back on the shelf, where they usually stay for maybe another two months.

 

Focus on the parts you really enjoy about the hobby and don't get too caught up in it. It will still be there when you come back to it. Variety is the spice of life.

[Warsmith Uveron]

I do have other hobbys though most of that are other GW games. (Well and a bit of Larp).

 

But Iam realy just trying to decide how best to go forward in getting back into 40k, as what I have been doing hasnt been working.

[Schurge]

You wouldn't need to buy anything new for your 7th Edition CSM to be decent. Disco Lords would probably be a good buy though for competitive play.

[Warsmith Uveron]

Yeah, if I focus on CSM I would be ok... though my Joy I had found was with my combined arms of my R&H units. Many of which are unsupported now.

[MegaVolt87]

Having a look at your chaos stuff, I would recommend a few more chaos knights and play those. I wouldn't recommend FW knights as we don't know how they will be in 9th ed. 

[Warsmith Uveron]

Yeah.

 

I was thinking about that, my Chaos Knights conversons were cool and adding an extra Knight and some war dogs would be easy.

 

That said.

 

As I say that I realise one of the things iam looking for is a break from painting Titans, and Knights are kinda just more of the same.

[Emicus]

New edition, new army :)

 

You don't have to buy 2k all at once, especially with Crusade.

 

Don't sell old armies unless you absolutely have to, the love and interest that made you get them in the first place will come back and you'll regret it.

[mughi3]

started in 3rd myself, built 8 different armies through the editions. loved 5th the best, (still play it regularly) hated 6th, marginally liked 7th, saw 8th as a vehicle to play epic scale (including those sexy titanicus minis) then i got sick of 8th doing the same thing with stratagems that  7th did with formation bloat. i looked  at 9th and i hate it as much as 6th -great new minis, great lore, hate the new edition,  hate the companies business practices. 

 

So what i did was expand on the group at my FLGS that loves it to promote more 5th edition games. between us we have almost every codex available, added in a few house rules like snap fire and over watch from 6th/7th and are having a blast. 

 

As a gamer who has been at this since 87 with classic battletech and i currently play 10 different game systems my suggestion is- find what you love and promote it. rather it's AOS, 9th ed or whatever. it is social activity, without a community there is nothing there but the occasional display model. 

 

P.S. i regret selling just about every army i had especially my 3rd ed ravenwing, so think that over before you dump your collection. 

[Valkia the Bloody]

Well, I had to move several times, once between continents.

I had 7 armies so far, just starting on number eight.

Most of my previous stuff I have sold, just to save money and space for transport.

I am still crying.

 

So I would also say- maybe start something new, it does not need to be another 7000 points thing, it can be just a small expedition force.

Just do not sell your old stuff unless it is absolutely necessary.

[Interrogator Stobz]

Never sell.

 

Find new fluff that you can identify with, then either restart old forces or begin new ones.

 

Take your time, never sell.

[TPS]

 

That said.

 

As I say that I realise one of the things iam looking for is a break from painting Titans, and Knights are kinda just more of the same.

Funny. When I need a break from painting Power Armour, I tend to start painting Titans.

 

I'd recommend to try and hold on to your armies unless you realize you hate them. I tried to get into Admech two years ago, but soon had to realize I'm not made for this army. Or vice versa. I kept some elements that go with the Titans or could be brought into the Horus Heresy and passed on the rest to a friend. Haven't looked back, even when GW released the new PA rules and models.

[Doghouse]

Go the patrol route that is what I am doing. Small 25 power point armies, it's a lot more managable and allows you to focus on over the top paint schemes or conversions. I expect if you spoke to your gaming group someone would be interested in patrol sized games and would allow you to expand you Imperials or even dive into other races. It's also a lot easier to learn 40k this way as because there are fewer units you can learn all the rules at your own pace and get to grips with the units before moving on.

 

The way I am looking at it is like returning to an old MMO after years of being away and rather than dive in with your old character and get overwhelmed it's more like starting a new one and learning the game fresh.

 

Plus it's a smaller financial investment.

[smileyjim]

Don't sell.

I dumped 40k about 10 years ago luckily I kept the models. I love the lore so I kept up with the heresy books. 9th has me interested again but what got me thinking about playing it was my 5 year old daughter pointing at my Space hulk box after we moved house and saying, what's that can I play?

So we did and now I'm back into it and she's sick of daddy's battle game.... I need other opponents lol.

 

I'd suggest starting a small force of something you've never played, I'd always wanted to play BA, kinda sorta did as a kid but not really and just picked up a few models but never fielded them.

 

Start small with something new, chances are you'll end up gravitating back to one of your other armies in a few months.

[jaxom]

Yeah, if I focus on CSM I would be ok... though my Joy I had found was with my combined arms of my R&H units. Many of which are unsupported now.

 

Never sell.

 

Find new fluff that you can identify with, then either restart old forces or begin new ones.

 

Take your time, never sell.

 

Could you get a usable list out of them using the rules for Imperial Guard and Fallen? Fallen chaos squads have the Imperium keyword; you can use a detachment of them along with Imperial Guard.

[Dr. Clock]

Selling before you've had a chance to actually make sense of where your lists and collections sit for a new edition is a mistake...

 

Remember that your minis have aesthetic and sentimental value beyond their use as game pieces... Everyone values sentiment and aesthetics differently, though, but in general I invest enough in my minis that I'm loathe to sell them on.

 

For Chaos > look at the 'new hotness' and consider using some of your older stuff in new ways. Refreshing paint jobs and conversions is usually enough to craft something fun and usable for a list. The R&H stuff probably has some decent counts-as potential, and the Fallen idea above is a decent one. There's also Genestealer Cults if you want a little proxy gribbly in a sneeky GEQ vein, but I think the next 12-24 months will probably see some new, less marine-focused Chaos stuff. I keep expecting the Blackstone files to be made into full kits (Praise Khorne and pass the Beastmen!)...

 

For Orks > just keep adding a thing here and a thing there, as you play some games and learn... This is the best time to re-start a game because it's when the playing field is most level!

 

For Imperial > Oldmarines are still fine! Personally I avoid mixing Primaris and non, so I just started a separate force for my Primaris. I also happen to like a little bit of soup, and you may well be able to find people who feel the same > if both players want to have a little soup, I'd feel happy to allow sub-faction bonuses for both forces and to ignore the CP cost for 1 [supporting faction] Patrol outside a 'main Battalion'... That's kind of how I'm planning on using the Crusade stuff overall, to make it easier for players to have larger games that still include some new units from a smaller supporting force.

 

In sum > get some games in with like-minded people. The best games come from common ground on 'what is fun', so we all need to step up and ask ourselves that first.

 

Cheers,

 

The Good Doctor.

[Joe]

I'd definitely take stock of what's coming in the new edition and adjust as needed before considering selling anything. Alternatively, you could sell stuff on and start an entirely new project - there's nothing wrong with that either!

 

Or, if you're feeling silly, you could latch on to some small detail that you dislike about the hobby or the company, toss all your miniatures in a firepit and livestream it. That seems to be popular these days.

[Xenith]

I've regretted selling any warhammer that I have. If you're attached to the models, keep them.

 

I'm sorry you had that experience with idiots in your club. I've had a few games against bad players and it leaves a bad taste in your mouth and no desire to play.

 

Your blood Angels will largely be ok in 9th if they're made for previous editions- heavy lifters are all non-primaris, like sanguinary guard, death co, scouts, smash captains etc. 2x 5 intercessors with auto bolt rifles would be a nice addition but not necessary. 

 

I'm kind of in the same position, I havent added to my chaos since 7th, and I dont have any primaris, but I did ok in 8th with my BA. 

[Warsmith Uveron]

So after the intial post and listening to a whole pile of the feedback, and doing some hard thinking I have made some decisions. Thanks to everyone who responded, its been a crazy weekend... anyway! 

 

After some pointed questions and thoughts I have realised, At the moment the thing that brings me the most Joy consistently is the painting, Collecting and Modeling part of the hobby. Gaming gives it purpose but it happens so infrequently that its not to be the end of all choices.

 

So focusing on what brings, me joy. I need to keep models that I love, but the stuff that doesn’t emotionally resonate with me should find new homes as such.

 

My Chaos Space Marine force is going to be reorganised and Iam going to make sure I have enough for a large game of 40k. But Excess is going to be sold.

 

My Renegades and Heretics are going to be repurposed into a Cult Militia list for 30k. any units that cannot be used will be sold or handed over to the Orks for looting.

 

My Imperials are going to be Sold. They were at the end of the day an art project that I didn’t quite love enough to turn into a full army. Iam going to keep a Kill team of the Scouts, but that’s it.

 

My Orks are going to be my primary 9th Edition army. I have gone through my collection and worked out what I need to do to paint up a 50pl list, and with that I will start a Crusade. I have the bits on order for a brand new warboss who will be the leader of that Crusade, and I will aim to only play Crusade games keeping my interactions with 40k light and RP heavy.

 

Lets see if this plan works. 

Edited July 13, 2020 by Warsmith Uveron

[Fajita Fan]

If the number of armies for sale on eBay increases and the people demanding armies realize those armies won’t be good in 9th won’t prices plummet?

[Warsmith Uveron]

If the number of armies for sale on eBay increases and the people demanding armies realize those armies won’t be good in 9th won’t prices plummet?

Yeah, its a worry but not going to be doing mass sales. Did that at start of year when clearing out some unopened boxes of stuff its alot of work. Better to put up a few things at anyone time.

[Blank Dave]

Unlike Uveron, this guy is tapping out.

 

After this past weekend, I'm ready to pack it in. I've not gamed in nearly 25 years, and between my caregiving responsibilities and social anxiety I don't see that changing. It's just boxes upon boxes collecting dust, and I have no drive to do anything with them.

 

I have contacted a not so LGS, and told them I wanted to be rid of it. Don't care to sell them, as I can't be bothered parting it out.