How did you get into the hobby and when?

[Cyrox]

Inspired a little by Valkyrion's post here, I figured i'd share my experience and ask how you got into this hobby, and when?

 

Apologies for the inquisitive nature of the thread, please only answer if you are happy to share!

 

It was 1993 for me and I was 14, and sat in a geography lesson at school and my friend pulled out a metal Terminator model that he had painted - after he exlained what it was I arranged to go with him to my local GW store and it was right around the time 2nd edition had launched, and White Dwarf 168 had just come out. It was the one with a Blood Angels Space Marine on the front and I was hooked there and then. I bought that magazine and read it cover to cover many  times.

The following weekend I went back to GW and bought the metal captain that had a bolter and power fist, a brush and 4 paints - Blood Angels Red, Chaos Black, Sunburst Yellow and Goblin Green. There might have been a metal paint i can't remember, but I do remember the guy on the till being a bit snooty about it, but it didn't put me off. The afternoon was spent undercoating it with a brush and painting it quite badly iirc.

 

The next 5 years or so was all about 40k, and a bit of Blood Bowl, and I remember the wait for White Dwarf every month was agonising because at the time it was the only way to see what Games Workshop were doing next! It was only when I joined the Army in 1998 that I took a break, only to get back involved again in 2003/4 after buying White Dwarf.

 

Not looked back since, and despite all the cards and tokens it had, I still look back at 2nd edition with fondness. Good times.

Edited January 7, 2022 by Cyrox

[Dark Shepherd]

A new guy in my brothers class in Primary school got my older brother into it and I picked it up from him, though maybe Heroquest before that counts (my mother supplied the paper for the board to Hasbro)

 

First purchase (from Marks Models, Dublins one GW stockist then) was new Warhammer Fantasy edition box so 1992 c age 11. But we mostly played Epic or Space Marine as it was then. Went with Space Wolves as they had the larger Epic companies

 

Then we played Blood Bowl and Man O War too but oddly never 40k

 

I drifted away late teens but got into reading horus heresy in 20s and bought Dark Imperium when it came out as I was getting the HH books from GW Dublin. Have about 6000 points of Wolves, 300 Black Library books, and 3 40k tattoos now :)

 

If you want proof of the hobby goodness, the business I run now exists/is where it is as it got kicked out of its previous location for being too busy (I know right), spent a week fruitlessly pounding the pavement looking for a new location, was on way home on last night of search and found a new location by accident all because I decided to walk past Marks Models for nostalgia kicks

Edited January 7, 2022 by Dark Shepherd

[Slave to Darkness]

1991, highschool, when I could grow hair on my head and not on my chin... Someone pulled out a RTB01 marine in English class and they had painted it like a Womble. I thought that was pretty cool, then I picked up a few WD magazines, pestered for a copy of Space Crusade that was on sale in W H Smiths (and grabbed Space Hulk on clearance for a tenner as well) and the rest we say is history. 

[gideon stargreave]

There was a Warhammer club at a high school open day I went to (I didn't go to that school in the end) and begged my parents for a boxed set. I settled on the high elf goblin fantasy battles (although I almost went for titan legions) and spent the next few years collecting high elves and later beastmen. I got all the 2nd edition books and the boxes for 30 quid when it changed to 3rd Ed and built a small imperial guard army with space marine allies. Never really played it though.

[alfred_the_great]

HeroQuest, then Space Crusade followed by RT. All from Xmas 89 onwards.

[Rejects of Anvilus]

Somebody in my last year at primary school (can’t remember who, sorry) had a copy of White Dwarf 103 which I borrowed to read. Instantly fell in love with everything in those pages and ended up going to the local model store Ballards in Tunbridge Wells (sadly long gone) and bought my own copy of that White Dwarf and some metal Chaos Marine Devastators that night. The rest is history and here I am many years later and many pounds poorer! 

[Karhedron]

I started in 1992, a couple of my school friends had started playing and I was intrigued. One of them lent me a couple of old issues of White Dwarf which included the classic Blood Angels army in issue 139. The rest (as they say) is history.

[sarabando]

Like op it was about the same time (however I was about 6) and kids at school all were interested in it. I got the paint set that was a red box with a chaos warrior and a space marine, I painted the marine red and the chaos warrior green. I still have the chaos warrior. I didn't really play until 3rd edition when I was at boarding school and then when I came home about 4th ed I jumped on the "pre heresy" trend that appeared on BnC at the time with a emperors children army stopped playing around the time of 5th really moved away in 6th/7th ed to play historicals and xwing. Came back in 8th and then went head first into 30k and I've not looked back

[lansalt]

HeroQuest, then Space Crusade followed by RT. All from Xmas 89 onwards.

My introduction was the same. I got Heroquest after reading D&D books, and Space Crusade was the natural follow up. Then I discovered the RT rulebook and White Dwarf, so I became addicted forever.

[WrathOfTheLion]

Bit newer coming than many.

 

I had been playing D&D (2E, 3E), moving to Pathfinder since I was young. My friend then was playing T'au during 7E, so then I moved to SW as my first army in 2015 or so. I had done some scale modeling before then during high school. I'd've been like 21 or so at the time I started.

Edited January 7, 2022 by WrathOfTheLion

[Bryan Blaire]

I played AD&D 2nd Ed, HeroQuest, and BattleTech with friends and family, so when my buddy and I found the 2nd Edition starter in the store we got D&D books from, we both begged and saved to get the money to split the first set.  It’s been a long fun ride and addiction ever since, and has expanded to several other war games and even full circled back to BT a couple of times.

[Ldorte]

My dad took me into a local toy shop in 1998 as he wanted some modelling supplies. 

 

I found a Lizardmen painting set and a I believe a box of Lizardmen Skinks. A few months later I had purchased my first Space Marines (a pack of 5 I think) and a copy of White Dwarf.

 

The Skinks box has been kept as a keepsake, as has the copy of White Dwarf.

 

[Axineton]

Heroquest as a kid in either 1989 or 1990 was the gateway but getting into 40k I’ve no idea if it was from Space Crusade or if I picked a copy of white dwarf up. It’s so long ago I can’t remember exact details. 

[Dark Shepherd]

So we're in agreement they need to do a new Heroquest and Space Crusade style boardgame?

 

And not just something only available in an American bookshop

[Firedrake Cordova]

It was HeroQuest which got me started, in either the very late 1980's or very early 1990's. That then led on to Warhammer Fantasy Battle 4th edition, Necromunda, Mordheim, Warhammer 40,000 2nd/3rd edition, and Battlefleet Gothic (in roughly that order - I have a slight preference to fantasy over sci-fi) ...

[Bryan Blaire]

HeroQuest is actually coming back out via Hasbro & Avalon Hill (you can get it in the U.S. off Hasbro Pulse right now, not sure how long it will take to ship)… it just doesn’t have any Citadel/GW tie in at all any more, no GW minis (although you could probably play it with them).  Closest GW probably has now is something like the Cursed City reprint/Warhammer Quest line of games.

[N1SB]

Yeah, not to pile on, I also got into Warhammer when I got talking to a friend from Manchester about Heroquest.  I showed up to his place and I saw Space Marines on a cover of White Dwarf, and promptly shifted my interest from Heroquest to Warhammer 40,000.  I'm seeing a lot of similarities in our secret origins here.

[TPS]

1997? I went to play in a Magic tournament at a game exhibition. Between matches, I found a booth where a local gaming store presented tabletop games, such as 40k. Had a demo game and got hooked.

[alfred_the_great]

Oh, and I forgot WFRP, but that’s not strictly 40/30k, so…

[Axineton]

So we're in agreement they need to do a new Heroquest and Space Crusade style boardgame?

 

And not just something only available in an American bookshop

I don’t think GW own the rights to Space Crusade anymore. Could be wrong but I did read something a few years back but can’t remember where regarding this. 

[Tawnis]

Technically, you could say my origins were further back than I can remember. XD When I was a kid (4-5ish) my parents let me get my hands on their copies of Hero Quest and Dragon Strike and I became enthralled with them (Hero Quest more so because of the modularity and simpler rules). I didn't know for the longest time that HQ was a GW product or even what GW was until I was a fair bit older. 

In 2000, a friend in my grade 4 class brought in one of the monopose free painting lesson Space Marines, the next day he brought in his Codex Catachan Devils and by that point I was hooked. I debated between Space Marines and Eldar for a while and decided to go Space Marines, but to collect Eldar if the Warp Spiders ever got cooler looking models, as they were by far my favorite single unit. (I'm still waiting on those twenty years later T.T). The rest is history, over the next year, I got a monopose paint marine, two squads of marines (with one model converted to a Captain), five the old metal scouts, and 5 of the old tiny plastic Terminators. That was the core of my army for the longest time. 

[Doghouse]

I started so long ago White Dwarf was printed on stone tablets and was delivered by dinosaurs...

 

I was about ten so about early 1984 and started off with model air planes and Car Wars before discovering a White Dwarf where I discovered WFB, Chainsaw Warrior and then later 40k. My love of 2000ad is what made me settle on the hobby, that and the conversions and improvisation we had to do due to lack of official plastic kits. The original plastic marines blew my mind and I can remember painting them with poster paints and fighting the battle of Jadeberry Hill with my badly painted Crimson Fists against my brother's Orks.

 

I'm not sure Heroquest or Space Crusade would have the same effect these days, I think they'd be better off selling 40k Fortnite skins! :D

 

I do remember watching the original Space Crusade advert on tv and getting annoyed because they showed a marine opening the front of his visor like a motorbike visor which clearly was not how they worked... 

 

My favourite moments would be release of Rogue Trader, then getting Adeptus Titanicus for my birthday and Space Marine for Christmas, then the release of the RT Rhinos, Land Raiders, predators and the Sabre and Spartan conversions in White Dwarf.

[Chaplain Lucifer]

Funny story actually.

A neighbour in my building introduced me to Magic the gathering and WH40K (was a 2nd Ed. Set back then)

40K actually caught my eye the most with those bright red Blood Angels but Magic was simpler to get started with.

Forward a couple of years and I was playing Magic in a new store and came 2 guys to play Warhammer in a table. Ultramarine vs Eldar with the brand new 3rd Ed rules!

Long story short I was right there and then hooked, those Magic cards started gathering dust or sold and those two are still my good buddies despite the distance between us.

[Magos Takatus]

I jumped on the second edition bandwagon too. Around 1993-4ish. The introduced a mail order paint set that comprised of a handful of paints, a space marine, a high elf and a goblin, perhaps something else. I made an absolute dog's dinner of those models but at some point we all decided to collect space marines. I was to field the noble Blood Angels and my friends were to collect Dark Angels and Space Wolves. My birthday came around and I excitedly decided I needed the newly released Whirlwind rocket artillery in my life. I coasted by until the Angels of Death codex was released and then I was utterly hooked. I've been collecting ever since. One of my friends got back into the hobby a few years ago and is a skilled and efficient painter. He didn't need the decades of experience I have to put out quality painted models in a timely fashion. Nowadays he's mainly a Death Guard and Tyranid man with  a side order of Ultramarines and Necrons. As I said, efficient.

[Dark Shepherd]

 

 

So we're in agreement they need to do a new Heroquest and Space Crusade style boardgame?

 

And not just something only available in an American bookshop

I don’t think GW own the rights to Space Crusade anymore. Could be wrong but I did read something a few years back but can’t remember where regarding this.

It was a long time ago so sad but not surprised if that lapsed

 

Heroquest is back via kickstarter I think, not sure if even Hasbro still attached?