Wife expressed (some) interest. SEND HELP!

[TopToffee]

So I’d decided to make a 40k comeback after a few years out. Flagged the incoming purchase of Leviathan to my wife, and she said “oh ok. I’d like to give it a go too, so it’s something for both of us”

 

soooo… this is not a situation I expected, but I’m absolutely here for it.

 

Now for the request - does anyone have any resources (I’m thinking particularly YouTube) they’d recommend? Particularly in terms of digestible, entertaining rundowns of the lore. I’m guessing she’ll wind up more interested in the painting side, but I think having a bit of a handle on the lore will help grow that interest.

 

Thank you brothers!

[Firedrake Cordova]

I've not watched them, but Arbitor Ian has a series of short videos summarising the 40K lore, the Tyrannic Wars, as well an introduction series (they also did a series on the Horus Heresy background, which I listened to some time ago). 

[Lysimachus]

I've found I have to be really careful about not overwhelming my missus with details whenever she shows the slightest interest. (I've actually seen her eyes starting to glaze over after she has asked one question and I start enthusing about stuff... )

 

Sometimes, all they want to know is 'these guys are the special forces heroes of Mankind, those guys are the bad guy aliens that are invading the galaxy and eating everything.' That way, you've covered the basics of the game lore in a few seconds, without swamping her with info she didn't actually care about. Then, if she still wants to know more, I'd suggest her having a casual flick through the Leviathan rulebook when you get it, which presumably provides a few more details?

 

Of course, it's your wife, so you know better what will appeal to her!

Edited June 15, 2023 by Lysimachus

[Trokair]

If the main rule book in the box is like the ones from recent edition then it will have a little lore introduction for each faction with some artwork, maybe just show her that part of the book and let leaf through it to see what lore snippets or artwork catch her imagination

[Doghouse]

This is a fun little short I normally point new people to, it's silly but gets the message of the basics of the imperium across in a fun way:

 

 

 

Might be worth showing her some of the models from different armies and see what catches her eye then expand on that if you think she will be more of a painter.

 

Duncan Rhodes with his channel two thin coats is a nice way to ease into painting: https://www.youtube.com/@DuncanRhodesDRPA/videos and it's quite light and new person friendly.

 

Also contrast paints are great for people that have never tried painting because you get nice results quite easily and ideal for the like of Tyranids or Space Marines from Leviathan. Something like this one is a nice starting point: 

 

 

 

I'd focus on speed painting techniques like this is she has not painted before then move onto more advanced stuff. Sit down and maybe paint some of the Nids in contrasts together. It's easier and gives a sense of accomplishment to see even a simple finished miniature.

 

I'd even go as far as suggesting you get one of the starter paint sets that GW does and actually sit down and paint a model each together if the contrasts work. 

 

The new patrols rules might be a very good jumping off point once you have done a few models together if she shows interest.

 

Try to avoid being too hard nosed when it comes to colour schemes, I find with new people they want to paint their new marines neon green with yellow spots let them. Official schemes can come later and there is nothing worse than being told as a new person you can't do that it's not official. It's good to experiment and let them feel their way around to find a style or technique they enjoy.

 

There are lots of lore shorts on youtube that are very good, then you have the heavy hitters like Leutin09 for far more in depth stuff. You also have novels like Eisenhorn that lots of new people say was their first introduction.

 

Might be worth showing her things like Astartes or the 40k 9th and 10th edition trailers then jump into heavier lore channels later. Animations like those you can provoke questions you can then explain.

 

These are my starting points when introducing people to the game, it could well be different in your case but I have always found starting off on stuff we'd find simple the best way not to get them to feel overwhelmed and scare them off.

 

Hope that gives you some ideas and that you both have fun with the hobby.

  

[Blindhamster]

Chances are, she is showing interest because YOU are interested, doesn't mean she won't get into it fully for herself given time, but honestly I'd suggest just doing the leviathan box together, don't build the stuff unless you're doing it together, same for painting them and then actually play too. Work out the level of interest she has and maybe suggest sites (such as this one) or videos based on the sort of questions she asks. Definitely don't overwhelm her with a bunch of "resources", there's just so much that it can be a bit much all in one go, and no doubt if she shows an interest she'll ask questions and probably go look at things herself.

 

good luck! My wife isn't keen on painting or warhammer, but she did enjoy card and board games

[Firedrake Cordova]

26 minutes ago, Doghouse said:

I'd even go as far as suggesting you get one of the starter paint sets that GW does and actually sit down and paint a model each together if the contrasts work. 

An alternative is if @TopToffee is near a GW store, to book a beginner's painting lesson in store? Obviously, it very much depends on how the staff in the store are (the ones in my local one are great), but teaching is hard and there can be inadvertent pressure if you're invested in the outcome?

[gideon stargreave]

@Blindhamster has it right. Maybe get black stone fortress or something and play board games with minis, do some painting together etc, read a stand-alone book if she likes fantasy etc.

[Rain]

1 hour ago, Blindhamster said:

good luck! My wife isn't keen on painting or warhammer, but she did enjoy card and board games

Yeah, my wife played the Arkham Horror card RPG, and a few board games with me, but 40k was a bridge way too far. 40k is a hobby, not just a game, so it requires a lot more investment.

 

That said, it’s always a good sign that your wife respects your hobbies, especially the somewhat weird ones like painting and gaming with ridiculously overpriced toy soldiers 

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

Seconding @Firedrake Cordova's suggestion of doing a learn-to-paint at the local GW. I might be biased because my local redshirt is, like, incredibly awesome at his job, but he's exactly the sort of resource I would have wanted to have if I knew what to look for when I was getting started.

 

As for lore, I'd recommend Poorhammer as a good low-key 'bitesize faction review' access channel, and in fact, they just uploaded a 'Every Faction in 20 Minutes' video. I clicked out after a few minutes, but only because it's clearly aimed at people who are new to the game. And then if she decides to get more into it and likes animated podcasts, Janovich has excellent animated lore videos for things like the Siege of Vraks and other campaigns.

[Aarik]

Unless you know your wife would be interested in a lore deep dive, I'd probably stay away from youtube videos.  Maybe just have her read the blurb at the beginning the rulebook, I think that gives a pretty digestible intro into the vibe of the game.  Just explain to her the space marines are the good guys, and the tyranids are the alien bad guys.  

 

Instead, I'd focus on figuring out how to make the painting as approachable for her as possible.  Contrast paints would be a great start (a bit moreso for the Tyranids) because it's basically just like painting by numbers.  If she's gonna paint the space marines, I'd ask her what armor color she wants, then either prime or airbrush the models that color yourself so she can just paint the details.  Basically, try to remove as many of the mundane steps as possible to reduce frustration and let her see progress as quickly as possible.

 

And map out exactly what colors she should use for various parts ahead of time so you can easily give her a simple step by step.  Figure out the most efficient way to make an impact on how the model looks and focus on that while eliminating as many of the less necessary steps as possible.  E.g., focusing on "faces and bases," edge highlight only the most impactful things, etc.  Do as much prep work as you can, use contrast paints when you can, or oil washes that she can slap on and wipe off, rather than edge highlighting everything, etc.  Instead of, "here paint this space marine blue," say "okay, here's a blue space marine, paint the shoulderpad trim gold, the bolter silver, and the eyes red."  Then once she's done, "okay, now try using the side of your brush to highlight the edges of his helmet, arms, kneepads, and feet with this lighter blue."  Or for the tyranids: "Okay, here's this wraithbone gaunt.  Paint his skin with X, his carapace with Y, and his gun with Z.  Then give the skin a quick dryrush with A, and the carapace with B."  Map everything out and make it as simple as possible.  I semi successfully got my GF into painting, and these are all lessons I learned from that.

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

12 hours ago, TopToffee said:

So I’d decided to make a 40k comeback after a few years out. Flagged the incoming purchase of Leviathan to my wife, and she said “oh ok. I’d like to give it a go too, so it’s something for both of us”

 

soooo… this is not a situation I expected, but I’m absolutely here for it.

 

Now for the request - does anyone have any resources (I’m thinking particularly YouTube) they’d recommend? Particularly in terms of digestible, entertaining rundowns of the lore. I’m guessing she’ll wind up more interested in the painting side, but I think having a bit of a handle on the lore will help grow that interest.

 

Thank you brothers!

bricky explaining every faction. he's got a part 1 imperium and a part 2 xenos iirc 

 

[Grotsmasha]

Cannot recommend strongly enough one of those little box games that GW does exclusively with Barnes and Noble, Target etc.

They are quick setup and play (45mins) Space Marine Adventures: Rise of the Orks or SMA: Doomsday Countdown would be my recommendation.

Secondly take her to the hobby shop when you get Leviathan, and see if she likes the look of any of the Factions/models.

[Halandaar]

1 hour ago, Grotsmasha said:

Cannot recommend strongly enough one of those little box games that GW does exclusively with Barnes and Noble, Target etc.

They are quick setup and play (45mins) Space Marine Adventures: Rise of the Orks or SMA: Doomsday Countdown would be my recommendation.

Secondly take her to the hobby shop when you get Leviathan, and see if she likes the look of any of the Factions/models.

 

+1 for Doomsday Countdown. Really fun game that sets up in no time and plays very quickly, it's completely unlike 40k in terms of how it plays but you get some minis to paint and it does a better job of setting up the "fantasy" of a handful of Marines taking on an endless wave of chumps than the mainline game does. 

[Shovellovin]

20 hours ago, Grotsmasha said:

Cannot recommend strongly enough one of those little box games that GW does exclusively with Barnes and Noble, Target etc.

They are quick setup and play (45mins) Space Marine Adventures: Rise of the Orks or SMA: Doomsday Countdown would be my recommendation.

Secondly take her to the hobby shop when you get Leviathan, and see if she likes the look of any of the Factions/models.

I agree.
My wife isn’t interested in traditional 40K battles but she does enjoy Space Hulk. I think traditional styled 40K board games are a good gateway to get family and friends interested in your hobby.