Newbie questions answered here

From Scarella, posted on the Neutral Grounds forum:

You need patience, time, $$$ and devotion to truly enjoy this hobby... cuz like all hobbies, the more time and effort you put into it the more it rewards you...

i guess a good barometer for success in the hobby is whether or not you've made models before and dabbled in any sort of RPG's like Dungeons and Dragons... since GW is pretty much a mix of both...

Well one thing to do is have a hobby-buddy when getting into GW... so you can always play vs. someone who is just starting, build stuff at the same time, and if the forces can link-up like marines and guard, you both can tag-team vs. one of them bigger armies...

And if you like the armies in the starter sets go for em, like the upcoming fantasy one will have 100+ figs in it... dwarves and goblins so loads of coolness, and mind you not 100+ of boring "green army men" style figs at that... but ace looking figs...

also don't believe everything you hear about "suggestions" or what units to take... the community is pretty small so there are certain local trends for both games and that's where these assumptions are from, but Fantasy Battle (FB) lends itself to a more rock-paper-scissors approach since most of the armies are represented in the playing groups, while 40K it's space marines or chaos space marines everywhere...

Once you've decided what game you like, pick a race based on models you like... most armies can adopt a wide range of styles with notable exceptions like there is no shooty-chaos fantasy battle army, nor an all-cav skaven army... pretty much by choosing an army with looks and background that you like, regardless if you win or lose at least you like your army...

The Games-workshop website has a nice intro section for both games and and focuses on in the individual armies as well

For Warhammer 40K Army building:
http://uk.games-workshop.com/warhammer40000/army-building/

For Warhammer Fantasy Army Building link:
http://uk.games-workshop.com/warhammer/army-building/

Look for the "Getting started with XXXX-army" under each army heading for a intro about getting an army started... and if these articles seem like too much reading then perhaps reconsider since there's more required reading once you're underway in the hobby...

And for the tough part... painting... well i'll go out on a limb here and say if you don't have any model-hobby experience it will be an uphill battle for you... hobby experience being model planes, tanks, gundams, tamiya 4WD , anything crafty... best first purchases are typically if you are not getting armies in the starter sets or a battleforce... would be reg-box+army book+and basic painting supplies... I know many guys over there suggest cheaper hobby alternatives, remember though that some of these guys are great modellers and experienced painters... the GW paints are easy to use and are great for matching up with the pics.... true you can achieve decent effects with cheaper alternatives but as someone just getting started in the hobby, perhaps not...

Getting into the whole GW stream of things may seem daunting at first, but just have patience and adopt a squad, then character, then squad, then character line of painting and purchases, don't buy everything at once... you'll get overloaded... the reason for starting out on a squad is since most starting people need to get the basics of painting, and starting on your army commander ain't the way to go... as you progress your painting will get better, and army commanders are loaded with details... might as well start on the soldiers and then paintup a character fig/vehicle/warmachine/etc., when your skills are developing...

hope that helps.... and about the $$$ part, just sell one of your kidneys you have two of them anyways hee hee

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From Kim, posted on the Neutral Grounds website:

1. Is there a plastic version for the Warhammer Fantasy? If there is, is it significantly cheaper? With my limited resources, this is an important question.
There are plastic models and there are metal models. Such applies for both 40K and WFB. Cheaper? None of our geeky hobbies is ever cheap (CCGs are way more expensive than miniature wargaming). It's all just a matter of proper allocation of funds.

2. Should I buy the army books first before the figs? How will I know if the army I picked is right for me? I mean, I like some of the orc figs & most of the ogre figs...I don't know their strengths & weaknesses.
Instead of aiming for winning, field an army that you'll enjoy building and painting. Any army you'll play with becomes competitive given the right treatment. Asking the veterans also help.


3. There is a smaller point army for Warhammer Fantasy which is basically dungeon-crawling with figs. Alam ko meron nito e. Magandang stepping stone to WFB for the cost-conscious.
There was but I forgot the name. The level-up-xp-gain version of WFB is Mordheim, Inquisitor for 40K. Both are rarely played these days though. Veterans with huge armies can always downgrade into smaller pointage games. Aim for a small 500-point skirmish group, but don't expect to field uber-strong (Lord-level) characters on small pointage games though.

4. In lieu with question#2, is it possible to combine diff. races?
More often than not, you are limited to a single race when duking out with big armies. There are mercenary options that you can add to some armies like Cavalry or Ogres, but not all. There are numerous troop choices for each army available already anyway.

5. With my questionable painting skills, is there a paint remover that is applicable to this hobby?
Prestone brake fluid. Tried and tested.

6. How do you do those cool-looking bases? Where do you get the materials (greeneries, rocks, etc.)
There are many many options on this one - cork, eggshell, gravel, putty, cardboard. There are also many sites online that can help you with this.

7. Marami pa bang naglalaro ng WFB at 40K now? (Are there many WFB and 40K players now?)
Marami naman (Plenty enough). Population of players depend on venue though.