Hello and welcome, fellow wargamers, soon to be wargamers, and those who may be interested in becoming wargamers! My name is Rex, and this blog will document my journey getting back into miniature wargaming after a nearly 10 year hiatus, and pass on advice I've received about the different parts of the hobby. As I play Warhammer 40K primarily, my posts are more relevant to those looking into that particular game, but there'll be some good info later on about the miniatures hobby in general. Also, at the end of all my posts, I'll have a list of Noob Tips that I'll reference in the post itself.
Happy reading and I hope you enjoy my adventure!
Firstly, let me go over some of my own troubles getting back into the hobby. I first started playing Warhammer 40K back in 4th edition, somewhere around 2004-2005, and built models and played pretty consistently till 2008. I had a pretty good understanding of the rules, and my chosen army (the Black Templars) had it's own codex (army specific rulebook and background info) and some nice models. When I picked it up again in late 2017/early 2018 (thanks to a co-worker and fellow 40k-er, David, aka CerberusRex), things had changed pretty drastically from what I remembered, and my army's codex had been integrated into the larger Space Marines codex. Luckily for the better, as the game seems a lot more streamlined, though I miss a lot of the fluff from my Black Templars codex. More on that in a later post though.
I went and bought all new paints, brushes, and a few new models, and all the current rulebooks to get back in the groove of things. This was my first reminder of something I'd forgotten about this hobby; This crap is expensive!!! Like, damn. All that cost me in the realm of ~$300. This brings me to Noob Tip #1: Don't go all out right away until you're absolutely sure this is the hobby for you. There are many different miniature wargames, and I'm unsure of the pricing for most, but Games Workshop (GW for short, creators of the Warhammer universes) is pricy. You're better off picking up a couple models or a all-in boxed game (also available for GW games), splitting the cost with a friend (more on that in a later post). But I digress...
After getting home with my new collection of wallet-emptying goodness, I pulled out the old cutting mat and sprue clippers and set to work. Putting together a lot of the newer models was a lot easier than I remembered. I put together a small squad in about an hour or so and I was ready for painting. Now it's time for Noob Tip #2: YouTube is an AMAZING resource for learning how to paint your minis, and GW actually has their own channel (WarhammerTV) which gives excellent tutorials on specific color schemes. Those can be modified with whatever colors you decide to use for your own army. There are also a whole smorgasbord of painters and painting tutorials at your fingertips on all the social media platforms. Use them to your benefit.
The painting of the minis was tedious at first. It felt like after so long I'd forgotten how to hold a brush! But after several hours of binge watching video tutorials and several days spent painting, my minis were done. They weren't great looking in my mind, but they looked good enough to put on the table and start playing. Thanks to David, I'd been introduced to a group of 40k players via social media (quick shout out to 40K Parliament, great group of guys) and I was invited to come join in on one of their weekly games at a local gaming shop. More on that next time.
Alright, this has been a long read, so thanks to those that have gotten this far. I'll post as often as my schedule allows and I'll be making several posts that simply offer ideas and tips intermixed with my trials and tribulations posts in this wonderful hobby of ours.
Noob Tips Recap
Noob Tip #1: Don't buy too much too soon!! This hobby gets really expensive really quickly, and if you decide it's not right for you, that could mean a lot of money gone to waste. I'll elaborate more on the details in a later post.
Noob Tip #2: Use video tutorials to help you with how to paint! You'd be amazed how much you can lean and how fast you can progress by simply watching and painting along with tutorials. There are also more ways to learn, which we'll go over in a later post.
40K Parliament members may contribute some of their own stories and tips on this blog if they so choose, and they've got a wealth of experience and knowledge that I've been lucky enough to pull from.
Thanks mini wargamers! We'll see you next time!
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