Whytoplaythem:Deployyour
units,inserttankshellsandordnance
intoyourenemies’netherregions,and
useyourinfantryashumanwalls.Astra
Militarumcoinedthephrase“leafblower
army,”inthesensethatplayingthemis
likestartingupa leafblower,pointing
it atthetabletop,andblowingyour
opponent’smodelsoffit.
Whynottoplaythem:Youwon’t
makefriendsplayingthisfaction.They’re
alsoa hugeinvestmentinyourtime
andmoney,becausetherearesomany
modelsavailable, and they’re so cheap
toroster.T’AUEMPIRE
Codex:T’auEmpire
Suggestedstartingkits:Start
Collecting!T’auEmpire,T’auEmpire
PathfinderTeam,T’auEmpireFire
WarriorsStrikeTeam
Painting/modelingdifficulty:
Moderate
Pricetoexpand:High
Overview:TheT’auareanoptimistic
Xenoracewhosegoalis tospreadtheir
‘enlightenment’throughouttheuniverse.
A seeminglyintelligence-focusedrace
whoprefertoabsorbplanetsand
societiesintotheirranksbydiplomacy,
theirtechnologyis incrediblyadvanced
andwillhelptocoercethosewhoare
reluctanttojustagree.EachT’ausoldier
is likeanindividualIronMan,displaying
anddeployingthelatesttechnological
advancementsmadebytherace,often
enhancedbyscientificbreakthroughs
suchasgravityfields,stealthfieldsorAI.
Whytoplaythem:Becauseyou’rea
bigfanofbattlemechs,technological
advancementsandperhapsthosethat
valueintelligenceoverforce(seealso:
directoppositeofOrcs).They’revery
focusedonhigh-poweredweaponryso
youcancreatequitea powerfularmy
withnotquiteasmuchinvestmentin
money,timeandeffort.
Whynottoplaythem:Theydonot
farewellinclosecombat.Atall.Ever.
Thatexcellenceinfirepowercomesata
priceandthatis beingveryvulnerable
upcloseandpersonal.TheT’aualso
havezeropsychicpoweramongtheir
numberwhichcancauseserious
disadvantagesagainstenemiesthatdo
haveit.Theyarealsonotquiteasmobile
asotherarmies so this can also get you
introuble.THEBESTOFTHEREST
Thefactionshighlightedabovearejust
a paltryfew,andyoushouldfeelfreeto
exploretheothers.CheckoutGames
Workshop’sYouTubechannelforallthe
latestreleasesandinfo.If youdon’thave
anyfriendswhoplay,takea visittoyour
localgamingstore(GamesWorkshop
brandedorotherwise) to get some
matches going.MUHREENS
TYRANIDS
Codex:Tyranids
Suggestedstartingkits:Start
Collecting!Tyranids,HormagauntBrood,
TermagantBrood,Genestealers
Painting/modelingdifficulty:High
Pricetoexpand:Extreme
Overview:TheTyranidsareprobably
theweirdestlifeformgoinginthe
Warhammer40Kuniverse– andthey’ve
gotthelookstoproveit.Actingasan
organicandgrotesquehordeinalmost
allways,theytravelthroughtheuniverse
identifyingpreyplanetsthattheycan
stripofbio-matterfromtoptobottom,
leavingbehindonlya stonyhuskofwhat
wastherebefore.Theyhavestrength
innumbersandstrangely-evolved
organismsthatknownofearorany
otherconceptapart from conquer
and devour.
Whytoplaythem:You’vegota
fascinationwiththebiologicallyodd,orarea
bigfanofH.R.Giger’sartwork.Butseriously,
if youwanttoleadanarmythatwillliterally
(duringthegame)instilterrorintoyour
enemiesandusea plethoraofweirdand
wonderfulalienbio-technology,butcanalso
ripthefaceoffsomeoneinhand-to-hand
combat,theTyranidsareforyou.
Whynottoplaythem:Theyarehand-
to-handfocusedsoyou’llhavetobecanny
againstsomeenemieswhodotheirbiggest
damagefromrange.Asthewordhorde
mightindicate,thereareplentyofbodiesin
a Tyranidarmysotheycanbeexpensiveto
collectandtomakea sizeableforcewith.
Giventheirorganicformsandcurves,bumps
andlumpstheyareparticularly tricky to
paint really well, too.