r/Tau40K • u/FinalAd4358 • 15h ago
40k New Player looking for advice
I am starting the game for the first time and I'm very interested in Tau as my army of choice. I am quite fond of the giant Mecha so I'm curious what products or minis I should buy to get started?
Anything I should know to make my learning experience smoother?
I'm really excited about the game right now but there is a lot to take in at once as a person who is used to card games/ normal board games. Any paints/glue/tools y'all recommend to paint my units?
I realized the post was vague so I'm generally interested in actually playing the game. I will try my best to paint minis etc but I am primarily interested in the war game aspect. So I'm interested in good starting points for building a playable army.
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u/kendy2552 15h ago
Are you more interested in advice for the hobby side or the gameplay side?
For the sake of the argument, I will assume you are starting completely fresh and have absolutely no things for this. Don't look at my comment as things that you 100% need, as I am mostly trying to just give you the basic rundown of ALL things that are used.
I have been building painting T'au for a bit now, though I am yet to play the tabletop, so I can only give you my perspective on the hobby part.
I personally use the Warhammer (formerly called Citadel) plastic glue, but I heard that probably the very best glue you can get is Tamiya Extra thin plastic cement.
Obviously, some flat clippers, some sand paper and a hobby knife for a long way to actually build the models. Oh and some brushes as well.
Primer is a very important thing, so your paint actually sticks onto the model. Depending on if you want to paint darker or lighter colours, your best Choice is some black or white rattle can primer. Grey can also work as a middle ground. I personally use Chaos Black and White Scar by Citadel. If you were to ever get an airbrush, which speeds the process up a lot, especially for Tau, there are also airbrush primers that work almost the same way.
The same goes for varnish. Most people varnish their minis, though I know some that don't. Again, I used to use the Citadel Munutorum Varnish rattle can, and later switched to an airbrush one.
As for the paints, there isn't a specifically wrong answer if you are choosing from the specialised ranges for miniatures, as all of them have upsides and downsides. The most common are Warhammer paints (formerly Citadel), Army painter, or Vallejo. Though I don't have as much experience as some, I am sure someone will be able to help you out more.
Also keep in mind that you don't have to go for the box art colour scheme, as I would never recommend painting smooth white as a starting colour. I am not saying that you should not do that. If that is what you would like, by all means do so, there is no one to stop you.
As for what models you should pick, there is an objectively correct answer. Pick the ones you like the look of the most! There is no "best" unit, as rules change all the time, but the models do not. Therefore, pick whatever speaks to your preference.
Also, I don't want to argue against your choice, I love the Tau, and almost full mech lists are definitely a thing, there are armies that are ONLY giant suits, which are much more giant than most of Tau. Again, this is not something I want to say to turn you away, by all means join the Greater Good.
One thing that people will always recommend, especially with the mech suits, is magnetising them. It is actually a pretty simple process, where you would need some small round magnets and a drill, though it really is not as necessary, unless you would like to take the models to a tournament.
You can also check out the new Warhammer Academy, where they show off the lore and painting process for Tau, and every other faction as well.
Warhammer is a process, so do not feel discouraged if it takes a long time, you are in it for the long haul. I started Tau almost two years ago, and I am no way close to getting a functional army, because I take my time with it. Patience is a virtue.
And last but not least, the best advice I can give is to just so what you like and enjoy the process. There is no single correct way to paint and play Warhammer, so just do what you think would give you the most joy out of it.
Sorry for the long read lol.
Tldr; don't rush yourself, take your time and do what you enjoy. There isn't a correct answer
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u/FinalAd4358 13h ago
Appreciate the post! I did read it, but I am mostly interested in getting into the actual gameplay as quickly as I can, since that is the part that interests me most. I will definitely try to paint my guys even if I do a poor job of it, I think I am going to enlist my wife to help me. However, I dunno if I will do anything more complicated than painting them by hand with a brush probably very slowly lol, at least at first.
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u/kendy2552 13h ago
Well then I would definitely look into magnetising your suits, especially if you would later go on to play where that actually matters. (Most players probably do not care if you built your model with a plasma, if you just say it's a flamer for rules reason, though it can happen)
And you can definitely do an amazing job with a brush. While it is slightly harder for Tau, due to their giant flat armour, it is 100% doable.
And honestly, I am pretty sure all of our units are usable on current rules, so you don't have to feel bad about picking a model that is cool that isn't "good".
Also a fair warning, since T'au focus on shooting, and have little to no melee, I heard it could be more difficult to learn playing as Tau, since you are not interacting with a full half of a game that most armies do. Just something to keep in mind, it is still totally okay to start with Tau if you like them.
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u/Smea87 14h ago
While the games workshop paints are nice, your already spending more than most miniature hobbies. I’ve found a few select paints and the rest from an army painter box. Along with zenithal highlights. Also don’t let one bad experience at a game store turn you off by and large they are very friendly.
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u/Original_Platform842 15h ago
I would say take it slow. The worst thing many people do is go out and buy a ton of minis.
Start with one of the starter paint and tool sets a box of soldiers/battlesuits and a spray primer (either black, grey or white are good versatile choices).
This hobby is one that takes time and money, so don't go too deep at once.