How to Build a Wargaming Army for Beginners

Last Updated: November 2, 2026

Table of Contents

• Step 1: Pick a Faction You Actually Want to Paint
• How to Choose a Warhammer 40K Faction Without Regret
  • The four-filter faction scorecard
  • Play style: the tiebreaker
  • Model count and painting difficulty together
  • A quick worked comparison
• How Many Points for a Beginner Warhammer Army?
• Find the Best Warhammer 40K Starter Set for Your Budget
  • A realistic budget plan with tiers
  • The 60/40 split, made concrete
  • Staged buying plan
  • What to skip at first
• Build a Beginner Warhammer Army List That Works
• Assemble, Paint, and Get Your Models Tabletop-Ready
• Plan Your First Purchase and First Game
• Frequently Asked Questions

Step 1: Pick a Faction You Actually Want to Paint

The best way to build a wargaming army for beginners starts with one rule: pick models you want to look at for hours.

Most new players go wrong here: they chase the strongest faction, buy 40 models, and lose interest by week three.

Use this quick filter before you spend a dollar:

• Do you like the silhouettes? If the shapes bore you now, they will bore you at model 30.
• Can you picture a color scheme? A faction you can imagine painting is a faction you will finish.
• Does the lore grab you? Fluff sells models. Read a paragraph of background first.

That last point matters more than any stat line. A force of 20 detailed models is a realistic first hobby project.

How to Choose a Warhammer 40K Faction Without Regret

Choosing a Warhammer 40K faction comes down to four inputs: aesthetics, play style, model count, and painting difficulty. Rank them in that order for your first army. Rules change with each new edition, but the models on your shelf do not.

Most beginner guides stop at "pick what looks cool." That is necessary but not sufficient. Use the four-filter scorecard below before spending money.

The four-filter faction scorecard

Score each faction you are considering from 1 to 5 on each filter, then weight them in the order you care about. A faction that scores 4+ on aesthetics and 3+ on model count is usually a safe first pick.

Filter	What to check	Why it matters for a beginner
Aesthetics	Do you like the silhouettes, helmets, and vehicles? Can you picture a color scheme?	You will paint 20-40 models before your first full game. Boredom kills projects.
Play style	Shooting, melee, horde, elite, or balanced	Mismatch between your temperament and the army's plan causes early losses and frustration.
Model count	Roughly how many models a 1,000-point list needs	A 20-model elite force is a realistic first project. An 80-model horde is not.
Painting difficulty	Trim, flesh, cloth, and large flat panels vs. armor plates	Some factions demand more brush control and more paint pots to look tabletop-ready.

Play style: the tiebreaker

Most factions fall into a few broad roles. If unsure, pick balanced: it teaches every phase without punishing one bad matchup.

• Shooting-heavy: sit back, roll dice, delete units at range. Forgiving for new players who like planning.
• Melee-focused: close the distance fast and fight up close. Rewards aggression but punishes bad positioning.
• Horde: lots of cheap bodies flooding the table. Strong on objectives, heavy on painting hours.

Model count and painting difficulty together

Model count and painting difficulty compound. A horde faction with complex trim is the worst first project; an elite faction with large armor plates is the best. Count the models in a 1,000-point list, then check a painted example and ask whether you can reproduce that standard across the force.

A practical rule: if the faction's typical 1,000-point list needs more than 40 models, treat it as a second-army project, not a first one.

A quick worked comparison

Suppose you are torn between an elite armored faction and a horde infantry faction. The elite faction might need 20-25 models for 1,000 points, mostly large surfaces and simple armor. The horde faction might need 60-80 models with repeated detail.

That is the point of the scorecard: it turns "pick what you like" into a decision you can defend before you spend a dollar.

How Many Points for a Beginner Warhammer Army?

A beginner Warhammer army should start at 500 to 1,000 points.

Points are the currency of army building.

Here is how the sizes compare for a new player:

Game Size	Points Limit	Models (rough)	Best For
Skirmish	500	10-20	Learning the rules
Small	1,000	20-40	First real games
Standard	2,000	40-80	Pickup games at a store
Large	3,000+	80+	Experienced players

Start at 500 points to learn the phases fast. Move to 1,000 once the rules feel automatic.

The official Warhammer rules and game size guidance is worth reading before you settle on a limit, since the current edition sets the exact thresholds.

Find the Best Warhammer 40K Starter Set for Your Budget

The best Warhammer 40K starter set gives you a playable force and a rulebook in a single box: two small forces, dice, templates, and the core rules in one purchase.

Before you buy, check three things:

• Does it include full rules or a trimmed version? Trimmed rules are fine for learning, but you will want the full book later.
• How many points are in the box? Some starter sets give you a legal small force. Others give you a sampler.
• Are the models push-fit? Push-fit models need no glue, which is a genuine advantage for a first project.

A realistic budget plan with tiers

Most beginner guides say "buy smart" and stop there. The useful version is a tiered budget with total-cost ranges so you know what you are signing up for before checkout.

Tier	Total budget	What it covers	What you get on the table
Minimum viable	$150-$250	Starter set or one squad, clippers, glue, primer, 6-8 paints, brushes, bases	A legal 500-point force, painted to a basic standard
Standard first army	$300-$500	Above plus a second squad, one elite unit, more paints, a case or tray	A 1,000-point force you can play pickup games with
Comfortable	$500-$800	Above plus a third unit, better brushes, texture paints, magnets or foam	A 1,000-1,500-point force with room to expand

These bands assume you buy one faction and resist discount bundles. The single biggest budget mistake is buying a large bundle before your first game; it front-loads cost and back-loads motivation.

Clone Trooper Army Pack with ship - Miniature →

The 60/40 split, made concrete

Set a total hobby budget before you buy anything, then split it roughly 60/40 between models and everything else. On a $300 budget, that is about $180 for models and $120 for tools and paint.

New players often under-budget paint and tools, then buy them one pot at a time at full price. A starter paint set and a decent brush up front usually costs less than assembling the same range piecemeal.

Staged buying plan

1. Stage 1 (first $150-$250): one starter set or one squad, plus tools and a basic paint set. Goal: assemble and paint a legal 500-point force.
2. Stage 2 (next $100-$200): one additional troop unit and one elite or heavy unit. Goal: reach 1,000 points and play your first standard game.
3. Stage 3 (later): expand one unit at a time based on what your games actually lacked, not on what a forum says is strong.

What to skip at first

• Large discount bundles before your first game.
• Display-level paint ranges before you can block in colors cleanly.
• Extra rulebooks if the starter set already includes trimmed rules.

If you are weighing whether the hobby justifies the spend, is tabletop wargaming worth the cost breaks down what you actually get for the money.

For players who want a themed force outside the standard factions, our Star Wars miniature packs are a strong starting point. The Clone Trooper Army Pack with ship at $165.00 gives you a detailed core of models plus a ship, and the Stormtroopers Pack at $100.00 offers 20 poses for variety.

Build a Beginner Warhammer Army List That Works

A beginner Warhammer army list needs three things: one leader, two or three scoring units, and one unit that hits hard. That is the whole formula. Everything else is preference.

Here is a sample 500-point structure you can adapt to any faction:

1. One leader unit to anchor your force and unlock army rules.
2. Two basic troop units to hold objectives and absorb losses.
3. One elite or heavy unit to threaten your opponent's key models.
4. One fast or flexible unit to grab objectives late.

Objectives win games in most current editions. A list with no scoring units loses on points even when it kills more.

Cramming every cool unit into one list produces an army with no plan. Build to a role, not to a wishlist.

If you want recommendations on which models are worth buying first, 10 miniatures for tabletop wargaming worth buying covers the picks we would make for a new collection.

Assemble, Paint, and Get Your Models Tabletop-Ready

Getting models tabletop-ready means assembled, based, and painted to a basic standard. Nothing more.

The build order that works:

1. Clip and clean. Remove models from the sprue and scrape mold lines with a hobby knife.
2. Dry-fit first. Test joints before gluing. Push-fit models need no glue at all.
3. Assemble in sub-assemblies. Leave arms or heads off if they block a brush later.
4. Base them. Glue to the base, then add texture before painting.
5. Prime. A thin, even coat. Two light passes beat one heavy one.
6. Block in colors. Basecoat, then one highlight. Skip fine detail at first.
7. Seal them. A matte varnish protects the paint during play.

If you want a shortcut, contrast-style paints do most of the shading in one coat. Whether that trade-off suits you depends on how much control you want, and is contrast paint worth it for beginners answers that honestly.

Customizing models before painting is optional, but it is where the hobby gets fun. How do you kitbash miniatures for beginners covers the basics of swapping parts safely.

For a full walkthrough of brushes, thinning, and layering, how to paint unpainted gaming miniatures is our complete beginner guide.

Miniature Painting Guide from the Miniatures Page is a useful cross-check on priming and sealing in different climates.

Plan Your First Purchase and First Game

Your first purchase should cover assembly, painting, and one legal force.

A realistic staged roadmap looks like this:

• Week 1: Buy a starter set or a single squad. Assemble and prime.
• Week 2-3: Paint to a basic standard. Do not chase perfection.
• Week 4: Play a 500-point game with a friend or at a local store.

Foam trays or magnetized bases keep paint from chipping. A cheap plastic tub with a towel works for your first month.

Painting an entire army before playing a single game is the most common way beginners quit. Play early with grey plastic.

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Building your first wargaming army is a test of patience more than talent.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many miniatures do you need for your first wargaming army?

A playable beginner wargaming army usually runs 20 to 40 models at a 1,000-point game size, depending on faction. Elite armies need fewer, horde armies need more. If you buy a starter set, it typically covers most of what you need for a first force. Add one or two unit packs to round it out, then stop buying until those models are assembled and painted. Buying in stages keeps the project manageable and your spending predictable.

Should beginners buy a starter set or individual miniatures?

Start with a starter set. It bundles rules, dice, and two small forces at a lower cost than buying the same models separately, which is why it is the best Warhammer 40K starter set route for most newcomers. Individual miniatures make more sense later, when you know your faction and want to add a specific unit. If you already collect Star Wars miniatures, packs like the Clone Trooper Army Pack with ship at $165.00 give you a themed force to build around instead.

How much does it cost to build a beginner wargaming army?

Noble Nerds miniatures range from $75.00 for the ARC Trooper Pack to $165.00 for the Clone Trooper Army Pack with ship, and every order includes a one-year guarantee with simple, cost-free replacements. Budget in stages so you never buy more than you can build.

What tools do you need to assemble and paint miniatures?

You need four things to start: plastic clippers, a hobby knife, plastic glue, and two or three paints plus a brush. A primer spray helps paint stick. Skip expensive painting stations until you have finished your first squad. Assembly takes about 10 to 15 minutes per model, and a basic paint job adds another 20 to 30 minutes each. Work through one unit at a time so your beginner Warhammer army list reaches the tabletop-ready stage faster.