state your races case

[lord marcus]

i know all of the races are said to be balanced in 40k, but i thought that we could compile the pro's/con's of each army into one thread so that newbies (like me) to read over them and choose thier army carfully instead of just (exe) buying those eldar that they thought were cool but turns out thier really hard to play when a noob.

anyone want to start?

[SteveBerenyi]

Eldar are an advanced race with advanced tactics. if you can master them it is hard to loose. in this way they are similar to Dark Eldar. They are weak physically, but no race can match them as far as psychics or weaponry. closest in both categories are inquisitors (psychic) tau (weapon power)

however, they are so specialized they become hard to control at points. balance is the key and knowing when to hold back and when to go all out.

****Recomended for advanced players***

[Baron Spikey]

Space Marines are the ultimate all rounders. Tougher, Stronger, more skillful, and better armed/armoured than most troops of other armies.
Combined with the vast potential to create a wide variety of army compositions the Space Marines are ideal as a platform for 'noobs' to start on.

Want a close combat army? the Space Marines can do that. Shooting? thats fine too.

They have neither the manouverabiity of the Eldar races, the firepower of the Tau & Imperial Guard, nor the horrific close combat ability of a horde of tyranids or orks. What they have is the ability to counter each of these deficiencies in some way.

Playing against orks/tyranids? use you superior shooting. Tau & IG? close range firepower coupled with crushing assaults.
Against Eldar? well it all depends on exactly what they take...
And Space Marines can be as deadly as any Eldar army in the hands of a tactically sound veteran, though as the opposition becomes more fierce they leave no more room for mistakes than their pointy eared rivals.

[Templar Mikeel]

Originally Posted by baronspikey

Space Marines are the ultimate all rounders. Tougher, Stronger, more skillful, and better armed/armoured than most troops of other armies.
Combined with the vast potential to create a wide variety of army compositions the Space Marines are ideal as a platform for 'noobs' to start on.

Want a close combat army? the Space Marines can do that. Shooting? thats fine too.

They have neither the manouverabiity of the Eldar races, the firepower of the Tau & Imperial Guard, nor the horrific close combat ability of a horde of tyranids or orks. What they have is the ability to counter each of these deficiencies in some way.

Playing against orks/tyranids? use you superior shooting. Tau & IG? close range firepower coupled with crushing assaults.
Against Eldar? well it all depends on exactly what they take...
And Space Marines can be as deadly as any Eldar army in the hands of a tactically sound veteran, though as the opposition becomes more fierce they leave no more room for mistakes than their pointy eared rivals.

The Divergant (SP) Chapters add a new level of tactics to the Game. For example, Black Templars have to worry about standing back and shooting because of the special rule.

[Guard Master]

Imperial Guard:
Pros:
Numbers:They can probably take more bodies on the field than any army with the exception of the nids
Firepower:Imperial guard can bring a large amount and variety of heavy and special weapons with them allowing them to pour large volumes of fire onto the enemy
Doctrines:The doctrines allow a large customization of your force from feral to advanced mech worlds
Tanks: the imperial guard have some of the best tanks and can pack alot of ordinance into their force.

Cons:
Weak: the average guardsmen is S3 T3 with 5+ armor meaning a stiff breeze is enough to knock them out at times and cover saves become more vital.
Leadership:guardsmen have got a low leadership compared to most armies (7) and so can be prone to break at times but this can be offset by officers and voxs etc

Imperial guard are probably for a slightly more experienced gamer.

[Timber-WoIf]

(assuming here you want to know how they actually play...)
guard can bring a crippling amount of weapons to bear, but have close combat ability worse than most other races. That means, you generally do allot of standing and shooting. game turns will take longer because of the number of units you will have on the field. Also, you will have to be extremely careful deploying your troops, as it can be tricky overlapping your guns effectively, once again because of the number of units you have to deploy. Your reliance on heavy weapons as well as cover will make moving some of your units risky and costly. If playing guard taught me anything, its how to set up my guns to get optimum fields of fire.

of course, i play a stand back and shoot guard army. but i haven't been able to figure out any other way to play them, save an Armored company.

space marines are definitely very versatile. You can field just about any style of army you want with them. The only drawback is their popularity. it seems most everyone plays space marines.