Warhammer 40k

Kill Team seems like a much more manageable game (I have very limited experience in Warhammer)

Smaller armies and faster games. So you don’t have to commit to 4 days of army building before you get a taste of the gameplay.

I'm an oldie who got into 40k way back in the early 90s with the Rogue Trader stuff.

In my honest opinion, I love the minis (they look glorious), but I would not recommend the current game to anyone. It's far too expensive and just not that fun.

There are better games out there that you can play using 40k minis. One Page Rules : Grimdark Future is one such example.

The Emperor called me from the void and I have been here since.

I prefer Sci Fi.

I got into 40K by randomly watching some Luetin lore videos on YouTube and then becoming super interested in the lore. I’ve only played two games of Combat Patrol (against myself) using the models from the Leviathan box. 😅 It seems fun but is quite the time investment.

When I got into it I didn’t really consider the amount of hobby time investment required. I think it took me over a month just to assemble the models I needed to try out Combat Patrol, I still don’t have any of them painted, or even primed.

Then I tried out Kill Team and love it. It’s arguably just as complex as 40K, but much more approachable from a hobby perspective. It’s a blast too! I’d highly recommend trying out a game or two, the light rules are available for free online and they have an app too.

Battlefleet Gothic was really cool, and they had this game with tiny little guys too.

1. Does he have friends that will play? A lot of wargaming is just garage folks. That requires a group of people you can play with regularly. Kinda sucks to get into a game and you have no one to play with.
2. Go to your local game stores that do wargaming and see what the scene is. Plural stores is important here. The store with the biggest scene might actually be the worst to play at or host the dumbest players. In my experience, there are shops that have lots of models and accessories with huge play areas and there are shops with great scenes geared for all players. Sometimes those intersect; often they do not. You’re looking for a friendly place willing to cater to beginners. Good starter scenes have lots of people willing to share armies so you can see what’s going on.
3. How much do you want to spent right now? Kill Team, Combat Patrol, full 40k in that order is probably cheapest. AoS doesn’t have the cheaper options yet AFAIK officially but there are some smaller skirmish options.
4. Marvel Crisis Protocol and Star Wars several things might be better options based on the first three points depending on your wallet and local scene.

However, in my experience, once you start one of these things you usually dabble in lots especially if you’re at a good store.

I got into painting minis over the pandemic when everyone was picking up new hobbies left and right with the reaper minis learn to paint kits

I enjoyed them, but I have a hard time justifying buying minis unless I have an actual use for them, and since we don't tend to use them in my D&D games, I went on the hunt for a game.

And from there it wasn't long before I settled on 40k. It's probably about the biggest one out there, so I can always find someone who plays, I already have a small handful of friends who play it, and when I looked around at the options, they just kind of looked the most fun to paint to me.

My son got into 40k and wanted me to go with him to the shop and help paint figures. We bought him the Starter Set and he played as Tyranids and left me with the Space Marines. He moved onto Age of Sigmar (and I get the impression that most kids/teens seem to be more into Fantasy than grimdark SF). I enjoyed the painting and started to play.

My only regret was choosing an army too soon. I wish I’d taken longer and learned more about the lore before choosing. (My son is mad about Skaven currently!)