Reading over the previous guide, there is nothing I will refute. However, I wish to go into slightly more detail and add my personal opinion. I have worked for GW and even worked as one of the "illustrious" Mail Order Trolls. Believe me, if your child/relative/boyfriend/whatever has been playing for awhile they'll know what this job entails.

    Anyway, there are several things that all GW enthusiasts need: supplies and terrain, models, army books and background, mountain dew and transportation.

    Supplies: Odds are your child already has the basic supplies needed for modeling. But, these always run out. I would suggest the following specific items as crucial to the hobby: Black spray primer, citadel super glue (not plastic glue, which is useless), movement trays, static grass, the basic paintbrush set, the warhammer or 40K basic paint set, chaos black paint, blood red paint, skull white paint, goblin green paint, bestial brown paint, and snakebite leather paint. If you bring a GW employee one of your child's models, they can certainly color-match precisely what is likely needed. Furthermore, hills, woods, hedges and walls are terrain which will almost certainly be useful if your child plays at home.These items should never be considered unless directly asked for/known to be needed: tape measure, dice, the mega paint set, the file set, modeling putty, obscure paint colors (neons and pastels), white spray primer, and warhammer fortress.

    Models: Nothing sends a child into dancing glee like getting the boxed set or blister which he was yearning after. Try to find out what your child/relative/significant other is planning to get next. A sure-fire purchase, however, will be to get a box of the main unit of their favorite army. These box kits can almost always be used as several different unit types in the game. Note, however, that there is terminology overlap between Warhammer and 40K, so be careful when purchasing. Always ask an employee when you're not positive. These box sets will contain between 6 (ogres) and 20 (zombies, night goblins, etc) models each and will run you between $30-40, new.

    Lord of the Rings: Lord of the Rings is a horrible game, with ugly, unimpressive models, low sales figures, annoyingly slow game play, and no room for growth. GW is obliged to include it as one of their three "main game systems" for several more years because of a licensing agreement.

    Warhammer:  Empire - Soldiers of the Empire Regiment, Empire Militia Regiment, Brettonia - Knights of Brettonia Boxed Set, Brettonian Men at Arms, Dwarfs - Dwarf Warriors/Longbeards, Dwarf Thunderers/Quarellers/Rangers, High Elves - High Elf Warriors, Wood Elves - Wood Elf Glade Guard, Wood Elf Dryads, Dark Elves - Dark Elf Warriors, Beasts of Chaos - Beast Herd, Hordes of Chaos - Chaos Warriors, Chaos Marauders, Skaven - Skaven Clanrats, Lizardmen - Lizardmen Sauras, Ogre Kingdoms - Ogre Bulls,.Orc & Goblins - *Orc Boyz Regiment, *Goblin Regiment, Vampire Counts - Zombies, Vampire Count Skeleton Regiment, and Tomb Kings - Tomb Kings Skeleton Regiment. (For those knowledgeable, I chose not to include Lizardmen Skinks, High Elf Archers, or Ogre Kingdom Gnoblars because I would assume that any starting/small army already has at least a unit, if not more of these, which I find limited in usefulness in greater numbers)

*Orc and Goblins armies often center around specific sub-classes: (Common) Orcs, Black Orcs, Savage Orcs, (Common) Goblins, Night Goblins, Forest Goblins, and as such, you should be particularly careful with purchases here.

    40K: Imperial Guard - Cadian Shock Troops, Space Marines - Space Marine Tactical Squad, Razorback, Chaos Marines - *Chaos Space Marine Squad, Witchhunters - Sisters of Battle Squad, Cadian Shock Troops, Demonhunters - Grey Knights Squad, Cadian Kasrkin Squad, Orks - Ork Boyz, Eldar, Dark Eldar - Dark Eldar Guardians, Dark Eldar Raider, Tyranids - Tyranid Gaunts, Tyranid Warriors, Tyranid Genestealers, Tau Empire - Tau Fire Warriors, Tau Hammerhead, and Necrons - Necron Warriors.

*Chaos Marine armies often center around specific sub-classes: Khorne Bezerkers, Slaanesh Emperor's Children, Nurgle Death Guard, and Tzeentch Thousand Sons being the main divisions.

   Specialist Games: The following game systems are still being sold but are much less popular than those above. I do not feel it is a good idea to purchase from any of these without in-depth knowledge of what you're looking for: Battlefleet Gothic, Inquisitor, Mordheim, Blood Bowl, Necromunda, Epic, Warmaster, and the Battle of Five Armies.

    Army Books and Background: I heavily discourage you from buying army books or background unless specifically asked. Odds are, your little one already has what he needs. The art books are very pretty but I doubt anyone has looked at one for more than an hour, and at thirty dollars or more each, it's just not worth it. The Black Library now has over 200 different novels, which I sadly own the majority of. With the exception of a few authors (Dan Abnett, Jav Thorpe, Sandy Wallis) the writing is truly bad. Most GW stores no longer sell these novels but you'll be sure to find them in your local book superstore.

    Mountain Dew: I don't know why but it's pure gamer fuel. It's sweet, neon green, and loaded with caffeine.

    Transportation: Unless your child has his own "gamer basement", he'll probably need a ride to a friends', the local gaming store, or even a GW if you're lucky (unlucky!) enough to live near one. If your child does not have one, an army case is a good buy. Thick, hard plastic and sheets of foam will keep his models stationary and safe regardless of how many times the dog knocks it over or he hits his little brother with it.

Anyway, that's the end of my amendum. I hope you found what you were looking for.

-InquisitorThorn

Notes: Games Workshop is a registered trademark of Games Workshop Ltd, England., Lord of the Rings is a registered trademark of New Line Cinema.