There are few forces in the universe as unstoppable as the urge to start a new Warhammer 40K army. It strikes without warning; one moment you’re happily painting the 56th gem on your Wraithlord, the next you’re googling “Which armies look good in Sotek Green?” at 2 in the morning.*

It’s an ancient ritual every hobbyist knows, the great cycle of inspiration → excitement → reality → ooh a piece of candy. But how does this inspiration strike us? What gets the juices going?

1. GW Do Their Thing

And by this, I of course mean produce something so disgustingly beautiful that you have no choice but to delve deep into your pockets. In some weirdly fortunate way, GW do seem to reserve their finest work for Sigmar and Old World, but still every so often something drops that leaves you reaching for the tissues (to wipe the drool away, of course). Your rational brain says, You already have 5 armies, don’t be an idiot. Your lizard brain says, Where did I put the vaseline?

Before you know it, that one model that was a ‘painting project’ is now perhaps the single most beautiful battleline infantry model to ever be painted, but unfortunately the 1990 points of grey plastic staring at you mournfully seems to indicate things may have gotten out of hand.

2. The Lore Trap

Every Warhammer player has read a piece of background lore and thought, These guys are awesome. I must embody them in miniature form. Maybe the psychic prowess of the Thousand Sons gets your senses tingling; perhaps the hedonistic nature of Slaanesh appeals as an outlet for your depraved mind. Either way, the lore of 40K is what hooks so many of us, and is a great way to choose a new project. Damn you Black Library and your wicked ways.

3. The Meta Mirage

You’re not a meta chaser, you’re a narrative player! You play for the story, the lore, the adventure- it’s all just a bit of fun!

And then new rules drop. Reddit says they’re “S-tier broken,” so it must be true. Suddenly the resolve you have held so steadfastly onto starts to wobble… Maybe, just maybe your Grey Knight army does in fact need a chance to field 6 NDK and 3 Land Raider Redeemers.

Remember though: GW giveth, and the next balance dataslate taketh away.

4. The Social Contagion

Your friend says they’re starting a new army. You nod supportively. Then they show you their color scheme. Then they talk about their cool conversion ideas. Their excitement stirs something in you. Boy you miss the days of new army excitement.

And then, completely by accident, you have a shopping cart full of sprues.

This is because Warhammer is contagious. It spreads through enthusiasm, ADHD, and WhatsApp group chats. Oh the WhatsApp groups.

Final thoughts

Starting a new army isn’t a failure of willpower—it’s a celebration of creativity. Sure, your shelves are full, your wallet is thin, and your backlog looms like a silent god of shame. But hey—some people collect stamps. We collect stories, battles, and bits of painted plastic that remind us why we fell in love with this universe in the first place.

So the next time inspiration strikes, don’t fight it. Embrace it. Just… maybe sell another army first?

And if you’re sat there wondering why on earth I’ve chosen this topic as my first blog post…well….

I may have done a thing.

Next time: What on earth are you playing at Chris?

*the answer is of course, all of them