So I was sitting around thinking about the Allies post I worked up earlier, and I got to thinking about the game as I got into it way back into it last decade...
A buddy of mine had some small assortment of D&D figs, as well as some randomly chosen 40k minis... one of which was a Space Marine with Heavy Bolter. The figure caught my eye and my brain flashed back to 1998 and one of my friends in high school showing me an impressive collection of Second Edition Space Marines. I had only a passing interest at the time, playing Decipher's Star Wars CCG and MTG, as well as the MB classics; ie Axis & Allies.
My interest, which had imprinted unknowingly, was to be fully sparked now.
I inquired as to where my friend had gotten his few scifi minis, and he told me of the first FLGS I was to attend. Over the course of the next couple months, I bought anything Space Marines that caught my eye. I had quite the collection of special characters, including this Black Templar Marshall (the one on the left), and this Games Day 1999 Limited ed. fig. I painted with a scheme that was somewhat original. No one around here was using it, and the internet was a little guy back then. The seeds of the community were there. Terragenesis, one of the first terrain sites I found, is still around.
So one day the guy who was using his 40k figs for D&D came around and discovered my collection of figures. He asked, when did I start playing? I replied, Just collecting. He informed me that I had the makings of a decent army in sheer number of figs. It was at this point that I first considered a rulebook and codex...
