30k or The Horus Heresy is the up and coming game. If you like Space Marines, Chaos Space Marines, Adeptus Mechanicus or Astra Militarum you'll like it. The game has been around for about five years now and the release of Betrayal at Calth was a big boost and can help you to quickly get into the game. My first army was a Sons of Horus first company lead by Horus. I'm now slowly building an Imperial Fists army with a heavy Templar theme. Every legion has its own unique units and special characters to flesh out your armies. I can easily see 30k becoming just as popular as 40k in the next five years. I know that's a bold prediction but just wait and see for yourself.
It's easy to get games versus 40k armies and here's some guidelines to help ensure it's an enjoyable experience for everyone.
1) Setup games versus 40k armies you will enjoy playing against and make sure your opponents feel the same. I recently played a game versus Orks and it was a great time. Xenos races that existed during circa M.31 also includes eldar (heh). I found that Orks make for a fun game without an unfair advantage to either side.
2) I haven't played yet versus eldar so I can't say for sure if it would be balanced but if both players work towards fielding armies that are geared around this important aspect I think it can work and this is what really counts. Talk to your opponent before the game and openly discuss your lists so that there's no big surprises and let each other know what to expect. Obviously 30k Marines are a lot like their 40k equivalents but there are some fundamental differences - one big one is 30k Marines don't have ATSKNF.
3) It's important to let your 40k opponents understand what are your special rules and units... This includes exotic weapons only available in 30k such as Phosphex and Volkite. There are also weapon types such as Graviton that have fundamental differences. You don't often see tournament organizers allowing the use of 30k armies in a 40k tournament and I think the main reason is because they don't know what to expect. If you can make 40k players feel comfortable then it's a win-win scenario. I'm not advocating the inclusion of 30k in 40k tournaments but I think over time it will become more excepted.
4) Not all units are scoring in 30k and this is one of the biggest differences between the two gaming systems. A good house rule for 30k versus 40k is to allow 30k units to score like 40k - otherwise 40k armies have the potential for a big advantage. Presently 30k only has some units that can score (i.e., hold or contest objectives). These 30k units are the equivalent of being Objective Secured... All other units cannot hold or contest objectives. This is a big deal for 40k missions that use Eternal War or Maelstrom objectives which are the vast majority. An alternative is to use missions like Purge the Alien that don't use objectives or you can design your own custom missions.
Going back to the first point really the main thing is to pick games both players will enjoy otherwise it's going to be hard after your first couple of games. This is a great way to introduce 40k players to 30k and you just might introduce some new players to the rank of 30k.
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