When I got into playing Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy, some time back in either 1992 or 1993, I played two different armies. In Fantasy I played Dwarves (Not Dwarfs because I, unlike GW know how to spell the word), I played Dwarves because I like beards, I like Dwarves, and I still do. In 40k I started off with Blood Angels, probably because they were included in the box and because they had this mystique about them of being freakish space vampires.
When you are that age, things like that are cool.