If i buy a b&w laser printer will any paper work or does it have to be laser printer paper?

The biggest thing to be careful of with laser printers is not to put any paper through that is affected by heat. "Any old paper" may work, but there is a big difference between an inkjet printer and a laser. One cooks on the toner to give you the image, and the other sprays it on. It's kind of like inkjet cartridges or toner cartridges, some people swear that you should only use the original ones from the manufacturer, while some people use what ever is cheap. Decide whether it's worth the money to avoid a potential frustration.

You do not have to have special paper for the laser printer.

laser paper isn't necessary and there is NO DIFFERENCE in the quality, ONLY THE PRICE. You will find there are different levels of white, depicted by a number on the packaging...92 or 92% white is the common paper. Standard copy paper will do. Why? A laser printer and a copy machine are the same exact thing when putting toner to paper.