"how do you find or choose your figures" Topic

Barry, the whole car bombing of multi-message board cross posting is an old sore with a heavy crusty scab that some people can not seem to keep from picking at.

As long as you are not blasting with all guns with every post I don't think you will have any issues.

Sometimes the regulars forget that people can be passionate and come here looking for support and help with direction from like minded people.

Hopefully you got some of those answers in between the posting comments.

Cheers mate

Ray

It's been a long winter for some people, obviously! I have learned that you can search online all you want, or listen to recommendations by others, but until you see the miniature in person and decide what it is you like, you have no idea what you are going to get!

I have never even considered boycotting a manufacturer due to their behaviour on TMP.

However, this time it is getting pretty close.

Barry, you have an excellent range of conventions in the UK where you can see the types of games being played as well as how much interest is shown in those games by the people who attend the conventions. You also have a pretty good assortment of hard core gaming groups who meet on a regular basis at fairly fixed locations throughout the UK.

Have you considered visiting any of those groups to research what they are doing currently and what they think they will gaming in the future, both near and distant.

A couple months hard research will save you years of frustration and money. This forum is an excellent place to start especially on the UK club board, but that's just my opinion, …which isn't worth much more than a ha' penny. Will

How do you find and choose castings?

Since I have been in the business since 1983 and gaming since the 1960s, I tend to deal with peopel that I know personally.

Many of these I have met at various conventions over the years. I know that they will deleiver the product when ordered. I also know what to expect from a new casting range.

I usually talk to my pals and look at stuff at shows, then once I've got a reliable supplier I'll follow it up with web purchases.

Shouldn't this be on General Wargaming?

A lot of you guys are totally missing the point
Ofcourse I use all those other methods to discover what trends are coming up.
I am not the idiot some of you clearly think I am.
I often check out Tmp and my favourite bloggers, go to as many shows as I can, follow the magazines.
This isnt about me, it is about a discussion within my gaming group about how people find and purchase their figures.
I wanted to ask the opinions of the widest group of gamers that I could reach in one shot and that is on TMP, I think.
The response from some of you is rediculous………Griefbringer….What behaviour?…….why did you even open this post, its not compulsory, as far as I know?
If you dont allready understand why I posted on a wide variety of boards then I cant explain it any clearer.
Maybe some of you just have too much time on your hands, who knows.

I always start with rules.

Having played with miniatures since 1972 (models and plastic soldiers since the 1950's) I tend to have a fair number of "reasonably close" figures I can proxy.

After I play with the rules a bit I start looking to get specific figures.

In the 1970's through mid 1980's I would have started with a FLGS. Now I eschew that for internet research and hands on games at local cons. I use search engines, TMP type forums, Yahoo groups, and the figures of local groups of war gamers. Pictures at manufacturer sites are heavy influences (for and against) said manufacturers.

As I shrink my genres/historical eras I keep armies for I find myself wanting to see representative examples before I invest too heavily in a scale or collection of miniatures.

As I approach 60 (roughly 2/3 rds or more of my expected life span) I find I am less willing to be patient with companies/lines of figures that start strong than falter. I have passed on several lines of figures that are basically incomplete and have been stalled for more than 6 months.

Lines of figures (Like Malamute's Zorro/Mexican/Texian line) that show progress or are relatively complete are more likely to get my money for "skirmish" games.

"Battle" or "mass combat" games don't get bought until I see a line or lines that allow me to field an intact army with all the options I want.

Two or more compatible manufacturers (that don't overlap excessively) is pretty much needed for me to start a new scale – I made an exception for 1/600th aircraft and 1/6000th ships but the former was something I have wanted for a while and the latter was pretty much complete for my narrow niche interest.

I'm not scale compatibility fanatic so mixing 1/700th planes until the 1/600th scale version is made or mixing 25 mm and 28 mm scale figures in skirmishes works for me.

Gracias,

Glenn

"…This post should be in the "Wargaming in General" or "Industry" threads where it belongs and nowhere else…"

Nonsense. I never read those or 28 0f the 30 forums cross-posted. I'd most likely have missed this post if he had stopped at 3 to 5.

Seriously, this furor over cross-posting has become over-blown IMO. If you want Bill to weight in – hit the complaint button. I use it, probably more than I should if the truth be known. Bill usually points out that I am over-reacting but he does check out my rants… I mean complaints.

Gracias,

Glenn

Thankyou Glenn, and several of you other guys.
I was begining to think I had commited some terrible crime against gaming humanity.
Perhaps its just a case that some people either dont read carefully enough before sounding off, or that they are proffesional moaners, with nothing better to do all day.
Thanks again chaps

I normally flip around the web until I see something cool. If I want something specific, I ask here. Rare is the occasion I have to wait more than ten minutes for a quality response.

Barry, I know I can be dense at times but your question doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Most gamers, when they take up miniature gaming, are interested in a period of history, or specific battles, or perhaps a national/regional/local army or group and wish to duplicate one of the above for gaming purposes. That is where logic would indicate a group of individuals that wish to table game with figures would begin unless they already have all of the basic periods and scales covered and are just looking for something new and unique to do…

Obviously from looking at your site your organization is interested in the Burma conflicts of which I know nothing, …and here is a point you might address on your site. What is the actual historical period in which your figures are intended to be used. The actual Timeline? An introduction or written history with illustrations would be helpful if you are trying to sell a period. Reference material links would also be helpful.

When I was in the area myself many years ago I was exposed to a bit of the local color and history but never dug any deeper because my interests were not wargaming at the time.

One point for your site. The pictures for the larger figures should be able to be enlarged. Most potential customers need to be able to see detail, …not just groups of figures you need a magnifier to view on screen. But I realize your site is a work in progress.

Are you really trying to find out what other fairly obscure periods could become a revenue stream? Perhaps the South American wars of independence or the Hawaiian inter-island conflicts, lines no other manufacturer has taken up that I am aware of?

Best of luck with your quest… Will

Where I get my figures from depends on what inspired me into that period/scale. Sometimes it is figure lead (no pun intended). Seeing the Perry Dutch/Belgian figures at a show tempted me into starting an army. Similar purchases have happened from seeing figures in a magazine ad or being used in a game at a show. If it is something else that has inspired me to look at a new period such as a film or a book then I usually try here first – ask on the relevant board or search the manufacturers website. I'll also flick through the magazine ads or use google if nothing comes up from TMP – although it usually does.

OPSCTR………point taken.There are articles about, but will do something for the site

regarding the original post, its looking to me as if cold searching using search engines is way down the list of methods used to find figures etc and that mags and sites like this are the way people go, as well as conventions and word of mouth.

Thankyou all for the input .
Even the most stupid comments have been a help in some way, to give a broad picture of the kind of people who are watching this site.Once again ,the intention was not self promotion or gloryfication but simply a poll to find out how people choose figures.
Thankyou
Barry

Barry, setting up your question as a poll question is probably a better method for answering your question. You may still want to do that. However, I would not use this for market research. How many of us who are outside the UK find about about new figures will skew the results for your target market. In this case I would set up a poll for UK gamers. You will probably find conventions in the UK are a far more important medium than elsewhere in the world.

Oh, by the way, when you get put out with some of the answers do not let everyone know who you are.

Rich

Hello Rich

absolutely, this is not intended as market research.

I am not particularly worried about revealing my identity on pages such as this.
I am sure 99.9% of people who use this site are very nice normal people.

My idea of market research is to find what I like, do it and hope people like it,hence the Siam/Burma Elephant wars range.
Not a great seller but something I wanted to do after visiting Thailand, seeing a couple of films, meeting a likeminded friend etc etc
My last couple of projects have followed releases by Warhammer historical and FOW,IE WW1 Trench pieces and some 15mm buildings
All the best
Barry

Guys………..what is the problem .
I look on the boards and open what I think will interest me.

Hey Barry,

Well I don't see people behaving quite that nasty. Don't take it so hard – you're obviously very new to internet forums and sometimes newbies get yelled at for breaking netiquette and/or forum rules or cultural norms. Learn from it and try not to take it too personally.

As far as the actual question go, it's a good one. In the past 10 years or so, I've relied on The PLastic Soldier Review as well as reviews in news items, articles or boards here on TMP. Though not so much on TMP for my area of interest as perhaps some of our other TMP comrades. And, even in recent years, if I see a pack for figures in a hobby store I've never seen before, I'll fork over the 8-14 bucks or so just to see them. I have one or two packs of plastic figures that I've just put aside as they either don't seem to fit with what I already have or I just don't like them.
--
Tim

The How to Find figures seems to be a completely different (and totally unrelated) issue to How do you Choose figures

Choosing figures is easy… I like the figure, thus I choose the figure. I don't like the figure, I don't choose the figure.

What's so hard about that?

OK, now that I've given my best marketing advise on to how I pick figures. I was on the road to Damascus when I suddenly had an epiphany. I was not to collect figures in any war in which bayonets were used. Hey, who am I to question an epiphany? As everyone knows or should know the Great Italian Wars is the greatest period in which to wargame (that's why it is called the "Great" Italian Wars). Since I live in the kayaking center of the world and not the wargaming center of the world, the internet is probably my greatest search tool. However, I find wargaming magazines, TMP, Yahoo groups to be my greatest source of lead generation. I seldom, almost never, very infrequently use the internet for blanket searches unless it's for 28mm houses.

Rich

I use the internet (TMP, Google, miniature makers web pages) 100% of the time. I havent had a magazine subscription since circa 2000.

I'll throw in my ideas that might help.

Keep in mind that I live in a part of Poland that doesn't have an active club [and the nearest one that I know of is 2-3 hours away depending on road construction]. So, having said that and reading some of the bizarre comments on this thread, I feel that I can speak only for myself.

How do I find minis? – TMP and established companies. I only game 15mm, mostly Horse and Musket, I know a little about the established ranges – their offerings, style of figures, price, etc.

How do I choose minis – that's more difficult. Basically, it comes down to a particular look I'm trying to achieve for the army in question. Since I game/collect/paint the more esoteric armies within a certain period, some adaptation is called for and a lot of blind purchases are necessary but one pack is enough to suffice.

Now, if there are no period specific figures [such as the 1848 Hungarian War of Independence or the 1789 Brabant Rebellion], one has two options – use existing lines and browbeat the uniform Nazis who proclaim that that isn't the right shade of red or the bicorn/tricorn wasn't exactly like that or the Hungarian 12th hussars never wore 'that' style of shako or pay a sculptor/manufacturer to produce your figures – which I've done – twice. Both times, I dealt with the Quartermaster/Kai Weaver, though once I was the only one paying for a range and the second time I went in with 2 other gentlemen [they know who they are].

Your questions are quite valid, though I would think that a better question might be what draws gamers to certain periods?

Good Luck!