"The Economics of Wargaming " Topic

"On one level, game designers seem to have an ideal job; they get to spend every work day effectively doing what for the rest of us is a hobby. Of course, the operative word there is "seem." To be and remain successful in what has become a highly competitive business game companies need to have a steady revenue stream. This revenue stream pays the workers and designers, and if the latest product or version of an established game flops companies can quickly find themselves in very dire straights.

The key challenge that any company must overcome is that hobbies are expensive. There, I said it. It's the "uncomfortable truth." It's the elephant in the room. Hobbies require both disposable income and the time to actually pursue them, and therefore as long as there have been miniatures and games, people have been looking for more economical ways to procure and enjoy them. In wargaming various money-saving techniques include patronizing deep discount retailers, using alternate miniature sources, casting one's own miniatures, and even turning to new technologies like 3D printing.

So how expensive are wargaming and miniatures hobbies in general? The answer is "it depends greatly." On a one for one basis, miniatures in the smaller scales (15mm, 12mm, 10mm and 6mm) are going to be progressively cheaper than larger ones (28mm, 54mm, etc). The number of models and miniatures required to play a typical game is also going to factor heavily into its overall cost with skirmish-style games generally requiring fewer miniatures than platoon or company level games. The media used to actually produce the miniatures is another variable. Miniature wargaming started out with "lead figures" – which has evolved into white metal (a pewter which may or may not be lead free), resin, and even injection molded plastic. Then there is the cost of the rule books themselves, though the miniature cost often outweighs the rules cost, sometimes by a fairly hefty multiplier…"
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Amicalement
Armand

When I bother to do it, I rationalise my hobby spend by comparing it too what else I could do with that money. If I spend $30 USD on a box of Warlord Games Napoleonic infantry how much entertainment do I get from that. Well. About three weeks of looking at the sprues, a week of painting and, hopefully, many years of admiring said models and gaming with them in the future. Compared to the cost of a movie, a bite at a restaurant or a new book – I think the box of miniatures was a good deal.

There are plenty of hobbies that are way more expensive.

I spend far more on old cars than I do on toy soldiers. And a mate who is a golfist will pay a ludicrous amount of money for some sticks in a plastic bag…!

Brian's point is the critical one. Most of the cost in this hobby is durable, unlike a meal or event.

Let's say you are starting from scratch. You choose a skirmish game, and need minis for one side (your mate does the other).

You stick to a low figure count game and buy cheap/proxy. So minis: $50. USD Rulebook: $25. USD Paint, brushes, flock, etc. $100. USD Terrain: $50 USD (cheap trees, paper buildings).

You are now in for $225. USD But you can play with this for years, and incremental spending can be one monster ($5-25) or a few paints ($3-10) or a building ($10-100).

Compared with a movie, pay per view etc.

Depending on what you want to do and how much money you have, the buy-in may be expensive but, after that, spending can really nose dive if you want it to or, as you have funds, you can add bits here and there.

This can be a very, very, very, cheap hobby.

There is no substitute for good paint, brushes, and glue. You have to buy those, buy them new, and replace them when necessary.

Everything else is either free to cheap, or amortized over a long life.

Cost isn't a consideration. Time is my limiting factor.

pjm

I tried to work out how much my wargaming hobby had cost me over the last twenty-six years since I got married and it has honestly been cents per day. Not bad for 26 years of entertainment.

Cost can be really minimal. Troops can be printed from Junior genetal. Rules obtained free and buildings and hills from cerial packets. My terrain is still cheap card and so re the hills. It just we sell images now to print your own, but we made our own oribinally from cerial packets. I keep thereatening to try 12mm modern flats cut be laser cutter fo they are detaikled. Just not had the time yet.

My view is it is a expensive hobby spread out over 36 years.