"Would you buy a wargmes company ?" Topic

Let's assume that money isn't a problem, you're just spending whatever pocket change you have on a few billion.

Would you buy an existing company ?

Which company would you buy ?

What would be your ultimate goal ?

By company, do you mean a manufacturer, or is it open ended?

Without giving it much thought, if I was going to throw that much money away, I think I would build my own company from the ground up.

If I wanted a tax write off? Sure…

If I am looking for a profitable company? No way in hell….

Ah. I'm with 79th PA. The company I'd build. The RIGHTS are the important thing. Mind you, I might have to buy companies to get some of the rights.
Figure lines:
Squats & Scrunts
28mm Teddy Bears
Command Post 30's
Minifig 30's
Mike's Models 15's
(Maybe) Confederettes and--were they Napoleoniques?
Books:
Charge!
Wells
All the Grant Scenario Books, though I might boil them down to one volume of 52 widely-applicable scenarios and another of mini-campaigns and specialist scenarios.
Rules
On To Richmond
TSATF is Sergeants Three faltered.
BUNCHES of nice one or two-page rules out of magazines, laminated in a nice loose-leaf binder, and available as word documents.
The company's marching orders would be to keep everything available, and not to lose too much of my money in the process.

I forgot. TCS and Bellona terrain. And I'd shake those old cardstock buildings out of GW and keep the Airfix buildings in production.

All the Grant Scenario Books, though I might boil them down to one volume of 52 widely-applicable scenarios and another of mini-campaigns and specialist scenarios.

Now that is an idea!

I've heard more than one company say 'if you want to have a wargames company and a million quid then start with 2 million quid'.

If I could restart the old "Napoleonettes" line, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

If I had money to throw away, I would start a company called "True 25mm".
I would buy up the rights and molds etc for all the old beloved lines that are now held by the widow of the janitor who has no intention of putting them into production. This person has had many offers, but a "friend" tells her that she isn't getting an offer for what they're worth. You've heard the rumors.

So, I would re-release all those classic lines from my "youth", and promptly discover why they went out of production in the first place.
But at least I would get those Bombay Sappers and Miners that I need.
I would lose my shirt if I cared about money, but the premise of this is that I don't care.

No. Not under any circumstances. It's one thing to build a company to suit my own interest. That's called a hobby. But to try to keep in front of an ever-changing market always drawn to the next shiny object is impossible. I've watched too many others fail.

I used to part own a Wargames Company but we wont go into that.
If money was no object I would not buy any existing company, I would start a 28mm WW2 Range with accurately researched figures carrying the right equipment and weaponry. Beginning with US Army figures in the Pacific, then Italians..various branches, then the less represented nations.
Making sure all needed elements were included from Squad/Section level up to Company assets first.
Sell packs according to TOE/War Establishment or historical practice.
Design a Ruleset that encourages real tactics with no points or balanced force options…
And absolutely make no money whatsoever.

In reality, a good deal of money can be made in the soldier "BUSINESS."
What I read here is the classic, common, and always fatal mistake of committing the "BUSINESS" to personal interests.

Regards
Russ Dunaway

No worries, Russ.
I have to win Powerball first.

Right after I win Powerball

Existing companies of any type in the war games or mini are has too much dead stock.
I would start my own company.
Of course I would be in the market to expand by cherry picking games or ranges from defunct companies.
I would tend to produce historical related products but maybe not exclusively depending on the quality of the sci-fi or fantasy system

I think I would buy Fantasy Flight Games.

It's only "dead stock" if it's allowed to sit on the shelf to long. Any good business knows that there has to be stock control and that inventory has to be moved and moved quickly.

Regards
Russ Dunaway

I think I would buy Fantasy Flight Games.

You're a little late. Asmodee got there first.

I did it with Kings Mountain Miniature. It's much more a hobby than a business for me. I wanted my own figures and I was willing to pay for them. I thought that I could reduce my own costs by selling off extra figures.

I knew going in that it would be a financial disaster and that it would be years (decades?) before I ever broke even or saw any profit. My eyes were wide open.

Russ is correct. OG is a BUSINESS. I'm not.
I'm probably to the point where I've sold off enough castings to pay the sculptor's fees.

The web site, the mold making, cost of mold runs, metal,
and shipping are another story. I'll get there later rather than sooner, but I don't care. I've really enjoyed the thrill of my own figure line. I think that everyone who is into toy soldiers thinks about how they would do it if they won the lotto. Just natural, I think.

I'm just somebody with too many toy soldiers.

I'm curious to see where Jim from F&D fits in.

No I'd be far too busy playing with steam trains and classic cars to worry about owning a wargaming company.

"No I'd be far too busy playing with steam trains and classic cars to worry about owning a wargaming company"

Fair point Id probably move to the States buy lots of guns and shoot all day.

Once the business is susseful, then you can attend to your personal interests. I have many, many figures and molds that were "just for me."
One of the keys is diversity. Historicals, Fantasy, Sci Fi, horror, pulp, 10,15, 25, 40 mm, resin, buildings, ships,contract casting,etc,etc,etc.
Something for everybody.
There are many war game related businesses that have made a handsome profit through the years. One of the first hobby shops I ever dealt with 30 years ago is still going strong and still place large orders- they are very diverse with inventory.

Regards
Russ Dunaway

Regards
Russ Dunaway

Russ, you paid no attention to the O.P. This is what we'd do with spare change on billions. I don't have anything like the nerve it would take to sink my retirement savings into a wargame-related business. Some may do well, but the attrition rate is ghastly.

Hmmm. Did I mention that those Command Post figures are going to come out polystyrene? Kids will be able to do massive horse & musket battles for approximately nothing.

Restaurants have an even worse attrition rate.

What about an Wargames/Restaurant business?

Actually, most businesses are likely to fail.

So if Russ starts trying to sell coffee and pastries here on TMP we should get worried?

If it was a miniature line business, I'd be interested in buying it. they have the molds, the production line, the customer base. All I'd have to do is carry on with the name and products.

A rule set based business, I'd start from scratch.

Build my own company and buy out everyone else. Be the Amazon of historical wargaming. Go retail online and do brick and mortar. Sell only historical and lose a ton of money, but I don't care. Run the best conventions in the world. So since it is only money and I have essentially an endless supply, that is what I would do. Besides the cars, the homes and the babes.

"Build my own company and buy out everyone else. Be the Amazon of historical wargaming."

Amazon already sells bunches of wargame related goodies, including Ospreys (not a surprise,) Perry plastics, and Vallejo paints.

Realistically, if I wanted to have the figures I "needed", and I had just won Powerball….
Running a Company is work. I won Powerball, I'm retiring.

So, if I wanted to own a company just to make Washington Crossing the Delaware, I would instead call up Russ. (Or Nic. Or Alan.) He has sculptors on staff. He knows more about producing figures than I can ever forget. "Hey Russ! How much to make me a Washington Crossing the Delaware diorama? What????? Oh, heck. I'm rich. Go ahead." Of course, once I get mine, he can do what he wants with the molds. It might lower my cost.

Remember. I'm rich now; I'm retired. Let someone else do the heavy lifting.
As for those Bombay Sappers and Miners, I'll hire someone to scour eBay and Bartertown for me.

I wonder if the IRS would consider buying a business to deliberately lose money tax fraud.

If I had a few billion to spare, I would buy myself out of my business, pocket the money, let the business crash, and take the tax write-off. .efil si noisruceR