"Little Wars TV looks at wargame spending habits!" Topic

Hello All!

Over the last few months Little Wars TV has been working with Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy Magazine and examining the last five years of results gathered via their "Great Wargaming Survey." Over the coming weeks and months, both WSS and Little Wars TV will be presenting some of the fascinating nuggets we've pulled from the data.

First up we have a fun discussion on wargamer satisfaction with the hobby in general, and a look at the numbers when it comes to how much wargamers typically spend.

Link to the video here: Wargame Spending

Look for more videos like this from Little Wars TV and WSS in the near future, as well as the 2019 Great Wargaming Survey (coming this August)!

All the best,
Little Wars TV Steve
littlewarstv.com

�Spending by LittleWarsTV Steve, on Flickr

How much spent on wargaming is a state secret around my neighborhood!

bbbbbuy now ..figure it out later….

Interesting. I'm going to be about average this year, and 2018 was hugely above average. But it's not going to shops, manufacturers OR dealers. It's the price of attending conventions. Two nights in South Bend for the SYWA, gas, meals out and admission would be $200 USD-250. Lancaster--three nights, 800 miles, tolls, gas, food and admissions--costs me $500 USD-600 before the first casting comes home. So three HMGS conventions and the SYWA gets me to two grand. The cost of a new army or so is trivial by comparison.

I can't remember how the survey broke out hobby expenses, though. They may be missing that sort of thing.

Well that's a safe amount to admit spending….

Robert, I can say the figures given in the video do NOT include things like travel expenses to/from/at conventions, tickets, and the like. It really is just about hobby related merchandise (figures, terrain, paint, etc.) and any attendant shipping. Or rather I should say that this is our interpretation of the answers. It is, of course, possible that respondents did lump travel expenses into their answers in some cases.

LWTV STeve

LWTV Steve: I wonder if in the next survey you can try to break that out. It runs @ $500 USD for the last few years to attend a Con that is not local

Thanks, Steve. But even though I took the survey, I can't remember how the question was worded, which--I'm sorry--takes precedence over what you meant. And I can't find the 2018 survey on line. If the question was "how much did you spend on wargaming-related merchandise?" you'd get the answer you're talking about. But if the question was just "how much did you spend on the hobby?"--as the 2017 version did--I'm sure I'm not the only one who would have included convention expenses.

And I'll give you another one to think of for the coming survey: net or gross? Since I retired, the stuff I've sold at convention flea markets has probably more than covered the cost of new stuff. It's the price of getting to the convention that's the killer.

Keep in mind that Little Wars TV does not run the survey -- we're just helping Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy Magazine get the results out. It is their survey. I can certainly pass along your interest in/suggestions you posed, but you can also do so directly at link

I fully encourage you to do so!

All the best,
LWTV Steve