"40K - So Expensive!" Topic

You were asked – TMP link

Most Expensive Game to Get Started In? Assuming "start" means getting the rules and the minimum amount of miniatures and terrain to play a small game.

42% said "Warhammer 40K"
27% said "Napoleonics"
5% said "Warhammer Fantasy"

So, basically it's who has the most expensive boxed set?

Older games, like WFB, are the most expensive, as the models are OOP and some rulebooks are hard to find/expensive.

Otherwise you have games where you buy the rules, then figures, often third party, as the rules comp don't make them. These (rules but no figures) must be excluded from this, as for example, you could buy WW2 rules for a few dollars and a bag of green army men with terrain for a Clint Eastwood film.

There must be games with seperate rule book and figs that are more than one of the 40k lesser high priced boxed sets???

We are looking at box set style offerings for this.

So yes, 40K Command Edition is $185 USD and the Warlord Band of Brothers set is $125. USD Both contain rules, plastic terrain and all the trimmings. The key is what is being played in your area? +$60 for Warhammer might be a deal if you need opponents.

Warhammer is positioned as a Luxe product with dedicated retail stores not found with other systems (in the US at least). The only problem with GW prices is that all the second tier games keep pace, just a little less.

WH40K is one of the least expensive. A couple months after a new version comes out, I can usually get version last books for $5 USD-10 and version older for less.

The number of figures and amount of terrain for minimal games is not much. Even if I want (not have) to use GW figures, I've only paid more than $1 USD per standard infantry figure for SoB (scaling up for bigger ones).

I find that the threshold for a 'starting' force for most Historical games is about $100 USD -$150. This gets a playable force. However, this needs some planning as most periods don't have pre-assembled sets.

Someone starting in 40k needs more than a starter box to get set.

I'm continuously surprised by how they still attract customers to pay these prices, which if I'm not mistaken, just went up yet again. I can remember getting three Rhinos in a box for $20 USD, but now they're $60 USD each? Some of the individual figures are $28 USD-35 each and the larger creatures/vehicles can go well over $100 USD each. While the starter kits are still an OK deal, not many gamers want to just stick with what comes in the box.

Surprised Napoleonics made the list. I don't think most voted thinking it meant the Warlord set. I think it just represents the number of figures needed for a battle. Never saw Napoleonics as a skirmish period like FI&W, despite Sharp Practice.

People must be assuming 28mm. Even then there are options like Old Glory, especially with Army card discount, or plastics, that allow building an army on the cheap.

Games with bespoke miniatures lines will always cost more. I quite 40K and GW in general because the minis kept getting more expensive and the rules kept changing, making my old armies no longer usuable.

The nice thing about historicals is they are pretty much evergreen. Napoleonic uniforms and equipment haven't changed in over two centuries.

GW figures cost more because of brand recognition, because they are selling an entire package and not just figures, and because they are aimed towards kids whose parents pay for their toys. If you really liked the rules you could probably find cheaper substitutes for most of the figures.

Also, once you have a particular army, you don't need to rebuy it when it's redone maybe just a new unit or two.

This is probably one reason for the giant marines, as everyone had marines (I'm pretty sure all starter boxed sets had them at least) and just a different look at same scale (you heard me) may not justify rebuys, so they changed the scale (yeah!).

It's like what they tried with inqisitor at 54mm. Blink. That had its own problems (inconsistent quality, people just using regular figures, so on), but if more successful, well we could be having even BIGGER marines now. I do suspect it was a trial of the scale.

'we could be having even BIGGER marines now'
Have you seen the 40K marines by JoyToy or McFarlane?

Or the one GW probably still has outside HQ?

This is nOT a Napoleonic discussion, so please remove it…

Napoleonics was second in the poll.

So many replies to that, mostly juvenile:

"Space marines, space marines, space marines."

Or

"Yeah, napolionics lost!"

So on, I still thought them funny enough to mention.

I would think a Price August mould and a pile of old car batteries pretty cheap.

The benefit of Naps and ACW, so on are that you can mostly get away with one figure for basically all infantry. So it's probably cheapest to cast your own.