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Author Topic: 40K Isn't Expensive I Need More Money  (Read 1789 times)

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Offline Alienscar

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40K Isn't Expensive I Need More Money
« on: January 18, 2016, 11:11:37 AM »
TLDR: 40k isn’t that expensive I just need fewer things to spend my money on or a better paid job.

I have read quite a few posts on various forums proclaiming that 40k is now too expensive. I’ll be honest I generally agree with that sentiment. Lately though I have noticed that a lot of these posts are now met with replies that on the face of it appear quite rude. Things like, “glad I am not poor like you” or “time you had a job that paid more” and “obviously 40k isn't the hobby for you”.  My initial reaction to seeing replies of this kind was surprise as, to my mind; the response seemed flame worthy rather than a considered answer. As time has gone by and this response seems to have become acceptable I find my attitude has changed.

Not so much the “poor” response but the replies about better paid jobs and 40k not being the right hobby started to make a bit of sense. I used to collect every 40k codex as it was released but the price increase stopped me from doing that. On the face of it that one change started to make 40k seem expensive. But I slowly realised that this wasn’t fair. Amongst other comics I used to collect every Spider-Man title and I was spending on average £45 a month on comics. But at the same time I was also collecting Scalextric and travelling to quite a lot of swap meets because of this.  I have mostly stopped buying monthly comic titles now and instead buy limited runs. It is the same story with Scalextric. I no longer go to swap meets or collect the cars.

A lot of this could be blamed on the price. But part of the problem is real life. When I collected 40k, Scalextric & comics I was single and living at my parents’ house paying very little rent and because of this I had a large disposable income. Now I have a Wife and house of my own and all the bill paying that comes with house ownership.  So every time I spend money on 40K it has started to feel like that I should have spent it on something else less frivolous.
 
It was this feeling that made me realise that if I am to continue with 40k I need a better paid job or otherwise I should consider whether or not 40k is the game for me and not just grumble about its cost.

One last thing that occurred to me is that video games are always given as a comparison to 40k but I gave up on video games a long time ago. The PS2 console was the last one that I bought.

So 40konline peeps what do you think? 40k isn’t aimed at married mortgage payers or what?
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Offline Wyddr

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Re: 40K Isn't Expensive I Need More Money
« Reply #1 on: January 18, 2016, 02:21:42 PM »
I'm married with two kids and have a mortgage and I can afford 40K better now than I ever could before. That has a lot more to do, though, with the new job I have and the small income my writing career brings in than anything else.

I've spent *most* of my 40K career mostly broke and spending approximately $50 US a month. Back in the day that would buy me a full unit or two (depending on faction). Now it's a bit less than that, but I would argue that it's still a reasonable sum to spend and play. It just takes a few months before you have a workable army and you probably need a down payment of about 100-150 to get the main rulebook, codex(s), templates, and painting/modeling supplies.

I do agree that GW's prices are unreasonable, but not *wildly* so. It takes longer to build an army with the same money, is all. Find people to build with, play low point games as your forces grow together, and the whole thing will be fine.

Or get a better job. Of course, 40K shouldn't be the primary impetus to do that--you should be going for it, anyway.  :) 

Offline Temperance

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Re: 40K Isn't Expensive I Need More Money
« Reply #2 on: January 18, 2016, 03:49:31 PM »
I'm not sure if GW knows who they want to aim it at, sometimes.

Recent prices certainly aren't for people with competing priorities, unless they're fairly well off. Because, let's face it, little plastic toy soldiers should almost never be priority number one for anybody, no matter how fun they are to put together/paint/collect/whatever.

If you're going to do it, unless you simply have lots of cash to throw around, I think Wyddr's approach is a good one. Get a small initial pay in of 150-200 dollars, and then just limit yourself to $50 a month. If you do that you're still not buying anything that should be a #1 priority, but you're paying little enough that you could basically pay for it by kicking a (heavy) Starbucks habit or something. At any rate, if I ever need to free up  $50+ a month, my return to GW is the first thing I'd kick.

Of course trying to get a 2 or 3k army all at once, or the latest and greatest FW titan, is going to price out many people. I can live without my Warlord though. The point here is that you can really scale your expenses. Yes, you can blow the downpayment on a middling car all at once if you want to, but you can also take a really long time to paint a single squad up to a really high standard if that's your thing.

This said, I do realize there are plenty of people working only part-time (and not out of choice) or working at the minimum wage for whom junking 50-75 dollars a month on toys is a complete no go. Again, fair enough. This should never be a priority, and I'd never tell them to do it.

For most other people I think it's manageable as long as you stick to Wyddr's plan.

As an aside, if you want to ask if the products are overpriced, my feeling is they're enormously overpriced and GW has a huge margin on each kit. I also know that Starbucks is enormously overpriced though, and this hasn't helped me break my caffeine dependency.

The bottom line, I think, is that if you're /really/ concerned about saving money there probably are better hobbies for you. Taking up hiking/running is almost free, and certainly better for your health than 40k will ever be. But if you have a bit of disposable income, and aren't in a rush, 40k should be maintainable for most people.
« Last Edit: January 18, 2016, 03:58:12 PM by Temperance »

Offline Alienscar

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Re: 40K Isn't Expensive I Need More Money
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2016, 10:25:14 AM »
Thanks for the replies gents. I have been quite surprised actually as both of your replies has made me realise that I need to change my attitude towards 40K. If I am honest I am a bit of a Magpie when it comes to buying stuff and you have made me reconsider this attitude. I felt aggrieved that I couldn't afford to buy every codex/campaign/formation or whatever came out of GW as it used to be an integral part of the hobby for me.

Though GW claim that they are a collectables firm rather than a gaming firm to my mind they don't cater for collectors. Most collectors are driven by the need to "have it all". That is what happened with me when I collected the Spider-Man titles and Scalextric. I was driven by the need to have everything. Ultimately rising prices stopped me from collecting as I a suffered from a if I can't have it all I don't want any of it sort of reaction.

I've got Orks, Space Marine, Tyranids & Dark Eldar models but most of my stuff is still in boxes.

I need to stop dithering and get a plan, because you are right Temperance, I'm not in a rush so I just need to start opening boxes and build stuff. 
Quote from: Starrakatt
"Russ, get your work done or you won't see your damn console for the next month!"
Quote from: Cavalier
Honestly Alienscar, we get it... you dont like painting!

 


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