Ever met one of those vocal few who think the GW hobby is a rip-off? Overpriced? Not “worth the money”? Yeah, me too, they’re everywhere. Well here’s what I think to some of the most oft-heard complaints.
“GW only brings out new versions of the rules, supplements and miniatures so everybody has to buy them all over again.”
Let’s be clear, you go to GW to buy their products, they do not come knocking at your door armed with pitchforks and card readers. GW can not make anybody buy anything they don’t want to. They must legally stop at taking your wallet out your pocket for you.
If you like Warhammer 40,000 5th Edition and are happy to play it for the rest of your days, nobody is going to confiscate your rulebook and make you buy 6th. If your friends move on, one might assume it’s because they wanted to.
Similarly for miniatures, there is no rule that states you must have the latest version of a model, only that it be representative of the game entity. You can use your old favourites for as long as you like. If your friends refuse to play you unless you use the newest miniatures available, don’t blame GW, find some new friends.
“GW is too expensive,” “the price increases are too steep,” “I can’t afford it.”
The first rule of business tells me none of these complaints are valid. Any product is only worth what a sufficient number of people are willing to pay for it. What it means is, if I were selling pies, I could either sell ten pies for £10 each to make £100, or I could sell a hundred pies for £1 each to make the same amount. In the first case, I’d never sell a pie for £10 as there’s too much competition out there with other types of pie costing much less. In the second case, I’d go out of business because I’m making far too many pies for the money I’m getting back. I really only have one choice, to sell the pies for what people are willing to pay.
In any case, I will know what people are willing to pay by monitoring sales. If you buy a new release you are saying, “I think this is worth what you’re asking for, here’s my money.” GW are watching the tills, just like I would be in my pie shops, and they see you and everybody else saying the same thing, by taking out your wallet, and that informs their future pricing decisions. Price increases reflect what people are willing to pay. They reflect what you’re doing or not doing at the till. If you find yourself buying things against your will, you have a lack of self discipline. Grow up.
“GW stuff costs so much more today than it used to.”
Yes, it does, and so does a loaf of bread. When I was fifteen, in 1995, I put together a 3000pt. Orc and Goblin army over two or three years. I did this with the meager funds afforded by my Sunday morning paper round, for which I was paid £5 once a week. If I’d put £5 in my bank account back then and left it untouched until now, I would today find I had around £10. Interest rates are applied to make sure that alongside inflation the money you save continues to be worth what it was when it was put in, relative to everything else in the economy. This means, if GW merchandise cost the same today as it did in 1995, relatively speaking, then what I used to buy back then for £5 should cost around £10 today.
So, in 1995, as a skint and spotty paperboy, I put together my army by purchasing the little £5 plastic boxed sets. Ten Orcs cost me £5 (that’s 50p each in 1995, equivalent to £1 each in 2010), and they all looked the same, and half of them were archers which I didn’t need or want. I followed Nigel Stillman’s advice, buying one box per week and painting them as I did so, not buying more if the previous batch was not finished. Today in 2010, I can buy 19 plastic Orcs in a variety of poses for £18, have spare parts left over, and not be stuck with a regiment of archers that couldn’t hit the broadside of a balsa wood barn. At 94p each in 2010, this is exactly what they should cost. Actually, it’s better, because I have bits left over and actually get to make use of all the Orcs in the box thanks to the new multi-part kits, I can equip them how I like.
Shame on the younger generation if they cannot raise an army without complaint, and shame on the older generation if their memory is so short they’ve forgotten the horror of identically posed plastic boxed sets.
“I can’t afford it.”
No matter the circumstances, when somebody says they can’t afford something, it means they have other priorities. Those priorities can be genuinely more important, or simply a matter of choice. Maybe it’s a new addition to the family; a baby to look after, the cost of going to university or maybe even looking after a sick family member. Nobody would prioritise their hobby over any of the above, let alone complain about it.
There are other reasons somebody may give for not being able to afford the hobby. Break down what the complaining individual spends their money on and, pending any genuinely higher priorities such as those listed above, I wager you will find some of the following on their list; magazines, music, take-away coffee, cable television, cinema tickets, video games, clothes, gadgets, gym membership, and for the older moaners (who we have already established should be over the moon with their plastic gargoyles), quite likely beer, or cigarettes, or both. I know. How do they afford it?
We all have a limited amount of spare cash, it’s called disposable income. It’s what’s left after your bills and other priorities. Whether you are a paperboy earning £12 a week and with no responsibilities to speak of, or an adult working full-time with or without a family to support, we all have some amount of money spare. We may all have a different amount of money spare, but we all get to choose how we spend it (no pitchforks here!). Similarly, how much you spend on video games, cinema tickets, and lunches and coffee, is also your own decision. That’s right, what you decide to spend your money on first, is your decision. If you are buying video games, cinema tickets and a caramel latte every other morning of the month and then finding that you can’t afford your hobby, it’s because you’ve chosen to spend your disposable income on other things.
We’ve already established that GW costs the average hobbyist the same as or less than it did fifteen years ago, relatively speaking, and that nobody can force you to buy anything you don’t want to, and pending any obviously higher priorities that you would never dream of shirking or complaining about, we are left with it being entirely your own decision what you can and can not afford. Stinks when it’s so simple, doesn’t it?
I enjoy painting wonderfully sculpted models in a variety of clever and creative ways. I take great pride in seeing my painting and modeling skills slowly improve over time. I enjoy playing exciting, memorable tabletop games with my friends. We enjoy the occasional supplement that comes along and breathes fresh life into our games from time to time, and we welcome the constant progress GW is making with their kits, miniatures, tools and paints. They are forever finding new and exciting ways to give us the things we enjoy so much for an ever affordable price, and long may they do so.
In summary, what does this hobby cost? The answer is, what you can afford, and what you decide to spend on it. It's as simple as that. To a fifteen year old paperboy, maybe it has to cost £20 per month. Me, I spend around £50 per month. Others I am sure spend a lot more.
-Scott
-Scott
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