Warhammer(Miniatures)

[hallsofvallhalla]

Must say I am very disappointed on how much Workshop games have raised their prices. $80-$100 for the starter set for warhammer! They have lost their minds. I often thought the decline of Pen and Paper games and Miniature games were because of the incline in video gaming but I know see a large part had to do with over pricing. A D&D book these days is $40!

No way I am paying $100 for 30 figures and some rules.

[Jackolantern]

I can't speak for Warhammer and Games Workshop, as I never did much more than glance through one of their books, but I can definitely see what has happened to D&D. Ever since Wizards of the Coast bought them out, the game has been split among several books, so just having the Player's Handbook isn't enough. Second Edition had pages of spells, plenty of details about every class, and really everything 99% of most players need to play. Add some dice and the DM Manual, and that was all your entire group really needed. The DM Manual included enough encounter ideas and stats to keep a group running for a couple years. Now, all spells are out of the Player's Handbook. All encounters are out of the DM Manual. The majority of the class abilities and stats are now found in individually sold class handbooks, and you really do need them since D&D turned to a more video-game like system in 3rd edition. And there is an entire galaxy of accessories sold for D&D, from an entire line of expensive miniatures (oh, I forgot to mention that 3rd edition and on basically requires you to do all combat with miniatures), collectible encounters decks, subscription services for their website that offer apps and resources that used to be free on the old TSR site, and other things I don't even know exist yet.

It used to cost you $25 to play D&D. That was it. Of course, I have to throw a bone in WotC's direction in the fact that TSR was failing when they took over. If not for them, D&D may not exist at all today. But their first goal was to raise the initial investment of a new D&D player to well over $200. Pen'n'paper roleplaying used to be something you could do on the cheap! And in all honesty, it really still is, as long as you are ok with making some of your own stuff up along the way. But WotC doesn't want you to do that. They have been scrounging to find a way to make you pay for something you think about in your imagination.

[62896dude]

Warhammer was one of my more recent "phaaes" if you will, I got into them about 2 and a half years ago, but about nine months into it, I thought to myself "You know, these are really fun, but lets be honest, they are small pieces of plastic, and I can buy several good games with the money I would spend on a single freaking tank, so I quit

[Jackolantern]

Didn't they used to be metal or pewter?

[62896dude]

Well some were metal, but they were 'special' ones

[Jackolantern]

Oh ok. So they have basically always been plastic (the bulk at least)? I was just making sure the material was not getting cheaper while the figures were getting more expensive to the consumer.

[hallsofvallhalla]

they have both metal and plastic but the at the cost they should be gold!

Yeah D7D has been failing for years and while I love 2nd edition it had the problem of the extra handbooks had so little playable info. It was all storyline and many of us did not use D&D lore but our own. So 90% of the books were useless.

DnD is great but I will never spend $40 on a book as I will never spend $100 on Warhammer.

[Last Known Hero]

I bought warhammer pieces probably about 5 years ago and it was $120 for a set of like 15 orcs and 15 humans plus a book. It was quite ridiculous.

[Jackolantern]

The only person that I personally knew who avidly collected and played Warhammer had spent he estimated over $5,000 on it in just over a year, and this was 1997 money. While he enjoyed playing it, painting them, etc., he did seem to have a lot of regret at spending so much on it lol.

[hallsofvallhalla]

Wow yeah I would too.

I actually have been writing my own rules. I have about 100-200 assorted figures so I thought I would finish Universal miniatures.