Because of Games Workshop's pricing policy, it can sometimes be difficult finding the money to support your hobby. You might be surprised to find that most gamers don't readily have the money to buy a full army. But that's okay, because we all find ways to get by. In this blog, I'll be showing you how you, too, can fund your hobby without having to bore holes in your pockets.
Before you start gaming, you need to know what you are committing yourself to. Playing Warhammer or Warhammer 40k DOES require some initial cash investment. You'll probably spend a lot more on your first purchase than any other. Think of it as a set up cost. This cost will cover the following things:
1. A tape measurer (you'll probably have one lying around)
2. 6 sided dice (about 30 or so!)
3. An army (start with 500 points)
4. A rulebook
5. Your army's codex
6. Paints and paint brushes (more on this in another article)
7. A hobby knife
8. Plastic cutters
9. Sand and flock (for basing)
10. Blast templates
11. PVA glue and superglue
Now, some of these are absolutely compulsory- like a rule book to learn the game and an army to play with- but others, like paints, sand and flock, are highly recommended if you want to put decent looking miniatures on the table- trust me, playing with and against a good looking army actually does contribute to the quality of the game, not to mention the fact that painting and flocking the miniatures themselves are great fun.
So, you might be wondering why I'm asking you to buy all these things on a blog that is supposed to help you save money on your hobby. Don't worry, I'm going to do exactly that- I'll teach you how you can get the biggest bang for your buck.
The rest of this article will only cover the small things such as tools and rule books so we can get that out of the way before we get to the more important things.
Dice
Right, you're going to need dice. A lot of dice. You'd be set with about 30 dice, but buy more for good measure (trust me- you'll probably need them). You can get a cheap bag of dice at the dollar store. However, there is one type of dice that is only specific to Warhammer and Warhammer 40k- the scatter dice.
Now, you can easily make your own by getting a regular dice and going over the numbers by drawing an arrow on 4 sides of the dice. With the other two sides, you'll draw something indicating a "hit". As you can see above, the 'official' dice show a scope icon.
You can also buy scatter dice from Games Workshop and it's not really that expensive (though, as always, making your own is cheaper, and if you only plan on playing at home its OK to make your own). Note that most starter sets include scatter dice.
Tape measure
Just get one. Doesn't matter which one. Just make sure it can also read in inches.
Alternatively you can use 'measuring sticks' which often come with starter sets. I prefer a tape measure because its easier to use.
A hobby knife
Doesn't matter which, though X-Acto knives like the one pictured above have gotten good reviews. Get a good knife- don't go cheap here, it's going to be lasting for the rest of your hobby-ing days.
A rulebook
Right, so now for the important stuff- a rule book. So, what alternatives do you have here? What Games Workshop does is publish two types of rule books- one big hardcover book and another much smaller softcover copy. The latest hard cover copy, the 6th edition rule book, is 452 pages and is in full color. The actual rules only consist of the first hundred pages or so. The rest of the pages are filled with pretty pictures and a brief overview of the Imperium of Man. Needless to say, it currently costs over 75 US dollars.
What you'll want is the softcover mini-rulebook. This only comes with the starter sets, but is much cheaper and you can buy it off someone else who doesn't need it. There are plenty lying around on Ebay. A quick search shows that most are selling for 25 US dollars. That's about a third of the price of the hard cover one. It won't have any of the lore and will have less pretty pictures in it, and it'll be smaller too, but it's a lot cheaper- what more could you want?
Codex
A codex is a rulebook specific to your army. You'll need one- there's no way around it. Before you go ahead and buy one, do your research to see whether a new version of your army's codex is expected soon. For example, I collect the Tau Empire. The current Tau codex is very outdated and the newest one should be just around the corner, so if I were about to start a Tau army I'd be a little patient and wait for the newer codex to come out rather than buying the old one just to buy another a couple of months later.
Secondly, go ahead and hunt Ebay. Buy a used one that is in good condition. Even better, check whether the Ebay seller you bought your rulebook from also stocks your codex, and ask them to combine shipping.
Glues
You'll need two types of glue- super glue and PVA glue (also called craft/white glue). Go into a shop, get a bottle of each, get out. They're pretty cheap. Don't go and buy Games Workshop's- they do the exact same thing as regular glue but with one thing different- they're overpriced. Note that some people use plastic cement rather than superglue. That's up to you.
Right, that's all the stuff you'll need to begin your hobby. Next up- buying an army!
Before you start gaming, you need to know what you are committing yourself to. Playing Warhammer or Warhammer 40k DOES require some initial cash investment. You'll probably spend a lot more on your first purchase than any other. Think of it as a set up cost. This cost will cover the following things:
1. A tape measurer (you'll probably have one lying around)
2. 6 sided dice (about 30 or so!)
3. An army (start with 500 points)
4. A rulebook
5. Your army's codex
6. Paints and paint brushes (more on this in another article)
7. A hobby knife
8. Plastic cutters
9. Sand and flock (for basing)
10. Blast templates
11. PVA glue and superglue
Now, some of these are absolutely compulsory- like a rule book to learn the game and an army to play with- but others, like paints, sand and flock, are highly recommended if you want to put decent looking miniatures on the table- trust me, playing with and against a good looking army actually does contribute to the quality of the game, not to mention the fact that painting and flocking the miniatures themselves are great fun.
So, you might be wondering why I'm asking you to buy all these things on a blog that is supposed to help you save money on your hobby. Don't worry, I'm going to do exactly that- I'll teach you how you can get the biggest bang for your buck.
The rest of this article will only cover the small things such as tools and rule books so we can get that out of the way before we get to the more important things.
Dice
Right, you're going to need dice. A lot of dice. You'd be set with about 30 dice, but buy more for good measure (trust me- you'll probably need them). You can get a cheap bag of dice at the dollar store. However, there is one type of dice that is only specific to Warhammer and Warhammer 40k- the scatter dice.
Now, you can easily make your own by getting a regular dice and going over the numbers by drawing an arrow on 4 sides of the dice. With the other two sides, you'll draw something indicating a "hit". As you can see above, the 'official' dice show a scope icon.
You can also buy scatter dice from Games Workshop and it's not really that expensive (though, as always, making your own is cheaper, and if you only plan on playing at home its OK to make your own). Note that most starter sets include scatter dice.
Tape measure
Just get one. Doesn't matter which one. Just make sure it can also read in inches.
Alternatively you can use 'measuring sticks' which often come with starter sets. I prefer a tape measure because its easier to use.
A hobby knife
Doesn't matter which, though X-Acto knives like the one pictured above have gotten good reviews. Get a good knife- don't go cheap here, it's going to be lasting for the rest of your hobby-ing days.
A rulebook
Right, so now for the important stuff- a rule book. So, what alternatives do you have here? What Games Workshop does is publish two types of rule books- one big hardcover book and another much smaller softcover copy. The latest hard cover copy, the 6th edition rule book, is 452 pages and is in full color. The actual rules only consist of the first hundred pages or so. The rest of the pages are filled with pretty pictures and a brief overview of the Imperium of Man. Needless to say, it currently costs over 75 US dollars.
What you'll want is the softcover mini-rulebook. This only comes with the starter sets, but is much cheaper and you can buy it off someone else who doesn't need it. There are plenty lying around on Ebay. A quick search shows that most are selling for 25 US dollars. That's about a third of the price of the hard cover one. It won't have any of the lore and will have less pretty pictures in it, and it'll be smaller too, but it's a lot cheaper- what more could you want?
Codex
A codex is a rulebook specific to your army. You'll need one- there's no way around it. Before you go ahead and buy one, do your research to see whether a new version of your army's codex is expected soon. For example, I collect the Tau Empire. The current Tau codex is very outdated and the newest one should be just around the corner, so if I were about to start a Tau army I'd be a little patient and wait for the newer codex to come out rather than buying the old one just to buy another a couple of months later.
Secondly, go ahead and hunt Ebay. Buy a used one that is in good condition. Even better, check whether the Ebay seller you bought your rulebook from also stocks your codex, and ask them to combine shipping.
Glues
You'll need two types of glue- super glue and PVA glue (also called craft/white glue). Go into a shop, get a bottle of each, get out. They're pretty cheap. Don't go and buy Games Workshop's- they do the exact same thing as regular glue but with one thing different- they're overpriced. Note that some people use plastic cement rather than superglue. That's up to you.
Right, that's all the stuff you'll need to begin your hobby. Next up- buying an army!
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