Collecting an army II - Where do I buy?

You probably have a rough idea on what Warhammer or Warhammer 40k box set(s) you want to buy by now. If you don't, have a look at my earlier article here.

If you want to save money, you have two choices in terms of what miniatures you can buy- new or used. I try to buy new on-the-sprue miniatures because assembling each one is something I enjoy. There are different places you can go to if you want to buy new miniatures like I do:

1. Games Workshop.

If you want to save money, this is the obvious choice to avoid. Why? Because, while the company's miniatures and games are absolutely freaking awesome, a Games Workshop outlet is probably not a place to go to if you're looking for a bargain. Games Workshop stores will very rarely have sales- I'm talking about one every few years, if any at all. Keep your eyes open for them, but otherwise, avoid buying directly from Games Workshop.

2. Independent resale outlets.

Independent outlets such as hobby stores and gaming clubs are totally responsible for their own prices. That's exactly why Games Workshop states that they cannot be held accountable for what other stores sell their products for. This is a good thing, because 99% of the time that means you can usually get Warhammer or Warhammer 40k products at an independent reseller for cheaper than what you could get it for at a Games Workshop store.

Hobby stores will usually also stock a variety of other things directly related to your hobby (that's why they call them hobby stores!) such as terrain, tools and paints that come from companies other than Games Workshop. These are usually a lot cheaper and you can also expect seasonal sales too. Just ask around at the store.

3. Online resellers.

Online stores are a good place to buy all your hobby related stuff if for some reason you cannot (or prefer not to) buy from local sources. The problem with online resellers, however, is that shipping costs often negate any benefits of buying at a discounted price. This is why you should always check whether there is an online store specifically located in your country.

All the online stores will operate based on prices in their own country. Do your research. Australians sometimes have to pay up to double the US prices to buy Warhammer or 40k products in their own country. They can choose to buy from either an international online reseller from the US (which will mean they pay less for the actual product and more for the shipping) or a local online reseller to provide them with the things they need.

4. Ebay.

When it comes to totally new-in-box miniatures, this is akin to online resellers, so I won't go into detail here. You can get some pretty good bargains on Ebay. Again, watch the shipping prices. Have caution when it comes to purchasing from people with a dubious reputation.

Old/Used miniatures

Buying old or used miniatures are a good way to add to your army without shelling out ridiculous amounts of cash. Most people sell miniatures that have already been painted (or at-least primed), and are usually a lot cheaper than buying new on-sprue miniatures. The only exception is when the object on sale has been "pro-painted"- that is, the paint job quality is significantly higher than what you'd see on the table-top, and hence more expensive than new figurines. There are a couple of ways you can get used or old miniatures:

1. Ebay.

This is the big one. Sellers often get rid of miniatures in "lots"; i.e. a group of similar miniatures (or those belonging to the same factions) together. You can find some good bargains here. Just type in the faction you are looking for and add "lot" at the end of it if you're looking for that type of deal. Otherwise, just type what miniature you want into the search field and tick 'used'.

You'll find all sorts of things here, whether its a squad of space marines caked in bright yellow and broken off their bases (easily fixed by Simple Green and some superglue) or a crisis suit with a missing leg (make sure you have a plan to replace the broken leg before you commit to the purchase!).

2. Garage Sales/Local community.

Right, now this one is less obvious but still worth it if you can find a bargain. There are many teenagers out there who've bought the models when they were younger and played with them like they were a little better than toy soldiers before growing out of it and want to raise some cash for another hobby. I'm listing this because when I was about 7, my dad brought home a big box he found at a garage sale for ten dollars with the words "Warhammer" printed on it in gold and red. It was used, but it had a whole Orks and Goblins army and a retinue of elves (can't remember which) in it, as well as paints and brushes. Being a kid, I just dipped all the figurines in red and yellow (not before spilling half of the yellow on the carpet...). At that time, my dad didn't know what these were and neither did I. Now I do- and I'll take a whole army and a half for ten bucks any day.

When going to a garage sale, don't ask the poor single mother whether she has a group of chaos terminators lying around somewhere. She won't know. Just say "toy soldiers" or even "warhammer". If she brings out a whole Space Marine army (very likely as most 10 year olds are drawn to these) and wants to sell it to you for 20 dollars, take it, even if you don't collect Space Marines. Go home, repair and strip the paint of it and put it on Ebay in appropriate lots- good job, you've just made over a hundred dollars in about half an hour. If she does happen to have the army you want, you're in even better luck!

Also ask around your local gaming community for people who want to get rid of their old armies to buy a new one. Once in a while some chump gets sick of losing and wants to get rid of his Tau army to start a Grey Knights one. Although they aren't going to give you their army for $20, you can still expect a decent price for them.

Collecting An Army - What do I buy?

Perhaps the most important part of starting up any war game is choosing an army that you like. You'll want to choose an army based on these three points (in order of importance):

1. How the army looks. This is perhaps the most important point. Most people stick to an army they like the look of.

2. The army's lore and background. You want an army you can see yourself commanding.

3. How the army plays. Choose an army that suits your play style. Look back at all the video games you've played. Played Nod in Command And Conquer? You might enjoy playing Tau or Eldar. Really enjoy playing the Zerg in Starcraft? Go for Tyranids- you'll love them.

Ideally you'll want to look for an army that will fill out at-least two of the above points.

Because I strongly feel that a new player should choose armies based on their looks, I've included pictures of one of the several different basic rank-and-file troopers of each of main armies in Warhammer 40k only.

Blood Angels

Chaos Daemons

Chaos Space Marines

Dark Eldar

Eldar

Grey Knights

Imperial Guard

Necrons

Orks

Sisters Of Battle

Space Marines:

A basic space marine tactical squad

Space Wolves

Tau Empire

Tyranids

Beautiful, aren't they? Games Workshop prides itself in its quality of miniatures. It's one of the reasons why their games are so popular. After looking at the pictures above you might already have an idea about what to buy. Here's a guide on how to obtain these miniatures while still saving money.

1. Starter sets

Even if you buy these totally new, starter sets are literally a steal compared to the individual boxes  you can buy. They come with a mini-rule book, dice (including the scatter dice), templates and measuring sticks- everything you need to play a basic game. They also come with two armies. The newest starter set, "Dark Vengeance" released by Games Workshop includes Chaos Space Marines and Dark Angels. If you've collecting just one of these, go ahead and buy the whole box because you'll get a rule book and other goodies (such as exclusive miniatures) inside. Put the army you don't want on Ebay.

The Chaos Hellbrute, an exclusive miniature only found in Dark Vengeance

If you already have the rule book and templates, there won't be much point in buying the whole box. Instead, go on Ebay and search for Dark Vengeance miniatures. Most people that bought the box sell the miniatures they don't want for a cheap price. For example, possessed chaos space marines, which are usually $33USD retail price, go for as little as $12 on Ebay. Awesome, isn't it? You could put together an army totally made out of starter set miniatures without actually buying the starter set.

Alternatively, you can start Warhammer or Warhammer 40k with a friend and split the armies. You'll pay half the price and both of you will get the army you want. 

You can also do this for the older starter sets such as Assault On Black Reach, but if you buy the whole box you will get the old rule book- so just purchase the models from the starter set from Ebay.

2. Battleforces

What if the army you want isn't included in the starter set? Then you can buy a battleforce. Each battleforce includes enough miniatures for a small army, and is cheaper than buying each of the miniatures individually. Along with the things that you'd like in your army, you'll also get the stuff you don't want. So how do you know whether buying a battleforce is a good choice or not? Just compare the price of the battleforce box with the price of buying each miniature individually. For example, I want to buy the Tau Battleforce.

That includes:

12x Fire Warriors

12x Kroot Carnivores

3x Stealth Suits

1x Devilfish

1x Crisis Suit

6x Drones

For a retail price of $120. I'm saving about 40 dollars. But say, I don't want the Kroot carnivore squadron. A kroot carnivore squad will cost me $36, so its still smarter for me to go buy the whole battleforce because I'll still save money and get some figurines I don't want- which is better than not getting anything at all.

If, say, I don't want the stealth suits either, then it's more logical for me to go buy the individual models I do want separately because it's going to be cheaper for me to do so as I won't have to pay up for the stuff I don't want.

A battleforce is a good idea whether you're looking to start Warhammer or Warhammer 40k or just want to expand your army.

In the next article I'll tell  you where you can buy your miniatures to save money.

Getting started with Warhammer

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!