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The reason I made comparison between Infinity and 40k is simple – they are both “hobbies” in their own right. If I choose to play Infinity then collecting and painting Infinity is my hobby, likewise for 40k (and indeed GW do see themselves as a self contained hobby, rather than a part of a wider hobby) and all hobbies have both startup and ongoing costs. Within that context, Infinity is a cheaper hobby, even though individually the miniatures are more expensive, depending on which miniatures you look at (but I am prepared to concede on average an Infinity Miniature is more expensive than a 40k miniature). 40k requires a high model count and lots of books, Infinity does not. You can get everything you need for a recommended size (300 point) Infinity force for around £100, the same is not true for 40k – that figure is much higher and is often artificially inflated by the way that they are now distributing rules for armies across multiple books. Is Infinity more expensive than Kill Team? On balance, yes it probably is, but for most players, Kill Team is a side show of the 40k main event; it also means that should you wish to branch further and go into 40k, you have all the additional costs associated with that and you are starting with only a single squad. Infinity is the “main event” and doesn’t really have much by way of spin offs (Aristeia perhaps? but I don’t know enough about it to be able to talk about associated costs). However for the most part I have done my best to compare like for like.
- Prices for individual squads
- Startup prices for the hobby
- Price for full size force
- Ongoing costs
I compared like for like products (i.e. multi-part plastic kits to multi-part plastic kits) and I also compared at a “hobby” level (i.e. all the things you need to get involved in something as a game, rather than comparing models to models). Games Workshop games are simply the most expensive (or one of the most expensive), when compared to something similar, in every category. Pointing out that they are almost always the most expensive option is just a statement of fact, it’s neither praise nor criticism. It is no more of a criticism of GW than stating Mercedes Benz are more expensive than Ford is a criticism of Mercedes. Does being more expensive make the Mercedes a better or worse option than a Ford? It totally depends on what you need/want/can afford.
(For reference, I currently drive a Jaaaaaag. Or rather I don’t drive a Jaaaaaag because it’s always broken and I am left wishing I drove a less expensive and less complicated Ford… The Jaaaaaag is lovely when it works, but it hasn’t actually worked properly since about two months after I got it and we’re still trying to get to the bottom of it. So what’s better, the Jaaaaag or the Ford?)
I don’t really care about Games Workshop’s prices – I don’t buy Games Workshop products anymore (apart from their washes, which I think really are rather good, certainly better than Army Painter) so I really don’t have a dog in the fight. On a purely personal level, I do think that the prices they charge are ridiculous but it doesn’t affect me so I can’t really claim to care about it. I certainly have no expectation that they will reduce prices nor do I necessarily have any particular desire to see them do so – they should charge whatever they think they can/should charge. What I do care about though, is people bitching about prices when there are plenty of other options out there; especially when you consider that the constant barrage of criticism aimed at Games Workshop and their prices can’t be nice for people who actually like Games Workshop. Instead of getting upset about models that you think are too expensive, find a different game or different miniatures that are within your price bracket and buy those instead. I want people to be able to enjoy the wargaming and miniatures collecting hobby; to that end I can’t make Games Workshop’s prices change but I can certainly advise people not to buy from them if they can’t afford them and also advise them of potentially cheaper alternatives that exist.
If you personally like GW, great! I hope you enjoy the hobby, I would love to see pictures of your painted models in the same way that I do for anyone else regardless of what they play or collect. You shouldn’t feel ashamed to like them and support them nor should feel like you need to be defensive about their prices and/or being able to afford/be willing to pay those prices. Likewise nobody should be resentful towards anyone who does buy GW products either. You like what you like, you buy what you can afford, it’s all good to me. But I do think people should be honest about the prices; Games Workshop’s games (or hobbies) Are pretty much the most expensive wargames to be involved with
