Christmas Shopping Guide for Non-Gamers Shopping for Gamers

[lawnor 25939xp 2]

Its October and I’ve already seen Mince Pies for sale. It’s that time when we should probably be thinking about our Christmas shopping. Every year BoW releases its gift guide for our loved ones to see, but I often think it’s a little too specific (“Buy this particular game”, or “everyone needs a brand new paint set and doesn’t already have a full basic range”). I figured as a community we could build a shopping guide between us, and then we could casually link to it on our facebooks later. When someone mentions Secret Santa in your office this could be very helpful. It could be dug up and updated every year when the Mince Pies appear in the shops again.

I’m going to start us off, but please add suggestions below, along with suitable links and I will update this post as and when I can. I’m happy to add categories too. Right now I’m looking at affordable gifts. Stuff that isn’t your main gift, and doesn’t cost too much. Stocking filler to “I could buy that without worrying but its just expensive enough that perhaps I shouldn’t”. Not 50+ pot paint sets, or army bundles or big board games. By all means, set up a separate thread for big presents if you want. That’s for a different target audience.

Remember, this is for people who do not know or understand our stuff. Keep it simple. Point towards stuff where they can buy anything within their price point and the receiver will be happy.

TO PEOPLE USING THIS TO SHOP:

Please note that the prices below are rough guides. If you can buy something from a store rather than directly from the manufacturer you will often find a 10-20%+ discount available. The prices below are rough guides based on experience, rather than a detailed price comparison. YMMV. We may have linked to the manufacturers site, but check out physical shops (Store finder link) and the shop links below. Amazon is also an option, but I have found them to often be a more expensive option.

If you want help picking a gift and really do not know what you are looking at, I would imagine that anyone working in a store would be open to helping you, assuming the store isn’t busy. I would suggest not trying this in a Games Workshop/Warhammer. They are under orders to Sell!Sell!SELL! and will not necessarily have your best interests at heart. I have no personal experience though. If someone posts pics of their toys online you could show them to the clerk to help identify what they play and might want more of.

Online Wargame stores and their free postage limits (and the country they ship from. Customs is a thing)

My personal Go-To sites
https://www.waylandgames.co.uk/ Free to UK over £20, International over £60
https://store.ontabletop.com/ UK £40, EU £80 They do Gift Vouchers now too.
http://www.wargamestore.com/ Free over £40 to UK
https://www.the-outpost.co.uk/ £75

Other sites:
https://www.goblingaming.co.uk/ £75
https://elementgames.co.uk/ £80
https://www.triplehelixwargames.co.uk/ – no known free delivery
https://www.firestormgames.co.uk/ £40

Online Board Game Stores I’ve used and their free postage limits

Zatu Games: Has bulk buy discount codes
Chaos Cards: Has monthly discount codes (Free delivery over £20)
Magic Madhouse: (Free delivery over £20)

Price Comparison sites

https://boardgameprices.co.uk/
Tabletop Board & Card Games Hot Deals UK FB group.  notifies you of discounts on board games and posts nothing else.  no chat.

 

Model ranges aimed at painters (and the country they ship from. Customs is a thing)

Just buy them something you think looks cool

Titan Forge:  (From Poland)
Scale75:  (Ships from Spain or US)
Creature Caster: (Ship from around the world)
Artel w:  (From Russia)
Klukva: (From Russia) Specialises in pop culture inspired minis.  You’ll recognise some of them
Atlantis Miniatures:  (From UK)
Into the unknown: (From Poland)
3DArtDigital: (From Ukraine)
ScaleBro: (From Russia?  Netherlands, Germany, & USA)
Raging Heroes: (From France)
Asset Drop: They are a subscription box service.  Their Discovery boxes are just paints and tutorials, but their other boxes include models.  I get the Monster Box and they have become self contain projects.  A fancy model, some base decorations and instructions and paints to use with it.  I don’t get Heroes and Heroines, but I would imagine they are similar.  Any past boxes they still have can be bought from their web store.  Once they’re gone they are gone though.Sounds like a nice little gift for a painter.

 

Busts

Bad Squiddo:  (Ships from UK)
Sunshine Miniatures:  (Also stocks Game of Thrones busts) (Ships from USA and Belgium)
Scale75:  (Ships from Spain or US)
Broken Toad:  (Ships from UK)
Artel W: (From Russia)
Scalebro: No search function and they are scattered through the other sections (From Russia?  Netherlands, Germany, & USA)
Micro Art Studios: Discworld busts only.  They also sell Discworld minis and hobby accessories (From Poland)

 

 

“Stocking filler” tutorial paint sets (10ish paints and a tutorial sheet)

If you do not know if they have an Airbrush (Pen shaped spray gun you can put paint through), then it is probably wise to avoid airbrush paints, but they will still be usable, and some may even prefer them.

Vallejo: More ranges than just this one.  The themed sets come with tutorials.  Around £15 at Wayland Games
Scale75: The themed sets come with tutorials.  Around £25 at Wayland games
Army Painter: Introductory/workhorse paint sets.  If someone doesn’t own any paints this is a good starting point.  If they have plenty, these might not excite them

 

Hobby Guide Books

Angel Giraldez: Vol 1 and 2, for people with airbrushes.  Better suited for Scifi work
Scale 75 Easy Painting Process: Just a collection of the tutorials from the paint sets.  I don’t think there’s anything extra
Scale 75 Painting with Acrylics – Fantasy Busts: A guide to painting busts
Scale75 Steampunk in Miniature: Hobby guide focused on steampunk models

 

Games with £0-£40 starter sets that are worth having for painters and gamers

Games Workshop Start Collecting  (£40-£60) – (40K) Scifi or (Age o Sigmar) Fantasy
Warhammer Underworlds – Fantasy –  Core sets – £35-£45, standalone armies – £14-£17.50 (Also known as Shadespire, Nightvault or Beastgrave)
Wild West Exodus  – Wild West Steampunk:  Posse box (Minis only) £38, Starter Box (Same minis as posse box but with rules, tokens and other stuff needed to play) £50
Warmachine / Hordes – Fantasy Steampunk http://allnewwar.com/ or https://privateerpress.com/hordes/gallery £27-£34 for a MkIII battlegroup box. Warmachine and Hordes are the same game. Ignore anyone who says otherwise
Infinity – Scifi  £31-£40 for a Starter Pack or Sectorial Starter Pack (Here Sectorial means specialised.  Don’t worry about the difference)
Dropzone Commander – Scifi tanks  – Starter Sets £31-£50
Dropfleet Commander– Scifi Space Ships  – Starter Fleets are £36-£40
Rumbleslam – fantasy wrestling –  Core set £38-£40, Team Sets £19-£22
Guildball – fantasy football (Do not buy a 3 model starter set) £35-50 for a 6 man team. 2 Player starter set (Kick Off!) £45-£50
Malifaux, 3rd Ed – Gothic Fantasy Steampunk – Core Box £42-£57
Carnevale – fantasy Italy in the time of Assasins Creed  £65 core 2 player set, £22 army starter
Flames of War – Historical WWII tanks –  Hit The Beach 2 Player set: £28-£35, army starter forces: £55-£70
Team Yankee: Alternate History tanks, helicopters etc: What if the cold war became a real war. Army boxes £37-£55
Batman :  £25-£70

Cool tools for hobbyists that they might not already have

Redgrass Games Wet Palette: (Where is best deal UK? US?):  (Starter: £18, Norm: £36 XL: £45) (Most popular on market?)
Army Painter Wet Palette: £18. Not out until 7th December.
Games Workshop Hobby Holder: £6 comes in different sizes for different size models
Game Envy Hobby Holder: £16+ depending on model
Hobby Zone Miniature Holder: £16 Seems to be out of print right now but might come back in time for Christmas and might be available somewhere
GSW Base decorating Rolling Pins: £13.50 at Store.ontabletop.com, £40 for 6 at http://www.greenstuffworld.com/en/52-rolling-pin-deals
GSW Tentacle maker: £13 Makes other stuff too

 

Accessories

Collapsible box trolley: For the gamer who carts around a lot of board games or boxes of minis to conventions or friends houses often.

Dice: It helps to be aware of what the game they play uses as dice come in more than the standard 6 sided variant.  If they roleplay/ play Dungeons and Dragons you are looking for a full “polyhedral” set.  This will contain 1 of everything between a 4 sided dice and a 20 sided dice, perhaps with 2 6 siders and a second 10 sider with number 00-90 on it.  Gamers love pretty sets of matching dice.  If they play a Games Workshop game then they want large numbers of the standard 6 sided dice.  Find your local gaming store (Preferable not Games Workshop/Warhammer as they ony sell their own brand products) or browse the web stores listed above and find a set that you like the look of, or matches the colours you see on their army.

Dice Bags: Anyone with buckets of dice needs somewhere cool to keep them.  Browsing etsy will reveal lots of characterful home made ones for sale.  Quality and refundability is variable with Etsy.  Cosydice and KO’ed Designs are other options.  There’s plenty more companies out there though.

 

Other reasonably priced games

 

Link to store locator from OnTableTop:
https://www.beastsofwar.com/places/?fwp_place_type=store

 

 

This post is currently a WIP I’ll be dipping in and out of and updating whenever I get 5 minutes.  There’s still stuff I want to add or expand.

[warzanKeymaster 31125xp 4]

Excellent Post @lawnor and great timing to help folk who are buying for gamers.

We have been trying to help with this as well with a gift Guide option in each game category on the store

We try to list stuff that can stand on its own as much as possible but I’d love to hear your feedback on the choices that are in there to see if we are hitting the mark!

[lawnor 25939xp 0]

I noticed that while adding links to your store.  I’ve yet to investigate, but I’ll see about giving you some feedback.  However as IT have now stopped stopping me from doing work I should probably do something productive with whats left of my working day

[lawnor 25939xp 0]

@warzan I’ve just spent a few minutes playing with the feature.  It’s a nice idea but I have one suggestion.  Beginner Gifts seems to be a little flooded in some sections.  I feel it should contain core sets, faction starters, rule books and only other things which are essential to starting a game.  Stuff which is useful without any other purchases.  Click on beginners for 40k and I see lots of extra bases, Titanicus and Blackstone Fortress.  This complicates the issue.  If we assume that people who want this help are not people who already know what they are looking at then we need to keep it simple and not overload them with options.  I know Titanicus etc are 40K universe, but having them all mixed together will confuse the muggles.

I also stuck my head in to Underworlds and I see two core sets and 3 accessories.  If we are aiming this at Granny Agnes who is shopping for little Billie who really really wants Beastgrave, it would be nice if there was some obvious way to flag the accessories as just that so she doesn’t think she must buy them or Billie can’t play the game.  Underworlds being a special case, maybe also point out that you don’t need both core sets to start playing?  Perhaps when you click on Beginner Gifts the page could be split in two: Core Gifts and Accessories, then Agnes can make an informed choice about what to buy Billie.

 

Just some thoughts.  I’m sure implementing things is infinitely harder that suggesting them.  These gift ideas pages should be built to produce suggestions based on the classic guiding principal “Keep it Simple.  Keep it Stupid” 😉  Otherwise it’s a nice touch and will hopefully help a few parents this Christmas.

[warzanKeymaster 31125xp 1]

Thanks for the feedback @lawnor! it’s really appreciated.

I will dig into this over the weekend if I can get a minute to see how we can improve it further 🙂

[lawnor 25939xp 1]

I’d also suggest finding a Granny Agnes and asking her to test it out, if you want real feedback.  We are too deep in the hobby to understand what it’s like from their point of view.

[lawnor 25939xp 2]

If you want real input I’d suggest having a chat with any parents who drop kids of at your club.  Ask them about how they would go about working out what to buy their kids, and what they would use to identify the game or army their child plays.  Maybe there’s something there you could use to develop a game identifier for understandably confused parents.  Perhaps you could develop some kind of reverse image search they can put any symbols in to they see on the models or rule books.

I do think getting the input of some tame muggles would be of help developing a system to allow them to shop with confidence.

[ced1106Participant 6224xp 2]

If the gamer plays RPG’s, just buy them fancy dice and a dice bag. Safe bet.

These are just stupid awesome for boardgamers and miniature armiests alike!

[lawnor 25939xp 0]

Got some links for suggested shops for any of that?  I can look up the Dice Bag lady.

[ghent99 3589xp 0]

@ced1106 that is a great idea and reminds me I should dig mine out of my office.  Especially since I dont use it for presentations anymore it would be great for armies and gear.

@warzan and @lloyd maybe you guys could do a Christmas list sheet we could fill out and print or email to our loved ones.  Obviously it would link to you guys. 😉

Another thing could be a printable card that asks for official holiday hobby time.  That is the one thing I need more of, time.

[phaidknott 7023xp 1]

For smaller gifts I find that Wargamers are just like toddlers in that we have a fixation for BOXES (to store figures in). My favourite (and I get one every year is the OSCO Box file)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Osco-Faux-Leather-Box-File/dp/B00E9ABVZU/

It’s probably the most sturdy box file around (these days most box files seem to be made out of plastic covered cereal boxes), and although the colour (brown) isn’t the best it also got a faux “furry” liner on the inside that helps protect your figures. Sometimes I get a custom foam cut insert, and have found you can quite happily store them four or five high with figures inside without them crushing each other. I baulk at the price usually but as an Xmas gift I love them, plus the little name tag bit on the side helps you know what’s in the box without opening everything and you can easily repurpose them for different armies. Although I’m sure the purpose of the giver is an attempt to make me be more tidy (she hates the really useful boxes as they are clear), she seemed to have worked her psychic powerz on me yet again into making me think they are the best thing ever 😀

 

[lawnor 25939xp 1]

@ghent99 It’s always surprised me that Facebook doesn’t come up with a Christmas List feature.  You put what you want on there, and other people can check it off as bought but you cannot see that.  Could help a lot of people, and they could sell that data along I’m sure.

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