How To Play Warhammer 40k Without Spending A Lot Of Money

When it comes to tabletop games, Warhammer 40k is the biggest miniatures war game in the world. The models are exquisite, the rich sci-fi lore is always expanding and the rules are ever-evolving to keep improving gameplay. Not surprisingly, it’s one of the most expensive tabletop games as well. The game’s price tag can leave a prospective player feeling a bit overwhelmed. But as with most things, a price shouldn’t stop someone from pursuing a hobby or interest, and there are ways to get into Warhammer 40k without spending too much money, too fast.

The company Games Workshop has grown a lot over the last decade and its Warhammer 40k sales have been a great contributor. As credit to the game’s popularity even celebs like Henry Cavill play Warhammer 40k now. Even without celebrity approval, though, the game has a large and dedicated fan base. Still, picking up a standard Space Marines: Tactical Squad box and finding out it costs $49 can be a shock. That’s before someone even buys the other boxes it will take to make up the rest of a playable army. It’s also before dice, glue, paints at $4.50 each, an army specific codex (that may be invalid in 2 years or less) and a rule book that costs $65. Understandably, it can be intimidating to get into Warhammer 40k because of the cost.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

So, before someone can even play a game of Warhammer 40k with their own army, codex and rule book, they’ll have potentially spent hundreds of dollars. There aren’t many other games with that steep of an entry price. People who want to play 40k for less money aren’t simply priced out though. There are other ways to collect models and get into the hobby without paying retail or “breaking the bank.” Here are some tips and tricks to get into the game of Warhammer 40k without spending too much money.

Find Warhammer 40k Deals At Discount Retailers

The easiest option is to wait until Warhammer 40k models go on sale. A prospective Warhammer player or model collector may end up waiting a very long time as Games Workshop is not known for its sales or its discounted products. It is rare that anything related to Warhammer is ever free or deeply discounted. It leads some critics to think the Games Workshop is greedy, while others understand the company needs to maintain the bottom line.

That said, it is possible to find a retailer selling Warhammer 40k products for less than the suggested retail price. Games Workshop allows retailers to sell its products for as much as 20% off of MSRP. Many stores, and even some online retailers, take advantage of this opportunity. Besides driving in more customers, it helps players manage the prices of the game a bit.

When buying a $500 Warhammer army, $100 off is a pretty big discount. However, a player is going to need to be selective of the retailer they choose. Some retailers attempt to make up the price difference through shipping and handling, while others offer free shipping. Because Warhammer often needs larger boxes to ship, there is sometimes no way to get around it without spending real money.  A player can’t get the cost down much more than that, at least not for a new-in-box Warhammer 40k product.

Secondhand Warhammer 40k Models Can Be Found Online

Seeing as Warhammer miniatures are so expensive in the first place, they tend to keep some resale value. Also, players generally tend to take very good care of the minis with such a hefty investment. This results in a large number of previously owned models coming up for sale online. Often these models can be cheaper than anywhere else.

Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and Craigslist are some of the places that one can easily find pre-owned Warhammer minis on sale. Buyers shouldn’t worry too much, even rare or out-of-production 40k models haven’t reached the heights of Pokemon Card sales on eBay. The condition of the Warhammer models online may vary from NIB (new in box), partially assembled, fully assembled, or even broken. It’s not uncommon to find already painted models for sale as well, but like the miniatures themselves, the quality of the paint jobs can vary greatly. Both model condition and the quality of the paint job can affect the price of the miniatures.

An added tip for finding used Warhammer 40k minis is to try misspelling the names of the minis. Sometimes it can simply be an oversight by the seller. Other times it’s someone who doesn’t know the game selling the minis. Either way, used miniatures end up for sale online under the wrong name. Warhammer 40k Orks are spelled with a “k” but they may appear for sale online spelled “orcs” or maybe someone simply typed “Warhammer monster” instead. Other things like weapon names and factions may be misspelled as well.

Games Workshop Sells Boxed Sets For Warhammer 40k Starting Collections

It’s not lost on Games Workshop that its Warhammer 40k products are expensive. GW offers a line of “start collecting” box sets that bundle some essentials for most armies. These sets make it a lot easier for casual or competitive 40k players to expand their collections. The boxes often offer players better value for their money.

The Start Collecting: Thousand Sons box set has a $95 retail price and it comes with Ahriman on disc, a 10 man unit of Rubric Marines, and a 10 man unit of Tzaangors. Sold individually those items come out to $143 in total. Couple that with the tip about buying from a 20% off retailer and it’s possible to get all of those models new for $76. Once assembled, this is enough to play a small game.

Buying more than one Start Collecting box can sometimes be beneficial sometimes as well. That’s if a player doesn’t mind spending a little more money. However, after doing the math and comparing it to the initial price, the Ahriman model is essentially “free.” even if players don’t necessarily need multiples. Using any extra parts in the box and converting them to other playable Warhammer 40k models such as Exalted Sorcerers is a decent option.

Using Conversions Or Third Party Models In Warhammer 40k

In most boxes of Warhammer 40k models, there are extra parts, known as “bits.” That means there are often extra heads, arms, or guns. A player should hold on to these extra bits. Over time they will have enough bits to cobble together other models. Other players may be up for trading bits or even donate the missing bits a player needs to complete a “kitbashed” project.

A lot of these kinds of products amount to conversion work. This isn’t dissimilar to what D&D players do to customize their own miniatures. Conversion work is when a base model is modified to represent a cooler (or personalized) version of the original or maybe something else entirely. Some parts used in conversion work aren’t always Games Workshop bits. There are a ton of third-party companies that sell miniatures in the same themes as those of Warhammer 40k armies. Kromlech, for example, sells a very comparable line of Ork Miniatures to Games Workshop.

Not everyone who plays Warhammer 40k has a problem with the price. Wealthy or not, some players think the price is fair and the game is worth it. However, a lot of people may be looking for cheaper ways to get into the game and there are ways to accomplish that. In short, there’s nothing wrong with buying models at MSRP, but there’s also nothing wrong with someone acquiring the same product and keeping as much of their money as they can in the process.

D&D: Is It Possible To Transform Into A Good Lich

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *