Tell us on what occasion you have been priced out by GW

[Orange Knight]

59 minutes ago, Robbienw said:

 

That's not priced out mate, you just don't like the models 

 

That's true, but I think in general it's too expensive to even convert some "counts-as" even though it would complete my 30k army.

[Emperor Ming]

Most of the time

 

I only still play due to being able to get stuff at 20% off at online stores 

 

Even now with 20% stuff is becoming crazy money

[Joe]

I believe as previously pointed out priced out is the incorrect term, however as far as hobbies go, Warhammer was far less available to me whilst younger due to not having disposable income. Despite price rises in recent years, the hobby remains something I can engage with; and I have the power to self-moderate on my purchases, and pursue what I want on my terms.

 

I think the only hobby I could say I've been "priced out of" is airsoft. That's becoming rapidly untenable at this stage.

 

That said, hobbies are a want and not a need; it stands in direct contrast to the actual needs like the price of food, rent, utilities and council tax, all of which have risen faster and harder than my hobbies. It's the needs which put a greater strain on my purchasing power, and hold greater influence on limiting my hobbies and potentially pricing me out.

[Tawnis]

While I haven't been priced out of 40k yet, the new edition of 30k priced me out of that. 

 

There is a small 30k community in town, but I play a lot of Xenos factions (my main army being Kroot) so I tend to stick to more 40k. That being said, I invested into 30k second edition because I do have a Space Marine army and the models were at least usable in 40k as well, even if Tactical Marines are pretty garbage in 40k. I even picked up a few of the fancy resin models like Alpharius and the Exodus. With how long 1st edition had been around, I was okay investing in multiple big rulebooks and a few pricy models even if I only got 1-2 games in a year since I figured it would be around for a long time. 

 

With 3rd edition, it made me feel like my investment into 2nd was mostly a waste, I'm not spending $150+ on rulebooks to get in 3-4 games before I have to replace them again. Also, most of the units in Saturnine don't have 40k rules, so I couldn't even use them there if I didn't get my 30k games in. The turret was pretty cool, but as more of a terrain/objective piece for narrative game than an actual unit I'd use. 

TLDR, to much investment for not enough return, and retroactively making my previous investment fell worth less than I though it was at the time. 

[gaurdian31]

27 minutes ago, Tawnis said:

While I haven't been priced out of 40k yet, the new edition of 30k priced me out of that. 

 

There is a small 30k community in town, but I play a lot of Xenos factions (my main army being Kroot) so I tend to stick to more 40k. That being said, I invested into 30k second edition because I do have a Space Marine army and the models were at least usable in 40k as well, even if Tactical Marines are pretty garbage in 40k. I even picked up a few of the fancy resin models like Alpharius and the Exodus. With how long 1st edition had been around, I was okay investing in multiple big rulebooks and a few pricy models even if I only got 1-2 games in a year since I figured it would be around for a long time. 

 

With 3rd edition, it made me feel like my investment into 2nd was mostly a waste, I'm not spending $150+ on rulebooks to get in 3-4 games before I have to replace them again. Also, most of the units in Saturnine don't have 40k rules, so I couldn't even use them there if I didn't get my 30k games in. The turret was pretty cool, but as more of a terrain/objective piece for narrative game than an actual unit I'd use. 

TLDR, to much investment for not enough return, and retroactively making my previous investment fell worth less than I though it was at the time. 

Same happened with me. HH 2.0 came out, a few friends were interested, invested in some tanks, dreadnoughts and Kruze and Angron. Was excited at the time, then never got a chance to play before 3.0 happened. I am already on the edition cycle with 40k, not doing that with another system. 

[Bouargh]

Without being too much whiny whiny ... always.

 

Either because when I've started my journey in the GW galaxy ( 90's) I was short (very) on money, or because now the way I perceive the face value (cost per mini) has inflated a lot. Sure quality has changed, sculpts are nicer now (sometimes too good to be painted properly with skills such as mine) , rules are always outdated at release time and full of mistakes... We know these arguments already and these are mine as well as yours (for many of us).

 

But when your are a GW junky, you accept living with that.  I do. Even if 41€ for 10 Astra militarum soldiers is... not cheap. And you know what? I've decided yet to use instead of these bargian mini some 44€ GSC to build up my custom AM regiment. A Junky I've said I am.... 

 

Yet I feel like I have been always outpriced.

 

EXCEPT when I built an army out of 3 boxes like this one plus 1 metal Lichemaster as character in the early 90's:

 

But it is very old Fantasy, so... off topic. But this was real bargain

[Schurge]

I wasn't priced out, because my life took a shift into volunteering and living partially outside the money economy in alternative "hippy" communities over the last four years so consumerist hobbyists weren't possible, regardless. If I were currently working a regular job, I would consider myself priced out, even if I could technically "afford" it because I had the extra income.

 

GW price increases have been variable, but some have increased 100% since 2007 when I bought my first kit. Nearly $200 for a Combat Patrol? (And for 15-20 year-old old kits at that! I remember when playing an older army was actually more affordable because the kits cost less!) Want to kitbash to bring old kits up to par, drop twice as much! Many games now have seasons with rotating rosters, so you pay $80 for a squad of dudes that have their obsolescence planned and in the near future. Warhammer hasn't been a consumer friendly hobby since I've been in it, and it seems the last couple editions really decided to start flying in terms of kit prices, on-going monetization, and planned obsolescence.

 

All that said, if the rumored Grey Knights vs. World Eaters box were to drop tomorrow... I would probably buy it. I saw a 3D printed upgrade sprue on Reddit the other day meant to turn a saturnine dreadnought into the sexiest looking dreadknight I've seen and there is a world that looks much like the one I am in now where I drop $150 for a saturnine and that upgrade sprue. Its not a world in which I live responsibly. Plastic crack is right.

Edited Monday at 05:25 PM by Schurge

[Deus_Ex_Machina]

On 9/21/2025 at 4:52 PM, Orange Knight said:

I don't know if Priced out is the right descriptor for me, but I absolutely refused to spend money on the Forgeworld Invectarus Suzerains, and I also didn't want to invest my money and time into creating a truly suitable proxy. It's not hard to make a unit with axes and shields, but not one that is ostentatious enough to truly capture the intent behind the unit.

 

To simply put, the Forgeworld kit is grotesque and ugly, and I would never spend that kind of money on two of those kits to make a 10 man squad.

 

I guess if I had less commitments or more money I would have invested in making this unit happen.

I will buy rhino doors for my IH but never the specialized units. 5 models for 80 bucks is a crime.

[Rogue]

I had a moment today...

 

I was playing with a Brood Brothers Auxillia list for my Genestealer Cult, and started building it in the app (I use the free version, with the GSC codex unlocked). The Auxillia detachment gives the Cult access to some of the Imperial Guard units - turns out you can select them for the list, but can't see their stats unless you havr a Guard codex to unlock them. Which just feels a bit meh.

 

I get that money is everything these days, but £40 extra to make full use of a Cults codex detachment in the app feels a bit much. (And, one assumes, a further £40 should I ever want to try out the Final Day detachment (which involves Tyranids)).

[sitnam]

I first thing to come to mind with being priced out is the Necron Flayed Ones. Near $60 for 5 guys is one thing, but for units like Chosen or Possessed its not unreasonable given current pricing. However Flayed Ones are not Chaos Marines size wise, and the kit seems to be a set 5 with no options what so ever, meaning no left bits for your bit box. Flayed ones are closer to human size,and at least that awful Chaos Cultist kit has a few options whilst being monopose, and it gives you 10 bodies. And its a bit cheaper too! The Kroot Hounds are at least worthwhile because they are substantially cheaper, despite also being minimize 5-model kits

[Blissful Brushes]

I’ve not been priced out as such, though the prices are eye watering but my projects are now more about being perfect. I’m currently doing a 30k force using primaris for the scale so when I add guard it looks right. That means sculpting all the matinee to HH style. In the past I wouldn’t have bothered but the extra time more offsets the cost as my £40 box of primaris last 3x as long

[Kenzaburo]

Haven't been priced out completely, I just tend to buy stuff from eBay. Don't give a fart about current rules anymore, because the churn was just not sustainable and is just a bad business practice overall. Also, the rules just aren't fun for me anymore, there's better alternatives (see my post about OPR from about 2 months ago). I can't remember when I last bought something new in box, really. 

[Irongert]

I haven't been priced out as I can afford the models I want to buy. That said, I do feel the value isn't there anymore for some models. What made me stop buying for the most part is the edition churn, as many people above said aswell. I just can't be bothered to keep up anymore with new rules and changes our group isn't interested in or wants. That in turn means I don't really start new armies/expand existing ones. The change in game design etc has meant that 40k fell by the wayside completely during 7th and for 30k we're switching back to 1st with houserules. 

 

The only thing I have consistently spent money on the last year and a half would be Necromunda and I feel like I get a lot more out of that for a smaller investment (even if it's not cheap by any means). 

 

And, to be honest, it's not even a bad thing. I don't mind that I'm no longer the target audience for GW. It somehow is rather freeing in a way. The fomo is gone, the need to build and complete competetive armies is gone. It ahs become more of a hobby I can do on my terms rather than GW/the community dictating what the hobby should be. 

[Karhedron]

4 minutes ago, Irongert said:

I haven't been priced out as I can afford the models I want to buy. That said, I do feel the value isn't there anymore for some models.

 

I can completely agree with this. I have played Eldar since 1st edition and I was looking forward to picking up the new plastic Aspect Warriors as some of my squads are still running the original metal figures. I picked up the new Striking Scorpions when they came out as a Kill Team. The price was a bit steep as they are more than a 10-man squad of Marines, especially considering the Marines have more plastic but I decided they were worth it.

 

Then the new Dragon, Hawk and Banshee squads came out and I was gobsmacked to see that a 5-man squad cost the same as a 10-man squad of Hellblasters! They are nearly twice the price per mini of Striking Scorpions and there is no way that is fair or valuable. I could afford the squads if I really wanted but I resent the huge and artificial price discrepancy. 

[Halandaar]

On 9/22/2025 at 12:50 PM, Joe said:

That said, hobbies are a want and not a need; it stands in direct contrast to the actual needs like the price of food, rent, utilities and council tax, all of which have risen faster and harder than my hobbies. It's the needs which put a greater strain on my purchasing power, and hold greater influence on limiting my hobbies and potentially pricing me out.

 

I said something similar a long while back (probably in response to a previous GW price rise thread). GW putting a few quid on the price of a box of minis is much less of a factor in whether or not I can afford them than the increase in the cost of my household bills. Like I would have to be buying 2 Spearhead boxes a month for GW's price increases to affect me more than how much my council tax went up by.

[DemonGSides]

24 minutes ago, Halandaar said:

 

I said something similar a long while back (probably in response to a previous GW price rise thread). GW putting a few quid on the price of a box of minis is much less of a factor in whether or not I can afford them than the increase in the cost of my household bills. Like I would have to be buying 2 Spearhead boxes a month for GW's price increases to affect me more than how much my council tax went up by.

 

Sure but none of us are making any of those payments in a vacuum, so sure a little increase on its own isn't crazy, but the ongoing year over year increases in the hobby while combined with real life (mind you, real life stuff that HAS to be paid, lest you lose your roof or conveyance) is what is really pricing people out.

 

If it was just GW deciding that a couple extra bucks was what they needed to exist while the rest of the world remained steady, then sure it's not a big deal. It's the council wanting their piece while GW is also trying to get their piece while also the grocery store is gouging etc etc etc, and really only one of those things is a luxury in the ultimate definition, as I still need to sleep in relative comfort and consume an appropriate amount of calories.

 

Plastic army men unfortunately are going to be the earlier cut than food or rent. 

[Gillyfish]

I am not sure whether I have been priced out as such. For 40k I have a sizeable Dark Angel army, much of which most people would refuse to play against as they are 'Legends' and on an older base size. After the effort spent painting and assembling them I don't really fancy rebasing or recollecting the army so I am basically finished with 40k as a regular game (the odd game with a willing opponent is nice to have though). 

 

My main GW focus is now the Epic range, whether it is AT, AI or LI. Epic was my original entry point for the hobby after Space Crusade, so its nice to get back to gaming on that scale.

 

I would also echo Pacific81's comment earlier about other games; I have a couple of Frostgrave warbands, some Epic scale Carthaginians for Hail Caesar and a range of other historical figures I can use in different rulesets (Nimitz, Eisehower and Blucher would all be recommended). So I have found myself pulled away to other, often cheaper, games, which provide different challenges.

[Warhead01]

This is a tough question to answer.  I don't feel money is truly the issue for me anyway. I have more reasons to not give GW money than the price of their kits. 
Probably between 8th and the end of 8th. Disliking the direction the game was going and not really being excited to play anymore and all of that.  9th for sure was the last time I bought a kit. 
I haven't looked at the prices since the HH2.0 boxed set. There are still a few models I would have liked to buy, build and paint and absolutely no reason to do that. 

I would also add that when GW starts invalidating models or moving them to their own list outside of their related books, that's a problem for me.  And a 3 year cycle? The must be on drugs.  

 

[Gorgoff]

On 9/22/2025 at 12:23 PM, Orange Knight said:

 

That's true, but I think in general it's too expensive to even convert some "counts-as" even though it would complete my 30k army.

The somewhat meme-y answer to this are 3d prints and shops who sell similar or better looking kits who are the oerfect stand ins fro a fractions of the money. We talk 20 quit for ten Dudes here. A lot of srtidts out there doing gods work. 

[DemonGSides]

52 minutes ago, Gorgoff said:

The somewhat meme-y answer to this are 3d prints and shops who sell similar or better looking kits who are the oerfect stand ins fro a fractions of the money. We talk 20 quit for ten Dudes here. A lot of srtidts out there doing gods work. 

 

Idk about that. Etsy is trying their hardest to utilize GWs prices while selling fragile resin.

 

It's more about knowing someone who's good at 3d Printing, which is an art in of itself. 

[Gorgoff]

1 hour ago, DemonGSides said:

 

Idk about that. Etsy is trying their hardest to utilize GWs prices while selling fragile resin.

 

It's more about knowing someone who's good at 3d Printing, which is an art in of itself. 

Absolutely. 

I am certainly blessed in that regard because I know about 12 people with at least (!) one 3d printers. 

[Scribe]

On 9/22/2025 at 4:33 PM, sitnam said:

Flayed Ones

 

That 'box' killed me too. I have several lists that are evergreen 'one day I wish...' lists, and a nightmare Necron horror show list is one of them, old school, going back to 3rd kind of thing.

 

With that unit though? No, just never going to happen.

[phandaal]

1 hour ago, Scribe said:

 

That 'box' killed me too. I have several lists that are evergreen 'one day I wish...' lists, and a nightmare Necron horror show list is one of them, old school, going back to 3rd kind of thing.

 

With that unit though? No, just never going to happen.

 

Yeah, here is what I did for my "Flayed Ones":

 

Spoiler

 

Total cost after printing, about $2.50.

[ZeroWolf]

I own only two boxes of flayed ones, one because it came with Imperium magazine (£8.99 for the kit is acceptable) and the one that  came with the Christmas battleforce one time. I'd absolutely not buy the kit on its own at full price. Even taking the price aside, its horrible to put together.

[lhg033]

For me it is very much what I perceive as the value of a given set vs what else I could get for the same money elsewhere and balanced against family finances/enjoyment of the same spend. combat patrol magazine is the only 'casual' level purchase I have made for 40k in a good while.

 

 

That said I have spent quite a bit more on the hobby this year than I planned now that I total it up. This is in part because I am pivoting to kill team more vs regular 40k as being a more sustainable way of hobbying. It is smaller and more self contained for building and painting models and I am also more able to actually get around to playing a game or two. 

This has mainly been the kill team big boxes though I have avoided a couple that I dont like the factions/models for.

I feel for the most part the two factions plus terrain etc at a bit of a discount compared to full separate prices is enough value for me. I am very, very unlikely to buy terrain or kills teams individually and probably will not expand kills teams much past these sets with additional models unless I already own the needed models in other collections.
 

I managed to snag a copy of Tomb world recently and this very nearly priced me out but it was two factions and terrain I really wanted so justified it but I wouldnt at full RRP.

Not getting this would likely have also meant I would feel less invested in Kill team for up coming releases on the same narrative.

 

I was at one point leaning to do similar with combat patrol for 40k proper but these have been loosing value for me through a combination of changed contents and also increased prices plus hobby burnout for given factions.