Warhammer is expensive. That is a statement that keeps coming up, and yes, the entry is indeed quite a hurdle. But the money eater that it is often portrayed to be, Warhammer is not. At least, that is what MeinMMO editor and Warhammer expert Benedict Grothaus claims.
And I know how ironic that may sound, after all, I have made jokes about how you have to sell your kidney to start with Warhammer. But to be honest: the rumor that Warhammer is a rich person’s hobby is just that, a rumor.
Every time I go to my local Warhammer store, I see young people there – school and university students, who traditionally have no cash. Still, they are painting models that would be too expensive even for me. One said (hopefully as a joke) that affording a Lord of Change is easy, because his diet for the month consists only of toast with ketchup.
But I have been into it for several years, mainly in the lore and video games, but also for quite a while in tabletop. I even stepped out of my comfort zone and successfully painted my first mini, which I am quite proud of.
Over time, I have invested a lot of money in my hobby, yes – but also many hours. When I break it all down, I come to a very reasonable balance.
Warhammer is cheaper than a movie ticket – Wait, what?
When someone talks about the price of Warhammer, they usually mean the expensive plastic models. And yes, they can indeed get very expensive – up to several thousand euros for the huge Imperial Knights, for example.
But those are investments from people who have been in the hobby for years and want to afford something, not from beginners. Let’s roughly calculate what starting Warhammer costs:
- Starter boxes for the current 11th edition have recently been announced and cost on average around 110 euros for several figures, brushes, and paints.
- If you then also want a vehicle or a character for some more variation or just something “bigger,” they range from 30 to 80 euros. Let’s assume 70 euros.
- Paints are a bit more expensive, depending on the supplier, but not much changes. For 150 euros, you can get a good selection from Vallejo or Army Painter.
- Then there are also necessary tools like deburrers, wire cutters, glue, brushes. Depending on how much you want to invest here, you will likely pay between 30 and 50 euros.
- Basic rules cost 20 euros as a book, a codex another 50 – you need both to play the standard format of Warhammer.
In total, you will spend around 450 euros to get started. Sounds expensive, but let’s consider the time you “buy” here:
- The actual building takes on average between 30 minutes and 2 hours per model – depending on the size of the mini and how skilled you are at it. Beginners obviously need longer.
- Painting takes a similar amount of time: 1-2 hours for small minis, a bit more for larger ones. Beginners can easily expect 3 hours, maybe even more.
- With 30 models that you can get for the price above, you would reach around 45 hours in the “worst” case, while beginners are likely closer to 80-90 hours.
That means: Per hour, Warhammer costs you as a beginner about 5-6 euros. As an advanced player, the price per hour would theoretically be higher, but you probably already have things like tools and paints – so those costs don’t count.
And all of this does not include the actual “playing,” as you have practically built your own board game. For comparison: A movie ticket usually costs between 7 and 15 euros (possibly with surcharges for 3D and the like) for a movie averaging 100-140 minutes, so between 3 and 9 euros per hour for a one-time experience.
A rough calculation that still works
Yes, these calculations are very rough, but you cannot calculate all of this exactly, as everyone approaches the hobby differently. Warhammer fans, in particular, are very diverse: Some only read the lore, others play only video games or tabletop, a few want the whole package.
Depending on what exactly fascinates you about Warhammer, you can save money on the acquisition of materials. Let’s stick to tabletop:
- If you just want to play, you can buy pre-painted armies. They are a bit more expensive, but you don’t have tools and paints worth hundreds of euros collecting dust on the shelf.
- If you like the modeling aspect and just want to display the models on a shelf, you don’t need things like codex and basic rules – so that money can be skipped.
For people with no savings, there’s even the free mini of the month in the Warhammer store, and there are plenty of ways to save money when buying miniatures and accessories.
Smart buyers pay significantly less
The costs vary depending on how deep you want to dive in, especially regarding starter sets, which already include paint and brushes. There are more tips on saving, such as using Combat Patrols instead of starter sets or going with retailers like Fantasywelt and Taschengelddieb instead of the official Warhammer stores. That saves you some cash.
What Games Workshop itself lists as the MSRP for the sets and tools is rarely what Warhammer fans actually pay for their items. Typically, you will find significantly cheaper offers or alternative providers for paints, etc., at lower prices than in the Warhammer store. Street prices are often below the recommended retail price.
Even the official boxes are not necessarily the big obstacle. Starter boxes are good when you have no idea at all and don’t want to learn more, but there are alternatives here too:
- Combat Patrols for Warhammer 40,000 or speartips for Age of Sigmar, for example, offer a wide selection of models for just a little more money than the starter boxes – but without brushes and paint.
- The large Armageddon box with over 60 figures costs 240 euros MSRP, but includes additional material and if you only want to play Space Marines OR Orks, you can buy it together with a friend or simply sell the models you don’t need.
Or just build your Warhammer models yourself!
Warhammer is expensive, just not as expensive as everyone claims
I do not want to say that Warhammer is somehow “cheap,” because it is not. Especially the entry hurdle is considerable; not everyone has just 400 euros for a new hobby. But Warhammer is indeed that: A hobby, and you have to want to embrace that.
As with most leisure activities, you need a certain investment. If you want to start a sport or learn an instrument, you need the corresponding equipment or… well, an instrument. My own experience tells me that starting costs can vary from about 50 euros to well over 1,000 euros. Even gamers have to pay a high price upfront for their consoles or PCs before they can start playing (and unfortunately it is only getting more expensive right now).
Especially compared to how much time you can spend on Warhammer if you’re interested in everything about it, the costs aren’t that high anymore. For me, for instance, around 600 euros have accumulated so far, but I have also had more than 10 crafting and painting sessions with friends where we’ve each spent about 8-9 hours together – a calculated hourly rate of 7-8 euros.
Do you find Warhammer too expensive or is the price for what you get acceptable? How much would you pay for starting a new hobby? How much do you currently pay for your favorite hobby? Leave a comment!
Warhammer has made a name for itself as an expensive hobby, but considering how much time you “buy” with it, the price is not as astronomical compared to other activities. If you still don’t want to dive straight into tabletop to spend many hours and euros on plastic, Warhammer also offers excellent video games: The 7 best games to get into the world of Warhammer
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