Who wants to start painting miniatures, whether for Warhammer or for other tabletop systems like Dungeons & Dragons, might wonder how expensive the fun will be. A beginner turns directly to the community, which offers tips on how to better cope with the truth. If only MeinMMO editor Caro had listened to this earlier.
In the Warhammer subreddit, a beginner reached out to the community with a question: He has just started and wonders if the hobby will be expensive.
Ouch. Warhammer fans and friends of the miniature hobby know that you can’t sugarcoat that much.
“How are we supposed to tell him?” Vekryn wonders amidst all the desperate memes on how to best convey the potential consumption in Warhammer. Yes, the hobby can certainly become expensive. But the good news is: It doesn’t have to!
If you really want to spend as little money as possible on the hobby, you can achieve that. You just have to take a tip from the community seriously and muster the necessary willpower – something I have long since failed at.
Don’t underestimate the threatening Pile of Shame
The tip that particularly stands out in the thread comes from MobileAlfalfa: “As long as you paint the figures before buying new ones, it can actually be managed well. They are expensive, but provide hours of entertainment.”
The Reddit user Morrsliebwatcher adds to this with the infamous “Pile of Shame,” referring to the “heap of shame” that can be understood as all the unpainted gray miniatures that are desperately waiting to finally experience the privilege of being painted.
If you consider the Pile of Shame and try to work through it slowly but surely before buying new miniatures, unnecessary money doesn’t need to be spent just to keep feeding this mountain and the shame.
Even better – try to avoid the Pile of Shame altogether when none has accumulated yet. Before buying a miniature, a different one must first be finished. Your conscience and your wallet will thank you.
Easier said than done, or rather: I have no control
MeinMMO editor Caro also finds it not easy: Unfortunately, I too am a victim of my Pile of Shame. I currently own (yes, I counted) 17 unpainted and 2 partially painted miniatures in all sizes and still can’t help but fantasize about the next creatures and characters that I absolutely want to paint.
However, I already know – I had to set a rule for myself. Therefore, I will only spend money on a miniature again when an existing one is finished. Whether that will work – we’ll see. But for now, I’m holding strong.
At least I’ve found a place for my finished minis:
More tips from the MeinMMO community
We have already received tips in our community to save a bit of money in the hobby, which we want to highlight here to reach even more miniature fans:
- VonGestern highlights the “Combat Patrol” magazine, through which you can obtain Space Marines and Tyranids at a significantly lower price.
- Horteo admits that the Warhammer tabletop is not one of the cheapest hobbies, but over a longer period it becomes acceptable. The entry hurdle can be expensive if you need to take care of supplies, but especially figure sets offer good entertainment-to-cost ratios.
- K personally recommends getting a 3D printer if you’re sure you want to devote a lot of time to the hobby. There are 3D files for minis online for many different tabletop systems, making printing your own figures significantly cheaper than buying them individually in stores. He also recommends checking second-hand platforms.
What do you think? Is Warhammer or painting miniatures in general an expensive hobby? Do you have a Pile of Shame like I do? And do you have any tips to save a bit? Let us know in the comments!
If you want to hear a few more saving tips from the MeinMMO editorial team, Warhammer expert and new miniature fan Benedict has gathered some tips for you: Warhammer is known as an extremely expensive hobby – Here’s how you can save a lot of money on your figures
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