Your Priorities when evaluating units for purchasing?

[Qaz]

When seeing the model the first time:

1. That looks cool

2. Does wallet approve

When trying to play said model:

1. Does wallet approve

2. Does model look cool

3. Does it play well with said model

[Nin Win]

2 hours ago, Brad Gamma said:

1) Am I going to finish it?

As soon as I started tracking what I bought and what I actually finished, I realised I was only finishing around 25%. From what I have seen from other hobbyists this is not an uncommon scenario.

This is brilliant.  Taking this sort of inventory can be hard.  When I finally did it, it was the best move ever.  My finishing rate was around 33%.  Now it's 95%.  I never would have done what I needed to do to get there without first discovering what was going on.

For anyone who is factoring price or savings of a bundle or any of those things into consideration, I would encourage them to calculate the cost of what they actually take through the full collect-build-paint-play cycle by dividing the number of those items into the cost of all hobby purchases.  Find out the real cost of your hobby purchases.

I think avoiding building too big of a back log has become so habitual that I forgot to list in it my process of deciding what to buy.  I really do think about when I will get to something, but for some reason that just didn't come to mind when I made my list in the original post.  I even recently decided not to get something just because I wouldn't get to it in the next few months without stopping working on something I am really enjoying.

[Planar]

That triptych of coolness/ aesthetics /background is also my main criteria when buying new models.

I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised by the responses so far

I wonder if this is a real trent (people buying based on coolness/  aesthetics/ background of units) or if it is a biased picture due to the  specificity of the people hanging around TGA (i.e.TGA crowd not being an accurate representation of the average gamer in terms of buying choices)

[Mayple]

1. Does it look good?

2. Is it a rat?

3. Could it become a rat?

4. Can I cannibalize it's parts/weapons for my rats?

[flemingmma]

Models per dollar

Conversion potential

Bits

[Ghark]

27 minutes ago, Planar said:

I wonder if this is a real trent (people buying based on coolness/  aesthetics/ background of units) or if it is a biased picture due to the  specificity of the people hanging around TGA (i.e.TGA crowd not being an accurate representation of the average gamer in terms of buying choices)

That's what I was thinking too reading this thread

50 minutes ago, Nin Win said:

For anyone who is factoring price or savings of a bundle or any of those things into consideration, I would encourage them to calculate the cost of what they actually take through the full collect-build-paint-play cycle by dividing the number of those items into the cost of all hobby purchases.  Find out the real cost of your hobby purchases.

Interesting topic. Could you elaborate more on this please? I have the unfortunate tendancy of buying every big bundle being released which could intered me in the future because 'it saves money' and thus having a huuuuuge backlog ?

Back on topic :

1 - Does it look cool ? I usually like to collect every unit an army can offer. The only units I don't buy are the one that I find 'ugly' (IMHO) even if it restricts me in list building. For example I play Ironjawz but the black orcs look so outdate to me next to the brutes that I don't want to collect them. Same thing with zombies for my Death Army.

2 - Do I have the place to store it ? I have been in the hobby for fifteen years. And for me, space is as important as time to practice the hobby.

My two cents.

[Overread]

@Planar its my experience that the online world can be very vocal but often represents only a tiny fraction of the real world. In fact many clubs might only have one or two who actually look around online and engage with any of the online community; so there is certainly some heavy bias in the active forum talking community. 

 

 

For me the choice is based on several things

Price, looks, lore, appeal, if I own one already, etc...

There's no catch-all criteria that applies to all purchases. 

In general I try to build around army lists/viable army collections. Even though I'm casual in playing I like to be able to use what I own. As a result knowing what can and can't legally and practically fit into an army list is important for me when making purchase choices. There's no point in me buying, for example, 10 pheonix if I can never actually use all 10. As a result I'd likely buy several and then diversify to buy other things. If I REALLY like a model I might buy more under the understanding that it might never see tabletop except in an extreme situation (though this is rare - heck I really love the angelus model from Hordes Everblight, yet I only own 2 of them, though I've wanted a 3rd for a long while). 

Price is important too, cheaper things are more likely to get bought closer to a whim whilst more expensive models generally require saving up for; which can mean that I end up getting a lot of cheaper stuff first and then aim for that expensive model later. 

Lore comes into it too, though for a lesser extent and, for me, is more something I keep at army/faction level rather than just at individual model level. So its more likely to make me buy into a whole faction in itself (for me far more so than rules)

Rules - for me the most important isn't so much the units power on the tabletop, but its actual legality on the tabletop. Ergo has the army/model got rules and is it likely to remain getting rules for a long period. Ergo is it going to remain part of the game for a long while. If yes then I'm happy, if no then I might avoid it. Even if its rules are not fantastic it still means I can legally use it within a friendly game; whilst if it has no rules at all the number of opponents I can play it with drops dramatically.

Material - I try to avoid finecast and if given the chance and there are some plastics out there I dislike (Privateer Press standard plastic isn't great to work with in my view). I certainly prefer GW plastic, metal and resins in general. This does influence my purchasing, less so with GW now as much of most ranges is in metal whilst the finecast is limited to specific heroes more so;' whilst where its still used for a troop I kind of hold out now waiting for a plastic kit (GW Still waiting for that plastic pyro/biovore kit!) 

Do I own it already - might mean I get something else or if I really enjoyed building and using and making it then I might get more. So a bit of a varied one here. It also depends on if I'm building things with any theme/armylist in mind or if I'm just collecting/expanding. 

[Nin Win]

56 minutes ago, Ghark said:

Interesting topic. Could you elaborate more on this please? I have the unfortunate tendancy of buying every big bundle being released which could intered me in the future because 'it saves money' and thus having a huuuuuge backlog ?

Well, the basics of it is that we usually have a large backlog that grows and grows.  If it grows faster than we get to it then it's safe to assume that much of it will never be used.  But let's worry less about that now and instead get a snap shot of where we are.  Or maybe don't.  If you do want to do something drastic, it's at the end of the post in spoilers.

What if your back log could become your store?  What if instead of getting excited about some new release or whatever, you went into your bag log and "shopped" there.  You can buy stuff from yourself for free (!) and get it on the hobby table to build and paint and get it into a game.  You obviously like the stuff you have, so your back log is like a custom store stocked full of stuff you like enough to get.  Go shopping there.  It'll be awesome.  If you've been building your back log long enough, you may even rediscover treasures you have forgotten about.

For each thing you look at, hold it in your hands and ask yourself if it really is something that will bring you joy.  If the answer isn't a clear YES!, then set it aside in a different pile to be sold.  This will help you discover the things you only bought because they were a good deal and probably never truly intended on every getting to.

Now buying new stuff is fun.  And if you've made it a habbit, that can be hard to break.  So don't just try to stop.  What about instead you let yourself spend half the cost of everything you build, paint and play for the first time in the previous month.  Paint a start collecting box and a couple squad boxes and get a game in?  Then you can buy yourself another start collecting priced item.  This will still be a pretty inefficient way to get through your backlog but it's a step in the right direction.  And if you sell something you didn't really truly want, then feel free to spend that on new stuff two.  The loss from just getting less than retail for used stuff will mean your backlog will still shrink.

And remember, the thing that usually makes the biggest difference is actually the thing you think will make the smallest difference.  So just regular 10-15 minutes a day of hobbying will probably do more for getting miniatures painted than finding entire weekends to work on stuff.

If taking a big inventory seems too daunting, then just dig a bit and find something you don't recognize.  Deal with that (paint it up and play with it or sell it or give it away) and then once you're done, go grab another thing out of the backlog.  No reason to spend an entire week digging through things and figuring out your true cost of what has actually hit the table if that'll just cause more problems than it will solve.

 

Take a true inventory.  Dig everything out of your back log and write down (or type it into a spreadsheet or something)  If you can also figure out what you paid for it, that'd be cool to.  If not you can get a general idea of what you paid for everything.  Put that next to each item in your list/spreadsheet.

Now take just the things that you have hobbied with.  For the sake of completeness lets assume that if you collected it, built it, painted it and played with it, you've got your bases covered.  So what is the cost in your local currency of all the stuff you have actually done all those things with?

Now the scary part.  Take the stuff you actually have gotten the full build-paint-play experience and divide that into what you have paid for everything, including your backlog.  That's your real cost per miniature of your fully realised hobby.

It may seem like you're getting a great deal on each big bundle you get, but if you only use two sprues out of a box of 10, what is the real cost of that single unit you built?  The cost of the entire bundle.  The rest just sits there and if you're piling stuff on it faster than you're getting to, it'll sit there indefinitely.

[chord]

1. Do I have anything else to paint?  if so don't buy anything (had to do this)
2. Is it cool looking and go with my armies?
3. Is it affordable?
4. Is it easy to paint?
5. Are the rules decent for it?

[Ghark]

1 hour ago, Nin Win said:

Well, the basics of it is that we usually have a large backlog that grows and grows.  If it grows faster than we get to it then it's safe to assume that much of it will never be used.  But let's worry less about that now and instead get a snap shot of where we are.  Or maybe don't.  If you do want to do something drastic, it's at the end of the post in spoilers.

[...]

  Reveal hidden contents

Take a true inventory.  Dig everything out of your back log and write down (or type it into a spreadsheet or something)  If you can also figure out what you paid for it, that'd be cool to.  If not you can get a general idea of what you paid for everything.  Put that next to each item in your list/spreadsheet.

Now take just the things that you have hobbied with.  For the sake of completeness lets assume that if you collected it, built it, painted it and played with it, you've got your bases covered.  So what is the cost in your local currency of all the stuff you have actually done all those things with?

Now the scary part.  Take the stuff you actually have gotten the full build-paint-play experience and divide that into what you have paid for everything, including your backlog.  That's your real cost per miniature of your fully realised hobby.

It may seem like you're getting a great deal on each big bundle you get, but if you only use two sprues out of a box of 10, what is the real cost of that single unit you built?  The cost of the entire bundle.  The rest just sits there and if you're piling stuff on it faster than you're getting to, it'll sit there indefinitely.

Thank you very much sir for your very elaborate post. Actually you gave me plenty idea about handling my huuuge backlog in a better way,  your input is really appreciated

And yes you're espacially right about this one... :

1 hour ago, Nin Win said:

Now buying new stuff is fun.  And if you've made it a habbit, that can be hard to break

So you know what, today is my first step towards a lighter backlog and eventually less mental pressure regarding all the things I have to paint ?

[Dead Scribe]

1) Is it legal for my army to use it

2) does it improve how powerful my army is and will it help me be viably competitive at the highest levels of play.

I don't care about the rest.  What it does in the stories or what it looks like is not a concern of mine.  I'd be happy to play with wooden pogs.

[grungolah]

1 hour ago, Dead Scribe said:

1) Is it legal for my army to use it

2) does it improve how powerful my army is and will it help me be viably competitive at the highest levels of play.

I don't care about the rest.  What it does in the stories or what it looks like is not a concern of mine.  I'd be happy to play with wooden pogs.

Unfortunately, GW strongly advises against using wooden pogs, as that would confuse your opponent. 

[Dead Scribe]

This is true!  So I use their models instead   lol

[I Ate A Bug]

As my first post, this will set the tone for my future time on this forum.

Is it Snotlings?

All other considerations are secondary.

 

[Carnelian]

Is it awesome? Can I add it to an existing army for casual games? Do I want to paint it? I need a yes to all of that. 

[MagisterCrow]

Hrm...I am just starting, so I’m looking to build the core of what will be my army soon. My order goes something like this:

1) Will I have fun playing it? I picked Legions of Nagash because I ❤️ necromancy. I want to be the necromantic might at the center of a disposable army I probably picked up by slaughtering the village over or raiding a barrow. Hence, skeleton hordes that never seem to end.

2) Fluff. I’m a storyteller, so I love me some good plot and lore. I can get behind being part of the army of the First Necromancer, God of Death, and maybe even playing as him. Also why I dig the new Nighthaunt stuff. I like the idea that each model has a story of why they’re restless sprits.

3) Do I like to look at them? This is why I cannot do Nurgle. Like, I get why people like Nurgle forces, I get that they are well modeled, but I can’t actually look at them too long without getting queasy. Which is the point, I suppose, so props to GW for that. On the flip side, even if I never play Nighthaunt (unlikely), I want Reikenor because he looks so gooooooooooood. Also Deepkin and Daughters of Khaine for similar reasons.

[Mephisto]

28 minutes ago, MagisterCrow said:

3) Do I like to look at them? This is why I cannot do Nurgle. Like, I get why people like Nurgle forces, I get that they are well modeled, but I can’t actually look at them too long without getting queasy. Which is the point, I suppose, so props to GW for that. 

The trypophobia is supreme with Nurgle models.

[Ollie Grimwood]

1. Can I stick an Orruk head on it 

that’s it really 

[Nin Win]

1 hour ago, MagisterCrow said:

I ❤️ necromancy

Text for a t-shirt?

 

[Waiyuren]

1) Does it look cool/thematic?

2) Is it best in slot after the above is taken into account?

3) Can i aquire it/convert it cheaply?

[MrZakalwe]

1) Do I want it for my army.

2) Will I be able to motivate myself to build and paint it. 

 

I try to keep to this simple checklist but I sometimes fail (and currently 30 grey plastic white lions stare judgmentally from my painting table). 

[jjb070707]

My main rational is that of a painter/hobbyist, but i refuse to play "BAD" models for purely ascetic purposes. It isn't fair to my opponent to be playing against a poorly thought out or intentionally optimized list unless it is clear beforehand that the army is only for visual purposes, and there is nothing fun about losing a match when you know you are purposely giving yourself a disadvantage in matched play, those situations ought to be reserved for open play.

1) Do I have an idea for painting this model?

2) Do I currently have an army that can utilize or display this model in action?

3) Is it an efficient or at least middleground choice for the role that it provides on the tabletop?

4) Do I have the time right now to prepare the model(s) for the painting table?

If I answer yes to those things, and I still have funds in my monthly "disposable income" column, I usually buy and assemble immediately in store and transport home to begin the painting process.

 

[Bufkin]

I’ve learned over the years that if:

• the models are really nice to paint but bad on the board I will paint maybe 1-2 of the box but won’t have the energy to get a full unit painted.

• they are really good but boring to paint I will probably never paint them.

Since there are so many models that are both nice to paint and good on the table I try to get models that fulfill both criteria.

I try to at least, but I like everyone else suffer from “I must have it” syndrome….

[Kirjava13]

Based on my purchasing history for the last eight months, apparently the thing that determines what I buy is, "Is it shiny, new and tasty?"

And that is all.

[grungolah]

7 hours ago, Kirjava13 said:

Based on my purchasing history for the last eight months, apparently the thing that determines what I buy is, "Is it shiny, new and tasty?"

And that is all.

By that standard, most of my purchases fall under "Is it used, broken, and on a square base?"