More on Gaming Economics and Hobby work

I have made a lot of noise about how we don't care what you all use for your game miniatures, and its entirely up to you for a variety of creative and/or economic reasons. What I have NOT done much of, is discuss how you might go about doing this, so I thought Id present some ideas (as though you crafty vets don’t already know or have plans, you cheeky monkeys you ;) ). These can be boiled down to just a couple of different decisions honestly. Sourcing and the level of effort that you don't mind engaging in. Sourcing first:

Sourcing

Ok this is simple, get your miniatures however you can, although frankly this list is short and sweet:

1) Brick and mortar hobby shop.

This place is great because they know you and you know them. Players typically have a working knowledge of their favorite shoppes on hand inventory and can take advantage of old, unsupported, or unpopular miniature lines at a discount because the owners want to get them the hell out of their shop.

2) Ebay/Auction sites

Dicier than a brick and mortar because you usually have greater variety of choice, but you never know who you are bidding against. Its entirely possibly that you are going to pay next to nothing, or you'll end up over paying for second hand gear. You never really know until you’re there.

3) List sites - Craigslist

Similar to Ebay, but minus the drama of bidding against strangers, instead, with all the strangeness that goes along with dealing with Craigslist sellers.There are deals to be had here if you look, are persistent, and most people are cool. You lose a lot of flexibility because you are stuck with simply whatever is being posted and your ability to negotiate.

Now, on to Level of Effort.

The spectrum of effort really falls between “No effort at all” and “Screw it, Im sculpting everything myself”. Typically players fall closer to the former rather than the latter. In practical terms however, this is more often about old versus new. The least level of effort in building a force is really in purchasing a brand new, already constructed and painted force from someone else. You basically just unbox it and go straight to the table. Pros - easiest thing ever. Tons of purchasing options, and a lot commission painters around the world ready to do amazing work. Cons - ITs expensive as get out, but thats the trade off, money for work. Simple enough. At the other end of the spectrum is rehabilitating old models, pre-painted models, models with missing pieces or even constructed models from scratch from the depths of your bits box. Pros - Completely custom force, it looks exactly the way you want it, and no one else can truly replicate it. Cons - it requires time and effort and skill, things that not everyone has.

However you decide to build your Aggressor forces just remember - if you don't have the resources to purchase the brand new heavy armor variant, there is no reason you can’t trade off the lack of funds with the use of skill, ability and resourcefulness.

~Salty Ben