Annual RPG and Games Budget?

[ccs]

I'll run out of space before I run out of budget.

$ wise? I have a monthly "gaming" budget of $300.
It goes into a separate account. If the funds aren't there, the gaming thing in question doesn't happen (that month).

That amount might seem excessive on a monthly basis,, but it mostly feeds my miniature wargaming habit & then anything not spent gets rolled into paying for GenCon each year (mostly the hotel bill & usually in full).

D&D/rpgs take up very little of the budget. Maybe a book every few months (WotC doesn't always publish stuff im interested in). I'm not playing anything but 5e atm, so no real need for new PF etc. And I rarely buy 3pp stuff....

The miniature wargaming.
How much gets spent really depends upon what the groups playing at the moment. The budgets been set high mostly to accommodate Games Workshop & their crazy prices should they release something new i want.
The funds also go into crafting terrain, paint/supplies, upgrading my carry cases. Etc etc etc.
This year building a table....
Soon custom building a shelving/cabinet system.
Next year likely investing in a 3d printer....

And like I said, anything not spent by Aug each year helps fund my trip to GenCon.
Spending on gaming stuff* while at GC still comes out of the Gaming fund though....
*food does not count. I'd have eaten that $ wherever I'm at, so....

 

[R_J_K75]

That amount might seem excessive on a monthly basis,, but it mostly feeds my miniature wargaming habit & then anything not spent gets rolled into paying for GenCon each year (mostly the hotel bill & usually in full).

And like I said, anything not spent by Aug each year helps fund my trip to GenCon.
Spending on gaming stuff* while at GC still comes out of the Gaming fund though....
*food does not count. I'd have eaten that $ wherever I'm at, so....

I've always wanted to go to Gen Con, but never got around to it. Could never find anyone to go with or was just never set it up. On the average how much does it cost to attend on a moderate budget? Im not talking about staying in a lavish hotel, eating steak and lobster & drinking Cristal every night, but I also dont want to pitch a tent next to the dumpster outside of the convention hall.

 

[Stefano Rinaldelli]

A few years ago I looked around my gaming room and it was filled with board games, miniature games and roleplaying books that I had bought but never used or read other than a quick look to check if everything was in good condition.

I decided to do a big clean up. Anything that wasn't a cherished classic and unused for the last year was sold, given away or put in the recycling bin. That was all fine but how does one cure his gaming bulemia?

First I establish a «hard» annual gaming budget. The money made from games sold goes back in the annual budget. The idea is to cycle the money and spend less than the annual budget, if I can.

Secondly, I decided that each time I used a game it would equal a pay back of $25 in leisure time per session. This includes reading the rules, the setting and session prep time. I keep tabs of game use with a post-it on the inside cover. Wasting my time on forums discussing rules does not count.

Third, I can only buy a new game if I fully reimbursed myself for one other game.

Four, space. I have two booksleves. Everything has to fit in there. Nothing hidden in closets or in the basement. If it doesn't fit it means I have too many games for a single man to enjoy!

I have been doing this for a few years and it works for me.

How do you curb your game buying enthusiasm?

I'm considering to connect two adiacent apartments and use the second as storage.

 

[pogre]

I don't have a monthly budget. If I am stoked for a particular game - I buy a ton of stuff for it, frequently the whole line. However, there are months where I buy absolutely nothing. Fortunately, the last couple of Dwarven Forge Kickstarters have not tripped my trigger. I also hold back on buying miniatures unless I can at least put them next in line to go on the painting desk.

Right now I am running 5e, but I do not pick up every book. On the other hand, I am also running a WFRP game and I pick up everything for that game. I also picked up all the rules for Muskets and Tomahawks - painting a Native American Indian force for French & Indian War. When they are done I will do some French, and finally some British with colonial allies. Part of my policy of only buying minis that can be next in line for the painting desk kept me from buying two armies for the game right out of the gate.

If I do not play a game for a while I usually sell it. Not a collector when it comes to books and games - just minis and terrain.

So, I spend a lot of money (to me) when I am fired up about a game, because I know there will be a few months out of the year when I buy nothing.

 

[TarionzCousin]

My current solution is to convince my wife to allow me to buy yet another cabinet.

How is that working out?

 

[ccs]

I've always wanted to go to Gen Con, but never got around to it. Could never find anyone to go with or was just never set it up. On the average how much does it cost to attend on a moderate budget? Im not talking about staying in a lavish hotel, eating steak and lobster & drinking Cristal every night, but I also dont want to pitch a tent next to the dumpster outside of the convention hall.

A full 4 day badge (Thur/Fri/Sat/Sun) for 2020 would've cost $113 this year.
After that you buy tickets to each game/etc. Prices vary from around $5 on up - really depends what your playing/doing....
I imagine it'll probably be similar in 2021. Though it won't surprise me if there's a price hike.
(this assumes we'll be going to GC of course....)

The dealers room - most current/recent stuff is about MSRP. But it really depends what your looking to spend $ on.

Food - Indianapolis has every lv of food. Especially right down town near the convention center. You can survive on pure Steak & Shake, blow insane amounts nightly at the steak houses, or anything in-between.
I don't really spend anything more food wise at GC than I would here at home.

Housing:
You can save $ by going through the GC Housing program. Very popular option.
I don't use this feature as they've royally screwed things up a few times for me. And although that was a good # of years ago now, I'm very dwarf like in how long I can hold a grudge.... So I do it the more expensive way that I know works & cuts out one more point of SNAFU.

Indianapolis & the surrounding areas has every lv of housing option you want. There is NO shortage of rooms.
How much you'll pay depends upon where you stay, how close to the convention you want to be, & the rooms selected. The further away you stay the more reasonable the rates - but you then need transport to & from, & possibly parking fees.
Right down town? Expen$ive to hella expen$$ive (JW Marriot - it's a nice place, but you're not really spending enough time in that room to justify that amount of $ -IMO. And if you are? Then your not enjoying GC.). And of course GC counts as being an "event" meaning things like Marriot points etc can rarely be redeemed....
On the north side? And out by the airport? You can find all your budget hotels - Holiday Inn, Red Roof, etc
Me? I'm old, lazy, & well funded. They park my car, I walk across the street, & game. So my favorite is the Marriot Downtown right across the street from the convention center - glancing at the Marriot site shows $500/night at the Marriot Downtown atm (that's still cheaper than the JW). But I've done it cheaper than that.

 

[pogre]

How is that working out?

So I made a deal with my wife a few years ago. She got to get a cat she really wanted and I got the biggest room in our house to use as a game room. She recently commented she did not realize that meant I would be buying a curio cabinet every six months to put more minis and terrain in. But, a deal is a deal!

 

[R_J_K75]

A full 4 day badge (Thur/Fri/Sat/Sun) for 2020 would've cost $113 this year.
After that you buy tickets to each game/etc. Prices vary from around $5 on up - really depends what your playing/doing....
I imagine it'll probably be similar in 2021. Though it won't surprise me if there's a price hike.
(this assumes we'll be going to GC of course....)

The dealers room - most current/recent stuff is about MSRP. But it really depends what your looking to spend $ on.

Food - Indianapolis has every lv of food. Especially right down town near the convention center. You can survive on pure Steak & Shake, blow insane amounts nightly at the steak houses, or anything in-between.
I don't really spend anything more food wise at GC than I would here at home.

Housing:
You can save $ by going through the GC Housing program. Very popular option.
I don't use this feature as they've royally screwed things up a few times for me. And although that was a good # of years ago now, I'm very dwarf like in how long I can hold a grudge.... So I do it the more expensive way that I know works & cuts out one more point of SNAFU.

Indianapolis & the surrounding areas has every lv of housing option you want. There is NO shortage of rooms.
How much you'll pay depends upon where you stay, how close to the convention you want to be, & the rooms selected. The further away you stay the more reasonable the rates - but you then need transport to & from, & possibly parking fees.
Right down town? Expen$ive to hella expen$$ive (JW Marriot - it's a nice place, but you're not really spending enough time in that room to justify that amount of $ -IMO. And if you are? Then your not enjoying GC.). And of course GC counts as being an "event" meaning things like Marriot points etc can rarely be redeemed....
On the north side? And out by the airport? You can find all your budget hotels - Holiday Inn, Red Roof, etc
Me? I'm old, lazy, & well funded. They park my car, I walk across the street, & game. So my favorite is the Marriot Downtown right across the street from the convention center - glancing at the Marriot site shows $500/night at the Marriot Downtown atm (that's still cheaper than the JW). But I've done it cheaper than that.

Im borderline agoraphobic, part jerk, & semi dependent on hops and barley. I appreciate the detailed response but I think it solidified what I already knew. Theyd probably kick me out of Gen Con. But I'll be there in spirit...for good or for ill.

 

[Retreater]

Over the years, I have spent too much and accumulated too much. Reading this has encouraged me to set some limits.
Honestly, with the pandemic going on, I'm gaming more than usual, but I'm not even touching most of the stuff I've bought: new systems when my groups want to play familiar games, board games when no one is getting together physically, etc. I don't need to get "everything."

 

[R_J_K75]

Over the years, I have spent too much and accumulated too much. Reading this has encouraged me to set some limits.
Honestly, with the pandemic going on, I'm gaming more than usual, but I'm not even touching most of the stuff I've bought: new systems when my groups want to play familiar games, board games when no one is getting together physically, etc. I don't need to get "everything."

Im with you I know what youre getting at. I sold alot of RPGs...and guitars, and regretted it keep the really good ones, otherwise get rid of it.