Is TTRPGing an "Expensive Hobby"

[Lanefan]

There's some expense in getting the initial supplies - rule books, dice, board, minis, etc. - but nothing crazy.

Once you have those initial bits you're good to go for life, other than having to reload on pens and paper now and then.

 

[Cadence]

In case you were being serious, I would totally vote in that poll. I think it would be interesting to see the results, too.

Was serious about not doing it tonight but maybe tomorrow (final check in before bed). How would you phrase the questions?

Suggest that for your next D&D 5E game. See how well it goes over.

What’s technically the minimum isn’t really the minimum.

My son and his friends play from school using D&D beyond accounts on their phones. Not sure if all free ones or not (some are, my son has his character set up in a campaign world in my account so he gets a bit more access).

Good luck trying to round up 5-6 people to play those free games from DriveThru.

You’ll have better luck finding players for the expensive alternative.

What's the balance between the problem being some people having privilege for thinking it's a cheap hobby, and some people being spoiled and not being able to enjoy doing things on the cheap? . <- note smiley

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

I haven't paid for a book in over a decade. (the last book I bought was the 3.5 PHB) I've spent, maybe, $30 on dice over the last 20 30 years I've played.

It's all the beer and scotch I drink while playing that is expensive.

 

[MGibster]

In 1989, the AD&D 2nd edition Player's Handbook retailed for $18.00 which in today's purchasing power is equivalent to $44.73 in January of 2024. As hobbies go, it's always been a fairly inexpensive one.

I would argue that any hobby can be made expensive. One can spend upper three figures on an ultra-light tent and similar amounts on the ultra light sleeping bag and on top of the line versions of other backpacking gear. But one can also buy functional things for a lot less and be fully set to go reasonably backpacking for significantly less than the other person spent on just their tent (and that's without buying used).

I think you'd win that argument. While RPGs are fairly inexpensive, you can certainly spend a lot more by purchasing miniatures, making your own props, or just increasing your collection of RPGs like they're going out of style.

As far as laughing at a $50 price tag on a gaming book, I would wager that for almost all the folks with the leisure time to get over to and then wander through game stores, that they are laughing because they don't think this particular thing is worth the money, but that they spend amounts on other "luxury goods" that show that it wasn't the $50 (a couple going to the movies and getting popcorn?

I learned a long time ago that no matter how cool you think you're hobby or something you enjoy is, someone else thinks it's a waste. I can't fathom why anyone would pay $4+ dollars for a Starbucks coffee or $1,000 for a smartphone. But whatever. In my experience, most (not all) gamers are pretty solidly middle class and RPGs are very affordable. Now excuse me as I paint this $30 lance of Battletech miniatures I purchased last week.

 

[MichaelSomething]

One factor to consider is "use" vs "try."

If you use TTRPG books, they are a great value. $150 for 1,000 hours of play time (assuming 1 DM plus four players play a campaign(s) of 50 four hour sessions) is a great bargain.

If you're not gonna use them? Well then you're just paying for an idea, and you can find cheaper options for that.

Free RPG day was founded to help address that. Though my issue is more finding people to play with.

 

[dragoner]

It can get spendy, I have seen people drop a thousand on custom dice at gencon.

 

[Undrave]

I got like three sets (or was it four? I feel like I had a red set maybe it fell behind the shelving unit?) of polyhedral dice with little pouches at Dollarama for like... 4$ maybe? I forgot but it was super cheap. They don't have them anymore sadly.

You can use wrapping paper with squares on the back as maps. And pen and papers are cheap at dollar store and they have plenty of cheap game pieces you can get your hands on.

 

[Hussar]

TTRPGs cost virtually nothing. DriveThruRPG has plenty of full games available at no cost, complete with accessories, quickstart rules, and expansions. In many cases, you are only out the cost of pencils and paper (and maybe a set of dice.)

...or...

TTRPGs cost a literal fortune. Buying a set of 3 hardcover rulebooks for the latest top-selling game, brand new, from your local game store, plus a handbook, mini, set of dice, and a dice bag for each player, can easily be hundreds of dollars. Add in the cost of an internet connection, a subscription to Roll20 (or a license to FantasyGrounds) for each player, a battle mat, some 3D-printed terrain, and a full library of a dozen different splatbooks (in both print and electronic format), etc., and you're looking at thousands of dollars.

I'm somewhere in the middle.

Thousands? How?

Let's take D&D 5e. If I bought a fully licensed Fantasy Grounds, PHB, DMG and MM, Tasha's, Xanathar's, Modenkainen's, SCAG, plus the Adventures Bundle (Every WotC Module for 5e D&D)

FGU Ultimate: 149.00
D&D Essentials Bundle: 210.00
Adventure Bundle: (I'm eyeballing this because I don't feel like adding) 600.00

That's EVERYTHING D&D for just a bit under a 1000 dollars. Note, that's zero discounts.

Where on earth do you get "thousands" (plural)?

I suppose if you then bought everything physical as well, but, that's still only 2000 dollars. And not that many people would buy all of this. And it's certainly not needed or even expected.

 

[Parmandur]

And now you're making me vaugely consider sitting here for another few minutes instead of going to bed, so that I can set up a poll about how much we each spend on ttRPGs relative to our incomes with the thread title "Is TTRPGing an Expensive Hobby to You?".

Bed wins!

I buy basically all the WotC D&D books (skipped Acquisitions Incorporated) and a few other things annually: my annual outlay for RPG stuff is less than a single CostCo run, or about 20 metric Burritos .

 

[Parmandur]

Thousands? How?

Let's take D&D 5e. If I bought a fully licensed Fantasy Grounds, PHB, DMG and MM, Tasha's, Xanathar's, Modenkainen's, SCAG, plus the Adventures Bundle (Every WotC Module for 5e D&D)

FGU Ultimate: 149.00
D&D Essentials Bundle: 210.00
Adventure Bundle: (I'm eyeballing this because I don't feel like adding) 600.00

That's EVERYTHING D&D for just a bit under a 1000 dollars. Note, that's zero discounts.

Where on earth do you get "thousands" (plural)?

I suppose if you then bought everything physical as well, but, that's still only 2000 dollars. And not that many people would buy all of this. And it's certainly not needed or even expected.

I think to get to thousands, minis have to be involved.