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...if you live in the US, its because some kid hit it with all his incendiaries left over from Independence Day.

Anyway, the insurance company gives you $1000 to replace your gaming collection with. Because you and your -ing hobby.

So, you decide you want to replace the whole thing systematically with stuff you know you could play with for the rest of your life, that you would enjoy, but that you could fit into a really modest budget.

In a weird sense, that's kind of my situation now. Thus, 15mm Risk pieces to build the basics of Napoleonic, high fantasy and 40k armies, with a hundred or so 15mm characters and monsters to flesh the sets out https://www.alternative-armies.com/ Lots of flat terrain. REALLY ECONOMICAL rulebooks https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/177317/Swordsmen--Skeletons?term=swordsmen+%26+ mostly based around OGL games. Included among OGL, for me, is 40k 1e.


What would you get?

I’d get my professional arse in my hands, and take their “only $1k” BS head-on, and batter them into submission!

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
I’d get my professional arse in my hands, and take their “only $1k” BS head-on, and batter them into submission!

That's pretty typical. They'll tell you that you have a $500k policy but you read the fine print and it's like $5,000 limit on jewelry, $1,500 on firearms... Pretty sure the average person with a house worth insuring for $500k has more than $5k just in his wife's engagement ring and more than $1,500 in each firearm but maybe I'm alone there. I had to get appraisals and riders for anything I wanted covered above the policy limits on those items.

I’ve managed to argue my friends out of their mortgage via a health insurance claim in the past. A claim the insurer was trying to deny.

My Argue-Fu is strong 🤣🤣

A 3D printer,’stargrave and Horizon Wars. Simple games, with lots of scope to play a range of engagement scales. Maybe the battletech rules as well because you can print mechs so easily

Sorry to hear. After the derecho hit the Midwest, I had like $500 I could have claimed for spoiled groceries while the electrical grid was getting repaired. I haven't checked my policy in a while, but yeah, I used to be concerned about receipts (I still keep them), but it's more or less just an up to amount you can claim for whatevers beyond the actual property damage.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
I’d get my professional arse in my hands, and take their “only $1k” BS head-on, and batter them into submission!

Okay. So aliens beam up you're collection, take all you're money, and leave you with $1000. because you and your -ing hobby.

Work with me a little here


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Flinty wrote:
A 3D printer,’stargrave and Horizon Wars. Simple games, with lots of scope to play a range of engagement scales. Maybe the battletech rules as well because you can print mechs so easily

Three D printers I can understand. Surprised to hear battletech though. That game has a lot of staying power, even after so many years.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Adeptekon wrote:
Sorry to hear. After the derecho hit the Midwest, I had like $500 I could have claimed for spoiled groceries while the electrical grid was getting repaired. I haven't checked my policy in a while, but yeah, I used to be concerned about receipts (I still keep them), but it's more or less just an up to amount you can claim for whatevers beyond the actual property damage.

It isn't exactly that. More downsized income stream and downsized living quarters. Life throws ya' some curve balls.

But I really am having fun. The risk games and the Final Faction minis are a godsend.

In fact, just for others who may find themselves in a similar situation, or who just like cheap stuff. Here are some cool things with some notes. SOme I have posted elsewhere, but most of these have multiple uses. BEAR IN MIND all of this stuff is cheap, so you may need some painting and mideling skills to bring it all up to what you consider "snuff" but I'm quite happy:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0747QDHGV/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B0747QDHGV&pd_rd_w=4wPlz&content-id=amzn1.sym.386c274b-4bfe-4421-9052-a1a56db557ab&pf_rd_p=386c274b-4bfe-4421-9052-a1a56db557ab&pf_rd_r=AYG8PRQTVP511PTZNC20&pd_rd_wg=SMBHF&pd_rd_r=22fe19d6-1dd0-40e3-b126-af506cec6b64&s=toys-and-games&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWxfdGhlbWF0aWM&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzUTZHT0NFV0dRRUMwJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODA2NjQ3N00wVkRUS1RDWlhXJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA5MjcyNzQzQUZVUFQ3UFYxSkpSJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsX3RoZW1hdGljJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
^^Humans and monsters for 54mm horror games. On the human sized, I love the hazmat suited MIBs with their sonic(?) guns and WhatzitRay detectors. However, the aliens are useful in a lot of scales. A lot of them look very Lovecraftian, and could make giant or gargantuan sized monsters in apocalyptic 15 or 28mm games.

These guys I think re really nice for big monsters in 25mm fantasy, or giant monsters in 15mm fantasy. Dragons, giants, two headed trolls, really big griffins. I also decided I'd add some elementals into my present collection with the dwarfs (earth: brown spray paint, gold drybrush, orange eyes), sylphs (air: sky blue spray paint, silver drybrush, orange eyes), centaurs (water: blue spray paint, metallic green drybrush, white eyes, I know this one sounds weird, but since Poseidon was, for whatever reason, the god of horses...), and the fiery guy from the horror set (fire: red spray paint, gold drybrush, silver eyes). I'll have to do some trim on these (if I feel like it), but they'; but they'll work, and for a quarter apiece? https://www.amazon.com/SCS-Direct-Fantasy-Creatures-Playset/dp/B0746TKNSL/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=scs+direct+fantasy+figures&qid=1688533202&sprefix=scs+direct+fantasy%2Caps%2C101&sr=8-1 You can do what you want with giant wizards, etc., or just play the thing in 54mm.

Final Faction: This search focuses on the AT-4 Turret, but there are a lot of nice walkers that work well for Imperials, nids, orks, even Chaos. Nobody seems to like my idea of Churro the Eldar giant dog robot (ya buncha Philistines, but how can the mob appreciate great art?) https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=AB5stBjKu5KNduDrJHQScMNX95AFmrLF6g:1688534801711&q=final+faction+at4+turret&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj3z6-o6vb_AhWek4kEHdBbDt4Q0pQJegQIDBAB&biw=1366&bih=657&dpr=1


And of course, the different risk variants. I've focused in on LOTR for High Fantasy, 40k for... well... 40k, and the present Hasbro version for Napoleonics.

Since you get two to three hundred pieces a set, often in multiple poses for various uses, what's to complain about?

Lastly, Alternative Armies, from Scotland, are the best and usually the least expensive 15mm manufacturers I know of. Heroes and officers for not-40k, fantasy, Nappies and many other periods, as well as monsters. I especially love their Sengoku line of Japanese fantasy, which has snake, centipede, and spider lower bodies, which can be combined with human, Lizardman and bug upper bodies to make lots of variations of monsters. https://www.alternative-armies.com/collections/sengoku-15mm-japanese-fantasy?page=5

Anyway, there's my solution, it certainly won't be everybody's but I hope you all enjoy.




Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Adeptekon wrote:
Sorry to hear. After the derecho hit the Midwest, I had like $500 I could have claimed for spoiled groceries while the electrical grid was getting repaired. I haven't checked my policy in a while, but yeah, I used to be concerned about receipts (I still keep them), but it's more or less just an up to amount you can claim for whatevers beyond the actual property damage.

Gotta love insurance companies. They always hold out both hands to help.

Or is it only one finger?

There is a larger scale of engagement version of Battletech called Alpha Strike that is super streamlined. It’s good fun and the new range of stompy plastics are pretty cool. And you can print them for pennies basically.

First, to second Mad Doc: always argue with your insurance. You pay your premiums, they need to hold up their end. And will use any excuse/loophole/“error” to not pay. I work in medical billing, so homeowners/renters claims might be a little different. But always push back when you get an answer you don’t think it right.

$1k is woefully short of what I have.

First stop is getting dice back.
If my iPad is part of hobby budget, that’s next. This will get me access back to all the humble bundles/cloud stuff, or to download PDFs. And if I’m replacing books I already paid for, no shame in putting on a eye patch and getting copies from unofficial sources. And if I’m replacing my RPG collection, odds are it’s going to be digital, as much as I love paper books.
If it happened now, a leviathan box. Still enjoy 40k, and it’s a start getting my collection back up and running.
I’d not blow all the insurance money in one load. Wait for sales, discounts, etc. but a chunk would go into paints and supplies to start.

 Flinty wrote:
There is a larger scale of engagement version of Battletech called Alpha Strike that is super streamlined. It’s good fun and the new range of stompy plastics are pretty cool. And you can print them for pennies basically.

Sounds like good stuff! At the moment, I'm into my Final Faction $1.25 four inch tall minis where giant robots are concerned, but I might well try those rules out with them. Got a link?

If I'd lost all my existing minis stuff in a fire, I would probably quite the "hobby" entirely. I've amassed stuff for several decades, it's kind of irreplacable at this point. Might as well not bother and focus just on my music hobbies instead

You can get some pretty big historical armies for $1K. With that I could probably make a 28mm army with 5-10 units for a Greek Successor army, Greek Hoplite army, Persian/Sassanid army, and a Republican Roman force. That would keep me entertained for a long, long time.

I wonder if you treated your collection like a showcase and had a special room devoted to it like a museum if that would qualify for special insurrance.

 Adeptekon wrote:
I wonder if you treated your collection like a showcase and had a special room devoted to it like a museum if that would qualify for special insurrance.

I’m sure you could explicitly buy a rider for it. Might have to get it apprised, and defiantly pay an extra fee on your premiums. But would take a lot of the “what if” out of coverage.

 tauist wrote:
If I'd lost all my existing minis stuff in a fire, I would probably quite the "hobby" entirely. I've amassed stuff for several decades, it's kind of irreplacable at this point. Might as well not bother and focus just on my music hobbies instead

Yeah, I'd probably dump much of the hobby as well. Can't be rebuilt on a mere $1K, no point trying.

Rebuilding Battletech and D&D would be about as far as I could stretch a grand. WFB would be right out.

This is kinda the way it is with a lot of hobbies. The time, effort, and materials are irreplaceable.

I really appreciate your sympathy, gentlemen, though the insurance thing was really an analogy.

Still, it wouldn't be the first time an internet thread took on a life of it's own...

Cry havoc! Let loose the dogs of home owners insurance!

I’ll admit to having a axe to grind with insurance. I deal with people who are often misinformed and taken advantage of by the system on a regular basis, so anytime I can get on a soapbox to tell people to stand up and push back I do.

—

On topic:

I have shelves full of books and games that I will probably never play again, but have too much sentimental value to part with. Touchstones to my youth. If I lost them in a fire, I would not replace them. I’d be sad, but move on. It might be tempting to replace the multiple versions of old games with a modern copy. Battletech especially comes to mind. I’m interested, but so many other things are above it in the budget. But drop a lump sum of cash on me? Impulse control might bend a little.

I’ve been half-heartedly working on my undead army. I paint about a unit for it a year. Would I replace them? Probably not. And my chaos force that was never updated past 6th edition? No way.

I’m not even sure I’d replace my Eldar, and I’m quite fond of them. Might take the opportunity to start the Tau army I never did because mechanically it would have been very similar to my elves (mechanized infantry with tank support)

 Nevelon wrote:
I’ll admit to having a axe to grind with insurance. I deal with people who are often misinformed and taken advantage of by the system on a regular basis, so anytime I can get on a soapbox to tell people to stand up and push back I do.

All's well. If ya can't hate insurance companies, well, who can ya hate?

I'd replace my D&D books, my dice, several boardgames, and then invest anything left in a good 3d printer.

The D&D books are:
1e
DMG, PHB, UA, MM1, MM2, FF, D&DG
5E
DMG, PHB, MM, Xanathars, Volos, Tasha
Pathfinder 1
Core book, ult combat, ult magic, ult Adventure, & Bestiaries 1-3.
I don't need mint copies of any of these & I already know I could replace them reasonably cheaply.
I could happily spend the rest of my life running & playing RPGs.

Boardgames..... hmmm,, wich ones.....

Ongoing income + that 3d printer will then have me back into minis gaming in relatively short order.
It couldnt possibly completely replace a 35 year collection, but I'd still be back in business in time for our next campaign/Crusade/League.
And things would grow anew from there.

Hm... while a tremendous amount of Suck, it would come with not insignificant relief at my backlog of projects being wiped clean. I'd probably look to set my mind to one of the projects I never started because I didn't have room.

.... well. I guess if you can't paint your way out of the back log, you now have another viable option!

ccs wrote:
I'd replace my D&D books, my dice, several boardgames, and then invest anything left in a good 3d printer.

The D&D books are:
1e
DMG, PHB, UA, MM1, MM2, FF, D&DG
5E
DMG, PHB, MM, Xanathars, Volos, Tasha
Pathfinder 1
Core book, ult combat, ult magic, ult Adventure, & Bestiaries 1-3.
I don't need mint copies of any of these & I already know I could replace them reasonably cheaply.
I could happily spend the rest of my life running & playing RPGs.

Boardgames..... hmmm,, wich ones.....

Ongoing income + that 3d printer will then have me back into minis gaming in relatively short order.
It couldnt possibly completely replace a 35 year collection, but I'd still be back in business in time for our next campaign/Crusade/League.
And things would grow anew from there.

This may sound weird for a gamer, but one of the things I prize most about my gaming collection, is that it consists completely of cheap stuff. Lots of tokens, lots of 15mm plastic miniatures, many of them from Risk games, and all of my books are printed from online.

So, would their loss bug me? Yeah, but not much. Everything could be physically replaced within a week or so, and paining wise? Maybe a month to six weeks.