What is a realistic figure cost? Are we being subsidised?

[fsn]

 

[Techno]

May I suggest you get a feel for what we really want? What we really, really want? For example, would we (the loyal customers) stand for fewer poses? I'm not consistent here. I want a bit of life in my barbarians and post 1900 figures, and will stand some variety in the ACW, but I really, really want only one pose in my Napoleonic units. (Charles Grant be praised!)

FSN brings up a very interesting point there.

Much easier for Leon to 'get his money back' and start making a profit on some ranges than it is on others, as his design costs will/could be so much smaller.
I haven't gone into this properly, and as you know I very rarely get the chance to actually game so you'll have to help here.

With figures like 'command groups'.....Are these sold at an equivalent price to the figures that form the bulk of any army ?
I only ask, as I charge Leon the same for a new 'leader/standard bearer/musician/whatever' as I do for a 'grunt' in whatever pose and with whatever weaponry he carries.
(It's far simpler to do it this way.....If I charged an 'hourly rate', I'd be charging Leon far more for certain figures.....They take me a lot longer to make...Sometimes at least twice as long. But it's swings and roundabouts and it all sort of balances itself up in the end.)

Fairly apparent, even to me, that folk won't be buying platoons of 'chiefs'.......So it will take Leon far, far longer to break even on figures such as these.
By their very nature you won't need as many of these in whatever army you're going to be gaming with.
BUT.....They've got to be made....The army has to have at least one command group.....Yes ?
OK.....The 'grunts', in a way, subsidize the design costs on command packs.

But should items such as those mentioned above be priced higher than others ?.....Are they ?

Just thought I'd throw that in (and show my ignorance again.)

Cheers - Phil.

[Hertsblue]

Most makes of figures either sell their command packs at a higher price or sell them at the same price but with fewer figures than the "grunt" packs. The last seems the best course since, as Phil points out, one needs far less of the command groups.  Sod's Law, however, always dictates that, however many command groups you need, you will always have one or two left over. 

[fsn]

Command groups are an interesting area. Take a British Napoleonic battalion. You will only ever want 2 ensigns. If you have a 12 figure battn - 2 flags. 48 figure bttn - 2 colours max. However, you may choose to have a variable number of officers. for a 12 fig bttn, probably one will suffice, but by the time you get to a 48 fig bttn then you'll probably want to pepper the ranks with a few more officers. You may also want to give your light infantry buglers rather than drummers.

I'd be more than happy if command figures were sold in say packs of 5 and at a higher (slightly) per figure cost.

I haven't dipped my toe into Pendraken Napoleonics yet, but am somewhat daunted by the "30 figures" tag. Presumably this includes command figures, but how many? It doesn't matter how many, because the figure will be wrong for someone's (probably most people's) wants. I foresee my 40 figure bttns creating a long line of out of work ensigns.   

[Hertsblue]

It's even worse than that for the French, fsn. After 1809 Napoleon decreed that his infantry should carry only one eagle per regiment (i.e. 2 - 4 battalions). I can predict entire forests of redundant eagles.

[fsn]

Thanks for that cheering thought.

[sebigboss79]

No need to be that elaborate (Command Groups). Look at GW (in dismay if you prefer).

It also depends on

-prospective sales
-usability of the unit ("good" units are more expensive than "not so good" ones although same amount of material, packaging etc.)

So imho special packs like Command groups should be more expensive (you need less) and/ or contain less figures. I think that is only fair.

[fsn]

Take your 4 bttn 1812 French regiment.

At 12 figures per bttn you'd want perhaps 1 officer, 1 drummer per bttn + 1 standard: 4 officers, 4 drummers, 1 ensign and 39 privates.
At 20 figures per bttn you'd want maybe 2 officers, 1 drummers per bttn + 1 standard: 8 officers, 4 drummers, 1 ensign and 67 privates.
At 42 figures per bttn, each company could have an officer and a drummer/bugler: 24 officers, 18 drummers, 6 buglers, still only 1 ensign plus bags of privates.

If a command pack is (I'm using Pendraken ACW command here) 5 officers, 5 drummers and 5 ensigns you need:

1 pack for the 12 fig bttns, with 6 spare
2 packs for the 20 fig bttns, with 17 spare
5 packs for the 42 fig bttns with 26 spare.

Using the 5 figs of one type pack, you'd need 3, 4 and 12 x 5 figure packs with 5, 7 & 11 spare. Much more efficient!

[sebigboss79]

And if the packs were designed "per unit" ? 

But then someone like me would say that they only want this and that and that it is inconvenient.... ergo: No matter what you do someone will want it different. And I am sure within reason Leon is all ears about "special wishes".

Must say I once asked him to do an "only pulse rifles" SF2 pack for me.

[fsn]

I was suggesting a flexible alternative to a "unit" pack. The 30 pack for infantry figures and packs of 5 officers, drummers, ensigns and buglers. That would make for example, 5 codes for French Peninsula Napoleonic Line Infantry rather than 1, but hey, I can live with that. 

[sebigboss79]

Indeed, one alternative of many. 

[quasar42]

For example, would we (the loyal customers) stand for fewer poses? I'm not consistent here. I want a bit of life in my barbarians and post 1900 figures, and will stand some variety in the ACW, but I really, really want only one pose in my Napoleonic units. (Charles Grant be praised!)

I like variety in all of the ranges. I think it's one of Pendraken's great competitive differentiators that makes it stand out from other manufacturers. If anything the Nap ranges could use even more variety, if I compare them to some of the other ranges (AWI, ACW, FCW, WWII). It's what brings an army to life and distinguishes it from just a line of tin men. I would be happy to pay more for more "exotic poses or figures" of a given range.

[Orcs]

I would be happy to pay more for more "exotic poses or figures"

i recomment Ground Zero Games "Gentlemens Collection " if you want "exotic" poses , or possibly  though you are just on the wrong forum 

[sebigboss79]

i recomment Ground Zero Games "Gentlemens Collection " if you want "exotic" poses , or possibly  though you are just on the wrong forum 

 

[quasar42]

i recomment Ground Zero Games "Gentlemens Collection " if you want "exotic" poses , or possibly  though you are just on the wrong forum 

Thank you. For the poses that you have in mind, I prefer the real thing. Unlike you, I have no need for surrogates.