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At the ACD Open House, WotC just announced that sometime in 2009 they will release non-randomized D&D minis. No details yet as they are working out what they want to do.
Also, they are releasing a super module in Aug (not Sept as I originally posted) 2009 that will be a boxed set. It will include double-sided tiles for the monsters, one side bloodied. I missed the title on this, will report back when I have more info.
edit: The title is Revenge of the Giants, for mid paragon levels. More info in post #7.
I suspect it's the new way that 4e is structured that's encouraging them to give this a try. With so many specific type of minis required, I suspect that they can do non-random and random at the same time.
Or the random stuff is simply winding down and they're trying to get ahead of the slow down.
I may actually purchase my very first set of minis if this is the case. I refuse to buy into that random business.
Supermodule- any guesses?
I'm gonna guess it's something completely new- WOTC doesn't seem bound to D&D "tradition" as they once were.
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Got more info on the module. It is titled "Revenge of the Giants" and is due in August, not September. It will be mid-paragon levels, something like level 12-18 or something like that (exact levels not yet decided).
The minis will be the prepaints, will include boxed sets (like a bunch of orcs) and will make some single PCs available as well. At least that is the current plan. THIS IS NOT A PROMISE. THIS IS A DIRECTIONAL PLAN, still in the early development stages. They also said they are targeting the minis for somewhere during the first 6 months of 2009.
Got more info on the module. It is titled "Revenge of the Giants" and is due in August, not September. It will be mid-paragon levels, something like level 12-18 or something like that (exact levels not yet decided).
The minis will be the prepaints, will include boxed sets (like a bunch of orcs) and will make some single PCs available as well. At least that is the current plan. THIS IS NOT A PROMISE. THIS IS A DIRECTIONAL PLAN, still in the early development stages. They also said they are targeting the minis for somewhere during the first 6 months of 2009.
Pre paints? They better be darn cheap or I'll just keep buying my metals. Sounds like I may buy the boxed set though.
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This could be really cool. I hope they go for it. I have yet to purchase a single randomized D&D miniature box, and I never will. I like knowing what I'm buying.
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"I feel books like "A Princess of Mars", "The Swords of Lankhmar" and "The Black Company" are far more important to your gaming experience than whether you choose between OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord, or D&D4E." - The Ravyn
I think people sometimes get too fixated about what's "official" to see what they could do with the whole- "David "Zeb" Cook
This could be really cool. I hope they go for it. I have yet to purchase a single randomized D&D miniature box, and I never will. I like knowing what I'm buying.
Just saying, the secondary prepainted minis market is really, really cheap. You can sometimes buy individual common monsters for 20 cents. Five orcs for a $1, can't beat that.
Edit: oh, i just saw DaveMage said the same thing. True though.
What we need is some common/uncommon githyanki and dragonborn.
Edit 2: One problem with the randomized sets that i'm noticing (D&D and Star Wars both) is that they're really starting to regurgitate a lot of the same monsters. 60 a set is a hell of a lot of different models, and spread out over the years it really adds up.
I would actually be very interested in a squad of prepainted minis, all of the same race, but in unique poses. $10 for a box of ten plastic minis is a reasonable price, maybe even a shade cheaper.
Its taken them how long to realize we need specific minis for our D&D games? That we aren't buying them for the minis game. I mean its taken being lampooned by almost every gaming cartoonist out there from John Kovalic on and having most game store owners breaking open packages and selling us specific minis at a markup. They move so fast, don't they?
I may actually purchase my very first set of minis if this is the case. I refuse to buy into that random business.
This. I have never had any wish to waste money on minis I have no intention of using. But then, I never collected stamps or baseball cards either, so it just wasn't my hobby. But this could change it.
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Whee! They should do sets that coincide with the sample encounters in the Monster Manual.
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They're waited exactly as long as it took for their highly profitable randomised packs to saturate the market and for demand to start drying up. Why would they have done it a moment sooner?
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