General RPG DiscussionDiscussion of all RPGs and non-system-specific topics. DM/GM/player issues, settings, etc. Rules discussion belongs in one the forums below.
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I don't think this will change anything for me. I'll still buy them on the secondary market after retailers open the boxes. Although i am glad the size of the sets are smaller. 60 models a set is a TON! Hopefully it means the quality of some will be higher.
This hobby has come a long way from just a couple of paperbacks, some dice, and a few sheets of graph paper, hasn't it?
just observing.
My observation: It is not just the hobby that drives itself ahead but it is mostly business.
Wotc will try to create a synthesis of trends or niches that help it exploit all possible market areas of geek fantasy territory in the most profitable way (today their model sells tomes, periodic subscriptions, miniature and card collections). So it seems they think or know this sort of combination is the most profitable one at the time being. The question I want to know the answer of is how much brand recognition is important as a factor in their model to work (not only for them but mostly for trends or niches relevant to the consumers).
The Unique PC card is to sweeten the deal: "Yeah, you might have a custom-painted Reaper Mini, but I got Battle Strike Tactics with mine."
But how many "unique" powers can they come up with that aren't going to be almost like something from a splatbook (or the core book?) There are only so many ways to make push/pull/slide/knock prone look original and cool. And i think they've reached the limit already.
8 classes form the PHB.
8 races form the PHB.
2 sexes.
I think the focus on classes rather misses the point in this instance. For me, a mini's usefulnes isn't determined by the class it's intended to represent, but rather by the equipment it's carrying. For instance, a human fighter with heavy-ish armor, a weapon, and a shield could as easily represent a paladin.
While I understand (and to an extent, share) your conernces about the variety of minis available to represent any given character concept, I think I'll wait until I know what the minis will look like before deciding if WotC has done enough to represent a wide-enough variety of characters.
Wasn't this what Erik Noah had heard as a rumor back in the day which everyone seemed to discredit at the time?
Sometimes I do not know whether to amaze myself with the apparent naiveness of some posts or with the possibility of some guerrilla marketing of the industry's leader around here. Or is it perhaps true that edition wars have made people a bit of fanatics?
Sometimes I do not know whether to amaze myself with the apparent naiveness of some posts or with the possibility of some guerrilla marketing of the industry's leader around here. Or is it perhaps true that edition wars have made people a bit of fanatics?
Fans or fanatics come first. Edition wars happen later
Thoughts of the Arch Chancellor - My weblog on EN World - containing game related material, like: house rules, design theories, reviews, play reports, adventure ideas
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I think the focus on classes rather misses the point in this instance. For me, a mini's usefulnes isn't determined by the class it's intended to represent, but rather by the equipment it's carrying. For instance, a human fighter with heavy-ish armor, a weapon, and a shield could as easily represent a paladin.
While I understand (and to an extent, share) your conernces about the variety of minis available to represent any given character concept, I think I'll wait until I know what the minis will look like before deciding if WotC has done enough to represent a wide-enough variety of characters.
The classes serve a guideline for what to design. I just did all 128 variations for the Fiery Dragon BattleBox. When a male Fighter got sword + shield, I gave the female a two-handed weapon, and tried to invert that with the Paladins, to cover not only a wide range of classes, but of builds as well.
Speaking as someone who was an early adopter of DDM, and has at least one of every mini from every set, I'm not pleased by this announcement at all. My usual buying pattern for a new set is two sealed cases plus singles to fill in the missing ones off the secondary market. I know that many DMs who primarily buy for RPG utilization have a similar purchasing pattern.
As others have pointed out, this new sales and distribution model carries a significant per-mini price increase which can only be echoed on the secondary market. That's not good for virtual storefronts like Auggies (which makes me a sad panda), but it does give WotC/Hasbro more control over the market.
There's another issue here, though. As a DM, one might be initially pleased at the new semi-random distribution of the proposed MM sets. Per Merric's Laws of Minis, paying more per mini for a greater likelihood of getting the exact minis one wants is a potential draw. However, now consider the impact of 4E's emphasis on battles with multiple monsters... with only five monsters per pack, and less commons per purchase, DMs will need many more total purchases of the MM blister packs to achieve WYSIWYG results with minis on their battle maps.
Put another way... on Auggie's I can snag 25 or 30 common goblins or orcs or skellies for $.25 to $.50 per piece, and drop those minions all over my glorious 4E battle maps. But with the new distribution, the price to get those same mass-numbered mobs of common minis goes up significantly, and this is coupled with an intentional in-game mechanical emphasis on more monsters per encounter. I consider myself a free spender with DDM but even with my vast collection I find myself using proxies sometimes. With the price increase and less total common minis floating around on the secondary market, I can't see how this helps new DMs starting in the hobby; nor can I see how this decision creates incentives for existing collectors to keep buying.
The CCG-esque quality of power cards included in the boosters is also an ominous sign for future marketing and sales patterns. This is the first time I have considered weaning myself off DDM since Harbinger was announced in 2003. I could be wrong, and this could be the start of something better and more empowering for those (like myself) who primarily buy DDM for the RPG side of things... but my gut tells me this is the beginning of the end for DDM.
__________________ 3.5/OGL DM of Gaia's Dream and the Pathfinder Chronicles
4E DM for organized RPGA play (LFR, Cormyr)
I think this is a big step forward when it comes to the minis, and I applaud the move. The price seems pretty fair too, so long as the quality improves over what we've seen in the last few sets.
However, I completely LOATHE the idea of collectible powers now.
Hopefully anything they do with "unique powers" will end up compiled in future sourcebooks, and not just in the online compendium.
If D&D as an RPG gradually shifts more towards the "gotta catch 'em all" mentality I'll finally stop buying into new editions! (still not fully sold on 4E, although I'm giving it a fair shake for now)
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