Miniatures - The Magic: The Gathering Way - Good or Bad?

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

I collect and paint miniatures.

...
I hate using my minis for gaming. ...

This struck me as really funny.

I too collect mini's ( mostly humanoids ), and am enjoying learning to paint them. But not play with them? C'mon! That's what they are for. You can always repaint/repair a nick or a smudge.

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I have seen MANY games stores selling Hero-Click/Mage-Knight singles outside of the box. Have you?

I will NOT be buying any of the starter sets or boosters for the new mini line, but I will definitely be buying some singles ( Monsters - make lots of MONSTERS damn you wotcies! )

 

[Breakdaddy]

The last time I posted this, I had miniatures enthusiasts gritting their teeth in horror. So just for fun, I'll post it again.
*snip*

I think you might be missing the point that most people seem to be getting at here, which is less the fact that they are plastic cheap and prepainted and more the fact that they are randomly packaged. In any event, I dislike the random packaging as well. while lauding the plastic prepainted minis themselves.

 

[ForceUser]

I don't mind the random packaging at all, considering that I am merely waiting to collect a bunch of monster minis, and more is better. Every extra kobold is another for the kobold army!

As always folks, take what Flexor the Mighty! says with a grain of salt. A staunch advocate of the inferiority of 3E, he flits around our community in the self-appointed role of Harbinger of Gloom.

 

[scadgrad]

I've collected & painted minis for over 20 years. I love to have painted characters & spend hours on them once they've reached a high enough level where they "deserve it."

But most of my monster collection remains unpainted and that's fine. I paint them as the mood strikes me. So for me the painted part of the equations isn't exactly the big selling point.

It's the fact that I'll be able to add cheap Bad Guys in great numbers by purchasing commons & uncommons off of Ebay & from the kids at MFLGS. Since ANY Clix game goes over like gangbusters at that store, there's sure to be some cheap pickups.

And here's the kicker. If I want them to look better, I can simply "fix" the poor paint job. It's really very easy. My friend who owns the FLGS does it all of the time w/ his Heroclix & I see no reason why I can't do likewise. It's amazing what a little wonderwash and layered highlights can do. Just consider the factory paint job as your basecoat.

So I'll probably be picking up quite a few of them, but I'll do so by being selective. No danger that Reaper will lose much of my business due to their exceptional character models (their new Warlord line is astounding IMO). It would be cool to have some Kobolds, Bugbears, etc.

Anyone have a list of the commons, specials & rares?

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I bet the sky is falling, too. We'd better stick our heads in the ground just to be safe.

Unable to discuss this so you have to resort to demeaning statements implying that I'm an irrational anti WOTC person claming the end is near?

It may or it may not I don't know. But if this collectable mini game blows the RPG line out of the water in sales why wouldn't they look at integrating some of the aspects of the RPG, with all the aspects of the CMG, and do 4.0 like that? If you can tie in ways to make the players buy boosters to try and get that elusive power boosting figure to replace thier own you would have a steady stream of revenue. The idea of the module packs would work good with this as well. It would be very boardgame like compared to even miniature reliant straight RPG's, increasing appeal to the "mainstream". I wouldn't count on anyone at Hasbro caring about the integrity of the game or the feelings of the oldchool players if they could get more money consistantly out of it. Sure there are plenty of people who work for WOTC who care, but in the end the bottom line trumps all.

 

[Umbran]

But if this collectable mini game blows the RPG line out of the water in sales why wouldn't they look at integrating some of the aspects of the RPG, with all the aspects of the CMG, and do 4.0 like that?

Because even WotC is bright enough to know that you don't try to crossbreed apples and oranges, and you don't kill a decent egg-laying goose trying to breed a swan.

I can imagine WotC trying to produce a game that ties CCG sales patterns to RPGs, but they won't replace the largest RPG they have with such a thing.

 

[MerricB]

I think you might be missing the point that most people seem to be getting at here, which is less the fact that they are plastic cheap and prepainted and more the fact that they are randomly packaged. In any event, I dislike the random packaging as well. while lauding the plastic prepainted minis themselves.

My personal belief is that you can't get "cheap", "pre-painted", "plastic", "individually packaged" and "large range" all together in one product.

Cheers!

 

[trancejeremy]

Because even WotC is bright enough to know that you don't try to crossbreed apples and oranges, and you don't kill a decent egg-laying goose trying to breed a swan.

I can imagine WotC trying to produce a game that ties CCG sales patterns to RPGs, but they won't replace the largest RPG they have with such a thing.

Well, WOTC has owned D&D for what, 6 years now? They haven't tried turning it into a CCG, so why would they try to turn it CMG, which is much less profitable.

CCG's have a much higher profit margin - they're just bits of paper. While both need artists and play testing, plastic minis also have to have molds made (apparently expensive for plastic minis), be painted in China and then be transported from there to the US (which is ultimately cheaper but adds a lot of extra work)

Heck, we haven't even seen a M:TG setting for D&D...