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

[Herremann the Wise]

I've just got onto the WOTC website and had a look at what they're planning in terms of miniatures. My first impression is one of interest but also one of disappointment.

Firstly, they are proposing to "magic" style the packs. That means randomly inserting 16 or 8 figures into a pack. In both cases 1 will be a "rare", 5 and 3 respectively will be uncommon with commons making up the rest. All in all, they are planning on 80 miniatures in the set: 27 Rares, 33 Uncommons and 20 commons.

For those of you who have been "sucked" into the magic phenomonen, you will understand what I mean. For those who are already cynical in regards to 3.5, it will be fuel to the fire.
However, I thought about it a little bit more and have come to the conclusion that it could possibly attract more and more people to the D&D product from your traditional warhammers and Magic etc. - which obviously is a good thing in terms of the general well being of the hobby.

In reality though for myself and our group, we are most likely to continue using our own painted metal miniatures. The D&D product does look - and in fact is - a little cheap. Serviceable and very handy but not a patch on what people can paint themselves. We'll most likely get a pack or two but as for trading them, I think it would require an expense beyond what we would be willing to spend.

Still, what are people's thoughts on the miniatures and do you think you would consider using them in your games? Do you still prefer metal miniatures or do you prefer to go without?

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[JoeGKushner]

I'll pick up a few packs just to see what it's like. Heck, I picked up a few packs of the Mage Knight ones for D20 use and haven't had too many issues and these were the first gens that were ugly as hell.

I think that for d20 gamers, these pawns are going to have some heavy competition from Iron Wind, Reaper and others. Heck, many may hate GW but some of their new sculpts have been fantastic.

For the person just wanting some orcs, it's a problem. Hopefully we'll see some theme boxes or something along those lines. I know that secondary markets will pop up all along as well.

One thing that would be funny though is that if the miniature game was a runaway success and destroyed D&D. Don't forget that WotC dropped their RPGs when Pokemon became the money maker. It'd be funny as hell if the D20 miniature game wiped out the d20 system.

 

[ForceUser]

Miniature purists have ranted about the poor quality of the plastic minis. I say so what. Here's my take on it: I like using minis, I hate painting minis, and I likewise hate using unpainted ones. I can't wait for these things to hit shelves; PC minis will probably remain high quality painted metal, but I'll be using the hell out of the plastic monsters. As far as I'm concerned, if it's got paint in generally the right places and is the right size and shape to indicate the monster, that's all I care about. Sold.

 

[Black Omega]

We use miniatures in our games all the time. I've spent hours painting L5R miniatures for my Rokugan game. No chance at all I'll buy a pack of miniatures without knowing what I'm buying, sorry WotC. I suppose it's the control freak side of me that also makes me like GMing.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I'll buy 3 or 4 packs just because right now we're operating off only one set of Hero Quest miniatures and don't have time to paint any, and these things are really cheap. I don't really care how they look, so long as they get the job done and are easily recognisable during a battle.

 

[Christian Walker]

If I buy any of the minis, I will, say, pick up 20 gobbos. I figure that if I wait long enough, some college-age gamer, desperate for Ramen, will sell them on EBay.

Otherwise, I won't buy any of the packs. Sorry, wizzo, your jedi mind trick won't work on me.

"You want to spend dozens of dollars on worthless plastic you'll never use."

Um, no I don't.

 

[Raesene Andu]

I think I'll wait and see what these miniture packs are like before purchasing them. I'm interested, as I like minitures, but don't have the time or patience to paint them. So if these miniture packs are of reasonable quality, I'll probably buy a few, otherwise probably not.

 

[Numion]

The idea is just stupid. I understand that WotC has a burning desire to sell us plastic pieces for big $$$, but the truth is that RPGs are fundamentally different from Magic: The Spending.

Same fire that keeps players spending money on magic cards isn't there for miniatures (I know; I've spent my thousand bucks on M:tG ). Playing magic and getting better cards is a bit addictive, which I guess comes from the will to win games. RPGs cannot be won.

Some DMs will be very excited showing of the cool beholder miniature to their group, but I would guess that it would be because the miniature looks excellent, painted and finished by the DM. Not because of the M:tG factor "Woohaa! My new rare foil Beholder will RAWK!" (No, we didn't talk like that when we played M:tG. Really ). And from what I've heard, the new miniatures don't look that good.

I just don't see how this could work. YMMV, because I'm not a minis fan to begin with, so I might be missing something.

 

[talinthas]

for those of us who couldnt construct a mini to save our lives, these are just the thing we've waited for =)
I like battle mats and visuals, and have been making liberal use of the tokens from dungeon magazine. minis preconstructed? win =)

 

[Bloodstone Mage]

I still wish that Wizards would team up with Lego...the possibilities are endless.

The first video game RPG I ever played was Final Fantasy VII. I loved the way the chibbies looked in that game. So blocky and Lego-like. I don't know why I think it's so cool. That's partly the reason why I'm obsessed with the idea of D&D Legos.

I can see the D&D Miniatures issue as good and bad. I could see why it would recruit more D&D players (heck, I got into D&D because I liked Magic: The Gathering, and they were both from the same company, so hey! I probably wouldn't have got into D&D without Magic: The Gathering). But then again, people who are already miniature collectors and who play miniatures realize that this a bad way to do miniatures, and I agree. When I want a gnoll miniature, I want a gnoll miniature! I don't want to have to go through ten packs of eight or so miniatures just to find one!
Then again, if you don't want randomized miniatures, you don't have to buy them. It's not like Wizards controls the miniatures industry.

Overall, I think it is a bad idea, because it affects the D&D movement and face/reach rules, which affect other things as well. But I might buy a pack or two just to see what they look like and how useful they become to me. If it turns out to be much of a hassle, I won't have any major losses. I just bought a pack or two. It wouldn't surprise me that Wizards is probably gonna ride a little on cash made from people who make the same decision I do.

But that's just my opinion.

Also, if anyone knows where I can get some Legos from the Medieval sets, please let me know!

Cheers!