Bodhiwolff
First Post
First off, this is a bit of a lengthy post, and I'm looking to solict responses from people "in the know" about D&D miniatures, the new plastic pre-paints, and so forth. I hope you'll bear with me.
I’ve been slowly getting into 4th edition D&D, and one of the things I’d like to do is build up my miniatures collection. I know there are other mechanisms for representations of monsters in gaming (I’ve used ‘em all, and I respect ‘em all, and have access to them) but I like miniatures. I like pretty terrain, and little guys on the field.
So before anybody suggests just printing off paper miniatures, recognize that this is a labour of love. This is taking it to the next level. An aesthetic goal, if you would.
I want miniatures -- of some sort. But pretty!
I’m not adverse to painting the occasional miniature, but the plastic pre-paints really do make life *so* much easier! However, I hate-Hate-HATE the fact that they’re part of a collectible game, and as such you’re never sure what you need, how much it’ll cost, and so forth.
Now, while I recognize that having miniatures adds to the visual appeal of the game, at a certain point the pocket-book begins to moan, and you have to start making some adjustments. Thus, while it would be wonderful to field 8 different types of kobolds, realistically you usually only might need 3 (at most) in an encounter. Probably 8 max of one type, 4 of another, and 2 of a third. You can use your imagination and descriptive powers to fill in the blanks, and change descriptions as need be. Thus, the miniature of the kobold holding the sword can *actually* represent the two Wyrmpriests in one encounter, or the two Dragonshields in another encounter.
So, too, am I not adverse to substituting one type of miniature for a similar type. Thus, while it would be nice to field a bunch of orcs, and hobgoblins, and goblins, and gnolls, realistically they’re all “monstrous humanoids” and you can probably make do with just one type. Then, when you’re fighting Hobgoblins, you just use your orc miniatures. Same when you’re fighting Gnolls.
However, when you need to fight, say, a spider, you don’t want to haul out an orc (medium-to-large humanoid) or a kobold (small humanoid).
And so I got to thinking.
What are the categories, the general “miniature modes” that might be necessary to hit, if one were to try to fill a roster.
Say one were trying to build, from scratch, a set of miniatures that they could use to play 4th edition D&D in a campaign. You want to have a reasonable chance of throwing a representative miniature on the table, but you don’t want to be buying every single rare, dead-end oddity on the off-chance that you need it. You need multiples for when you need to field units which come in multiples, and you need alternates for those species which field a variety of types in their encounters. Substitutions within reason are perfectly allowed, but at a certain point a new category starts to present itself.
… and that is where you, the community, come in. What are these categories? What to buy?
So where to start?
Here are my initial thoughts …
Taking my cues from 1st to 10th level only
Swarm
Small Mammal (rat-sized)
Insect (Beetle, Scorpion, Spider)
Very Large Segmented Insectoid (Centipede, Grick, Carrion Crawler)
Medium Mammal (wolf, panther, boar)
Large Mammal (bear, dire creatures)
Legged Reptile (Drakes, )
Snake (all kinds)
Winged Animal (bat, bird)
Small Monstrous Humanoid (kobold, Goblin)
Small “Regular” Humanoid (Halfling, dwarf, gnome)
Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Orc, Hobgoblin, Gnoll)
Medium “regular” Humanoid (elf, human, etc.)
Reptilian Humanoid (Lizardman, Ophidian, Yuan-ti, Troglodyte, Sahaugin – which I know are fishy, but …)
Large Monstrous Humanoid (troll, Ogre)
Undead (skeleton, Zombie, Ghoul, Ghast, Zombie, Mummy)
Apparition (ghost, phantom)
Medium “were-Undead” humanoid (werewolf, wererat)
Construct (golem, animated statue, warforged)
Amorphous – (Jelly/Ooze/Shambling Mound)
Winged Humanoid (imp, devil)
Dragon
And then these are the individual monsters which stand out as iconic enough to merit consideration …
Otyugh, Grell, Owlbear, Displacer Beast, and a host of others. But these 4 popped out to me.
//////////////////
So, I’ve been holding off on spending money on new miniatures. I didn’t want to buy a big random lot of mostly heroic figures, ‘cause they’d really only fall into one or two of those categories. Why spend money on a "deal" which only lets you field 25 pale-faced man-sized humanoids when what you want to represent are monsters?!
What I’d dearly love is to get, in each of the larger humanoid categories, 6 of one type, 4 of another, and 2 of a third. Thus, you could have 6 orcs-with-spears, 4 orcs-with-swords and throwing-axes, and 2 orcs-with-shiny-armour-and-helmets. An obvious, visual hierarchy.
Or do you suggest more? Alternate numbers?
Even better, if people have suggestions as to obvious splits for some of the categories, feel free to make them.
If, say, you find that you just run into so many Orcs *and* so many Hobgoblins that it makes sense to get a full set of both, then say so (instead of just trying to make one massive set of “medium-sized-monstrous-humanoids” do double-duty for both).
After all, we’re looking to get maximum enjoyment, here.
//////////////////////////////
So give me your advice. Give me your thoughts. Give me your lists, your breakdowns, your suggested price-schemes, anything you want.
Heck, if you have spare miniatures, give me those!
But seriously, any advice you have, I will happily take!
‘cause when all’s said and done, I’d love to hear what people in the ‘know’ have to tell me.
I’ve been slowly getting into 4th edition D&D, and one of the things I’d like to do is build up my miniatures collection. I know there are other mechanisms for representations of monsters in gaming (I’ve used ‘em all, and I respect ‘em all, and have access to them) but I like miniatures. I like pretty terrain, and little guys on the field.
So before anybody suggests just printing off paper miniatures, recognize that this is a labour of love. This is taking it to the next level. An aesthetic goal, if you would.
I want miniatures -- of some sort. But pretty!
I’m not adverse to painting the occasional miniature, but the plastic pre-paints really do make life *so* much easier! However, I hate-Hate-HATE the fact that they’re part of a collectible game, and as such you’re never sure what you need, how much it’ll cost, and so forth.
Now, while I recognize that having miniatures adds to the visual appeal of the game, at a certain point the pocket-book begins to moan, and you have to start making some adjustments. Thus, while it would be wonderful to field 8 different types of kobolds, realistically you usually only might need 3 (at most) in an encounter. Probably 8 max of one type, 4 of another, and 2 of a third. You can use your imagination and descriptive powers to fill in the blanks, and change descriptions as need be. Thus, the miniature of the kobold holding the sword can *actually* represent the two Wyrmpriests in one encounter, or the two Dragonshields in another encounter.
So, too, am I not adverse to substituting one type of miniature for a similar type. Thus, while it would be nice to field a bunch of orcs, and hobgoblins, and goblins, and gnolls, realistically they’re all “monstrous humanoids” and you can probably make do with just one type. Then, when you’re fighting Hobgoblins, you just use your orc miniatures. Same when you’re fighting Gnolls.
However, when you need to fight, say, a spider, you don’t want to haul out an orc (medium-to-large humanoid) or a kobold (small humanoid).
And so I got to thinking.
What are the categories, the general “miniature modes” that might be necessary to hit, if one were to try to fill a roster.
Say one were trying to build, from scratch, a set of miniatures that they could use to play 4th edition D&D in a campaign. You want to have a reasonable chance of throwing a representative miniature on the table, but you don’t want to be buying every single rare, dead-end oddity on the off-chance that you need it. You need multiples for when you need to field units which come in multiples, and you need alternates for those species which field a variety of types in their encounters. Substitutions within reason are perfectly allowed, but at a certain point a new category starts to present itself.
… and that is where you, the community, come in. What are these categories? What to buy?
So where to start?
Here are my initial thoughts …
Taking my cues from 1st to 10th level only
Swarm
Small Mammal (rat-sized)
Insect (Beetle, Scorpion, Spider)
Very Large Segmented Insectoid (Centipede, Grick, Carrion Crawler)
Medium Mammal (wolf, panther, boar)
Large Mammal (bear, dire creatures)
Legged Reptile (Drakes, )
Snake (all kinds)
Winged Animal (bat, bird)
Small Monstrous Humanoid (kobold, Goblin)
Small “Regular” Humanoid (Halfling, dwarf, gnome)
Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Orc, Hobgoblin, Gnoll)
Medium “regular” Humanoid (elf, human, etc.)
Reptilian Humanoid (Lizardman, Ophidian, Yuan-ti, Troglodyte, Sahaugin – which I know are fishy, but …)
Large Monstrous Humanoid (troll, Ogre)
Undead (skeleton, Zombie, Ghoul, Ghast, Zombie, Mummy)
Apparition (ghost, phantom)
Medium “were-Undead” humanoid (werewolf, wererat)
Construct (golem, animated statue, warforged)
Amorphous – (Jelly/Ooze/Shambling Mound)
Winged Humanoid (imp, devil)
Dragon
And then these are the individual monsters which stand out as iconic enough to merit consideration …
Otyugh, Grell, Owlbear, Displacer Beast, and a host of others. But these 4 popped out to me.
//////////////////
So, I’ve been holding off on spending money on new miniatures. I didn’t want to buy a big random lot of mostly heroic figures, ‘cause they’d really only fall into one or two of those categories. Why spend money on a "deal" which only lets you field 25 pale-faced man-sized humanoids when what you want to represent are monsters?!
What I’d dearly love is to get, in each of the larger humanoid categories, 6 of one type, 4 of another, and 2 of a third. Thus, you could have 6 orcs-with-spears, 4 orcs-with-swords and throwing-axes, and 2 orcs-with-shiny-armour-and-helmets. An obvious, visual hierarchy.
Or do you suggest more? Alternate numbers?
Even better, if people have suggestions as to obvious splits for some of the categories, feel free to make them.
If, say, you find that you just run into so many Orcs *and* so many Hobgoblins that it makes sense to get a full set of both, then say so (instead of just trying to make one massive set of “medium-sized-monstrous-humanoids” do double-duty for both).
After all, we’re looking to get maximum enjoyment, here.
//////////////////////////////
So give me your advice. Give me your thoughts. Give me your lists, your breakdowns, your suggested price-schemes, anything you want.
Heck, if you have spare miniatures, give me those!
But seriously, any advice you have, I will happily take!
‘cause when all’s said and done, I’d love to hear what people in the ‘know’ have to tell me.
