D&D General WizKids Issues Refund for Baldur’s Gate 3 Character Boxed Set

WizKids announced they will issue refunds to all customers who purchased the D&D Icons of the Realms: Baldur’s Gate 3 Character Boxed Set from their webstore. From the statement:

As a company, WizKids seeks to create products that enhance and add to the enjoyment of game play. We want our customers to build long-lasting, fond memories around game nights with friends and family using our products.

Unfortunately, we missed the mark on this goal with the D&D Icons of the Realms: Baldur’s Gate 3 Character Boxed Set. If you purchased this set through our online stores, we will be offering a full refund to those who are unsatisfied with their set. To begin a request, please contact customerservice@wizkids.com.

We’re aware of the recent reports and complaints and are taking them seriously. Our team is currently investigating these issues and taking action to make this right for those whose purchases were negatively affected and to ensure these issues do not recur in future products and reprints.

If you purchased your set from a local retailer, please return it at your point of purchase for a full refund. If you have any issues, please reach out to us for assistance at the email above. However, if you wish for a product replacement, we ask that you create a case through Wizkids Product Replacement. We will work with you to provide a product replacement and ensure that it meets the standards expected.

A Reddit thread posted on Friday, May 16, shows images of the miniatures and complaints of poor quality on the details of the pre-painted miniatures. Here are examples using promotional images from pre-order solicitations next to the images from the Reddit user:

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[doctorhook]

there's no point in even using minis anyway, when I can get a more satisfyin result with Maps displayed on a TV screen.

I feel this in my bones

Now, if I could somehow justify a bigger table with a flat screen built in, then I could make the case for using Maps and minis ... but I doubt that day will ever come.

Ah I’ve seen several attempts at this in real life and it never seems to be as good as imagined.

 

[Koloth]

I feel this in my bones



Ah I’ve seen several attempts at this in real life and it never seems to be as good as imagined.

One of my groups used a TV laid flat on a home brew stand with plexiglass laid over the screen. Not built into the table. It works well compared to paper maps or hand drawn stuff on battle mats. We found that having the map image in a jpg or png format worked better if using the OS image viewers. Much easier to zoom in/out compared to pdf. One of the tricks is to make sure you test the map image before the game. Maybe even spend some time doing some basic image editing to get rid of un-needed parts or join small bits into one easy to use image.

 

[Distracted DM]

and there's no point in even using minis anyway, when I can get a more satisfying result with Maps displayed on a TV screen.

For whatever reason I've always been happy with wet erase markers and a chessex mat for the terrain (never stopped me from getting fancy terrain ofc, even if it didnt get used nearly as much), but holding a mini in my hand excites my imagination. I pick up a hill giant and think of a whole little side-trek right there. They're inspirational to me for whatever reason- maybe the tactile thing of holding it.

I loved the old durable bendy WotC 2000's miniatures.. the Wizkids ones break very easily. Luckily I have a lot of the WotC minis, but a fair number are now Wizkids. Anyway, almost all of my games are online now anyway so.. blah. Minis sit gathering dust :'(

 

[Mistwell]

Back during 4e I bought a lot of painted plastic minis. Usually at least four to six of the same thing, given how 4e liked to match number of monsters to number of party members. And they were not nearly this bad. Most were pretty decent.

Now that we play exclusively online I should probably consider selling most of them.

 

[pukunui]

Back during 4e I bought a lot of painted plastic minis. Usually at least four to six of the same thing, given how 4e liked to match number of monsters to number of party members. And they were not nearly this bad. Most were pretty decent.

You reckon? I’ve got a good spread of WotC minis from the early Harbinger days through the later pre-WizKids days.

The old Harbinger minis could be pretty awful, and a lot of the 4e ones look dunked in thick shiny coats of plasticy paint compared to the minis from the middle WotC years.

I’ll have to dig a few minis out from various sets and do some comparison photos for y’all cos honestly none of the BG3 minis in the OP look any worse than minis I’ve seen from both WizKids and WotC.

I’m actually surprised WizKids has offered a refund. The fact that these are BG3 minis must be the key factor here.

 

[Nilbog]

I feel this in my bones



Ah I’ve seen several attempts at this in real life and it never seems to be as good as imagined.

I guess everyone's experience is different but we adopted the horizontal TV approach after coming out of the pandemic where we'd gone online using foundry.

I adapted the setup up to use the local TV and it's worked well for us, makes the game flow better as we don't have to stop the game to draw out the map, comes with the cost of a little more upfront prep time, but I think it's a price worth paying.

As for minis, I agree with what a lot of folk have already said the cost has increased and the quality decreased. I'm lucky that I'd built up a large enough collection that I don't need to buy anymore, as I don't think I could justify doing so.

 

[Clint_L]

I have far too many of both the old WotC minis and the newer WizKids ones. I think the sculpts / paint jobs on the latter are generally better, but they are much more brittle than the former. The old WotC ones tend to bend, which is easy to fix with hot water, but the WizKids ones break so easily! (I suppose it's par for the course, though - the stiffer plastic Wizkids uses allows for more detail, while the more rubbery plastic that WotC used didn't -- it also tended to make the minis look like they'd been dunked in paint rather than hand-painted.)

For me, two factors combined to help me kick my plasticrack addiction: the post-pandemic shipping price hikes and the advent of D&D Beyond's Maps program. I can't afford to buy even the cheaper minis on the secondary market when it'll cost me an arm and a leg to ship them here, and there's no point in even using minis anyway, when I can get a more satisfying result with Maps displayed on a TV screen.

Now, if I could somehow justify a bigger table with a flat screen built in, then I could make the case for using Maps and minis ... but I doubt that day will ever come.

Pretty much agree. I use Maps for "away" games, but miniatures and terrain for home games. For me, miniatures need to be paired with terrain for maximum impact both aesthetically and in terms of working together to change the game experience, tactics, etc. Otherwise, I'd rather use just Maps than use miniatures on a flat battlemap or a screen.

Nothing beats hand painted miniatures and quality terrain combined, but short of that, there are now amazing virtual options at a tiny fraction of the price. I think collectors like me are basically dinosaurs now.

 

[Nightfly]

I use meeples or chess pieces for my monster minis. They cost almost nothing and they're actually better: you can more easily tell the monsters from the PCs, and different monsters from each other.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The best thing about minis is painting them. It's relaxing and satisfying. And, of course, it predates D&D, going back to tabletop war gaming, where collecting and painting your army was the main part of the hobby, with actually fighting battles being secondary (Warhammer continues the tradition, in a far more commercial way).

D&D, like wargaming, is more of an excuse to show off your collection and skills, its never needed minis.

And prepainted minis are an abomination!

 

[Zardnaar]

The best thing about minis is painting them. It's relaxing and satisfying. And, of course, it predates D&D, going back to tabletop war gaming, where collecting and painting your army was the main part of the hobby, with actually fighting battles being secondary (Warhammer continues the tradition, in a far more commercial way).

D&D, like wargaming, is more of an excuse to show off your collection and skills, its never needed minis.

And prepainted minis are an abomination!

Not for those of us with the artistic skills of a visually challenged Gerbil. On Crack.