Chiming in on the D&D minis (merged with "anyone buying the new Mini's?")

[MadScientist]

I would think if my job description were "goblin sneak," I'd try to avoid as much contrast as possible.

True
But when your are taliking about figures that are only 1" or so tall you need a good ammount of contrast to be able to discern any details on the mini. If its has brown armor and a brown belt, the belt might as well not even be there. If the hands are the same color as the weapon they hold it looks like the figure doesn't have hands from more than a foot away. In this case, IMO, aesthetics should take precedence over realism.

 

[buzz]

PHB Pg. 133: "To help visualize events in the fictional world of the D&D game, we recommend the use of minature figures and a battle grid."

3.5 PHB, p.5: "Your group needs these items to play D&D... Miniatures to represent each character and the monsters that challenge them." This is the fourth required item listed, right after "a battle grid."

In contrast, the 3.0 PHB, p.6 states "A miniature figure, or at least something to represent your character in the game (even if it's just a mark on paper)." This item is listed last, and there is no mention of a batte gird.

It's subtle, but when you add in all the other things that Psion mentioned, there's definitely a greater emphasis, even if that emphasis might not be a game-breaker for people who don't want to use minis. It doesn't bug me too much, as both my D&D groups use minis pretty much all the time, so the added mini-specific rulings have actualy cleared things up for us.

Still, I do think that totally ignoring the fact that D&D simply does not *require* minis in order to play (as opposed to someting like MageKnight) is kinda questionable. I seem to remember Monte mentioning sometihng about WotC asking him *not* to provide much discussion about running D&D w/o minis when he was writing the original DMG. It's no secret that WotC has an agenda here that's coloring the development of the rules.

But, hey, they're a business. I can live with it.

 

[Morpheus]

I bought an entry pack and 4 boosters over the last week. Yesterday, I bought 3 of the boosters and got an ogre, troll and umber hulk as my rares. These (and the mind flayer) just happen to be the ones I wanted the most. The detail on these 3 is far superior to the other figures. As a whole, I will use the minis and be happy.

 

[Xiryc]

True
But when your are taliking about figures that are only 1" or so tall you need a good ammount of contrast to be able to discern any details on the mini. If its has brown armor and a brown belt, the belt might as well not even be there. If the hands are the same color as the weapon they hold it looks like the figure doesn't have hands from more than a foot away. In this case, IMO, aesthetics should take precedence over realism.

That's true, but a majority of the minis aren't that bad. I just wish they would've done a better job on the commons. I like almost all of the rares.

 

[KenM]

I was tempted to get some, but decided not to on principle. Aside from supporting the very nice (and cheaper) counters from FDP, the more I read of 3.5, the more I don't like this "minis are a must" direction the rules are going, so I won't support it.

IMO minis are nto a must. But you do need something that tells you where people are in relation to each other. Be it minis, or graph paper or something.

 

[teitan]

well, we bought a whole bunch of these things, 2 starters and 4 expansions and while I do see a lot of similar colors etc. I am not so bothered by it because I can just repaint them if I need. They are about average as far as sculpts go, but as an inexpensive alternative to metal minis, they are much better than Mage Knight, where the bases are too big (we ripped them off the old bases and set them on square bases, MK that is) or the other prepainted minis that have been made available to the market. Even the PLASTIC Lord of the Rings minis are too expensive, as nice as they look. Are these minis as good as a good old fashioned Reaper Mini (my favorites)? Nah, but they work.

Personally I think the battle game is a lot of fun. We tried it out today and it was a lot faster paced than Hero Clix and Mage Knight. ALmost like playing DnD but simpler.

Jason

 

[ayrwind]

I really enjoy using minis for gaming. However, I hate 3.5e's overemphasis on miniatures. I always saw minis as something that you could use or do without depending on the game.

With that said, I HATE WotC's new minis. Why? First, I hate the cheap plastic. Second, I hate the crappy paint jobs. I can see this not being an issue for people who don't like to paint, but painting is one of my hobbies, so the cheap paint job is a real turnoff for me. Third, I don't like style. The minis look like they (naturally) follow 3e/3.5e's artwork complete with mismatched armor and bondage/fetish clothing. Finally, I hate WotC's attempt to turn D&D into a mage knight ripoff, complete with random packaging.

I guess I'll stick with Reaper.
End Rant

Hey, i simply HATE the newspapers! They are printed on flimsy paper. The papers are mostly printed in black and white. They are not even fastened together, and keeps falling apart in the toilet cubicle.

I'd stick to magazines. Glossy pages, full color spreads, nice packaging.

Wait a minute, hmm, a magazine costs about 5-10 times more than my papers.

My point? For $1 a pop, one wants to compare them to those dang unpainted metal figures?

 

[Drakmar]

I picked up two expansion packs yesterday. I like it.. in Aus.. at $20 a pack, that makes it about Au$2.50 per minature. Which is pretty good. especially when the metal ones are about Au$8. I personally don't buy a huge number of minatures anymore. I find I no longer have the time to spend painting them. Sometimes I will paint a single character, but there is no way I am going to paint a Orcish horde. Now I have 6 orcs... painted adequately. Woot. I have a horde.

And I have an Owlbear.. I would never buy an Owlbear as a metal minature. Because of the amount of metal..it would probably cost me Au$18 for it unpainted and I can't justify that.. Now with Randomness on my side, it cost me Au$2.50.

I like them. They will do. I am sure that the next run will be of better quality as they work out tricks.

 

[mmu1]

My point? For $1 a pop, one wants to compare them to those dang unpainted metal figures?

I know, it's ridiculous. For just a little bit more you get minis that haven't been defaced with random splashes of brown paint, and that aren't permanently deformed because they came out of the mold twisted.

I've seen around 30-40 of these things over the weekend, and I probably wouldn't use them if they were free. The low points, IMO:

1. Permanently deformed minis that always spring back to their original shape no matter how you bend them, in the best tradition of Mage Knight.

2. Tons of useless minis - how many commoners with scythes, felldrakes, hyenas or executioners do you need? Hyenas? In a line this small in size, that also features wolf minis?

3. Recycling of old Chainmail minis.

4. Orcs that look like extras from The Planet of the Apes.

5. Horribly drab colors that make even the few good looking minis look like hammered $#!^.

 

[Olive]

Well, I got 1 entry pack and 5 booster for AU$100.

And They're cool!! I got some elves, some orcs and a bunch of other stuff including human mooks. No ogre, or mind flayer, but that's cool. I did get a troll and an earth elemental.

I don't like to paint, so these are great. My main complaint is that there is not really enough higher CR creatures, but that might change as other expansions come. And a couple of huge creatures would be nice eventually.

And I could care less about the mini emphasis of 3.5 myself. I already used them.