Clueless...Educate Me About D&D Miniatures.

[Nightfall]

I'm saving up for the Icons right now.

 

[Shadowslayer]

I don't know. They're not up to what Peter Lee or even a skilled layman could do, but I think they got me. They're not that bad. They got better over time, too. And it's way better than painting a hundred minis yourself (unless you have that kind of time on your hands).

Hey, I won't disagree with you. For what they are, functional game pieces that are a far cry better than chess pieces or M&Ms, they're awesome.

A lot of the rares are actually pretty good, but I've found them kinda spotty across the board. I usually feel that most of the common/uncommons need to be touched up. I can do a lot better, and as a painter, I'm only on the lower end of mediocre.

Anyway, it depends on what you compare it to. If the OP has been into mini painting in the past, and was any good at it, they're just OK. If you can't or won't wield a paintbrush, then they're marvellous.

 

[Lalato]

I think my favorite places to learn about D&D Minis is http://www.hordelings.com and http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/minis. Other than that, your questions have been answered pretty well.

Remember, eBay is your friend when you want to find a specific mini. Though there are some online retailers that carry individual figs too, I've found eBay has far superior prices.

--sam

 

[Ulric]

So what's the general consensus on the best way to plunge in.....just buy a case? You guys that buy cases, how many repeats do you get? How "rare" are rares? Etc....

 

[MerricB]

So what's the general consensus on the best way to plunge in.....just buy a case? You guys that buy cases, how many repeats do you get? How "rare" are rares? Etc....

OK, for a normal (non-huge set):

There are 24 Rares, 24 Uncommons and 12 Commons in the set.
A Booster pack gives you 1 Rare, 3 Uncommons and 4 Commons.

A Case (12 packs) gives you 12 Rares, 36 Uncommons, and 48 Commons. They are seeded so a case will normally give you 12 different rares (although some cases do give duplicates), 1 or 2 of each Uncommon, and 4 of each common.

The average is thus after two cases: 1 of each rare, 3 of each uncommon and 8 of each common. Generally you'll get some overlap in the rares (so, you'll have 12 rares once, 6 rares twice, and 6 rares missing; and you'll have 2-4 of each uncommon).

Cheers!

 

[JustKim]

The minis are machine-painted.

I'd be interested in knowing who reported that because there's no way it's true.

 

[MerricB]

I'd be interested in knowing who reported that because there's no way it's true.

Double-checking - reports vary. Machine + details handpainted is one theory. I know I've got the original post archived somewhere (from about War Drums).

Cheers!

 

[kaomera]

A Case (12 packs) gives you 12 Rares, 36 Uncommons, and 48 Commons. They are seeded so a case will normally give you 12 different rares (although some cases do give duplicates), 1 or 2 of each Uncommon, and 4 of each common.

Note that this is for a factory-sealed case, not just any 12 packs you happen to pick up (even if you pick them up all at once).

 

[CharlesRyan]

I'd be interested in knowing who reported that because there's no way it's true [that WotC minis are machine painted].

Actually, it is true.

The minis painting process involves a number of "paint steps," in each of which some type of paint or decor is added to the mini. It might be a single dab, a wash, or several dabs all applied in the same go.

Most paint steps involve a combination of machine and human activity--like most assembly lines, the process is run by people but involves a lot of machinery. Most typically, the mini is placed in a mask, which is basically like a partial version of the mold it came out of, only with little holes where the paint is to go. Then a machine applies paint through the holes.

Different types of paint effects use different techniques, but they all are principally machine-driven.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

So what's the general consensus on the best way to plunge in.....just buy a case? You guys that buy cases, how many repeats do you get? How "rare" are rares? Etc....

There are no different rarities between figures of the same rarity level. No rare is rarer than the other, they did as many Balors as they did Dromite wilders.

Some are just more sought-after.