D&D Miniatures, collected developer posts

[pogre]

I watched some demos at GenCon and I was turned off by two things:

1st - I hope the mass combat system does not use a grid system.

2nd - Wound counters.

Looks like another skirmish game to me - not a mass combat game.

Last time I checked I have some skirmish rules - D&D 3.5.

Anybody who played in the demos want to enlighten me? Please tell me I am wrong about the Mass Combat.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I watched some demos at GenCon and I was turned off by two things:

1st - I hope the mass combat system does not use a grid system.

2nd - Wound counters.

Looks like another skirmish game to me - not a mass combat game.

Last time I checked I have some skirmish rules - D&D 3.5.

Anybody who played in the demos want to enlighten me? Please tell me I am wrong about the Mass Combat.

From what's been said in the other thread, it definatly looks like mainly a "skirmish" game...but that was expected, really. Its like the Clix games in that aspect, from the reports of people who played Demos...though, apparently, the mass combat rules are coming in that Miniatures Handbook.

 

[MerricB]

Correct - the basic game is a skirmish game. (You trying playing a mass-combat game with those figures you get in a starter. )

The Miniatures Handbook will have the mass-combat rules - I really hope they do a good job with them!

Cheers!

 

[Thaumaturge]

Malhavoc Press has Cry Havoc for mass combat. They chose to use a grid as well. From what I've read instead of a mini representing one character each mini represents a unit. For war gaming, I agree non-grid is better. For D&D, I don't want to measure out everything.

Thaumaturge.

 

[MerricB]

Rob Heinsoo
this thread

On the rarity of miniatures:

[T]he rares in each release are all identically rare; no weighting by rolegame ubiquity.

One adjusting variable is that for many of the most ubiquitous creatures (orcs, goblins, and yes, the o-monster) we've got multiple minis in that category over the various releases.

Other rarity tweaks will surface over the months, but I'll talk about those nearer the release.

(The o-monster is the ogre - MB)

 

[MerricB]

I'm back, so here are some more developer posts I've spotted:

Rob Heinsoo
this thread

So far as I know, both the Entry Pack and the Harbinger boosters are due to hit around September 28th.

They're coming out simultaneously, not in a staggered release.

So far as I know, there isn't a price difference between Harbinger and Dragoneye, we suggested $9.99 for both of 'em.

Of course we can't account for the vagaries of all other company's purchasing patterns and computer databases. Which is to say that we can account for our own, sometimes, but not everyone else's.

We'll collect release dates as part of the FAQ we should release a version of in a few days.

 

[MerricB]

Rob Heinsoo
this thread

Elves are shorter than humans in D&D. Elf minis tend to be shorter than our average-size human minis.

As others have pointed out, FR elves are human-sized. If an FR elf were to appear in a future set, it would be human-sized.

 

[MerricB]

Rob Heinsoo
this thread

Is the Wild ability from Chainmail in the new game?
"Wild" isn't in the game, but the Difficult ability ends up handling it, as you'll see soon.

Do you need the Miniatures Handboook to play the game?
You can play minis skirmishes without buying the Miniatures Handbook, using the Entry Pack rules. If you get into the skirmish system seriously, you'll definitely want the MH for its improved and expanded glossary and its scenarios and its campaign system.

Why does the Elf Ranger have axes?
That Elf Ranger has axes because... because.... because he hates the trees. Right. That's the ticket. He chops them and chops them and chops them.

More seriously, the answer is "just because," and to let people with an old metal mini that WotC produced use it. There will be many elves with swords. Offhand, I can't think of any others with an axe.

More on rarity of popular D&D monsters
[An early poster suggested] the Hound Archon as an example of a rare that wasn't going to be hugely in demand by D&D rpg players and the Ogre as a rare that was going to be in high demand by rpg players.

The modifier for this particular example is that the Ogre is showing up as the Rare mini included in the Orc Warparty box that will be out early in 2004. So we've chosen the Ogre, in particular, along with the Owlbear that's in the Outlaw Warparty box, as rare minis that will be more available to people than the rest of the rares.

 

[MerricB]

Rob Heinsoo
this thread

In reference to the 1 "special" miniature in Harbinger

It's not my place to give away the special mini's nature, that's someone else's baby.

I can repeat our basic promo policy: all promos and specials are copies or alternate paint jobs of sculpts (and stats) that will eventually be available in a future set.

Sometimes that's a very near-future set, other times it's a far-future set the promo will appear in.