Storm Raven said:
Leaving aside that for many people, ebay simply isn't a viable option (people without regular online access,
They still make those? But this is a moot point really: Without regular online access, you miss out on a lot, both in shopping and in miniatures.
or younger people who do not have credit cards or other viable means of buying items online),
I don't have a credit card. Hasn't kept me from buying so far. For PayPal, you just need a bank account (at least that's how it is here). You pay with PayPal, they send the money at once and get it from your account via Direct Debit.
using ebay is, for many people, quite simply a headache. Finding a sale, bidding for the item, exchanging e-mails for shipping, waiting a couple of days to get your product on the faith that the dealer will be honest, and so on.
There are tons of Buy-It-Now offers on ebay, both for rares and non-rares. Non-rares can be had in large quantities quite cheap. Finding a sale is as easy as entering the mini's name into the appropriate text box. I think that most people will manage to do that. The User Scores and Feedback give you a good way to make sure the guy isn't dishonest - most shops with Buy-It-Now offers for Miniatures have several thousand points, with almost or exactly 100% good feedback.
It is so much easier, and satisfying in many ways, to simply pick an item up off a shelf, pay for it, and go home.
Not really. Ebay is available all over the world. Good Gaming Stores with DDM aren't.
Only recently, I purchased the last 4 rares I needed to have a whole Underdark Set. Bought them Saturday evening (local time), they were here Wednesday - Via Air Mail from the US to Germany. And I'd have probably let more money on the counter of the Gas Station than I paid for shipping.
Prepainted sets of minis were supposed to make it easier for a gamer to use miniatures while gaming. Relying on the cumbersome method of ebay auctions doesn't make it easier to get what you want. It just puts inconvenience in the way of many buyers.
As I said: Ebay Isn't actually cumbersome. I often find it more cumbersome to go to the city, endure the traffic, find a parking lot (or pay for one, or both), get the stuff in the shop - which is usually more expensive than the online stores are.
National Acrobat said:
Hmm, I didn't realize this was such a sore point. This is my first reading of any sort of thread like this, and I was only echoing the sentiments of my entire gaming group.
It may not come up here often, since these boards hardly have any posts about Minis, but over on the Wizards Minis Boards, these posts are a regular occurance.
At the moment, I'm more on these boards than here (I found that with a decrease of Roleplay I look into these forums less, and with the release of a new set, I look into the minis boards more often. And right now, I don't get much roleplay: One gaming group more or less dissolved as the DM went to the University, and another seems to jump on every feeble excuse to cancel a session.)
I am lucky, because my FLGS re-sells them individually and in packs of non-randoms, for a very minimal markup, and I'm just surprised others don't do this. They sell well there and I would figure that the actual manufacturer could take a cue from that.
It would mean more expense for them (instead of one product, you have several, maybe even dozens) while a decrease in sales (since you now can get exactly what you want, you buy less minis than with random packs, where you get some spares you would not have buyed). This would mean that DDM would get more expensive for us, too.
Shadowdancer said:
Seconded!
Gigantic freakin' dragons, dragons so big when you put them on the table even the PCs' minis will say "Holy cr@p! We can't defeat THAT!"
Coming. In 2006, we'll get a Gargantuan Black Dragon and a Colossal Red Dragon (Great Wyrm Size for both). In the following years, we'll see more of these "D&D Iconics" - probably one gargantuan and one colossal figure each year.
Remathilis said:
Changlings: More than just the Sharn Cutthroat.
Isn't that Longstrider Ranger a Changeling?
Females: Some females, both lightly and heavily armored, with a variety of weapons. Fully clothed if possible.
I have the feeling that last part was aimed at Rikka. If Kiddoc means we all ought to see a winged version of his wife in beach-ware, it's okay by me
Take a look at Lolth's sting. She's fully clothed.
See Skullcrusher Ogre and Half-Ogre Barbarian. There, one-and-a-half uncommon ogres.
That's true. We should complete them.
True.
Fey, like sprites, satyrs, and nymphs
Satyr is in Underdark
Rogues. Aside from Lidda.
There are Lots. Elf Stalker and Halfling Sneak (and Lolth's Sting, if you count Ninja) in Underdark Alone. That Slayer of Domiel could be counted as a rogue, and Artemis Entreri is so legendary that he even has an ability "Legendary Assassin".
frankthedm said:
And i never want to see another 'medium' Rare. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr those waste of rare slots are what drove me to cherry pick.
Well, Elminster, Artemis Entreri and the like would not fit into an uncommon slot really, with them being epic.
And cherry picking has been made harder in Underdark: A heavy pack could be a large rare. Could also be three large uncommons (including that massive Loyal Earth Elemental).
