Dear Hasbro: about those minis

[Lilaxe]

Approach it from a companies point of view. They need to see the possibility of making more money off old costs.

i.e. they could start picking 10 minis from the first set of minis (Harbinger I think) and press up just those commons. Then everytime they release a new set, they open another older set to 10 more common minis in mass sale.

Any common figure 10 sets old isnt being used for skirmishing as it has been superceded by another, better common.

Those molds are sitting unused, not making any money.

C'mon WOTC! You want D&D gamers to use minis - thats a perfect way to increase the minis available for RPGers...

 

[Echohawk]

i.e. they could start picking 10 minis from the first set of minis (Harbinger I think) and press up just those commons. Then everytime they release a new set, they open another older set to 10 more common minis in mass sale.

Ick, no. The quality of the minis line has improved a lot since the Harbinger days. It's not that the Harbinger figures were awful, just that the more recent sets are much better. If they do produce non-random sets, I'd prefer them to be the same quality as the more recent releases.

(And I'd probably buy them, even though I already have all of the minis from the current line )

 

[Lockridge]

Just adding my two cents:
I have not and will not purchase WOTC's pre-painted plastic minis due to the fact that they are randomized. I would buy them if they were theme packs (I would have bought many of them already). The explanation is simply the fact that I don't want to pay money to have tons of extra ones that I don't want.

Would I consider the secondary market? Maybe, but it would irk me that this would support WOTC's use of randomization.

For those who think that WOTC is only answering the consumer's wants by doing randomization then I think that you've never sat through a Board-level marketing meeting. Consumer want is only half of the agenda. The other half is exploitation of that need under the guise of "maximizing revenue." WOTC has analyzed its consumer base and has determined that fans have a "collection" mentality. "Collection" mentality is another word for saying "addict". They know that many of us will go crazy over the idea of getting that rare mini and will shell out many dollars to do this. One of my group has bought dozens of boxes of WOTC minis because they are addictive. He keeps buying in hopes of getting something rare. He admits to spending too much money and has tons of minis he will never use and would never have otherwise purchased. Don't get me wrong - he's not sorry for buying.

This is the type of consumer that WOTC knows it has. Most other industries would simply sell theme packs and keep updating them rather than sell minis. Can you imagine a randomized restaurant menu?

To add to this, over the last couple of years I've taken my nephew (11 years old) to my local gaming store. Over and over again this kid will shell out his allowance (all the money he has) on HeroClix, Yu-gi-oh cards and the like. Here's the rub, after spending all of his money he immediately opens the packs in the car and then I hear the sound of disappointment as he realizes that he didn't get a rare item - OR disappointment that he simply didn't get a new item. There he is - his money gone and disappointment in his eyes - the new items get thrown into a box never to be seen again -BUT when the next allowance day comes along there he is asking me to take him to the store again to start this cycle all over again. Adults disguise this better but its basically the same.

Don't ever think that businesses stay in business by giving the consumer what they want. No offence to anyone but thats just naive.

 

[diaglo]

No, check again. The gnome fighter is female .

see the minis are so bad i can't tell.

 

[RFisher]

I missed Charles Ryan's post the first time.

But the real barrier isn't even production: it's distribution.

There you go. You've identified the problems. Now Hasbro could get to work on solving them.

Incidentally, I was suspecting distribution was indeed one of the areas that might need significant change.

And then there's the issue of what stores are prepared to carry.

Well, recent online writings by another industry luminary have predicted that my local hobby game store is a dying breed & likely won't be around much longer anyway. Heck, didn't he also predict the demise of one of the big distributors?

And as for businesses going out of their way to reach potential customers who by chance or choice they don't currently reach: It's called "growing the business". Companies are working hard to do it everyday.

 

[rgard]

see the minis are so bad i can't tell.

Gnome boobies.

 

[kenobi65]

Something I haven't seen mentioned here...maybe MerricB or someone remembers this in greater detail.

Several years ago, early on in the DDM saga, WotC announced they were going to do exactly what many of you are asking for: it was going to be a non-random pack of 10 or so orcs (multiples of several different sculpts, IIRC). For whatever reason, it was pulled from the release schedule after being announced.

 

[diaglo]

Something I haven't seen mentioned here...maybe MerricB or someone remembers this in greater detail.

Several years ago, early on in the DDM saga, WotC announced they were going to do exactly what many of you are asking for: it was going to be a non-random pack of 10 or so orcs (multiples of several different sculpts, IIRC). For whatever reason, it was pulled from the release schedule after being announced.

yeah, the warbands for the miniatures game

 

[Shadowslayer]

To add to this, over the last couple of years I've taken my nephew (11 years old) to my local gaming store. Over and over again this kid will shell out his allowance (all the money he has) on HeroClix, Yu-gi-oh cards and the like. Here's the rub, after spending all of his money he immediately opens the packs in the car and then I hear the sound of disappointment as he realizes that he didn't get a rare item - OR disappointment that he simply didn't get a new item. There he is - his money gone and disappointment in his eyes - the new items get thrown into a box never to be seen again -BUT when the next allowance day comes along there he is asking me to take him to the store again to start this cycle all over again. Adults disguise this better but its basically the same.

I can't agree more with your sentiment. I used to drive a school bus and saw many kids caught up in the Pokemon/Yu gi oh collecting fenzy. I abhor the idea of marketing this way for kid stuff. It sends all the wrong messages. Not that there's anything wrong with collecting...that's been going on for ages. (I collected Wacky Packages stickers.) Its the whole rare, uncommon, common thing I have a problem with.

I bent, for a while, when DDM came out...mainly because it wasn't being marketed to little kids. Eventually I got tired of it and decided that, instead of dropping the bread to buy one on Ebay, I'd just paint my own Mind Flayer. (sorry...Bathalian. ) . In a heartbeat, I went from buying into the collectible aspect, to thinking the whole thing was kind of silly.

Anyway, I've always hated the idea for kids...but I often wonder if many adults actually bankrupt themselves on this type of stuff.

I bet its happened.

 

[delericho]

Something I haven't seen mentioned here...maybe MerricB or someone remembers this in greater detail.

Several years ago, early on in the DDM saga, WotC announced they were going to do exactly what many of you are asking for: it was going to be a non-random pack of 10 or so orcs (multiples of several different sculpts, IIRC). For whatever reason, it was pulled from the release schedule after being announced.

Yeah, that was initially part of the DDM plan. However, as you said, it was pulled. The reason given (IIRC) was that the randomised packs were so popular!