Dear Hasbro: about those minis

[CaptainChaos]

Even collections of commons have the capacity to screw up a system that currently delivers minis to us gamers very, very efficiently.

It may be efficient for WotC and it may be efficient for retailers, but it's not efficient for a lot of gamers. Let's say I pick up Dungeon magazine, the official source for D&D adventures, and I choose an adventure to run and I want to use miniatures with it. Unless I have been obsessively collecting full sets of D&D minis as they've been released, odds are I will not have the minis on hand to run this adventure. Nor will I easily be able to get them. Chances are some of what I need are in older sets that are OOP. That means I have to go hunting on Ebay trying to track down exactly the mins I might need, which may or may not be available and whose prices may or may not be affordable. That is not efficient.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

It may be efficient for WotC and it may be efficient for retailers, but it's not efficient for a lot of gamers. Let's say I pick up Dungeon magazine, the official source for D&D adventures, and I choose an adventure to run and I want to use miniatures with it. Unless I have been obsessively collecting full sets of D&D minis as they've been released, odds are I will not have the minis on hand to run this adventure. Nor will I easily be able to get them. Chances are some of what I need are in older sets that are OOP. That means I have to go hunting on Ebay trying to track down exactly the mins I might need, which may or may not be available and whose prices may or may not be affordable. That is not efficient.

But it certainly beats not being able to get those figures at all.

Which, if Charles isn't lying to us (and I don't think so), would happen if they switched. You'd either jam the distribution channels, drowning suppliers and stores and whatnot with a plethora of products, many of which don't sell well, or you'd just get the basics.

Chances are that if you got the occasional booster since DDM started - a couple of boosters from each set - you'll already have your dozen orcs. If you want that sixpack of wererats you need for that one encounter - sorry, no wererats.

 

[crazy_cat]

It may be efficient for WotC and it may be efficient for retailers, but it's not efficient for a lot of gamers. Let's say I pick up Dungeon magazine, the official source for D&D adventures, and I choose an adventure to run and I want to use miniatures with it. Unless I have been obsessively collecting full sets of D&D minis as they've been released, odds are I will not have the minis on hand to run this adventure. Nor will I easily be able to get them. Chances are some of what I need are in older sets that are OOP. That means I have to go hunting on Ebay trying to track down exactly the mins I might need, which may or may not be available and whose prices may or may not be affordable. That is not efficient.

But if WOTC didn't make these minis, who would?

Most D&D iconic monsters are copyrighted by WOTC - if they don't make them, then nobody does. The choice isn't WOTC's evil random packaging or else great minis from somebody else at low prices - it's WOTC random packaging, or no D&D specific minis.

Me, I choose WOTC random packaging, sell the dross on eBay and trade for or buy the rares I didn't get my cases.

YMMV

 

[CaptainChaos]

But if WOTC didn't make these minis, who would?

Most D&D iconic monsters are copyrighted by WOTC - if they don't make them, then nobody does. The choice isn't WOTC's evil random packaging or else great minis from somebody else at low prices - it's WOTC random packaging, or no D&D specific minis.

That's not true. I suggest you go Reaper's site and check out their minis. They clearly went through the 3E MM and made minis to match. They don't call their beholders by that name, but they make the minis for them. Ditto for many D&D creatures.

 

[BryonD]

It may be efficient for WotC and it may be efficient for retailers, but it's not efficient for a lot of gamers.

It doesn't need to be efficient for "a lot of gamers". It needs to be efficient for the marketplace. Clearly, it is. Whatever "a lot" is, the group of gamers that like the current system is even more.

"Fixing" a good thing to satisfy a small portion of the audience would be a good way to end the run for everyone. (And that is if you assume that people would actualy accept the changes made. Typically 50+% of the people you try to change to support just turn around and say "I wanted you to change, but you did it all wrong so I'm still not buying.")

 

[DaveMage]

If it wasn't for Auggie's (and similar places), I would be very annoyed at the current method.

However, since Auggie's allows me to get what I want at (what I think is) a reasonable price, I think it's all good.

The secondary market meets my needs when the primary one fails.

And since I want WotC to continue to have a wide range of figures, I don't want to see anything changed.

However, what is quite evident from reading this thread, is that there is an opportunity for someone with the inclination to cater to those who want "themed sets". Paizo was doing some of this for a time, though I'm not sure if they still are.

There you go, Oryan77 - make the people in this thread happy - put together some themed sets!

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

However, what is quite evident from reading this thread, is that there is an opportunity for someone with the inclination to cater to those who want "themed sets". Paizo was doing some of this for a time, though I'm not sure if they still are.

Actually, someone is still doing this - but, again, for the Star Wars side of things.

Gary Sarli (AKA WizO_the_Hutt, AKA "Designer of Saga Edition SW") has a gamestore where he does exactly this. You can see an example here.

So, who's going to do this for D&D minis?

 

[crazy_cat]

That's not true. I suggest you go Reaper's site and check out their minis. They clearly went through the 3E MM and made minis to match. They don't call their beholders by that name, but they make the minis for them. Ditto for many D&D creatures.

I'm aware of Reaper Miniatures.

I prefer WOTC minis since they are:
A) pre-painted
B) cheaper
C) Specific to D&D
D) Plastic and less prone to breaking

To give a reasonable example - I can buy a Reaper Minis Raindancer the Pegasus for £6.05 plus P&P from a reputable UK games store - this will come unpainted, and for all I know unassembled as well.

I pay about that per booster for D&D minis via my regular supplier when I buy a case or more, and even if I buy from Amazon.co.uk I pay £6.97 presently per booster for the newest set. For this I get 8 minis - pre-painted and if the Rare isn't the Pegasus I wanted (which it wont be since the Pegasus was in a previous set ) I can sell what I got or trade it, and then buy the pre-painted, pre-assembled Pegasus via the secondary market.

On the secondary market I can buy a WOTC Pegaus for $12.99 inc shipping from the US on eBay and have the exact mini I want shipped to my door - for the same £ price as the Reaper unpainted mini.

You may not like this random distribution model with a hugely important secondary market, but many of us do since it gets us the minis we want, and WOTC clearly do since it makes them alot of money.

 

[Seeten]

I purchased a gorgeous mini of a female paladin in plate from Reaper for my current character, and painted it. I got a barbarian from Games Workshop for my old Barbarian, etc. There are lots of minis out there. I dont get the complaints. WotC cant make money doing what you suggest, and I'd rather they didnt go the way of T$R and mess up their business and have Hasbro start making their business decisions, and so would you all.

 

[brehobit]

Here's my business plan.

Sell, for about $50.00 a collection of about 80 commons and uncommons (with potentially serious replication) and a theme. Throw in 1, _maybe_ 2 uniques-to-this-collection that DDM players might want, but NOT a rare (hurts the secondary market too much). Sell mainly via mail-order (don't expect too many game stores to stock this).

Some collections:
Humanoid baddies (say 10 of 1 orc, 10 of 1 goblin, 10 of 1 kobold, some groups of 5, and a few singles, the unique might be just a "cool" orc or perhaps something a bit more "special")

Adventurers collection (80 with few/no duplicates)

Etc. Larges maybe count as 2 figures, huges as 5 or something.

The cost to make should be small (just remaking those you already have made plus the one or two uniques). The market size will be somewhat small, but I'll bet a fair % of the DMs of the world not using DDM already would buy quickly. The uniques might attract % of the serious DDM players. Also, the toy market might be interested. Turn out a new set every 2-3 months.

Mark