DnD Miniatures...Discuss

[The_Gneech]

It doesn't suck at all, in fact it's just fine.

Cheap, pre-painted minis are better than the flat cardboard counters I'm currently using -- which are in turn better than expensive, unpainted lead figs, which are themselves better than, say, quarters, nickels, beads, and chess pieces.

I've been buying "Mage Knight: Pyramid" booster packs right and left to round out my mini collection; the randomness doesn't bug me because so far every package has had at least one really cool figure that gave me ideas just by its existence, and none of the figs are so pointless that I'll never have a use for them -- even if that use is to loan them to another DM for his game.

It's certainly a lot more efficient to buy cheap random packs that I'll actually use, than to buy expensive non-random packs that end up sitting on the shelf waiting to be painted.

-The Gneech

 

[shadow]

Cheap Minis-Good

Prepainted Minis-Also good. I enjoy painting figs, but prepainted ones can save me some time.

Random Minis-WTF!? I'm sorry, but this isn't Mage Knight! I admit that I've spent too much money on minis, but at least I can CHOOSE which figures I can get. Most people I know that use minis (as opposed to conters or tokens) usually pick minis that can be used for their characters. Am I going to have to buy five expansion sets of random miniatures to get that one female half elf I need for my character?
Also I heard that the minis are going to come with stat cards! WTF!? What ever happened to the Monster Manual? What about individual and unique player characters? Is WotC trying to turn D&D into a glorified Mage Knight? I'm sorry, but I'm getting really peeved at the latest attempt to degenerate D&D into another collectable mini game. Perhaps the slogan for the new collectable mini line will be "Gotta Collect Them All!"

 

[MThibault]

Also I heard that the minis are going to come with stat cards! WTF!?

They are coming out with a set of rules for a stripped-down miniatures wargame. My impression is that it will be a "Chainmail Lite". I'm not sure if the cards will be dual statted for Wargame/RPG, but just pitch the cards if you don't want to use them, no harm no foul.

I just picked up about 15 Heroclix thugs, cops and other mundanes for under CDN$10 at my SFLGS (Second Favorite LGS) for my d20 Modern Campaign. Heroclix has a thriving secondary market, and you don't need to go online. If the same thing happens with the D&D minis, I will have no complaints.

Cheers

 

[KnowTheToe]

Cheap Minis-Good

Prepainted Minis-Also good. I enjoy painting figs, but prepainted ones can save me some time.

Random Minis-WTF!? I'm sorry, but this isn't Mage Knight! I admit that I've spent too much money on minis, but at least I can CHOOSE which figures I can get. Most people I know that use minis (as opposed to conters or tokens) usually pick minis that can be used for their characters. Am I going to have to buy five expansion sets of random miniatures to get that one female half elf I need for my character?
Also I heard that the minis are going to come with stat cards! WTF!? What ever happened to the Monster Manual? What about individual and unique player characters? Is WotC trying to turn D&D into a glorified Mage Knight? I'm sorry, but I'm getting really peeved at the latest attempt to degenerate D&D into another collectable mini game. Perhaps the slogan for the new collectable mini line will be "Gotta Collect Them All!"

Remember these mini's are for a wargame but is also compatable with D&D. WoTC are double dipping, these mini's are not soley for D&D or RPing unlike Reaper, hence the difference. They could do prepainted individual mini's but they would not be cost effective. this way, they set their production numbers, run the machines and package there product. Minimal SKU#'s making inventory control and distribution much easier and hopefully more profitable for everyone involved.

Have you ever noticed what a poor mini selection most stores have? This allows a store to use a small part of their shelf space, but carry an entire line.

 

[Gizzard]

What about individual and unique player characters?

Didn't we see a Mialee in the preview pics?

So certainly they are doing the Iconics. Looking at how Warhammer works, I think that creating a lot of NPCs (ie, Grothnor the Necromancer) is a simple way to fill in lots of CR slots. They may or may not do this, but it makes sense to me.

 

[Darrin Drader]

At approximately $1.25 per mini, and the fact that they can be traded after I open the package satisfies me. I mean it isn't like they're taking something that was already available at a set price and changing everything on us. Prepainted plastic minis are a brand new thing, I'm happy to take any minis I can add to my game.

Aside from that, Wiz Kids is already enjoying huge successes with their collectible mini games. Why shouldn't Wizards follow their lead?

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Aside from that, Wiz Kids is already enjoying huge successes with their collectible mini games.

And for good reason. I see a lot of almost insulting of the Wiz Kids games, just beacuse they're collectable. I play Heroclix, and not because they're collectable...because the game is FUN. So this line of D&D minis, in my opinion, is a great way to draw in the people who play the Wiz Kids games. I've already convinced a lot of my non-RPG playing friends that DO play Heroclix to at least try out the D&D minis game.

 

[Green Knight]

Also I heard that the minis are going to come with stat cards! WTF!? What ever happened to the Monster Manual? What about individual and unique player characters? Is WotC trying to turn D&D into a glorified Mage Knight? I'm sorry, but I'm getting really peeved at the latest attempt to degenerate D&D into another collectable mini game. Perhaps the slogan for the new collectable mini line will be "Gotta Collect Them All!"

I'm sorry, but this is just a silly complaint. So they're doing stat cards. Big whoop. The stat cards, btw, are double-sided. One side with the miniature stats, and the other side with the D&D stats. So how does that somehow negate the Monster Manual? Do you ENJOY flipping back and forth through the Monster Manual during a fight to get a monsters' stats? Wouldn't you prefer to have the monsters' stats laid out right there in front of you without having to flip through a book and thus slow down the combat? Did you complain as much when adventures wrote down the stats of monsters in the adventure book, itself, in order to save DM's the trouble of having to flip through the Monster Manual?

As for "individual and unique player characters" I fail to see how the stat cards force one to use the miniature as written. What, is WoTC gonna bust down your door because you use that Mialee miniature as someone other than Mialee, with a completely different set of stats? And if you want to buy a PC miniature, then buy a D&D mini off the secondary market, or buy a Reaper mini.

Anyway, I complained about the randomness at first, but after getting in the facts it's really not that big of a deal. Especially since we're getting them at $1.25 each. I've got hordes of Reaper miniatures, here, that I bought NOT because I needed them, but because I wanted a comprehensive collection. I bought all those miniatures on the off-chance that they might be useful at some indeterminate point in the future. So I don't mind the thought of spending money on these. And besides, there will be a secondary market, and you'll be able to buy specific miniatures. Chances are for less than $1.25 each if they're Common or Uncommon, so I don't see a problem in getting what you want, either.

My only concern right now is quality of the plastic and paint jobs. But beyond that, I'm fine with the randomness issue.

 

[Darrin Drader]

I'm sorry, but this is just a silly complaint. So they're doing stat cards. Big whoop. The stat cards, btw, are double-sided. One side with the miniature stats, and the other side with the D&D stats. So how does that somehow negate the Monster Manual? Do you ENJOY flipping back and forth through the Monster Manual during a fight to get a monsters' stats? Wouldn't you prefer to have the monsters' stats laid out right there in front of you without having to flip through a book and thus slow down the combat? Did you complain as much when adventures wrote down the stats of monsters in the adventure book, itself, in order to save DM's the trouble of having to flip through the Monster Manual?

Word.

 

[Djeta Thernadier]

Another place to get mini's

I know we all want to support game stores, but another place I've gotten some really nicely detailed figures (relatively cheap) are places that sell knick-knacks and such...which often have at least one shelf dedicated to pewter, fantasy figurines. Some of the smaller ones make good PC's and if you need a more detailed NPC or Monster. These places carry these ones, usually between 6-10 bucks and they are really cool looking. Obviously, most of us can't shell out that much for all the NPCs we'll ever have, but for PCs and recurring NPCs, these are pretty cool. Usually have incredible detail, and sometimes are set with little crystals for , I dunno, extra dramatic effect. If you're into that sort of thing.

I also posted a thing in a different thread about my gripe with the lack of good female mini's. I hope this new line of cheaper, prepainted ones might have some interesting ones.

Just my 2 cents.

Sheri