Wow. Only one group surveyed out of seven, and someone thinks some people buy anything labeled Official D&D? Only a few people and mostly collectors are buying them?
I'm sure there is a ton of anecdotal evidence folks can produce, but the fact of the matter is, the minis are selling. They are successful. The marketing scheme is not a slap in the face to "true D&D gamers". In fact, it is an asset. Buck and a quarter and I have a mini that is ready to use right out of the box. Sure, I've seen better paint jobs. Guess what? I've seen far worse, too. I got a bearded devil yesterday and I am truly impressed. It uses many colors, uses drybrush and or ink technique to show off texture, and really, it's a cool sculpt. Add to that it took me zero time, paint or effort to bring to the table and cost less by... about 2 bucks or so than a comparible pewter mini would, not even counting the time I'd have spent prepping my paint area, actually painting the mini, varnishing it, etc. It'd be neat to have a complete set, and at this point, it is very doable for me, so I'll likely pick up the few remaining minis I am missing on the singles market. Does that make me fall into the "collector" label or since I bought these things because I am a DM with a career and a family and my own home which I have to maintain so have little time to prep for weekyl games, much less time to paint a batch of new minis every week... a D&D player who is using them in his game? We are using these minis nearly exclusively for our weekly D&D games. I'll be quite happy when they've released even more of these things so I can get different sculpts and even more monster selection to choose from rather than having a troglodyte zombie stand in for a normal troglodyte. All in all, the D&D miniatures line has done nothing to harm D&D or the "hardcore" miniature hobbyists who enjoy painting and even sculpting their own minis. It only helps D&D by brining in some new blood who are interested in wargaming. By bringing in new blood who are interested in collectible trading games. By helping DMs and players alike who, for one reason or another, be it lack of time, lack of funds, lack of interest or lack of motivation, cannot or will not buy and use pewter minis and want a little more detail and flair than a counter can give. I, for one, am really glad these minis have finally arrived and I look forward to the countless hours of fun and detail these little guys can bring to my gaming table.
I'm sure there is a ton of anecdotal evidence folks can produce, but the fact of the matter is, the minis are selling. They are successful. The marketing scheme is not a slap in the face to "true D&D gamers". In fact, it is an asset. Buck and a quarter and I have a mini that is ready to use right out of the box. Sure, I've seen better paint jobs. Guess what? I've seen far worse, too. I got a bearded devil yesterday and I am truly impressed. It uses many colors, uses drybrush and or ink technique to show off texture, and really, it's a cool sculpt. Add to that it took me zero time, paint or effort to bring to the table and cost less by... about 2 bucks or so than a comparible pewter mini would, not even counting the time I'd have spent prepping my paint area, actually painting the mini, varnishing it, etc. It'd be neat to have a complete set, and at this point, it is very doable for me, so I'll likely pick up the few remaining minis I am missing on the singles market. Does that make me fall into the "collector" label or since I bought these things because I am a DM with a career and a family and my own home which I have to maintain so have little time to prep for weekyl games, much less time to paint a batch of new minis every week... a D&D player who is using them in his game? We are using these minis nearly exclusively for our weekly D&D games. I'll be quite happy when they've released even more of these things so I can get different sculpts and even more monster selection to choose from rather than having a troglodyte zombie stand in for a normal troglodyte. All in all, the D&D miniatures line has done nothing to harm D&D or the "hardcore" miniature hobbyists who enjoy painting and even sculpting their own minis. It only helps D&D by brining in some new blood who are interested in wargaming. By bringing in new blood who are interested in collectible trading games. By helping DMs and players alike who, for one reason or another, be it lack of time, lack of funds, lack of interest or lack of motivation, cannot or will not buy and use pewter minis and want a little more detail and flair than a counter can give. I, for one, am really glad these minis have finally arrived and I look forward to the countless hours of fun and detail these little guys can bring to my gaming table.
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