Future of D&D Miniatures

[Fifth Element]

Eight figures at $15 works out to $1.88 per figure for Demonweb.

Reaper:
Three goblins $2.99
Werewolf $3.99
Three skeleton archers $5.79
Evil human warrior $4.49

$17.26 / 8 = $2.15 per figure.

So I'm going to say yes, it's been done.

According to Reaper's website, 3 goblins are $5.99, not $2.99. So that's already up to $2.53 per figure.

And if you count every figure in the line listed on the website (assuming you buy 3-packs when offered), it works out to $124.66 for 38 figures, or $3.28 per figure, which is 50% higher than your selective sample, and 74% higher than the Demonweb figure you provided.

 

[DaveMage]

Right. and in the imaginary game we play, it's impossible to go, "Yeah guys, Orcus is this big" and slam the mini out on the table? I will NEVER be that confined to any edition that it stops me from using something in the game. Hell, next you'll tell me you can't use the McFarline dragons because they don't confirm to some size in the book or aren't in the game.

Joe - you completely missed my point. Look at the first thing you quoted.

$75!

Sure I can use other figures (like the McFarline dragons). But they don't cost $75!

If this was a $5 mini, then it's really not an issue. The issue is that I'm not going to spend 75 dollars on a Dungeons & Dragons mini that doesn't match the Dungeons and Dragons game I'm playing.

 

[pawsplay]

According to Reaper's website, 3 goblins are $5.99, not $2.99. So that's already up to $2.53 per figure.

My bad. Still in the same ballpark.

And if you count every figure in the line listed on the website (assuming you buy 3-packs when offered), it works out to $124.66 for 38 figures, or $3.28 per figure, which is 50% higher than your selective sample, and 74% higher than the Demonweb figure you provided.

I purposefully averaged in a couple of more expensive figures to simulate getting uncommons and rares. Averaging every single figure is an unfair comparison; that would be like going onto Ebay and averaging the cost of every single figure in the Demonwebs set.

But let's let your math stand. $3.28 per figure, and I can have whatever I want? Yeah, I'll take that. As much as people complained about Farmer Brown from Harbinger, at least he could be a druid or a something or could get chopped up for conversions; I have no idea what to do with a half dozen dwarf skeletons or orc brutes.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Joe - you completely missed my point. Look at the first thing you quoted.

$75!

Sure I can use other figures (like the McFarline dragons). But they don't cost $75!

If this was a $5 mini, then it's really not an issue. The issue is that I'm not going to spend 75 dollars on a Dungeons & Dragons mini that doesn't match the Dungeons and Dragons game I'm playing.

Well that reply, just to me mind you, indicates that it's actually the price tag because 'the Dungeons and Dragons game" you're playing, isn't set in godly stone and requires you to use only a very specific Orcus.

Not at $75 in your case if I'm reading it correctly.

To me, it's a cool looking figure and the figurel ooks worth $75 'regardless' of what edtion I'm playing. If I'm playing Rolemaster and want to pop the figure down, I'm not worried that ICE police will break down my door screaming that I'm playing it wrong because I'm using the Orcus mini.

 

[pawsplay]

The issue isn't the game police. It's that, for many purposes, the figure is too big.

 

[DaveMage]

To me, it's a cool looking figure and the figurel ooks worth $75 'regardless' of what edtion I'm playing.

Enjoy!

 

[Fifth Element]

I purposefully averaged in a couple of more expensive figures to simulate getting uncommons and rares. Averaging every single figure is an unfair comparison; that would be like going onto Ebay and averaging the cost of every single figure in the Demonwebs set.

My calculations included commons as well - since I figured in buying three of each figure that comes in a 3-pack (the "commons"). So you get multiples of these figures and singles of the others.

I agree that $3.28 is still relatively cheap, and I've bought a fair number of Reaper prepaints. But a 74% difference in price is not something that can be ignored completely.

 

[Amator]

Well, I've been reading since page 8, and since I haven't seen it yet, I think it's a good time to quote Merric's Law of Minatures: Non-Random Packaging, Cheap Prices, and a Large Range of Figures: Choose two.

Now, the idea another poster had about WotC reissuing all old(say more than 1 year out of circulation) miniatures individually for $1 commons, $2-3 Uncommons, and $4-5 Rares seems like it might have the possibility of breaking Merric's Law. You'd want to use a slightly different paint scheme, the bases would not have the collector's information, and there would be no card, but I can easily see them do something like this and have it open for DDI customers like the original poster suggested. That way there's no competition with what is currently on retailer shelves, WotC gets to use the molds they've squirreled away, and collector's value goes down a bit. Hell, it's already gone down, I have lots of Harbinger-GoL minis and except for the rare Huges, most of them have gone down in value greatly. I remember when Umber Hulks were $60 on eBay and now they go for $20.

What I would like to stress to Trevor is that when you're assigning rarities, please make sure to follow MM creature guildelines. We need uncommon fire and frost giants as well as cyclopses. We need at least two uncommon dragonborn sculpts.

I also like the idea of a yearly (or twice a year) non-random set of minis. Make it $30, include around 12 minis, 2 sheets of dungeon tiles, and a 3-encounter delve.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Eight figures at $15 works out to $1.88 per figure for Demonweb.

Reaper:
Three goblins $2.99
Werewolf $3.99
Three skeleton archers $5.79
Evil human warrior $4.49

$17.26 / 8 = $2.15 per figure.

So I'm going to say yes, it's been done.

Generally the pieces chosen as legendary encounters are stuff that's obtainable as DDM commons/uncommons though. The line doesn't have nearly the same breadth of unusual options and never will. Oddball minis get produced in random sets because they are subsidized. When sculpts have to justify themselves through individual sale, the only things that get made are the most basic ones. I greatly prefer the random with buying singles online. Its in the end cheaper than legendary encounters and offers a diversity of options that just blows reaper's offerings away.

 

[JoeGKushner]

The issue isn't the game police. It's that, for many purposes, the figure is too big.

I'm trying not to beat a dead horse here but can you name some of these 'many purposes'?

The only purpose I've seen so far is that it matches one official version of his size in one version of the game.

Which to me would seem at a counter purpose if I wanted to use the figure and thought the figure was a good value. For example, I bought the Great Cthulhu fig for Horror Clix even though I don't play that game. Does that base match Cthulhu's 'official' WoTC d20 stats or does it matter if it matches? I go with the latter. It's a good fig with potential multiple uses.