Heroforge introduces microtransaction model with Daggerheart collaboration

[Imaro]

"company trying to make money has increased costs, so they pass them on" sure seems like a bad thing to be mad about.....Like, if there are really better alternatives, use them.

Simplistic take is simplistic... and whether you agree with why your consumer base is mad or not it's probably something you should take a long hard look at.

HF has created a community through it's sub service where builds, mods, different tricks, etc. are shared and used by the members with the assets and services they have access too... it's not just a question of... if there are really better alternatives, use them... once you've bought into an ecosystem.

It's like learning all the tricks and tools of your favorite VTT and then they do something that ticks off their consumer base and the unhelpful solution of... well dump them and go buy/sub to another and re-learn all of the stuff you know how to do with their tools if you don't like it, is presented.

 

[Zaukrie]

Simplistic take is simplistic... and whether you agree with why your consumer base is mad or not it's probably something you should take a long hard look at.

Of course....companies need to be aware of this. I'm not the company, though.

 

[Reynard]

They are new versions... there were frog-men (DnD has them) and monkey-men (DnD has them) and fungus/plant-men (DnD has them) originally included in the sub, along with numerous other species. Lately HF has been updating the models offered in their sub for better prints, details, etc..., but guess which ones haven't been updated... well unless you pay the $8 a pop to gain access to the new "Daggerheart" version of their assets? IMO that's where the enshitification comes in and if they see that this is a viable way to do business then the better models, sculpts, assets, etc. will always be placed behind a secondary paywall.

EDIT: Unless this is a Darrington Press thing where a higher than normal licensing fee or some such needed to be paid... welll then that's just crappy on their part. I'm honestly not sure which company (or if both) are responsible but it's a bad look overall.

Are there other company specific models that are not behind a paywall, or is this an attempt to try a new type of product? I am curious if HF is testing the waters here, or if Darrington is seeing just how far they can leverage the moment of popularity of DH.

Just to be clear, I am not interested in "defending" either company. As I said, I am not a HF customer. But, frankly, I am always a little suspect of gamers crying about price increases, or in some cases prices at all. In the end, though, it is fine for folks to register their displeasure and refuse to buy the thing. I just don't see anything in this that is particularly unusual.

 

[CleverNickName]

That seems a weird thing to be mad about. Just go with the better alternative. That is like being mad at Apple because Samsung phones exist

And yet...

I like HeroForge a lot. Every time I start a new campaign, I order a mini for my character and I use their "photo booth" feature to put together my character sketches and NPC portraits. (I'm a higher-tier Kickstarter backer for both of their crowdfunding drives, so I get to use a lot of their digital tools for free.) But at $30+ apiece, there's no way I would be able to afford more than one or two physical minis a year.

The way I see it, HeroForge is a premium gaming product: nice to have if you like shiny things, but more of a luxury than a necessity. If I played a game that required a LOT of minis, I would have to go with a lower-cost option. But for the occasional shiny, they're my favorite.

 

[Imaro]

Are there other company specific models that are not behind a paywall, or is this an attempt to try a new type of product? I am curious if HF is testing the waters here, or if Darrington is seeing just how far they can leverage the moment of popularity of DH.

Just to be clear, I am not interested in "defending" either company. As I said, I am not a HF customer. But, frankly, I am always a little suspect of gamers crying about price increases, or in some cases prices at all. In the end, though, it is fine for folks to register their displeasure and refuse to buy the thing. I just don't see anything in this that is particularly unusual.

What do you mean by company specific models... DP doesn't own the rights to frog-people, monkey-people or fungus-people... the older models for these were included in the subscription... I'm not sure what makes this a new type of product... it's the same type of assets they produce regularly...

 

[mamba]

I'm only saying it isn't unusual,

if our criteria for something being acceptable is that it was done somewhere before with some frequency, then we might as well call it quits because we have completely lost the plot

and that it does not appear to be enshittification.

it absolutely is

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

because you are already paying a subscription for the service I guess

You don't have to pay a subscription to use HeroForge. The subscription just lets you create digital avatars and some other stuff.

 

[Reynard]

What do you mean by company specific models... DP doesn't own the rights to frog-people, monkey-people or fungus-people... the older models for these were included in the subscription... I'm not sure what makes this a new type of product... it's the same type of assets they produce regularly...

Am I misunderstanding? Are these not Daggerheart branded assets?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Am I misunderstanding? Are these not Daggerheart branded assets?

There are both generic frog men and Daggerheart frog men and generic ape men and Daggerheart frog men.

I urge everyone in this thread to go play with the race selector at HeroForge.com.

 

[Reynard]

There are both generic frog men and Daggerheart frog men and generic ape men and Daggerheart frog men.

I urge everyone in this thread to go play with the race selector at HeroForge.com.

Doing so, I can't see where you pick the Daggerheart minis versus just the frog folk or whatever.

EDIT: Nevermind. Found it.