D&D General Miniatures shouldn't be edition-dependent (a Fire Giant size rant)

[MGibster]

Why would you need to change the lore to "suit the needs of current players"? That makes no sense.

Deadlands did this fairly recently. When Deadlands was released in 1996, the setting was an alternative history where the Confederate States of America effectively won the Civil War and was engaged in a cold war of sorts with the United States of America in 1876. That the Confederacy continued to exist, and that they ended slavery nor was racism a serious problem in the setting, had some unfortunately implications that play into the Lost Cause narrative. While I don't believe that was Shane Hensley's intent, I think he just wanted a fun game where you could play Spy vs. Spy Wild, Wild West style, a setting with a extant CSA that "good" characters could be a part of is simply untenable in today's market. i.e. An audience in 2020 would not accept it. If PEG, Inc. wanted Deadlands to remain a viable game they needed to change the lore.

What a group of 15-25 year olds connected with in 1988 might not necessarily be the same thing that same age group connects with in 2021. Tastes, preferences, and mores change throughout the decades and if you want your product to remain relevant you change with the times if necessary.

Seriously, I don't see why or how you would need to change any lore to suit any players. Players learn the lore of the game, they shouldn't have the lore re-tailored to them every time WotC marketing decides it's most profitable to churn out another edition on the edition treadmill and say that all prior editions are junk.

Which players are you talking about? The ones who played in 1990 and might not be playing today? Or the ones who are playing now?

As as far as monster sizes are concerned, does changing their size have any significant impact on lore at all?

 

[MGibster]

It sucks that people spend cash on support for their role playing, especially on expensive figures, and then find that the things they purchased are negated in a new edition by being removed, changed, etc... It is a disrespectful move.

I have purchased many, many miniatures over the years and I can't think of a single one that has become useless because of a rules change. Part of that is likely because I'm not overly concerned with scale. If Froghemoth changes from a Huge to a Large or a Gargantuan creature I'll still use my same miniature. Also, the miniatures they're able to produce today are heads and shoulders better than the ones they produced in the 80s and 90s (for the most part). At least as far as monsters are concerned, Wizkids makes some great ones. But the industry has changed and the scales aren't the same. Such is life. I'd still use my Ral Partha miniatures if I still had any.

 

[MGibster]

In this thread from earlier in 2021, @Sacrosanct laments how his old school Ral Partha miniatures look when placed on the table next to more recently produced miniatures and he's got a valid point. It's a bit tough when your big bad barbarian looks like Barbarian, Jr. when sitting next to something produced after 2005. Here's a photo @Sacrosanct posted showing the difference in scale.

While I empathize with him, I think the old Ral Partha models from the 80s and 90s have a certain charm to them and I'd happily use them if I still owned them. But then I'm not over concerned about adherence to scale. I do so regret getting rid of my old school miniatures so many years ago. Technology has really allowed talented artists to produce some outstanding miniatures for a relatively low price. Reaper Miniatures formed in the mid-1990s, and I don't think they should have been beholden to to anyone to produce models in the same scale as Ral Partha or RAFM.

 

[StarFyre]

wow forgot how bad so many of the 80s minis looked....

SF

 

[MGibster]

wow forgot how bad so many of the 80s minis looked....

It just goes to show you how much standards have improved over the years. But a lot of them have some old school charm that makes me appreciate them still. And while the WizKids miniatures are technically better, I don't particular care for the majority of their player character miniatures. I just flat out dislike painting them though I love their monsters.

 

[StarFyre]

It just goes to show you how much standards have improved over the years. But a lot of them have some old school charm that makes me appreciate them still. And while the WizKids miniatures are technically better, I don't particular care for the majority of their player character miniatures. I just flat out dislike painting them though I love their monsters.

oh ya. i have a bunch of ral parthas as well. some still unpainted and the ones from the mid 90s for D&D are quite good IMHO even though scale is off. the 80s ones i think are painful for the most part. That said, i do prefer the modern details, sizes, etc BUT i also cant stand the characters/smaller figures from wizkids nolzurs line. I get some of their monsters. i have their dire troll and red slaad here. need to get 99% alcohol to dip them to remove the primer

im hoping the wizkids new plastic sprue based D&D models will be showcased this weekend for the D&D event (if you hadnt heard, they are starting an advanced product line of models that are games workshop style hard plastic sets on sprues - unpainted/unprimed/unassembled). i hope its not just character and has large rare monsters.

we need a massive tarrasque the scale of a forgeworld titan IMHO

SF

 

[jgsugden]

oh ya. i have a bunch of ral parthas as well....

My parents sold most of my old metal miniatures at a garage sale without my consent while I was at college.... sigh. Even though it would be tiny by today's standards, I wish I still had that frost giant... And a few of the Grenadier models as well. The Fantasy Lords boxes were the core of my collection until DDM came out in the early 2000s...