Non-random D&D Miniatures

[TheYeti1775]

I was going to suggest a similar thing to Henry, make a short tightly themed adventure - then you could support with packs marginally bigger than the standard boxes, probably breaking down to:
4 mooks (Orcs, Bugbears, Zombies, whatever)
2 Special NPC's (The evil Henchmen as it were)
1 Big Bad Boss.

That's 7 mini's - the mooks get reused quite a bit, but 4 mooks vs the assumed 4 characters is all that will be needed at once for most adventures, obviously individual adventures will vary this, perhaps having a 'sargeant' to command each squad, or a larger number of weaker monsters etc.

Use the mooks in all sets, having one of each base type in it. An Orc is an Orc pretty much unless you want the ultra realistic down to the spare weapon still cased.

The 'adventure' sets could have the higher up's randomized with a guarntee of certain mooks for it.

 

[Mark CMG]

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?p=3284465

I'd love it if they came out a few packs of standard creatures, like orcs, skeletons, etc., twenty in each or, perhaps, two, three or four poses.

(. . .)

I should be clear that I do not mean to suggest using older molds or poses but, rather, to have, perhaps, four new poses (maybe two different types of spear poses and two different types of bow poses) for each new twenty pack, five of each figure and complete with as many cards. I do not believe such a model has been tried. I believe they would sell both to DDM completists and to D&D DMs who want ranks of typical fodder creatures (orcs, skeletons, etc.) They could even sell them with a battlemat and special DDM and/or D&D scenario/adventure.

 

[Glyfair]

I think that's it. So what you do is break that down and sell it as three or four smaller packs. Then, you release a Special Edition 3.5 version of Sunless Citadel that includes the collection for the whole module... assuming that's all economically viable for WotC, I'd love to see stuff like that.

This wouldn't be done. Wizards needs to put something out that sells very well to justify most stores keeping it in stock. While a "Sunless Citadel" type pack might sell well enough if it's tied to a good module, I'm sure splitting it into multiple packs will drop it below the level of being profitable.

 

[Thunderfoot]

Yes, I thought about that as well.
However, I would like to have some kind of padding (foam) to protect the miniatures.

Oh well, looks like I have some work layed out for me before it's realized.

Herzog

There are several manufacturers that make "army boxes" with foam inserts. Frankly, unless you are using hand-painted metal figs, the plastic Wotc DDMs are fine in a tackle box, I use a VERY LARGE one from Bass Pro, any sectional "bait box" works though.

 

[w_earle_wheeler]

If WotC ends up doing their own version of the Game Mastery adventure packs (map, scenario, and a few miniatures) I think it could be pretty successful, along the lines of Dungeon Tiles.

I've never bought any of the DDM because they're randomized. If I didn't already have a collection of pewter minis, I probably would. But what I really need are monsters/opponents that I'm going to use, not PC-miniatures.

My FLGS has never had more than a few non-unique (high priced) DDMs out of the box at any given time, and usually it's a non-inspiring set of drows or halflings or something else I don't need.

 

[MerricB]

The whole idea is blasphemy. It breaks the very laws of natural order to sell non-random miniatures. With this development, it is only a matter of time before WotC breaks the holy doctrines of "Merricks Law", and we are forced to go to actual stores and purchase the minis that we want. Gaahhh... the horror.

My law allows for this, but it states that we won't see many of them. Wizards are going to find it best making rare minis through this scheme - it's too easy to get orcs for cheaper than they can be produced on ebay and elsewhere.

Cheers!

 

[Mark CMG]

(. . .) it's too easy to get orcs for cheaper than they can be produced on ebay and elsewhere.

Not really. As one of the proponents of the 20 orcs/skeletons/etc. packaging (four poses, five of each kind), I've kept my eye on such things and it really isn't so, not consistently nor in the types of numbers that allow for real bands or army building. Sometimes folks like you trot that argument out but it isn't really true from what I have seen over the last few years. If you are lucky enough to find a few, they are often the oddball poses or templated whatnots, and just wouldn't work well as a band (/regiment/army building block). Particularly once you figure in the shipping.


If you know of places that it can be done of which I am unaware, please do link specifically to two different poses of orcs with spears that can be had in a quantity of five each, as well as two different poses of orcs with bows that can be had in a quantity of five each, then add up what it would cost with the shipping. I'd be more than happy to actually be proven wrong rather than to simply see you dismiss the situation offhandedly, yet again.

 

[Agamon]

Not really. As one of the proponents of the 20 orcs/skeletons/etc. packaging (four poses, five of each kind), I've kept my eye on such things and it really isn't so, not consistently nor in the types of numbers that allow for real bands or army building. Sometimes folks like you trot that argument out but it isn't really true from what I have seen over the last few years. If you are lucky enough to find a few, they are often the oddball poses or templated whatnots, and just wouldn't work well as a band (/regiment/army building block). Particularly once you figure in the shipping.

That's fairly specific. Why not 20 orcs with one pose, or 20 orcs with 20 poses? Maybe it's just me, but I don't find the pose all that important. An orc is an orc. The odds on him holding the exact right weapon, wearing the exact right armor and being in the pose that I'd like when I use it is unlikely anyway.

And finding 20 orcs online (regardless of the pose) for cheap is pretty easy.

 

[Templetroll]

Yes, I thought about that as well.
However, I would like to have some kind of padding (foam) to protect the miniatures.

Oh well, looks like I have some work layed out for me before it's realized.

Herzog

Cotton balls are cheap and fast. padding cut by you to fit your tackle box exactly, lots of work, might not be cheap, depending on the material and how many minis need to be set up.

We need a flumph mini! We need a gnome illusionist lich! We need a kobold lich who specialized in magical traps!

 

[Mark CMG]

And finding 20 orcs online (regardless of the pose) for cheap is pretty easy.

Great! Link me to twenty standard orcs in up to four poses, please.