Pathfinder 1E Paizo's Dark Elf Sanctum - buying?

[MerricB]

To complement my Fane of the Drow poll...

Paizo has come up with the idea of their "Compleat Encounters" line. To quote their blurb, Compleat Encounters provide everything you need to run a single encounter: three brilliantly sculpted miniatures, a full-color minis-scale map, and a detailed microadventure complete with statistics compatible with the world’s most popular roleplaying game.

This is one product I have no interest in getting, although I'm interested in see how many people might be getting it. (And the reason I have no interest in getting involves the word "unpainted". Otherwise I might be interested. )

I see it as a bunch of three (unpainted) minis + extras.
Fane of the Drow is a bunch of four big maps + extras.

You can find Sleepy Voiced's review of it here on ENworld.

Cheers!

 

[MerricB]

It is unfortunate for Paizo that just at the time they're getting out this product (the "map" are four double-sided 5"x8" tiles, if I read it correctly), the tiles of DDM are being replaced by the maps of Fantastic Locations (and others). So, one point of utility has been diminished. It probably won't change the audience much, though.

Of course, Dragon Magazine will be publishing a FL-style map in the near future (issue #337, IIRC), which will be legal in DDM tournament play.

Cheers!

 

[IronWolf]

I probably won't pick this one up. Pretty much for the same reason as Merric already mentioned. Feels too much like unpainted minis with extras. Who knows though, maybe reviews and threads here will change my mind.

 

[Wormwood]

No paintee...no purchee.

Pathetic but true.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I suspect the DDM audience has different expectations than the more traditional miniatures audience does. I plan on buying most of this series, although the drow one leaves me cold (because they're drow). OTOH, I have never purchased a DDM product other than the Miniatures Handbook, and that was for the D&D content.

 

[BluWolf]

No interest.

 

[D'karr]

I got this set for one reason, I just love miniatures (painted and unpainted). Besides, the price for this set was about right, even without the additional extras.

The miniatures are VERY nice. Let me say that again, VERY nice. I'm kind of "finicky" about what kind of metal miniatures I spend money on and the sculpts on these are fantastic by any stretch.

The gate is a fantastic prop and beautifully detailed. The dark elf priestess is meticulously sculpted with lots of details. But my favorite is the Horned Demon. What a gorgeously evil piece of metal. Just absolutely fantastic.

The set also comes with 4 double sided terrain tiles, in the DDM style. I'm not into the miniatures game. So these don't particularly float my boat, but the quality on these is very good and in some respects surpasses some of the tiles I've seen from WotC. The set includes a short adventure, detailed for a 9th level party. However, there are "scaling the adventure" notes included for parties from 1-20 level. I shouldn't say it is an adventure because it is much too short for that. But it has enough encounters to be challenging and with the notes provided could be scaled, expanded and turned into a complete adventure or even a campaign. Sarthessa, the evil dark elf cleric, could become a thorn on the adventurers' side in a long running campaign.

And then there is the Wayne Reynolds art... The three miniatures are depicted in his unique style. I'm a WAR fan and these are great. The reverse side shows a painted mini with all it's game stats. Great as a color reference for those that will paint the miniatures and awesome for game play because all the stats are in one card.

Not to be discounted is the fact that the whole encounter is OGL.

So I recommend this to anyone that loves miniatures as much as I do. The extras make this a well worth purchase for any inventive DM.

 

[Kunimatyu]

Nu-uh. Got my plastic Drow/Demon minis already, and Fane of the Drow has maps if I really want them(and I don't). Sorry guys.

 

[pogre]

I'm buying. I plan on painting a set and selling it on ebay. If I like them enough I'll buy a set to keep.

 

[the Jester]

At its base, I like the idea. However, I too am forevermore sold on prepainted minis. Not only that, I keep Drow exceptionally rare imc- haven't used one, unless you count a lich (that the party didn't even realize was Drow until near the end of an epic story arc), in over a decade of real time.

If this was, say, a kobold encounter with all the trimmings I'd be more tempted. YMMV.

Count me as a 'haven't decided' on the concept, which is how I voted, but a solid 'No' for this particular set.