Worried about new minis?

[jgbrowning]

WotC's random packaging strategy allows for a greater variety of miniatures, including unusual creatures. How? Because instead of taking inventory risk on a hundred individual skus (each of which must be stocked individually), WotC--and it's retail outlets--need only stock 2 skus: the starter and the booster. This strategy lets WotC create seldom-used but miniatures such as Hound Archons, Medusae, Beholders, and whatnot.
-z

Sounds great! Hope they use clear plastic so I can see what's in each pack.

The only people randomization without allowing the customer to know what they're getting benefits are..

everyone but the customer.

Oh wait, I'm so behind the times. We're consumers now, not customers.



joe b.

 

[Zaruthustran]

So I buy a booster, get home, open it up, and find... nothing I want.

E-bay: Add shipping.

Dirt Game Stores: Hope to get lucky.

I just don't see the upside of this.

It's not that hard:

Current situation: no miniatures from WotC.

Future situation: miniatures from WotC.

That's the upside.

-z

 

[Zaruthustran]

Sounds great! Hope they use clear plastic so I can see what's in each pack.

Well, that's the thing--if you can see inside, then you'll be able to avoid the packs that don't have what you want. Which defeats one of the purposes of randomization (reducing inventory risk). Plus, it spoils the fun.

D&D Miniatures is a collectable miniatures game, like Mage Knight. Part of the fun of these types of games is the anticipation and surprise of what's in the box. It may seem strange, but it's a powerful motivator--just ask the guys in Vegas.

I think many people are looking at the random packaging of these figures the wrong way. These figures are for the D&D Miniatures game. They can also be used for the D&D RPG game, but they're designed for the D&D Miniatures game.

That's an important distinction.

If you want a single, specific figure--then buy that specific figure. There are many, many miniatures companies out there. Why on Earth would you want to spend $10 on a bunch of random figs? Doesn't make sense.

Want one Mind Flayer for your D&D RPG game? Don't buy a random pack of figures for the D&D Miniatures game and hope to get lucky, silly. Instead, buy a Mind Flayer figure from Reaper. Or seek out and buy an aftermarket Mind Flayer fig from the D&D Miniatures game.

-z

 

[MerricB]

I was under the impression that distribution usually takes around 50% of the MSRP of the product for WotC. If I'm wrong, let me know.

The chief problem for the game store is displaying and storing product. If you have a miniature figure, most likely you can't return it. You can only sell it or dump it.

If you have 100s of figures that aren't selling, what do you do with them? Display them - taking up valuable space for products that do sell? Or dump them?

A game store relies on a constant turnover of product.

Miniatures also take up SPACE. Compare the amount of space used in displaying Warhammer figures compared to the MageKnight boxes...

Cheers!

 

[jgbrowning]

The chief problem for the game store is displaying and storing product. If you have a miniature figure, most likely you can't return it. You can only sell it or dump it.

If you have 100s of figures that aren't selling, what do you do with them? Display them - taking up valuable space for products that do sell? Or dump them?

A game store relies on a constant turnover of product.

Miniatures also take up SPACE. Compare the amount of space used in displaying Warhammer figures compared to the MageKnight boxes...

Cheers!

Sorry, i thought you were talking about WoTC costs.

joe b.

 

[Green Knight]

1) I no longer trust WOTC to do things right, they didn't even get the scale right in their promo blurbs.

A typo is a far cry from producing overly large bases. That's a bit of a stretch.

2) The round bases for other plastic minis are too big, both Hero Clix and Mage Knight are too big.

How does this have any bearing on the bases that WoTC will do? As for WizKids, their bases are that size for a reason. The clicky bases with the creatures stats. The D&D miniatures won't have clicky bases with stats on them.

3) From the pictures I have seen, the bases look too big to me.

You can't accurately judge from a picture. For instance, when I saw the Ogre Trooper I had no idea what it was. I thought it was a medium creature of some sort. But nope, it was Large. Yes, I had misjudged the size of the base from the picture. Without a point of reference you just CAN'T accurately judge the size of the base.

4) The Original D&D minis had/have square bases, so a change has been made here.

We're not talking a massive change, here. It went from square to round because round bases are better for miniature wargaming. And even with that chance, the round bases still fit into the 1x1 inch square grids.

When changing from square to round you have to make the base smaller, if its going to fit in the same 1"x1" grid.

Now you're complaining that the base will be SMALLER? I thought your complaint was that the bases will be BIGGER, and that the round bases won't fit into the 1x1 inch grid?

Trust me, man. They'll fit. They're using the same base sizes as in Chainmail. The Small creatures will be on the little bases like the Gnome Infiltrator and Halfling Sneak. The Medium creatures will be on the standard round bases which fit in the 1x1 inch square grid like all the human/elf/dwarf characters, while the Large creatures will be on that larger base that takes up about 4 squares like the Abyssal Ravager and Ogre Trooper.

 

[Wraithdrit]

Okay folks, lets face facts here. Some people are going to love this idea and some people are going to hate it.

But the fact of the matter is that if you want reasonably priced, prepainted plastic minis then random packed is what you are going to get.

Economics uses the terms Fixed Cost and Variable Cost to define the Total Cost of Producing a product. To make profit, your sale price must be over the total cost. Well whether you produce them randomly packed or singly packed, the Fixed Cost is the same. But the per unit cost of packaging (a variable cost) and of distribution, ie sku tracking, etc (another variable cost) are VERY different between the two methods.

I would expect that if WOTC does start selling 'orc packs' or 'skeleton packs' or some such, the cost will be twice what you could buy the same thing for on a secondary market and therefore will not be sustainable.

Also realize that this is an attempt for WOTC to take a slice of the Click games pie. Its a CMG, Collectable Miniature Game. In essence we are a SECONDARY USE of the miniatures (RPGers). If we never bought a single pack, but the mini game took off, then WOTC is making money.

And really as long as THEY make money, I'm happy. Why? Because the more money WOTC makes, the longer they stay in business, making more and more D&D and FR products for me to buy.

So get used to random packed. Its coming. If you don't like it, don't buy it.

- Wraith

 

[heirodule]

So I buy a booster, get home, open it up, and find... nothing I want.

What, you have no friends?

Trade!

 

[kenjib]

The D&D miniatures won't have clicky bases with stats on them.

Do you think a minis game can make it in the marketplace nowdays without clicky bases with stats? That was a really great innovation. Couldn't they do it on a smaller base? Does WizKids have a patent on that?

 

[Greatwyrm]

Do you think a minis game can make it in the marketplace nowdays without clicky bases with stats? That was a really great innovation. Couldn't they do it on a smaller base? Does WizKids have a patent on that?

Well, I doubt the guys that make 40k or any of its variants have any plans to put clicky bases out any time soon. Given the rate they release products, I'd assume their games are still going strong.

As to a patent, WizKids may very well have one on the clicky base idea. WotC has/had one on CCGs after all. Did a reasonably good job of enforcing it too, as I remember. They got practically everyone but Steve Jackson Games to either stop printing or give them royalties, although recent cases I'm unaware of may have changed that. However, given that precedent, I'd say anybody else that puts out some sort of base-with-stats miniatures system could probably expect a visit from WizKids' lawyers.