Worried about new minis?

[Zaruthustran]

Wizkids isn't the first company to do clicky bases. Several board games in the 80s used the idea. WotC (or anybody else) could use a clicky base if they wanted to.

But a clicky base is useless for a D&D-based game, since in D&D abilities stay at 100% until the unit is dead. Abilities don't degrade as damage is taken.

That said, I hope that WotC puts basic information on the bases of these figs. I'm talking essential stats such as cost, ac, to-hit, movement, and damage. It'd suck to have to refer to (shudder) a chart or table somewhere off-table.

-z

 

[Wraithdrit]

Ack, not *gasp* charts!

Hehehe. I guess I've played 40k for so long that I just don't really think charts are that bad. Heck, I LONG for the days of Avalon Hill's crunchy combined arms warfare games with charts and rules that were divided up into sections sub sections and subsubsections (refer to rule I.2.A.1.a, etc).

I just love hearing clickplayers talk about the lack of charts as a good thing.

That being said, I love my Mechwarriorark Age models and game, so um, I like clickers.

Anyways...

- Wraith

 

[Greatwyrm]

Wizkids isn't the first company to do clicky bases. Several board games in the 80s used the idea. WotC (or anybody else) could use a clicky base if they wanted to.
-z

Not that I don't belive you, but where else have you seen something like this? Can you recall any specific games with this type of mechanic? I'd be really interested to see them.

 

[Zaruthustran]

Not that I don't belive you, but where else have you seen something like this? Can you recall any specific games with this type of mechanic? I'd be really interested to see them.

Er, no, I can't--and I know that's totally embarassing. I try not to make unfounded/unsourced claims in message board posts. Sorry

I can picture the game in my head--it came out in the late 80s. It was similar to Dark Tower. The board had a map of a dungeon. The players (tan fighter, paladin, wizard, rogue) and monsters (green orcs, brown ogres) had bases with numbers on them. There was a slot on the base that revealed a number; as you took damage, you turned the base, revealing decreasing numbers.

The game had plastic treasure chests with gold weapons. And I think a grey plastic "final battle" area, with a dark brown scorpion-tailed lion monster thing.

Argh.. can't remember the name. It wasn't Dragon Quest, Warhammer Quest, Talisman, or Dark Tower. Anyone have any links to a fantasy board game site?

-z

PS: The bases were cylinders, with a seperate ridged bottom. You held the cylinder and rotated the bottom (as opposed to Wizkids, where you normally hold the base and rotate the inside).

PSS: It had a wraith-like figure called "The Howler" that could randomly strike and move your figure backward. I still use that figure, as a Banshee in my Undead army for Warhammer. Yeah, TMI.

PSSS: the cover had a picture of the Conan-like barbarian fighting off the lion/scorpion thing--it was clawing his leg and shooting a laser from its tail. A knight with a mustache and open-faced, winged great helm was in the foreground. A snakeman wizard was in the background--he was the BBEG. Argh! This is going to bother me the rest of the day.

 

[tbitonti]

A couple of points y'all seem to be missing. (Funny, folks seems to be exhibiting the same depth as do most media interviewers.)

Point 1:
*) A lot of the target audience is children;
*) The packaging is designed to promote irrational behavior;
*) Children are very susceptible to irrational behavior;
WOTC is taking advantage of children.

Point 2:
*) You could get 8 figs for 10 bucks;
*) But, you might use anywhere from 0 to all 8 figs;
*) Let's say that you use half;
*) You spent 5 bucks on figs that you didn't use;
*) Paying for production, transportation, and retail space;
*) That's 5 bucks that didn't go to the figs that you used;
*) Wouldn't you rather spent all 10 bucks on those 4 figs?
WOTC is using a gimmick to make more money, at a cost to the
value that they provide to you.

Point 3:
*) I suppose that the actual costs for 8 figs is less than a
dollar;
*) If you don't believe me, checkout what you can buy retail
at any dollar store;
*) Most of the cost is probably up front (setting up the
physical production), and in distribution overhead;
* Let's say that the total retail cost (for 8 figs) is about
2 bucks, or 25 cents a fig;
*) Let's say the mini's are priced at 2 bucks a piece;
*) So, that's 16 bucks for 8 figs;
*) But, you buy only 4 figs, for 8 bucks;
*) The distributed profit is 7 bucks;
*) If you had bought 8 figs for 10 bucks, the distributed
profit is 8 bucks;
*) But, if you bought 4 figs for 5 bucks, the distributed
profit would be 4 bucks;
*) Doesn't this strike you as being a bit odd?
WOTC vastly overcharging for their figs, under the disguise of
quantity sales, they are hiding inefficiencies.

I personally would prefer to spend 10 bucks for 4 higher quality
figs. And, I would prefer that my bucks were efficiently spent on
the exact figs that I cared to buy.

My 2 cents.

 

[MerricB]

WOTC vastly overcharging for their figs, under the disguise of
quantity sales, they are hiding inefficiencies.

I personally would prefer to spend 10 bucks for 4 higher quality
figs. And, I would prefer that my bucks were efficiently spent on
the exact figs that I cared to buy.

Yes, that's nice. Meanwhile, there are 4 higher quality figs sitting on the shelf that you didn't buy, and that no-one will buy. The cost of the four figures you bought has to subsidise the figures that don't sell well.

Or those figures won't sell at all.

Bad. Any way you look at it, there are inefficiencies in miniature marketing. Unless, of course, they only produce miniatures that most people want. And in that case, you can say goodbye to any unusual figures.

Cheers!

 

[Bendris Noulg]

I'm half-hoping the box has a string to tie it to the ceiling with.

That way we can beat it with a stick before we find out what we got.

 

[MerricB]

That'd be really amusing. I like that idea.

Cheers!

 

[PatrickLawinger]

For me there isn't really a downside. I have people in my gaming group that have astoundingly well-painted minis for the rare dragons, liches, and nasty-bads. You can never have enough boring old goblins, ogres, orcs, trolls, zombies, and skeletons.

I figure someone buying a ton of 8-packs up to auction off the rares is going to package the "commons" together and sell them dirt cheap.

Now, presuming they are even half-decent (which could be a rather big presumption) it will be easy to gather up some nasty "troops."

Patrick

 

[Azzy]

If anyone wants a sig line.....
"WoTC Mini's: Like a Schrodiger's cat you pay for but won't know if its dead until you open the box."

I prefer to buy a live cat when i want a live cat, and a dead one when i want a dead one.

Hey, don't let the cat out of the bag!.

I usually don't buy minis--too often they're way overpriced. Even if the price is good on these mini, I'm not going to pay for something when I don't know what I'm going to get. Should WotC decide forego this silly randomness, and put a reasonable price tag on their minis, I'll probably pick up a few. But not until then.