WotC Discontinues Minis: How Much Does It Affect You?
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jodyjohnson
Adventurer
I mourn for the official minis that should have been and never will be.
A moment of silence for the froghemoth.
.
.
.
So anyway, add modding heavily and sculpting to my goals for 2011.
Current mods in progress: colossal kraken, huge aboleth, gargantuan aboleth, large wereboar.
A moment of silence for the froghemoth.
.
.
.
So anyway, add modding heavily and sculpting to my goals for 2011.
Current mods in progress: colossal kraken, huge aboleth, gargantuan aboleth, large wereboar.
Pour
First Post
I was sort of a compulsive mini buyer the last two years, so I'm going to miss it, but my wallet won't. I really enjoyed the new monsters each set comparative at least in part to 4e releases, plus I largely prefer 3D representations. For me they were more desirable than unpainted metal. My hope is the existing DDM becomes cheaper, but I figure prices will only go up on singles. I'm now much more inclined to buy the limited sets, though.
coyote6
Adventurer
I'm sad that they won't be releasing new minis, but not terribly so. I haven't bought too many in several years, since 4e was released. They had some stuff I wasn't fond of, combined with my gaming groups ignoring 4e, and me not having as much money to buy 'em, so I ended up cutting back.
I've still got tons of 'em though. So it's not like I'm lacking minis or anything.
I've still got tons of 'em though. So it's not like I'm lacking minis or anything.
Kelvor Ravenstar
Explorer
This won't affect me too much, as I already have a large collection of the D&D prepainted minis, so this does not affect me too badly. I won't be able to get great representations of some monsters, and to acquire more I'll either be paying more money on the secondary markets or buying more metal minis from Reaper and painting them myself.
The people that this will effect are those getting into D&D minis now, like some of my friends at our local Encounters group. After seeing the difference in experience between the table using tokens and mine using minis, most are firmly on the side of wanting minis.
I hope that Wizards finds the best kind of special sets to produce from now on, and in my opinion that would be using older molds to produce sets of common monsters like orcs, goblins, skeletons, etc. PC minis are better served by finding a close metal one and painting them yourself. I know I'm not adding much new to the discussion of D&D minis, those looking for commons for their collections have been asking for boxes of orcs etc for years. Hopefully now that Wizards is re-evaluating their business plans they'll consider this market.
The people that this will effect are those getting into D&D minis now, like some of my friends at our local Encounters group. After seeing the difference in experience between the table using tokens and mine using minis, most are firmly on the side of wanting minis.
I hope that Wizards finds the best kind of special sets to produce from now on, and in my opinion that would be using older molds to produce sets of common monsters like orcs, goblins, skeletons, etc. PC minis are better served by finding a close metal one and painting them yourself. I know I'm not adding much new to the discussion of D&D minis, those looking for commons for their collections have been asking for boxes of orcs etc for years. Hopefully now that Wizards is re-evaluating their business plans they'll consider this market.
Almacov
First Post
I liked them. I picked them up occasionally, sometimes on impulse.
Even got excited enough about them near the end of the skirmish game's WotC support to play in a couple of pre-releases. (Mostly for the promo minis and the excitement.)
I was sad to lose those when they canned skirmish.
I'm somewhat disappointed now, too. (Mostly because I wish I'd been a more dilligent collector and picked up a few key pieces.)
However, it's not really going to effect my game. I could sometimes impress my players with a new, well-sculpted mini, and once in a while my collection would inform my encounter design, but beyond that they didn't change too much in-game.
Besides, I do have a fairly decent collection as is, so I can still occaisionally use pieces that are more visually engaging than tokens.
I'll mostly miss the anticipation of a new set, and soaking in the aesthetics of the latest pieces I've extracted from their box.
I've thought about supplementing my collection with the unpainted minis from Castle Ravenloft or Wrath of Ashardalon, but they're just too expensive to justify, since I'm not sure how much mileage I'd get out of the boardgames themselves.
Ah well. One less thing to tempt me while perusing the game store.
Even got excited enough about them near the end of the skirmish game's WotC support to play in a couple of pre-releases. (Mostly for the promo minis and the excitement.)
I was sad to lose those when they canned skirmish.
I'm somewhat disappointed now, too. (Mostly because I wish I'd been a more dilligent collector and picked up a few key pieces.)
However, it's not really going to effect my game. I could sometimes impress my players with a new, well-sculpted mini, and once in a while my collection would inform my encounter design, but beyond that they didn't change too much in-game.
Besides, I do have a fairly decent collection as is, so I can still occaisionally use pieces that are more visually engaging than tokens.
I'll mostly miss the anticipation of a new set, and soaking in the aesthetics of the latest pieces I've extracted from their box.
I've thought about supplementing my collection with the unpainted minis from Castle Ravenloft or Wrath of Ashardalon, but they're just too expensive to justify, since I'm not sure how much mileage I'd get out of the boardgames themselves.
Ah well. One less thing to tempt me while perusing the game store.
Olaf the Stout
Hero
Like many others, I've got enough minis to cover most of the monsters my group will come up against. However, I will miss the excitement of seeing which minis are in the latest set. I'll also miss not being able to get some of the monsters that they never made, like some of the demons and devils.
Olaf the Stout
Olaf the Stout
This is a good point. Thank God there will never be any new players.
Even in the presence of pogs/tokens, that very thing is why the prices of the secondary market will never come down as long as a non-collectible alternative doesn't exist.
As far as tokens are concerned though, if people want to use them, they can make their own snits.
There will have to be something for new players somewhere in 3D form.
El Mahdi
Muad'Dib of the Anauroch
Doesn't affect me at all currently. I stopped buying all WotC products the day they pulled pdf's. I won't buy any WotC products until out of print books return in some type of electronic format...period.
However, I do feel sad that the D&D minis won't be there anymore, if and when WotC starts selling pdf's again. I really did like them. For the most part, they were pretty good minis. But in the end I still have a few hundred minis, many of which I still need to paint (and I like painting them). Besides, there's still Reaper minis (and I'm not talking about their pre-painted plastics). Most of my minis are Reaper anyways, with only maybe a couple of dozen or so WotC...
However, I do feel sad that the D&D minis won't be there anymore, if and when WotC starts selling pdf's again. I really did like them. For the most part, they were pretty good minis. But in the end I still have a few hundred minis, many of which I still need to paint (and I like painting them). Besides, there's still Reaper minis (and I'm not talking about their pre-painted plastics). Most of my minis are Reaper anyways, with only maybe a couple of dozen or so WotC...
Jeff Wilder
First Post
I answered "Not at All," and that's accurate as far as it goes.
But I was pretty impressed with the quality of Lords of Madness, and bought more of that set that I had in quite a while.
On the other hand, I was disgusted by the introduction of the Very Rare in that set, which makes some pieces unobtainable for any reasonable gamer (and effectively unobtainable for even a moderately unreasonable gamer, like me).
As far as I can tell, the discontinuation of DDM makes it official: I am no longer a customer of WotC. If somebody had told me, even as recently as three years ago, that WotC would get literally none of my gaming budget by 2011, I would have dismissed the speaker out of hand.
But I was pretty impressed with the quality of Lords of Madness, and bought more of that set that I had in quite a while.
On the other hand, I was disgusted by the introduction of the Very Rare in that set, which makes some pieces unobtainable for any reasonable gamer (and effectively unobtainable for even a moderately unreasonable gamer, like me).
As far as I can tell, the discontinuation of DDM makes it official: I am no longer a customer of WotC. If somebody had told me, even as recently as three years ago, that WotC would get literally none of my gaming budget by 2011, I would have dismissed the speaker out of hand.
Argyle King
Legend
I doubt I'll notice too much. I do have some of the WoTC minis, but -for a while now- I've been turning to other companies for minis.
I'll also add that it's very doubtful I will start using the cardboard pogs which are replacing the minis.
I'll also add that it's very doubtful I will start using the cardboard pogs which are replacing the minis.
jefgorbach
First Post
hopefully (but doubtful) WOTC's decision foreshadows their eventual/long past due recognition they are part of Hasbro ... whose in-house subsidiaries have decades of experience producing high quality, fully positionable plastic "mini's" with replaceable equipment/accessories (ie action figures) for the GI:Joe, Star Wars, Transformers, and other lines at a cross-genre consistent scale ... at fairly reasonable prices to the end-user to boot!
Canor Morum
First Post
I will miss the minis. It's always exciting when a new set comes out. I don't like the random nature of the boosters. I only buy singles. There are a lot of monsters, pcs, npcs, set pieces that are still missing. So it's sad that I won't ever get to see those made.
I've been avoiding buying pewter because I have boxes of those that never got painted and they are always losing weapons and arms. Now I guess I'll have to pay someone to paint the ones I need that DDM never made.
I refuse to use cardboard tokens. Minis are just too awesome.
The tokens have kept me from buying the Monster Vault and Dungeon Masters Kit. I only want the books. In a hardcover, thank you. I am pleased that Heroes of Shadow will be hardcover now. I hope the Shadowfell box doesn't get the same treatment as the Essentials boxes. Filled with crap I don't need.
I've been avoiding buying pewter because I have boxes of those that never got painted and they are always losing weapons and arms. Now I guess I'll have to pay someone to paint the ones I need that DDM never made.
I refuse to use cardboard tokens. Minis are just too awesome.
The tokens have kept me from buying the Monster Vault and Dungeon Masters Kit. I only want the books. In a hardcover, thank you. I am pleased that Heroes of Shadow will be hardcover now. I hope the Shadowfell box doesn't get the same treatment as the Essentials boxes. Filled with crap I don't need.
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Nilbog
Snotling Herder
I'll certainly miss the mini's both from a gaming and collecting point of view.
I get my gaming inspiration from a lot of sources, but one of them was opening a random pack of mini's and finding a cool new monster (I guess i was one of the few who liked random packs!), I've made a lot of great encounters after being inspired in such a way.
I also think for 4e where combat with some sort of physical representation is pretty much required I find having a reasonably accurate likeness of the monster helps immersion. I also find, to a lesser degree, dungeon tiles have the same effect. When we first started using them in the group we were pretty non-plussed but now our group really enjoy them.
I suppose metal miniatures are better in many instances, but sadly for me I do not have the time to paint them, especially when I need a lot, so again DDM's were a god send.
Still I hope I have a large enough collection to last a while yet
I get my gaming inspiration from a lot of sources, but one of them was opening a random pack of mini's and finding a cool new monster (I guess i was one of the few who liked random packs!), I've made a lot of great encounters after being inspired in such a way.
I also think for 4e where combat with some sort of physical representation is pretty much required I find having a reasonably accurate likeness of the monster helps immersion. I also find, to a lesser degree, dungeon tiles have the same effect. When we first started using them in the group we were pretty non-plussed but now our group really enjoy them.
I suppose metal miniatures are better in many instances, but sadly for me I do not have the time to paint them, especially when I need a lot, so again DDM's were a god send.
Still I hope I have a large enough collection to last a while yet
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