[WOTC] Minis Spotlight

[Olive]

I like 3 or 4 of the figures show in that preview. I'd gladly buy them if I could purchase them separately. Since I can't, I won't bother.

The ironic thing is that, from what I've heard, MageKnight is slowing down while HeroClix and Mechwarrior are picking up the slack. WotC might be jumping into this market a year or two too late.

Maybe, or it oculd be that the newer games are pickign up the slack...

And the real reason i'm posting: do game shops around you have individual minis available from the other three games you mention? Cos in Melbourne they do, and so thances are you will be able to buy them individually.

 

[Felon]

These are *exactly* what my game needs: a large variety of miniatures, cheap. The paint jobs aren't perfect? I don't care.

To best appreciate them, you might want to try to avoiding showing your players giant-sized blown-up images of the worst possible examples like mmu1 there is doing.

Folks, just to be clear: the minis aren't really a half-foot tall.

 

[coyote6]

The burning question for WotC isalways how they can get people into the "repeat purchase model." The repeat purchase model is the holy grail of all designs for WotC.

This is the source of what bugs me about 3.5e; it could be the first wave of applying that "repeat purchase model" to D&D. Yeah, everybody from WotC says, "No, no plans for further editions;" but Valterra's gone already, so maybe his replacement is the one with the 4e plans.

 

[Olive]

- A primered, unpainted Reaper or GW mini is better than the slapdash paint job on these.

Or not, depending on your tastes.

 

[mmu1]

To best appreciate them, you might want to try to avoiding showing your players giant-sized blown-up images of the worst possible examples like mmu1 there is doing.

Folks, just to be clear: the minis aren't really a half-foot tall.

I only posted the actual picture WotC put up on their site... No blowing up, it's what they're dumb enough to use as promotional material. I wasn't about to go to the trouble of scaling it down to make it look better...

Yeah, in real-life, the shoddy paint jobs will be less glaring, but just as apparent, unless you've never seen a well-painted mini before.

My facetious comments about taste aside, these minis are objectively crappy. This isn't art, it's craftsmanship, and it stinks. Not minding that it's crap doesn't make anyone a bad person, but saying they're not bad is like saying McDonalds doesn't sell junk food...

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

My facetious comments about taste aside, these minis are objectively crappy. This isn't art, it's craftsmanship, and it stinks. Not minding that it's crap doesn't make anyone a bad person, but saying they're not bad is like saying McDonalds doesn't sell junk food...

And that just sounds like trying to make your own opinion fact. I don't THINK these are crap, and I don't wouldn't MIND either. Just because YOU think they're crap, doesn't mean the rest of us do. Painting IS art, and art is SUBjective. I like find the paint jobs to be well done. And yes I HAVE seen many amazingly well painted minis before...which took hours or even days to paint...We get the point that you don't like them, but whether you realize it or not, it seems like you continually imply that only people that aren't as intelligent as you can see that these are bad, and anyone else is inferior. That may not be what you meant to present, but that's the attitude I get from your posts.

 

[Tortoise]

Well, as "someone in the industry" at least I didn't say I wanted the people involved roasted over a bed of hot coals.

They want to sell pre-painted minis to 10-year-olds? Fine. Say so. Don't try to sell this unadultered crap to actual D&D miniatures enthusiasts, complete with random packaging and reliance on some nebulous "secondary market," as some sort of grand gaming solution and the answer to our miniatures dreams.

After everything those people did to purposely sabotage the metal miniatures business at WotC, not one of them deserves a "second chance" with their WizKids rip-off, collectible miniatures

I'd have more to say, but I'd probably offend Eric's grandma.

Nicole

Glad to get a response.

I don't exactly see these as being targeted at 10 year olds, especially since demographically the audience is 10 t0 20 years older than that on average. Certainly WOTC would love these to have a turn-key effect and bring a lot of younger people into D&D and I wouldn't be offended if they did push some marketing of them toward that crowd.

I was a little taken aback at first by the random element until I thought about the commonality and rarity of different creatures in use during play. Also keep in mind that nothing is stopping retailers from opening up the cases to sell singles and customers should encourage that by talking about it and then buying some once they do.

Unfortunately I wasn't among the need to know folks, when I was in the industry, concerning the "sabotage" so feel free to email me (tortoise@comcast.net) and fill me in on the sordid details.

If I'm not mistaken, wasn't there a changing of the guard among the folks responsible for miniatures before this new project got going? If so these aren't likely the guilty parties.


Jim

 

[mmu1]

And that just sounds like trying to make your own opinion fact. I don't THINK these are crap, and I don't wouldn't MIND either. Just because YOU think they're crap, doesn't mean the rest of us do. Painting IS art, and art is SUBjective. I like find the paint jobs to be well done. And yes I HAVE seen many amazingly well painted minis before...which took hours or even days to paint...We get the point that you don't like them, but whether you realize it or not, it seems like you continually imply that only people that aren't as intelligent as you can see that these are bad, and anyone else is inferior. That may not be what you meant to present, but that's the attitude I get from your posts.

Please, let's not start bringing quesitons on whether art quality is subjective or objective into this, this is starting to show signs of getting nasty enough as it is.

Painting miniatures for a competition IS art. (the way the best people do it, anyway)

Painting game pieces or action figures on an assembly line is not. These people don't get to choose what parts of the mini to paint, or even what colors they use. There is no creativity involved. If I did this however many hours a day for a living, and someone tried to tell me what I did was "art" I'd think he was either trying to patronize or mock me...

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Please, let's not start bringing quesitons on whether art quality is subjective or objective into this, this is starting to show signs of getting nasty enough as it is.

Painting miniatures for a competition IS art. (the way the best people do it, anyway)

Painting game pieces or action figures on an assembly line is not. These people don't get to choose what parts of the mini to paint, or even what colors they use. There is no creativity involved. If I did this however many hours a day for a living, and someone tried to tell me what I did was "art" I'd think he was either trying to patronize or mock me...

And now it becomes a difference of opinion on what ART is. Argh...this is pointless. You don't like em. I like em. Its probably best to just let it end there, since this really isn't getting anywhere.

 

[Felon]

Painting game pieces or action figures on an assembly line is not. These people don't get to choose what parts of the mini to paint, or even what colors they use.

Right, and as has been pointed-out already, criticizing mass-produced for not having the same level of detail that an enthusiast applies to his own minis is like slamming McDonald's for not serving $50 cuts of prime rib.

Yes, they are the junk food of minis. Don't think anybody will dispute that with you. Their appeal is cheapness and basic utility (in that a mass-produced half-or monk mini does a better job of representing a half-or monk than, say, a Hershey's kiss), not their craftsmanship.

Anything else we can do for you, or is that about it?