WotC officials: we want MINIS for the modules!

[JoelF]

I'm not even a fan of 4E and wouldn't buy the modules made for it, but would certainly buy non-random minis made for the modules. I own about 300 D&D minis, and not a single one did I spend money on a random pack. Most of mine were bought on the secondary market for $2 or less each. I did get one pack as a gift and also have the Icons, but that's it.

 

[Kzach]

In fact, I just thought of a brilliant solution to the collectibility problem.

If you make the minis specifically to cater to the module, instead of picking them out of the bunches already made, with... say, different paint jobs, and then don't include official stat cards for them, then they're not officially part of the minis collectable pieces and so couldn't be used in competitions!

Am I a genius, or what?

 

[Zexsudel]

WotC released a package of minis for the City of the Spider Queen mod they put out. I was working at a game store at that time and they didn't sell worth a dang. Granted the models where pewter and where just repacked Chainmail models.

Regardless they tried this before and it didn't seem to pan out well. Too bad though

 

[Yaezakura]

I'd definitely love pre-packaged sets of minis. While the collectibles factor is fine for a miniatures-based game like Mage Knight or DDM, when used for RPGs, you want the minis you need to run the adventure, not the ones you end up with via random chance. It's a lot harder to run a D&D campaign with random minis than it is to build a DDM troop.

Frankly, I just don't have the money to invest in minis when I'm not sure I'll be getting what I need. I'd love to use minis for my games, but they're a very large investment that, most of the time, doesn't pay off. Homemade tokens feel so cheap, but mechanically they work just as well, and at least then I have control over what I have available to put on the table.

So come on, WotC. There has to be a way for you guys to pull it off realistically.

 

[MerricB]

WOtc had planned those packs years ago. Two made it into thier upcoming product lists. They were then canceled.

According to Wizards, retailers and distributors didn't want them. And you couldn't blame them - even by then it was cheaper to get the minis included on the secondary market.

The prepainted non-random market is *tough*. Consider that Reaper's "Legendary Encounter" line is only just going to release it's second wave of minis - Elf Archer, Ghost, Great Worm, Zombie, Bathalian (Mind Flayer), Evil Human Warrior, Good Human Warrior, Human Female Ranger. Since the initial release in August 2007, it's taken nine months to get a mere 8 more minis onto the market, for a grand total of 17 in the line.

(In the same time, Wizards managed to put 260 separate minis into the market for its initial release of DDM + 3 expansions... the first year had expansions only 3 months apart).

And at a price of $2.50 for each Zombie or $4.50 for each Elf Archer, I'm not rushing to buy them. The median Elf Archer price from DDM's Harbinger (now long out of print) on the secondary market is $3.50... the uncommon elf from a recent set is $2.00. (Actually, I just found one here for $0.80!)

I'd really like DDM sets to be themed around the adventures that were coming out, with minions you needed lots of in the common slots, and other creatures in the uncommon slots. (I can put up with a few needed figures being rare, for reasons of cost... beholders are not cheap to make!)

The randomness of DDM disappears if you (a) shop for singles, (b) buy cases or (c) trade.

I'm mostly not buying DDM these days simply because I have enough figures for my needs. (Two beholders... check. Eight mind-flayers... check. 100+ orcs and goblins... check.) I'll pick up a pack or two every so often, but after an (large) initial investment I don't need much more.

If Wizards could come up with a good non-random way of selling minis, I'd be all for it. However...

Cheers!

 

[drjones]

Yeah this comes up all the time. Not that I enjoy the random thing (thats why I stopped playing magic oh so long ago) but it makes them money so they put out more. If they thought they could put out non-random module packs and make money but not cut into the cash they make off random DDM, they already would have long ago.

Best bet is to do what a lot of DDM players do, buy singles/packs off ebay. 25-33 cents for a common used to be easy to come by (might be more now as ebay policies have changed) so it is not too tough to get a pile of basic kobolds or skellies pretty cheap. Just make sure you read the fine print on shipping and buy a bunch at a time from one seller to minimize shipping fees. Personally I have had a lot of luck with auggies store but there are several good ones with reasonable buy-it-now prices and low shipping.

When you want a beholder or some kind of dragon etc. things fall apart though and the prices get pretty crazy.

 

[Snarls-at-Fleas]

(Actually, I just found one here for $0.80!)

Good site, but weird. They say that those minis are made by TSR Inc.

 

[Daemonicious]

I wonder how many people just buy Warhammer models. At least they're not random.

This

 

[Snarls-at-Fleas]

I wonder how many people just buy Warhammer models. At least they're not random.

This

They are also unpainted & unassambled. I don't have time for this.

 

[vagabundo]

I'm looking for a hand-full of prepaint minis for the character races (both genders) in the 4e PHB that will ship to ireland.

Anyone got any suggestions?