D&D General Yawning portal WizKids set unboxing and close up.

[darjr]

I love the stairs and how minis fit in them.

 

[Warpiglet-7]

My brother got this. I bought him wizards warlock tiles for Christmas—-hoping they are compatible and think they are.

even if you don’t play in the realms, it’s cool to have a ready made tavern.

it’s pricey but fun. Seems like furniture has gotten easier to come by (small to scale packs) too. I have bought tavern items as well as church and wizard lab furnishings. Fun stuff

 

[MNblockhead]

These are great, but in the VTT/pandemic times, I unfortunately don't have time to use the terrain I already have.

I wish Hasbro would make more affordable, kid-oriented pieces for kids to play with so that as they get older they can enjoy graduating to playing the game. Hopefully, the D&D movie is a success and we will once again see D&D toys for kids.

 

[Dire Bare]

These are great, but in the VTT/pandemic times, I unfortunately don't have time to use the terrain I already have.

I wish Hasbro would make more affordable, kid-oriented pieces for kids to play with so that as they get older they can enjoy graduating to playing the game. Hopefully, the D&D movie is a success and we will once again see D&D toys for kids.

Okay? Seems like you are criticizing the set for not being something it wasn't meant to be.

Hasbro has put out D&D toys from time-to-time, and they haven't done well. The most recent example, to my memory, is the D&D Kreo-O sets from 2014 (off-brand legos). With the increased popularity of D&D lately, perhaps it is time to try again. But D&D's success on the RPG tabletops won't necessarily equate to success on the toy aisle.

We are getting plushies, figurines and action figures now . . . but they seem aimed more at the adult collector market than as kid toys.

 

[MNblockhead]

Okay? Seems like you are criticizing the set for not being something it wasn't meant to be.

Hasbro has put out D&D toys from time-to-time, and they haven't done well. The most recent example, to my memory, is the D&D Kreo-O sets from 2014 (off-brand legos). With the increased popularity of D&D lately, perhaps it is time to try again. But D&D's success on the RPG tabletops won't necessarily equate to success on the toy aisle.

We are getting plushies, figurines and action figures now . . . but they seem aimed more at the adult collector market than as kid toys.

Nope, not criticizing it at all. It is great and if my financial situation, storage and display space, and ability to play in person were different, I would like to have it.

I'm not well informed on past efforts by Hasbro, but what you say makes sense. I'm hoping that a successful D&D movie will change that.

I'm sure that nolstalgia has a lot to do with this. When I first got into D&D I was still enough of a kid to enjoy kid cartoons and action figures. And I was fortunate enough to live in a period where those things were available for D&D and mainstream.

When I go back into D&D after a long time away, I had young kids, but the game wasn't kid friendly. It still isn't. Even D&D inspired cartoons like Critical Role's Vox Machina is made for adults, not kids.

That's fine. We are spoiled with fantasy options for all ages in all media. But I do think it would be good for the game and gaming as a whole for D&D to have an even bigger tent.

 

[Dire Bare]

I love the stairs and how minis fit in them.

This set isn't for everyone, and that's okay . . . . but it seems like most of the pushback from nay-sayers in the previous thread on this is countered pretty well in this video.

The set is modular and compatible with WizKids line of Warlock tiles. It's a great set and a good value, even if expensive.

I won't be purchasing one myself . . . . mostly due to personal finances and lack of space currently . . . . but this would make a great display piece in-between games, that would come off the shelf and onto the table for play often . . . either as the eponymous Yawning Portal Inn or as any tavern in my games (minus the removable well, or "yawning portal").

 

[Dire Bare]

Nope, not criticizing it at all. It is great and if my financial situation, storage and display space, and ability to play in person were different, I would like to have it.

I'm not well informed on past efforts by Hasbro, but what you say makes sense. I'm hoping that a successful D&D movie will change that.

I'm sure that nolstalgia has a lot to do with this. When I first got into D&D I was still enough of a kid to enjoy kid cartoons and action figures. And I was fortunate enough to live in a period where those things were available for D&D and mainstream.

When I go back into D&D after a long time away, I had young kids, but the game wasn't kid friendly. It still isn't. Even D&D inspired cartoons like Critical Role's Vox Machina is made for adults, not kids.

That's fine. We are spoiled with fantasy options for all ages in all media. But I do think it would be good for the game and gaming as a whole for D&D to have an even bigger tent.

It's funny . . . D&D has tried to hit the younger markets since the 80s, but only seemed to successfully do it in the 80s during the cartoon era. And even then, the D&D cartoon and associated kid merch and toys didn't last in the same way other franchises did.

I've watched a lot of behind-the-scenes documentaries on our favorite toy franchises from the 80s (Transformers, GI Joe, He-Man) and it made me realize how lightning-in-a-bottle so many of them were . . . and how many other similar franchises failed and have been forgotten. Since I was a kid in the 80s, I've always wondered why D&D wasn't a more mainstream hit beyond the cartoon. Where were the movies, the tv shows, the toy collections . . . . D&D itself, the game, was also lightning-in-a-bottle, but never sustainably crossed over into mainstream success.

Well, until now. And even now, in some ways. For a robust line of D&D kid toys today . . . . I don't know what it would take, but it isn't a lack of will on Hasbro's part. Getting D&D to cross the rubicon into mainstream franchise heaven like Star Wars or Marvel . . . . with an unending stream of kid-focused toys . . . . I'm sure Hasbro would like to crack that nut.