Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures -- Player’s Handbook Heroes will be a new set of minis depicting PCs. What I thought was curious is that each of the 6 sets will include:
"3 unique power cards featuring brand new class powers."
I wouldn't use the powers unless they have immense, campaign-defining utility. Like suddenly Wizards can be Transmuters or Conjurers again, or a power becomes the Rosetta Stone that finally perfects multiclassing. If it's just an additional daily that tweaks another daily already in use, then I'd feel fine ignoring it unless a player Really Wants That Power.
(edit) Of course, if the new powers are that impressive, I'd expect to see them show up in Dragon at roughly the same time.
While they're at it they can add all those 4th edition stats for monsters that have seen updates in D&D minis into the compendium. The Cockatrice has 4th edition stats, they're just on a minis card.
What I really don't like is this as a side-way of putting semi-exclusive content into DDI. I feel like I'm being forced to buy it for the rules compendium of crap they got wrong in the first place or eastereggs logrolled onto other releases. DDI's like a month old, and this is already ticking me off, to the detriment of my base D&D experience.
Lets stop undermining the core product for hairbrained online initiatives. If Magic charged for access to the card oracle, a direct analog to the rules compendium, it'd be dead in a week.
To WotC: Thanks for non-randomized minis!
- What do you feel about this?
- Do you plan to buy the minis for the power cards, even if you won't use the minis?
- Has anyone heard if these powers will be released in any other RPG book format, or would you PREFER that WoTC do so?
- Other thoughts?
I don't care about it, and don't see anything to get upset about.
No, if I were going to buy the product it would be for the minis first. The powers are just a neat extra. Buying this pack for the powers would feel like buying baseball cards for the bubblegum. But I'm probably not going to buy it at all.
I haven't. This is the first time I've heard of this at all.
Why do people get up in arms about this kind of thing? If you don't like it, don't buy it.
- What do you feel about this?
- Do you plan to buy the minis for the power cards, even if you won't use the minis?
- Has anyone heard if these powers will be released in any other RPG book format, or would you PREFER that WoTC do so?
- Other thoughts?
- I feel fine.
- No. I will buy the minis even though I do not plan to use the bonus power cards.
- Haven't heard a thing.
http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=1045400
I am not asking for a rally of "$E" cries, but some thoughtful feedback.
- What do you feel about this?
- Do you plan to buy the minis for the power cards, even if you won't use the minis?
- Has anyone heard if these powers will be released in any other RPG book format, or would you PREFER that WoTC do so?
- Other thoughts?
QUOTE]
I am thrilled that we will get PC minis. I hope they also come with Delve stats AND DDM skirmish stats so they can be used in both formats.
I plan on buying the minis and using the power cards as long as they are not over the top or distort the campaign.
My feeling is that power cards should be linked to ones published elsewhere and can be used simply for players to know what they have available as options without flipping through books to find where that power was listed.
- What do you feel about this?
- Do you plan to buy the minis for the power cards, even if you won't use the minis?
- Has anyone heard if these powers will be released in any other RPG book format, or would you PREFER that WoTC do so?
- Other thoughts?
While I most definetly do not like this idea I am also not all that concerned about it. There is a strong chance I will buy these mini's, and if I do it is likely I will do exactly what I do with every other package of mini's I buy. I will take the cards out, look them over to determine what I got in the box, then toss them into the trash. All I want is the mini, anything else is garbage.
And the analogy to M:tG's rules source is somewhat faulty, as M:tG makes money by selling collectible cards that utilize the rules, whereas D&D makes money by just selling the rules.
Sorry, this was in no way directed as a shot at you, OP, but I just had to get that out of my system because of all the hopla over this tiny little thing. Just blowing off some steam.
I have to agree with one of my fellow posters above, however. What exactly is different between buying a splatbook and buying a different product with powers?
The minis themselves are an utterly fantastic idea by Wizards and we need to see *more* of this. Not less.
The fact that some extra powers will be available in these packs is pure bonus, and has absolutely no down side to it - unless these powers will not also be added to the D&Di Compendium.
I think WotC is making a great choice with their new direction for minis, and they have drawn my attention back to buying their minis as packaged - instead of buying singles from online sources.
I am thrilled that we will get PC minis. I hope they also come with Delve stats AND DDM skirmish stats so they can be used in both formats.
I plan on buying the minis and using the power cards as long as they are not over the top or distort the campaign.
My feeling is that power cards should be linked to ones published elsewhere and can be used simply for players to know what they have available as options without flipping through books to find where that power was listed.
This sums it up nicely in my opinion.
That said so long as they look nice, I'll be buying every deck of power cards they come out with--and if they start making more power cards with new powers that aren't in the books, and they look nice too, you bet I'll buy every one.
but I do love the idea of just getting the powers a la carte without having to shell out for a big expensive splatbook. If I have to get some nice looking if somewhat useless minis I still prefer that to getting a big and more expensive, and equally useless splatbook.
So you think getting 3 or so powers for a third of the price of a splat book with around 30+ powers per class covered, as a bare minimum, is a good deal?
- Nope. It's not like you need to buy the mini's to get the information ... It'll be on the web on a forum or the like at some point ... If unique powers do in fact go on the cards for 4th edition mini's ... and if in fact that is the only way to get them ... I'd call that a little cheesy from my point of view ... And so I won't pay my hard earned cashola for that.
GAME ON !!!
- What do you feel about this?
- Do you plan to buy the minis for the power cards, even if you won't use the minis?
- Has anyone heard if these powers will be released in any other RPG book format, or would you PREFER that WoTC do so?
1. Doesn't bother me. It's just a different way to get at supplementary material for the game. Sounds cool.
2. No, I'd buy it for the whole package, and I'd use both, since I play both the minis game and the RPG.
3. I've heard nothing about it, but I don't expect them to be part of a book (the "unique, brand-new powers" bit suggests that WotC will only be releasing them on cards). It wouldn't bother me either way.
I'll likely get the minis (unless they're poor quality), and the powers are just "filler" for me. I may let a player use them, but if they're not in a print source somewhere, I'm treating them as homebrew (a rebuttable presumption that they're broken and unnecessary for the game).
I'll buy them for the mini's since I subscribe I'll get the powers through the compendium.
My fear is that this is an impromptu change (considering the cancellation of Feywild), and thus the power cards we see will not have been properly playtested; i.e., power creep.
Also, my bet is before long they'll start throwing in Paragon Path and Epic Destiny pamphlets designed for the mini packs, and the number of power cards included will increase to 1 heroic level, 1 paragon level and 1 epic level card.
I want affordable, pre-painted mins - 10.99 for 3 minis is great for me, as most of the single miniatures I current would like to buy are about 3 dollars each before taking paint cost into the equation.
The fact that some extra powers will be available in these packs is pure bonus, and has absolutely no down side to it - unless these powers will not also be added to the D&Di Compendium.
I think WotC is making a great choice with their new direction for minis, and they have drawn my attention back to buying their minis as packaged - instead of buying singles from online sources.
Aaron -- you nailed my feelings exactly.
I think the price-point is great, assuming they really do put the minis through a few more finishing steps as they have promised. I'm a True Believer in playing with minis to help players visualize the game and I've been doing it since the late '70s, when all you could get were vaguely human-shaped lumps of poisonous lead. The release of the original plastic prepaints for DDM were a huge relief (given that I had recently watched my 9 year old son completely trash hours of paint/assembly work in seconds, the first time I let him into a game using my hand-painted figs). Yet it was the profiteers on ebay who got my cash, not WotC. Now, thanks to the non-random packaging, my cash is going to be going where it should -- the company that's making the products I like.
As for the power cards, I'm with you again. I like the crunch in 4e 'cause its self-contained in tiny bite-sized morsels. Tossing a couple of powers our way as seasoning on the minis is a clever but hardly game-altering way to entice buyers. As long as the powers aren't crazy and they show up elsewhere for public consumption, I have absolutely no issue with it. It'll be nice to be able to get WotC-flavored power cards for them, but AFAIC they're totally gravy.
While not a die hard DDM player, I get to play it once a week just like our RPG goup meets only once a week.
for savings! The powers are a bit more meh imo.who the **** needs minies, they just mess with your imagination
Yeah, I know that whenever I use 'minies', my imagination like, totally shuts off. Like, all I can see in my mind is a vast, terrifying, black emptiness. Until I manage to get at least ten feet away from the 'minies'. Then I'm cool.
Please keep your posts polite, respectful, and on-topic, and refrain from making personal attacks.