They are not randomized, as these are meant for D&D RPG use, primarily, and not D&D minis primarily.
2: One of the arcane ones is a repaint from 3.5.
3: Only 3 to a pack.
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C: I will not be purchasing 4th ed minis. (1,2,3)
They are not randomized, as these are meant for D&D RPG use, primarily, and not D&D minis primarily.
Not at all, in fact, although The DDM Guild is doing a great job supporting the skirmish community.
When I had first heard of them, I was of the understanding that it was going to be three visibles and two unseen but of the same class as the other three. At 10$ I thought that was fair although I hated the "unseen" part. But I won't be paying 10$ for only 3 minis unless it's something really spectacular, and even then I'd have to have 10$ burning a hole in my pocket. Drop it to $7.95 and we'll talk.
There are two D&D Miniatures product lines now - the Heroes line (3 visible minis for $10/pack) and the "Monsters" line (1 visible + 4 randomized, not-visible for $15/pack, possibly more for sets with Huges). Amazon already has their pricing up, so check it out - the $8 figure you mention might not be so far off as you think.
Blech. $10 for 3 minis? ...didn't the booster packs used to go for $14-15?
$15 for Medium-to-Large packs of 10, $25 for Medium-to-Huge packs of 8. The Heroes line is 3 _visible_ minis, which I'm told is something people really, really wanted. The additional cost of multiple SKUs is being passed onto the consumer. Affordable, pre-painted, or non-random - pick 2.
1: They are poor quality.
An opinion, based on somewhat spotty images.
2: One of the arcane ones is a repaint from 3.5.
A known issue with a promise that this is a one-time thing.
3: Only 3 to a pack.
3 different (from each other), prepainted, non-randomized minis for $10. This is a pretty good deal.
C: I will not be purchasing 4th ed minis. (1,2,3)
You are entitled to your opinion.
Affordable, pre-painted, or non-random - pick 2.
Why?
Affordable, pre-painted, or non-random - pick 2.
Why?
The economics dictates it. Unless you want the minis to look like real piles of crap (like the Orc Raider from Dungeons of Dread...grrr...). I guess it should be: "Affordable, pre-painted, non-random, decent looking - pick 3."
The economics dictates it. Unless you want the minis to look like real piles of crap (like the Orc Raider from Dungeons of Dread...grrr...). I guess it should be: "Affordable, pre-painted, non-random, decent looking - pick 3."
Sorry, but I call BS. If anything, it's the business model. The only 2 adverse variables should be cost and quality.
The random is based on the fact it is sold as a collectible game. Since these mini packs aren't part of the mini game, then upping the price for them not being random is just asinine.
The only choice is should be Affordability or Quality, like everything else. But a well run business can even over come this factor.
Sorry, but I call BS. If anything, it's the business model. The only 2 adverse variables should be cost and quality.
The random is based on the fact it is sold as a collectible game. Since these mini packs aren't part of the mini game, then upping the price for them not being random is just asinine.
The only choice is should be Affordability or Quality, like everything else. But a well run business can even over come this factor.
Untrue - there's a physical cost associated with maintaining multiple SKUs in inventory - both for Wizards, the distributors, and the retailers. Randomized booster packs minimize the footprint of the product on the shelf - its part of the reason you could find D&D Minis at places like Borders (at least, I did). You would never find Warhammer pieces @ Borders - it requires too much space to show a good selection so it interferes with the store's main operations, but a few boosters of DDM? Not that big a deal. A specialized game store could (and many do) open the boosters and sell singles to their customers if that's what the customers wanted.
For the retailer (and probably the distributor), there's an opportunity cost as well - its product that they could be offering, but can't because they're carrying all the different D&D Minis SKUs on their shelves/inventories.
Online retailers exist with hundreds of "singles" minis from the last few years, many of which are priced between .50 and 2.00. Three minis for 10$ just doesn't make sense, what if you only want one out of the three minis ? Wizards is definitely pushing the business practice a bit too far here.
For the record I LOVE the dungeon tiles they have been releasing i bought a couple more sets today, they are reasonably priced ($10) and I think Wizards had the right price per use with those. Choosing between an entire set of tiles and three minis is really easy for me, what about for you?
My local stores (of which three sell d&d minis) all sell singles at $1 commons $2 uncommons which i always thought was a bit steep. For that price i can "see" what minis i get, and could get quite a lot more minis for my buck with a much bigger selection. I was at a shop today and they had a sale on minis 25% off and i managed to get 8 figures for my next campaign for $10.
Online retailers exist with hundreds of "singles" minis from the last few years, many of which are priced between .50 and 2.00. Three minis for 10$ just doesn't make sense, what if you only want one out of the three minis ? Wizards is definitely pushing the business practice a bit too far here.
For the record I LOVE the dungeon tiles they have been releasing i bought a couple more sets today, they are reasonably priced ($10) and I think Wizards had the right price per use with those. Choosing between an entire set of tiles and three minis is really easy for me, what about for you?
Have to agree here. I simply cannot see spending $10 for 3 minis. And adding powers to the box as an incentive is lame...within a week of the products going on sale, you'll be able to find everyone of those "bonus" powers, in detail, on the web.
And don't even get me started on those power cards that they dumped on the market last month....what a joke!! I made the mistake of buying a complete set of them from an online retailer. What a waste! The cards I make at home by hand with a utility downloaded from the web are 10 times better.
But I got lucky that my FLGS was willing to trade those 8 packs for 8 rare minis! So in the end I actually made out...but I have been very disappointed in WotCs accessory lines. The 4e book products are GREAT! But the cards and now these minis...very lame! I expect better from them.
Have to agree here. I simply cannot see spending $10 for 3 minis.
I could. In Australia we pay $5 for 1 unpainted metal miniature. So paying $10 for 3 painted plastic miniatures seems fairly reasonable.
I personally won't be buying any of the packs because none of them represent my characters. Although the fact they're splitting the Player minis from the Monster minis means I've got less incentive to buy the new monster mini packs as well. Because if I want to have 6 tiefling soldiers, I have to spend $60 (as you won't find any in the monster packs) and with those I get 12 not-useful minis.
I think WotC's splitting of the player minis from the monster minis could prove to be a disastrous move. Or it could be its what everyone wants. All I know is, I prefer the old packs (and will be buying those old packs instead
) unless there's a visibile LARGE mini that I want.You mention the price of commons and uncommons. I notice you don't mention the price of rares. So here's an exercise in math for you - what's the price of 3 rares @ your FLGS, average it with the price of 3 uncommons ($2/each, so $6). How does it compare with $11.00 MSRP (and cheaper if you get it online)? I suspect that it compares pretty well, although it may still be slightly more expensive.
I think WotC's splitting of the player minis from the monster minis could prove to be a disastrous move. Or it could be its what everyone wants. All I know is, I prefer the old packs (and will be buying those old packs instead
1) What about HUGE minis? Those are coming in the summer set.
2) As a frequent participant in WotC's D&D Miniatures forum, I can say anecdotally, there is LARGE demand for PC miniatures. The old packaging method could never justify some figures - like non-rare Dragonborn PC types for players, while satisfying the needs of DMs with a variety of monsters.
1) What about HUGE minis? Those are coming in the summer set.
Whichever Minis are the visible ones. Although I've yet to see a huge mini used in all of the heroic-tier campaigns I've run. So huge minis aren't of any particular benefit to me yet.
2) As a frequent participant in WotC's D&D Miniatures forum, I can say anecdotally, there is LARGE demand for PC miniatures.
Oh I know that, however there is the possibility of this being a case of be careful what you wish for ;) As a player I find the PC minis not-useful as of yet (although I'm sure its only a matter of time before I make a PC that happens to match a mini). As a DM I find the current offerings to have less usefulness then the older packs.
Whichever Minis are the visible ones. Although I've yet to see a huge mini used in all of the heroic-tier campaigns I've run. So huge minis aren't of any particular benefit to me yet.
There are some lowish level Huges, I think. Haven't memorized my Monster Manual yet...:D
Oh I know that, however there is the possibility of this being a case of be careful what you wish for ;)
Maybe - then we can go back to fully-randomized boosters WITH THE SKIRMISH GAME!
As a player I find the PC minis not-useful as of yet (although I'm sure its only a matter of time before I make a PC that happens to match a mini). As a DM I find the current offerings to have less usefulness then the older packs.
Did you miss the bear trap, the sarcophagus, the mushroom, and the Human Bandit? Those are incredibly useful pieces for RP. Also, define "current offerings" - that could mean anything. What kind of pieces are you looking for specifically? Maybe you overlooked something.
Just got a notice from Amazon saying my pre-order of all but the martial heroes has been pushed back to ship end of May. The D&D site shows them still as April release. Anyone know what's going on?
If you were purchasing all of them you probably should have purchased the complete set. Amazon is selling that for $40.92 ($6.82 per pack) vs. $8.79 for the individual sets.
Also, I have received no such notification that my order of the complete set has been pushed back.
Did you miss the bear trap, the sarcophagus, the mushroom, and the Human Bandit?
I certainly have missed those. What series are they from and have you got a link that says what is in that series?
Those are incredibly useful pieces for RP.
Sure. But what I'm defining as "useful minis" are minis that I'm likely to use. Up until now I've been running and playing LFR games so I've got a good impression of what I'll need. To start with I bought what I consider a "starter's pack" from Auggie's Games to buy some of the most common minis I'll need.
I then went through all of the packs that my LGS sells and saw what minis were in those collections. I listed each mini from each set that I thought I would use. Sometimes a mini can be great and extremely useful, but I already own another mini that can be used in its place.
I then ranked the packs based on how many useful minis each pack has, and for packs that were quite close in terms of number of useful minis, I then compared the individual minis themselves.
I now buy the packs based on that list.
Also, define "current offerings" - that could mean anything. What kind of pieces are you looking for specifically? Maybe you overlooked something.
The PHB Heroe packs and the upcoming Dungeon Delves set.
When comparing the Dungeon Delves set with the earlier sets I made a list of the minis it has, marking the ones I think will be useful. From that list I got the following:
Dangerous Delves:
* 1 Aboleth Slime Mage
* 1 Arbalester
* 1 Beholder
* 1 Chain Devil
* 1 Devil (LARGE)
* 1 Dragon (LARGE)
* 1 Drow Male Fighter
* 1 Drake
* 1 Eladrin Fighter
* 1 Frost Giant
* 1 Githzerai
* 1 Goblin Archer
* 1 Golem (LARGE)
* 1 Gnoll Archer
* 1 Grue
* 1 Kobold
* 1 Kruthik young
* 1 Medusa
* 1 Minotaur
* 1 Orc Priest
* 2 Trolls
* 1 Yuan-ti
A total of 23 out of 40 useful minis. Or 57% of the set is useful for me.
Compared with Desert of Desolation where I have 38 out of 60 minis that are useful, or 63%.
However DoD is the most useful pack out of all the packs my store sells. Night Below is the least useful with only 51% of those minis useful to me. However you then have to take into account what you're getting in each pack. the DD ones I can expect to find 5 minis, while the NB ones I can expect to find 8 for the exact same price, which just manages to tip Night Below over the balance of being more worthwhile to me then Dangerous Delves.
I'll of course judge future sets independently of Dangerous Delves. However I thought separating the Player minis from the Monster minis would make both sets much more useful then they were when combined. However it has yet to happen with the current offerings of the PHB sets and the Dangerous Delves sets.
I suspect recent set lists (Desert of Desolation) and beyond had/have keen eye toward reprinting iconic monsters as they were introducing 4E.
The "bear trap" (Scythejaw), sarcophagus (Deathgrasp Sarcophagus), and mushroom (Deathcap) are all in the most recent set, Demonweb. Since you mentioned LFR (and I play a fair amount of it myself), you should also know that there's a nice treat for DMs & TYMA 1-2 in Demonweb as well.
The "bear trap" (Scythejaw), sarcophagus (Deathgrasp Sarcophagus), and mushroom (Deathcap) are all in the most recent set, Demonweb.
Aaah okay. Well Demonweb is on my list as well, just further down in the list ;)
Sorry if i hurt some heart fan.
Greetings
Edanna
Sincerelly, i prefer buy two miniatures in metal by this cost what three plastic things. But it is my oppinion of course. And buy random minis is a waste of money and time. Ten bucks for this is a joke.
Sorry if i hurt some heart fan.
Greetings
Edanna
While the minis in any given set of three might not be ones you want, three prepainted minis for $10 isn't too expensive, at least if the quality is as good as most of the better rares from previous sets. No argument that metal minis have a nicer feel and can have more detail but unless you have the time and skill to paint them they won't necessarily look as nice as the plastic ones. Also, the plastic minis are more durable - certainly you don't have to keep them in the better cases. Plastic is lighter, making it more convenient to carry to a game. And of course, these are official minis and I believe include stat cards with the 4E RPG stats still, even if they don't have the skirmish stats any more. I'd have liked to have seen the player minis be packaged individually but I understand the economics prevent this from being practical - and then the minis would cost more like $4-$5 each.
One of the recent D&D podcasts (December?) had an interview discussing the economics of the minis from the WotC perspective and what their decision making process was to come up with their new packaging format.
L
I mean, one of the figures in the Martial Heroes packs is Dragonborn Rogue, probably one of the worst race/class combos in the game. That's clearly a case of them making a figure just because they thought it'd be visually interesting and not because they thought anyone would actually use it.
Of course, part of the problem is that since they're 3/pack, it's actually "buy a pack for the single figure you need, hope someone will find uses for the other two."
I mean, one of the figures in the Martial Heroes packs is Dragonborn Rogue, probably one of the worst race/class combos in the game. That's clearly a case of them making a figure just because they thought it'd be visually interesting and not because they thought anyone would actually use it.
Because heaven forbid someone play a suboptimal class/race combo...and Wizards actually encouraging that by creating a miniatures that might spark IMAGINATION? Heresy!
Because heaven forbid someone play a suboptimal class/race combo...and Wizards actually encouraging that by creating a miniatures that might spark IMAGINATION? Heresy!
They aren't even all that suboptimal. Dragonborn might lack a DEX boost, but they have boosted abilities in both of the rogue's secondary abilities. At present this makes them the only race that can perform equally well as a rogue regardless of build.
10.99 for three figures... I think any way you slice it, that's a terrible price for three plastic minis. They also have Monster Manual sets coming up which are five figures for 14.99. The same price as the old boosters for 3 less figures.
There are sites that sell singles if you really need specific figures that bad.
I mean, one of the figures in the Martial Heroes packs is Dragonborn Rogue, probably one of the worst race/class combos in the game. That's clearly a case of them making a figure just because they thought it'd be visually interesting and not because they thought anyone would actually use it.
Its a Dragonborn in heavy armour wielding a crossbow and wielding a shortsword/longknife.
That 1 mini looks like it covers Rangers, Fighters and Rogues (along with a possible other billion classes). If it were to be bundled in a Monster Manual set or if I had a Dragonborn that used either a bow or sword I'd be extremely happy to get it. As it is, my only Dragonborn is a Dragonborn Rogue (oh no! What a terrible idea!) who uses a mace.
They also have Monster Manual sets coming up which are five figures for 14.99. The same price as the old boosters for 3 less figures.
For the trade-off of the large mini no longer being random.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndmin/9780786952779
10.99 for three figures... I think any way you slice it, that's a terrible price for three plastic minis. They also have Monster Manual sets coming up which are five figures for 14.99. The same price as the old boosters for 3 less figures.
Dare you to find a better single package (3 different, pre-painted plastic minis) that you didn't buy 1 at a time from an on-line retailer. And $11 is the retail price - Amazon has it for like $8 or 9.
Dare you to find a better single package (3 different, pre-painted plastic minis) that you didn't buy 1 at a time from an on-line retailer. And $11 is the retail price - Amazon has it for like $8 or 9.
Amzon has them for even cheeper than that if one is willing to buy the complete set of all six hero packs. ($40.92 last I checked, which comes to $6.82 per pack)