Saw the new Starter Set at the store today, and I have to say: I am impressed. Rulebook, d20, battlemats, five nonrandom, really well prepainted minis (including a small Green Dragon), all for twenty bucks. The Dwarf in particular is tres cool.
Are they planning to release more nonrandom minis?
Quote from: Pierce InveraritySaw the new Starter Set at the store today, and I have to say: I am impressed. Rulebook, d20, battlemats, five nonrandom, really well prepainted minis (including a small Green Dragon), all for twenty bucks. The Dwarf in particular is tres cool.
I saw it too, and was tempted. The paint job was impressive, considering they're mass produced.
QuoteAre they planning to release more nonrandom minis?
Not to my knowledge. It's far more lucrative for Wizards to make them collectible. I usually buy from the second hand market anyway. Far cheaper in the long run, especially for grunts.
Is the market for CCG-type minis collectors really that much more lucrative than the possible market for RPG gamers who don't want to paint?
That's not a rhetorical question. I just can't fathom the minds of people who will buy a box of miniatures without knowing what's actually inside. That is just bizarre.
Whereas wanting to purchase a model which looks like my actual character or like the monsters I as DM want to inflict on the PCs, strikes me as both reasonable and highly desirable for the hundreds of thousands of people who are going to buy 4E.
Quote from: Pierce InverarityIs the market for CCG-type minis collectors really that much more lucrative than the possible market for RPG gamers who don't want to paint?
That's not a rhetorical question. I just can't fathom the minds of people who will buy a box of miniatures without knowing what's actually inside. That is just bizarre.
Whereas wanting to purchase a model which looks like my actual character or like the monsters I as DM want to inflict on the PCs, strikes me as both reasonable and highly desirable for the hundreds of thousands of people who are going to buy 4E.
I believe they discovered with Heroclix that there were a great many more people willing to buy sight-unseen collectible miniatures than roleplayers who were looking for specific models. IIRC it's one of the reasons why the support for Star Wars d20 withered- Wizards were confined by licensing terms to release a set number of products per year, and the minis proved more profitable by an order of magnitude.It's the same kind of purchasing mentality that drove the success of Magic: The Gathering, and they were wise to capitalise on it. The crossover potential with the
Quote from: Pierce InverarityIs the market for CCG-type minis collectors really that much more lucrative than the possible market for RPG gamers who don't want to paint?
That's not a rhetorical question. I just can't fathom the minds of people who will buy a box of miniatures without knowing what's actually inside. That is just bizarre.
Whereas wanting to purchase a model which looks like my actual character or like the monsters I as DM want to inflict on the PCs, strikes me as both reasonable and highly desirable for the hundreds of thousands of people who are going to buy 4E.
I believe they discovered with Heroclix that there were a great many more people willing to buy sight-unseen collectible miniatures than roleplayers who were looking for specific models. IIRC it's one of the reasons why the support for Star Wars d20 withered- Wizards were confined by licensing terms to release a set number of products per year, and the minis proved more profitable by an order of magnitude. It's the same kind of purchasing mentality that drove the success of Magic: The Gathering, and they were wise to capitalise on it. The crossover potential with the RPG is just extra sauce, apparently.