Pathfinder Battles Preview: Player Proxies

Nice, these indeed could pass very nicely as PC subs.

The Pale Tower Guard in particular I like because he could pass for having a Tower Shield, which is rare in any mini figure.

Here's to hoping the faces look good in the final product!

Love the Pale Tower Guard, especially as a common.

Greta!! yessssssssss

Nothing not to like in this batch! I especially like the Pale Tower Guard, for which I can imagine all sorts of uses. Looking forward to the rares!

First off, love all of these!

Second, Pale Tower Guard.... Master Shredder has taken up sword and shield?!?!?!?

It seems crazy that the Pale Tower Guard is a common. It looks SO GOOD! I love the colors and paint job on it. I also stand in agreement with Curmudgeonly about the Tower Shield. What I like most about that sculpt, though, is that it's not too busy. He stands at the ready, or he's getting ready to get in position, etc. I don't mind monster action poses, but I like my PC miniatures to be more versatile or simply neutral.

Again, with Nadya, I love that she isn't too busy. She stands at the ready, weapons in hand, but not doing anything that suggests she is in the middle of battle itself, etc. I'm not exactly sure why this universal-type approach is one that I like more, but I'm glad it's incorporated. I do like that her cloak is spread out, indicating that she is likely outside in a snowy, gusty wind.

Greta is the underdog in the set, as far as I'm concerned. I don't know if people will go crazy for her or not, but I love the way she looks. Again, nothing too busy going on. I love the details and the colors on her. It's also nice to see some female barbarian-types make it into the set.

I think Ratibor might be my favorite. I love the face and definitely the beard. He just looks like a hardy-type of character that can withstand the elements but also fit in with other PC characters. I also really love the colors; the red and blue seem to mesh well together.

Greta is the underdog in the set

nice pun...

I like the addition of another 2-handed fighter. As far as I remember we are still missing male versions of that, hopefully we see those, if not in this set then the next.

My only concern is whether the Uncommon NPC faces will suffer the tragic fate of the two iconics of the last set, each of whose faces were disappointing in all three copies of each I got purchasing a case. Will there be better quality control on NPC faces for this set?

I like each of these figures! Now I only hope WizKids don't screw up the paint jobs on the faces.

@Erik I'm curious, when will the next few sets be announced?

Some time in the future. ;)

We're in paint masters on Reign of Winter set right now, have approved all the sculpts on the following set, and are through all sculpt approvals on the set after that.

I'm still building the set list for the one after that. It's about half done.

I have a vague idea what the set after that is.

There are a few other smaller releases in the works as well, but I've got nothing concrete to report on that front.

Remember that releases are slowing down a little now, so the frequency will not be so fast.

Each of these could be a rare easily as the paint jobs and sculpts look fantastic! I'm very curious to see what rares bumped these to uncommon. Although I feel most pc type minis should be rare I can understand your point Erik and look forward to the next preview. These do look fantastic!

Greta's Axe looks absolutely perfect for severing wings and beheading Dragons, I think I have found my Wife's new PC mini!!

There are a few other smaller releases in the works as well, but I've got nothing concrete to report on that front.

Remember that releases are slowing down a little now, so the frequency will not be so fast.

By smaller releases do you mean the evolutions and builder series, perhaps huge sets (although this I assume will depend on the RoW one just released). I'd love to see more in these lines.

Pigraven wrote:

Greta is the underdog in the set

nice pun...

I like the addition of another 2-handed fighter. As far as I remember we are still missing male versions of that, hopefully we see those, if not in this set then the next.

Awesome preview!

+1 on more males, with two-handed weapons and polerarms. More dwarves, halflings, gnomes, elves, a male catfolk would be welcomed... and I certainly wouldn't mind a second model for a tengu! ;). Oh, and clerics and casters that don't look like evil nemesis or pirates, etc.

Don't forget that majority of players are males and, in my 30 years + experience, most of them prefer to play male characters.

yawn. personally, there are too many PPM humanoids. To the point that I've been giving away my extras to new players for years. But I do see the pluses to new collectors, so I won't complain too much

yawn. personally, there are too many PPM humanoids. To the point that I've been giving away my extras to new players for years. But I do see the pluses to new collectors, so I won't complain too much

I'm of a similar view - one of those Erik referred to who "...will no doubt think that some of these figures should be rares".

I don't really understand the explanation: "but I promise you the rares in this set are CRAZY, and most of them don't make a ton of sense to have in quantity." This sounds to me that you selected twenty (say) rares, only had room for sixteen, and so chose the most sensible four to make uncommon. I don't really get why you wouldn't just choose fewer rares - aren't there a bunch of hypothetical figures which would make sense at the uncommon rarity that aren't now being produced?

By smaller releases do you mean the evolutions and builder series, perhaps huge sets (although this I assume will depend on the RoW one just released). I'd love to see more in these lines.

It's probably safer to say "that sort of thing," as I'm not ready to confirm specifics yet.

This is a really, really weird Adventure Path filled with cat people and Russian soldiers. While figures of those characters are cool and enhance the Adventure Path, they are WAY off the beaten path, and most gamers no playing Reign of Winter are not going to want tons and tons of them.

Erik Mona wrote:

There are a few other smaller releases in the works as well, but I've got nothing concrete to report on that front.

Remember that releases are slowing down a little now, so the frequency will not be so fast.

By smaller releases do you mean the evolutions and builder series, perhaps huge sets (although this I assume will depend on the RoW one just released). I'd love to see more in these lines.

do you mean WoR?

Cat-thulhu wrote:

Erik Mona wrote:

There are a few other smaller releases in the works as well, but I've got nothing concrete to report on that front.

Remember that releases are slowing down a little now, so the frequency will not be so fast.

By smaller releases do you mean the evolutions and builder series, perhaps huge sets (although this I assume will depend on the RoW one just released). I'd love to see more in these lines.

do you mean WoR?

I'm pretty sure he means the Reign of Winter huge two pack, which is released this Month

So far this set looks great! 21 of 22 minis previewed to date for Reign of Winter are winners to me, and the only one (Maftet) that's not, could grow on me. I'm betting I won't be as fond of some of the weirder rates coming up, but am glad to see such a strong set so far. Love the previews. Definitely fun for a guy who loves minis! Thanks.

I, too, will likely not be as fond of some of the more out-of-time stuff coming up, so I thank Erik in advance for making some of them rare.

That said, I will say that there is plenty of beautiful artwork in the 5th book of Reign of Winter. Those Russian soldiers with gas masks, for example, stick out in my mind. There are also a few illustrations that, if made into miniatures, could work nearly as well in a more typical fantasy setting. Here are a few guesses as to what we could potentially see:

Grigori Rasputin - There are several good depictions of him. He's got some sort of magic aura or spell effect around him in most of them. Despite his more modern coat, he could pass as a great NPC or even a sorcerer-type PC. Heck, he might be worth it for that beard alone.

The Bear Hunter - This outfit is amazing. Yes, she has guns. But other than that, I could totally work this awesome looking character into a campaign. If this was made into a miniature, complete with all the spikes, then this would be one of the coolest miniatures out there.

Headless Siberian Cossacks - These variant Dullahans would hopefully come mounted on a horse.

Polkovnik Lavrenti - This variant Dullahan NPC is riding on a Nightmare horse. He would make a fantastic large miniature.

Tsarina Alexandra - This miniature is dressed in a somewhat more modern day dress, but she's a ghost. I actually think it would be pretty cool to get a ghost miniature that clearly represents the person she was before her death.

Pale Sniper - This Pale Stranger variant is holding a rifle and decked out in uniform (in the illustration). Still, he's pretty cool looking, especially with the missing eye from his socket.

Stained-Glass golems - We already have a glass golem from another set, but this variant would likely look amazing.

The Brothers Three - This would make a great miniature.

Fext - Another more modern looking creature with a twist. This dude's head is all purplish. Despite the modern look of the uniform, the illustration doesn't show him holding anything but a sword and shield.

Trench Zombie - Aside from the gun, this could work as a Alchemist-type of PC in a campaign. The illustration in the Bestiary of the Adventure Path is really great.

I feel like I'm forgetting one or two.

Got to agree those minis would make excellent additions to the collection. I would especially love to see a mini of Polkovnik - the illustration is fantastic. What would be even better if it they used a design similar to the H&M frost giant, leaving you free to remove Polkovnik and saddle so you also had a cool nightmare.

Sorry jimibones83 I meant the Riegn of winter pack as Enlight_Bystand stated. I'm hoping this does well so we can see more of this type of pack in the future.

Erik, I like your "that sort of thing" response since it gives me great hope for smaller releases in between the big sets.

Now I just have to wish more of my life away so I can get to the weird stuff next week.

Oooooh yeah, I forgot about that new 2pk of huges for RoW. Thanx for the reminder, I'll be ordering next payday:)

P.S. I also hope they do well. We need access to more huges.

Yes, please. More huges. I browsed through the four Bestiaries just looking at huges with artwork. There are a lot of great creatures just waiting to be made.

And if I have to purchase them two at a time, so be it. But I sure wish there was a way to incorporate them into the sets.

This is a really, really weird Adventure Path filled with cat people and Russian soldiers. While figures of those characters are cool and enhance the Adventure Path, they are WAY off the beaten path, and most gamers no playing Reign of Winter are not going to want tons and tons of them.

This is exactly what I was afraid of when I first learned that Reign of Winter was the next mini set, that it would be too specific with figs that would have little value outside of this AP. So far I couldn't have been more wrong. I absolutely love this minis that have been previewed as most of them seem quite generic. On top of that, they look absolutely great. Keep it coming!

So far this set looks great! 21 of 22 minis previewed to date for Reign of Winter are winners to me, and the only one (Maftet) that's not, could grow on me. I'm betting I won't be as fond of some of the weirder rates coming up, but am glad to see such a strong set so far. Love the previews. Definitely fun for a guy who loves minis! Thanks.

Lol you take humans and goats over cool monsters?

Young Boromir wrote:

So far this set looks great! 21 of 22 minis previewed to date for Reign of Winter are winners to me, and the only one (Maftet) that's not, could grow on me. I'm betting I won't be as fond of some of the weirder rates coming up, but am glad to see such a strong set so far. Love the previews. Definitely fun for a guy who loves minis! Thanks.

Lol you take humans and goats over cool monsters?

myself, Ive got hundreds of cool monsters and few humans and no goats. Ill never have enough cool monsters, so keep them coming. However I do need humans and goats as well, so I'm extremely happy they are throwing a few in with each set

Young Boromir wrote:

So far this set looks great! 21 of 22 minis previewed to date for Reign of Winter are winners to me, and the only one (Maftet) that's not, could grow on me. I'm betting I won't be as fond of some of the weirder rates coming up, but am glad to see such a strong set so far. Love the previews. Definitely fun for a guy who loves minis! Thanks.

Lol you take humans and goats over cool monsters?

Why can't we have both?

Especially after last set that was all about demons, I could use some more basic stuff that the Pathfinder Battles line is missing.
I for one, am VERY happy to see more humans, and more animals in this set. Maybe it's because I don't like to mix different miniature lines in the same game. Golarion has it's own colors and themes. Just look at their goblins that sure don't look like any other goblins from other publishers.

I am all for cool monsters, but do I need half dozen variants of succubus-types? Not really. In most of my games, I will use and reuse more humans and other PC proxies (dwarves, halflings, gnomes, etc.) than most big monsters that might only see play once or twice (except for classic rank and file monsters like goblins, orcs, zombies, etc).

In the game I just started last week-end, my players had to make do with miniature that looked very little like their character because they are still too little options for PCs (except if you are a human pirate!). Our gnome fire-wielding sorcerer has to use the Eel from the Skull & Shackles set as a proxy because they are no male gnome caster in any set. He is crossing his fingers that Balazar will be the second iconic in this set. In my games, the party almost always have riding dogs or a donkey or a horse to carry extra equipment. I would love to use an actual mini instead of using a token (or the awkward jumping wolf from the first set as proxy for a dog).

I prefer to see more miniatures that have the potential to see more use/time on the grid map, than too many weird monster that I might never use. Sure, once in a while, a cool miniature might inspire me to include a monster I might not have considered playing otherwise, just for the fun of dropping it on the grid and see my players react to it. All I'm saying is the Pathfinder Battles line is still young and has many holes to fill, and I am happy this set looks like it will do just that.

I'm amazed no one has done a prepaint pack mule. There are some great unpainted ones out there that paint up beautifully, but still!

And speaking of stuff that's been looked over, I think probably the single sort of mini I use most is stuff I can use as "human thug or bandit", but there's less range out there for thugs than you'd think, especially if you're just looking for something totally generic. And in particular, there's very little out there for thugs carrying swords. Clubs, axes, spears, bows, sure. Swords? Not so much. No idea why. Same for crossbows, one of the most common but unrepresented weapons in the game.

I'm amazed no one has done a prepaint pack mule. There are some great unpainted ones out there that paint up beautifully, but still!

I have been calling for one for years. It just seems like an obvious figure to include in a PPM set. But so far no love for the hard working mule.

Now if only Reaper could be persuaded to produce Greta in metal with a higher quality sculpt I'm sure there'd be a lot of happy gamers out there. for some reason her plastic version presented here doesn't quite seem up to scratch.

Erik,

Any chance of getting a Large Black Dragon in a future set?

(Since a Medium and a Huge are already available.)

-Skeld

Skeld,

Probably.

Erik,

Any chance of getting a Large Black Dragon in a future set?

(Since a Medium and a Huge are already available.)

-Skeld

I've been wondering the same exact thing

Another thing I've been wondering, I've heard that the gargantuan promo for this set is a white dragon. I have the AP but I won't play it until I get the minis. I didn't think there were gargantuan white dragons. Is this some sort of special circumstance or am I misunderstanding dragons?

Another thing I've been wondering, I've heard that the gargantuan promo for this set is a white dragon. I have the AP but I won't play it until I get the minis. I didn't think there were gargantuan white dragons. Is this some sort of special circumstance or am I misunderstanding dragons?

You can always add one just so you can use the mini!

-Skeld

Another thing I've been wondering, I've heard that the gargantuan promo for this set is a white dragon. I have the AP but I won't play it until I get the minis. I didn't think there were gargantuan white dragons. Is this some sort of special circumstance or am I misunderstanding dragons?

As per bestiary 1:

jimibones83 wrote:

Another thing I've been wondering, I've heard that the gargantuan promo for this set is a white dragon. I have the AP but I won't play it until I get the minis. I didn't think there were gargantuan white dragons. Is this some sort of special circumstance or am I misunderstanding dragons?

As per bestiary 1:

Anchient white Dragon is Huge which is base size +4
Great wyrm is base size +5 so gargantuan white is possible in theory.

ooooo I see. I just switched over to PF about 6 months ago. I haven't had a chance to get much into dragons yet. Now I see yur comment and I look at the dragons in bestiary and I'm getting the picture. Ty sir

To answer your original point, no there isn't a Gargantuan White in the AP. Reading between the lines, I suspect what happened was that Erik was pressing to get the hut until pretty much the last moment, then was left looking round for an appropriate Gargantuan mini, dragons are always nice ast that size, and White are the most Winter associated.

To answer your original point, no there isn't a Gargantuan White in the AP. Reading between the lines, I suspect what happened was that Erik was pressing to get the hut until pretty much the last moment, then was left looking round for an appropriate Gargantuan mini, dragons are always nice ast that size, and White are the most Winter associated.

that's what confused me, but like I said I've only been playing PF for about 6 months and I haven't gotten much into dragons yet as my group is just now approaching the appropriate level. However now that DropBearHunter mentions it, I look back in the bestiary and realize that not every dragon is in there and that the proper rules are present to create the ones missing, such as great worms which are all either gargantuan or colossal.

This leads me to a new and exciting question for Erik. Are there any thoughts as to a colossal mini to ever existing? A colossal red dragon would be sweet. I've got a colossal Cthulhu made by WizKids and its awesome. I haven't gotten to use it yet, but I sleep with it in my arms at night

This leads me to a new and exciting question for Erik. Are there any thoughts as to a colossal mini to ever existing? A colossal red dragon would be sweet. I've got a colossal Cthulhu made by WizKids and its awesome. I haven't gotten to use it yet, but I sleep with it in my arms at night

Since we have a colossal red dragon from D&D Icons, I would rather have them do something that hasn't been created yet. Also considering, if we even ever received a colossal, it may be a very rare (or one-time) thing.

But my preference for a colossal would be Tarrasque in all his glory.

I'd also like to mention, that I think a gargantuan white dragon is the right move for this set anyway. The hut is cool for sure, but gargantuan chromatic dragons are a big part of nearly every campaign I run. I'd like to get them added to my collection right away. Hopefully another chance comes up for the hut in the future though

jimibones83 wrote:

This leads me to a new and exciting question for Erik. Are there any thoughts as to a colossal mini to ever existing? A colossal red dragon would be sweet. I've got a colossal Cthulhu made by WizKids and its awesome. I haven't gotten to use it yet, but I sleep with it in my arms at night

Since we have a colossal red dragon from D&D Icons, I would rather have them do something that hasn't been created yet. Also considering, if we even ever received a colossal, it may be a very rare (or one-time) thing.

But my preference for a colossal would be Tarrasque in all his glory.

I don't know why they would make the mistake of making it a one time run deal, but as long as I got one then I guess I don't care lol. I wasn't a fan of the D&D colossal red, but I be willing to bet I'd love the paizo/WizKids version.

Also another thing, the icons colossal red dragon is no longer available. I guess thats irrelevant because I didn't like it enough to buy it anyway, but it is just another reason to make one available. Believe it or not there are still new collectors, I'm one of them

FYI I'd be likely to purchase any and all colossals, same as I do gargantuans. While I passed on 2 of the sets so far, the promos were just to cool to pass on

Oh, I think it’s great that there are new collectors (welcome to the club!), I was just remembering reading from Erik earlier on is there are no colossals planned at this time.

Now that could have changed since then as that was awhile back, but I just had the impression it wasn’t something that would be on their radar anytime soon. As for why, I would probably guess due to pricing. If they want to make a colossal with the higher quality sculpting (and usually paint job) of PFB, it will be quite expensive, most likely in the area of $100 or more.

So that is why I said if they do make a colossal, it will be something done very rarely, or even a one-time deal. That is why I would prefer to have something not done yet if we got only one.

That's certainly understandable, but I hope they rethink it at some point. I was pretty dang happy to pay $100 for my colossal Cthulhu. Its a WizKids as well so the sculpt and paint are of top quality, just as everything they do for paizo.

Even if they only released a limited run of a different colossal once a year, that would be pretty sweet. Anniversary promo perhaps?

Remember that releases are slowing down a little now, so the frequency will not be so fast.

Is that because of the D&D Minis coming up from WizKids, or is it unrelated?