I post this mainly as a reaction on the single review (at the time of posting) giving her the minimum rating.
This mini's not THAT bad.
Agreed, the pose is rather dull, not really combat related and it could have been made a bit more appealing. BUT it's a nice rendering of Merisiel. She's running (sneaking in a cartoonish way?), daggers ready to flash. And it can be used for any elven or half-elven female rogue you play (and carries a lot of daggers in her backpack).
BTW: I find her FACE is done really nice, not a small feat compared to some other minis.
The mini was a joy to paint.
The hero from the Pathfinder AP logs and a major NPC in the Serpent's Skull AP!
But this mini can be ANY beginning adventurer (male that is ;-) you play. That's why I purchased it in the first place. Have a new character without any considerable armor or gear? Bingo!
His sword and backpack come seperately, so you can choose to glue them on or not. Or convert him with other weapons...
As a sidenote, this backpack is more detailed than the alchemist's.
Paizo (and Reaper) really knows how to do half-elves!
I had to buy this the instant I saw it pop up in the shop (limited edition as well!). Don't wait until all of these are gone!
Varian Jeggare is a noble half-elf raising a glass (you decide the content: ale? wine? blood?), resting his hand casually on his rapier.
Nice pose, great details.
Point of comment: his jacket was a bit plain, decorations aren't carved but can be paitned on (I'm not THAT good a painter though and the mini is rather small).
Same for the goatee: not sculpted but easily painted on his chin. Queer, since it's a trademark of this character.
This mini does what is intended: it's a half-elf alchemist. The fact he's stuffed to the brim with potions, flasks and other gear is what makes this one really stand out. Staring into a test tube makes this a really suitable mini.
There aren't that many well-designed half-elven miniatures out there, let alone alchemists.
This miniature comes in 3 parts: main body, arm with dagger and a small backpack.
Positive:
Nice sculpt, a decent half-elven miniature (of an iconic nonetheless!).
Also usable as a merchant, wizard or other magic user!
Negative:
Expendable small back pack (adds nothing to the mini)
Pose is a bit boring (but alchemists experient rather than take on heavy action poses).
The tiles are sturdy (a plus considering the much thinner Game Mastery map packs) and beautiful and will get a lot of play in dungeons but... some more variety couldn't hurt.
If I want to lay a bunch of almost blank grey tiles next to each other, I'll buy a Flip Mat (keeps better in place). Of the many objects and effects, the magical effects and some special rooms (prison, laboratory, ...) will come in handy. Flat tiles with doors etc on them are wasted on me because I use vertical doors (trusty HeroQuest) in my games.
The box itself is printed and can carry a lot of the expansions once you get rid of the (useless)inlay.
I hear there are a lot of reprints here but since I don't own the originals that doesn't bother me. I' even glad I get them here, since tracking the originals would cost me a lot of $$$$. Added value!
Conclusion: you get a LOT for your hard earned cash, and the printed box makes an excellent extra for adding volume or another floor to your dungeon. But some variety would've been nice though (hence 4 stars instead of 5).
I was expecting a bit more out of this one. The tiles themselves are beautiful and sturdy (hence the 3 stars) but the 3D terrain disappoints (-1), especially for the retail price (-1). It really works for a desert location, but as other reviewers pointed out, isn't quite Athas (not that that bothers me).
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