Pathfinder Battles Preview: At Last, the Goblin Mystic!
Friday, March 1, 2013
Way back when we first announced Heroes & Monsters, the very first Pathfinder Battles prepainted fantasy miniatures set, we knew we needed to include Pathfinder goblins from the very start. It’s an open secret that about half of that set was already in development at WizKids when we got involved, and a lot of the specifically Pathfinder creatures came relatively late in the process. Some of the figures, such as the Human Rogue and Orc Brute bear an uncanny resemblance to classic Mage Knight figures from the first era of prepainted plastic miniatures, whereas others like Seelah and the Ogre were more or less direct ports of Pathfinder art to miniature form.
The Goblin Warrior and Goblin Hero figures are examples of miniatures directly inspired by Pathfinder art, but what only some of the most astute Pathfinder Battles observers remember is that Heroes & Monsters was originally to include a third goblin, the mysterious Goblin Mystic.
Here’s the weird tale about how that miniature failed to happen the first time, and how we finally got a chance to bring him out with the upcoming We Be Goblins Builder Series set due in stores in late May.
The original Goblin Mystic was a port from an existing WizKids sculpt, modified slightly so that it better matched the Pathfinder goblin art. The original sculpt featured a goblin sitting cross-legged on a floating flying carpet. This was problematic because flying carpets in Pathfinder are not appropriate treasure for most goblins. Worse, the original sculpt was much, much taller than a Pathfinder goblin, so the Goblin Mystic was as tall sitting down as our regular goblins were standing up, which wasn’t something we could fix without scrapping the entire sculpt.
We decided to try to make it work anyway, and when we sent WizKids reference art for the only real “goblin mystic” that we had—the antagonist goblin druid Vorka from the original We Be Goblins! adventure, I’m afraid things went from bad to worse. The original sculpt was still way too big, only this time she was wearing a big dumb Gandalf hat on top of all the other problems.
Ultimately, we decided we couldn’t make things work in time, and that the poor old Goblin Mystic would need to wait for a future set.
I’m pleased to report that the We Be Goblins Builder Series set offers us the perfect opportunity to reintroduce a “goblin mystic” to the Pathfinder Battles line, only this time without the troublesome flying carpet and at the correct scale.
And we decided to cut through the earlier problems by actually making the goblin mystic Vorka herself, rather than a freakishly tall monster simply wearing Vorka’s hat.
So here she is in all her glory, the goblin villain Vorka!
In addition to new friends like Vorka and her goblin player character adversaries from both the original We Be Goblins! adventure and Free RPG Day 2013’s We Be Goblins Too!, the new We Be Goblins Builder Series set includes repaints of classic Pathfinder Battles sculpts like this major bad boy, the Goblin Warchief!
This upper-tier goblin villain comes with his very own riding lizard and a massive hate-on for the player characters. He’s based on the Warchief Ripnugget figure from Rise of the Runelords, with a unique new paint scheme.
There are two more We Be Goblins figures left to preview, but a mix-up here at the office sent them to the factory before we had a chance to take good pictures of them.
Instead, next week we’ll have to content ourselves with preview images of jaw-droppers from the very next full set, which we’ll announce here on paizo.com early next week!
A double dose of Pathfinder Battles news? AMAZING!
You guys are going to explode when you see the figures from the next set.
Set your internal spontaneous combustion engines to next week. You are all about to go BOOM!
Erik Mona
Publisher
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Tags:
Free RPG Day
Miniatures
Pathfinder Battles
Pathfinder Modules
Good to see the Goblin Mystic back in the fold. Is the huge white dragon next?
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Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder PF Special Edition Subscriber
Again, another nice pair of goblins. 5 for 5 on the new guys, but how far wrong can you go with a pathfinder goblin. As for the repaint of the rider - I think I like the muted tones more than the original. The goblins set is a clear winner - hats off to you guys, smaller appropriated sized hats of course.
Now of course I'm wracking my brain to figure out the lat two (and we get to see them for a while!) - I know one should be the repainted commando, the other is supposed to be a repaint, but I can't for the life of me think of any goblins left too repaint?
I, like you Laschoni, hope that huge white sees the light of day soon, along with the unreleased female cloud giant form Runelords. Maybe a Mobogo, Frogemoth and tendriculous too. But what I want in the next set is a mi-go!!!
Lini and Sajan as the iconics I'd guess. But anyway I forgot to say earlier that I love these goblins. I'd guess this builder series will stay in production for quite awhile.
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Any Cthulhu minis would be welcome. And I too want that Froghemoth.
I like this mounted boss better from a color point of view.
I will replace my mounted one with this one.
As for Erik and his cruel "look at what I will share next week"... I do look forward to hearing what you have in store. :-)
Vorka has to be the creepiest looking Goblin to date. I like it.
I also really like repaints. They provide distinction on the battle map.
I too am looking forward to next week. :-)
Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder PF Special Edition Subscriber
Erik Mona wrote: Wouldn't that be neat? So you ninja me hey Erik, beaten by 3 minutes - the time it took to finish making my coffee. I surely hope you're hinting at either a huge encounter pack (high pitched voice saying "AWESOME!") or that the next set may include some huge goodness (and a mi-go).
I'd also like to know what the mystery final goblin is. Surely it would be fair to share this news? Should we really have to wait in slavering, drooliness (and that's not even a word, unless its goblin?) until the time is right?
Cat-thulhu wrote: Again, another nice pair of goblins. 5 for 5 on the new guys, but how far wrong can you go with a pathfinder goblin. As for the repaint of the rider - I think I like the muted tones more than the original. The goblins set is a clear winner - hats off to you guys, smaller appropriated sized hats of course.
Now of course I'm wracking my brain to figure out the lat two (and we get to see them for a while!) - I know one should be the repainted commando, the other is supposed to be a repaint, but I can't for the life of me think of any goblins left too repaint?
I, like you Laschoni, hope that huge white sees the light of day soon, along with the unreleased female cloud giant form Runelords. Maybe a Mobogo, Frogemoth and tendriculous too. But what I want in the next set is a mi-go!!!
The last sculpt is probably a goblin dog, or the bugbear hero. That's my guess. Maybe they'll do both of those, since we already have a repaint of the commando riding dog from the kickstarter.
Brocimus wrote:
The last sculpt is probably a goblin dog, or the bugbear hero. That's my guess. Maybe they'll do both of those, since we already have a repaint of the commando riding dog from the kickstarter.
Can't be then it wouldn't be a 'set of 12 goblins'
My money is still on the goblin dog. Goblins are commonly found with goblin dogs, and part of the name of the creature matches the name of the set.
I hadn't thought about the possibility of adding in other goblinoids like the bugbear, so although that could be the unknown mini, I'm still sticking to the dog.
For people who aren't collecting Pathfinder Minis, but just want to grab a set of goblins, I'm sure they would appreciate having some goblin dogs in their themed set.
Kor - Orc Scrollkeeper wrote: My money is still on the goblin dog. Goblins are commonly found with goblin dogs, and part of the name of the creature matches the name of the set
The casual GMs at my store would not buy another sealed pathfinder battles pack again. They would see that the set of twelve includes 12 minis according to the case, and would buy exactly the number that they need for the encounter they planned. If they got home and didn't have the goblins they needed they would claim false advertizing and try to get their money back.
Especially if they are playing in a homebrew world that doesn't have goblin dogs
Cpt_kirstov wrote: The casual GMs at my store would not buy another sealed pathfinder battles pack again. They would see that the set of twelve includes 12 minis according to the case, and would buy exactly the number that they need for the encounter they planned. If they got home and didn't have the goblins they needed they would claim false advertizing and try to get their money back.
Especially if they are playing in a homebrew world that doesn't have goblin dogs
Wouldn't they alreay know that a) the boxes are ramdom and b) What their selection might have? By the time I get my two cases I will know what all 12 sculpts could be. But I would not expect a case to only be 24 goblins if the sculpts included the goblin dog as one of the possable sculpts. This complaint just saounds odd to me.
Cpt_kirstov wrote: Kor - Orc Scrollkeeper wrote: My money is still on the goblin dog. Goblins are commonly found with goblin dogs, and part of the name of the creature matches the name of the set
The casual GMs at my store would not buy another sealed pathfinder battles pack again. They would see that the set of twelve includes 12 minis according to the case, and would buy exactly the number that they need for the encounter they planned. If they got home and didn't have the goblins they needed they would claim false advertizing and try to get their money back.
Especially if they are playing in a homebrew world that doesn't have goblin dogs Well, these themed packs have to have a little something for everyone. As a mini collector/addict, I certainly already have enough goblin dogs, and I really have no use for even 1 goblin on a lizard. The idea of getting more doesn't thrill me, but these sets have to appeal to a wider share of the market other than just collectors like me, and army builders like your friends. At the end of the day, both I and your friends will each be happy with the goblins we do get and want, and will be less focused on the ones we didn't want.
Additionally, this set contains a lot of "unique" goblins that really will not please people buying this set solely for an army builder. How many goblin armies of wedding dress wearing, bomb toting, screaming witch and lizard riding goblins does an adventurer normally encounter?
For those on a tight budget and only wanting specifically goblin "troop" units, there is always eBay. Wait 2 weeks after the set is released, hit eBay and start loading up.
In the PF universe Goblin Dogs are found with Goblins and in multiples. I would not be surprised or disappointed to see a Goblin Dog. As far as armies go, a large pack of Goblin Dogs accompanying an army of Goblins fits this scenario too.
danielc wrote: Wouldn't they alreay know that a) the boxes are ramdom and b) What their selection might have? By the time I get my two cases I will know what all 12 sculpts could be. But I would not expect a case to only be 24 goblins if the sculpts included the goblin dog as one of the possable sculpts. This complaint just saounds odd to me. Nope, they don't check online for the specifics, if anything they check game trade magazine. if the same "Goblins are on the loose! Boasting seven figures with new paint decos plus five all-new sculpts, We Be Goblins features 12 different Pathfinder goblin miniatures to add to your Pathfinder Battles miniatures collection." is there as is in the product description on paizo and used more than once on the blogs, and they don't get 12 different goblins.... they'll ask for a refund - they're just that tight pursed around here.
Kor - Orc Scrollkeeper wrote: At the end of the day, both I and your friends will each be happy with the goblins we do get and want, and will be less focused on the ones we didn't want.
Additionally, this set contains a lot of "unique" goblins that really will not please people buying this set solely for an army builder. How many goblin armies of wedding dress wearing, bomb toting, screaming witch and lizard riding goblins does an adventurer normally encounter?
Like I point out above, their issue isn't what is in the set, the issue is that it's being advertized as a 12 sculpt set with 12 different goblins.
Cpt_kirstov wrote: danielc wrote: Wouldn't they alreay know that a) the boxes are ramdom and b) What their selection might have? By the time I get my two cases I will know what all 12 sculpts could be. But I would not expect a case to only be 24 goblins if the sculpts included the goblin dog as one of the possable sculpts. This complaint just saounds odd to me. Nope, they don't check online for the specifics, if anything they check game trade magazine. if the same "Goblins are on the loose! Boasting seven figures with new paint decos plus five all-new sculpts, We Be Goblins features 12 different Pathfinder goblin miniatures to add to your Pathfinder Battles miniatures collection." is there as is in the product description on paizo and used more than once on the blogs, and they don't get 12 different goblins.... they'll ask for a refund - they're just that tight pursed around here.
I will take your word for it Cpt_kirstov. Based on what you say then, I would strongly suggest your friends not buy any random minis and just buy what they want through the after market sources. That way they get exactly what they want.
As for me and my friends, we have pre-ordered several cases and will trade to make sure we all get as close to a full set as we can then sell off any extras we don't want.
Cpt_kirstov wrote: ... We Be Goblins features 12 different Pathfinder goblin miniatures ... I think this is a valid point though. Since we know that the 12th sculpt will not be a goblin, then this statement would not be accurate. It should probably read "features 12 different Pathfinder goblin-themed miniatures".
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Kor - Orc Scrollkeeper wrote: Since we know that the 12th sculpt will not be a goblin... Do we? I hadn't seen that.
danielc wrote:
I will take your word for it Cpt_kirstov. Based on what you say then, I would strongly suggest your friends not buy any random minis and just buy what they want through the after market sources. That way they get exactly what they want.
if they were my friends I could handle it because I get full cases anyway but they are my customers and they tend to vote with their wallet after being let down 1 time by mareketing, which is frustrating, and why I brought it up
Steve Geddes wrote: Kor - Orc Scrollkeeper wrote: Since we know that the 12th sculpt will not be a goblin... Do we? I hadn't seen that. I Dont see anywhere that this is mentioned one of the blogs says a chance to get "one of the 12 goblins in the set" another says that they are "single figure blind boxes, each with a goblin inside" So all of the marketing points to the last figure being a goblin as well, which would negate both my fear and everyones guess that the figure is a goblin dog or bugbear..
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Cpt_kirstov wrote: Steve Geddes wrote: Kor - Orc Scrollkeeper wrote: Since we know that the 12th sculpt will not be a goblin... Do we? I hadn't seen that. I Dont see anywhere that this is mentioned one of the blogs says a chance to get "one of the 12 goblins in the set" another says that they are "single figure blind boxes, each with a goblin inside" So all of the marketing points to the last figure being a goblin as well, which would negate both my fear and everyones guess that the figure is a goblin dog or bugbear.. We know that 7 are repaints. There are only 6 existing Goblin minis to be repainted. QED the 7th repaint must be a non Goblin, Goblin themed mini.
There could be two repaints of the same figure.
Not that I know or even suspect that's the case. It's just rare to get a chance to utilise the pigeonhole principle in everyday conversation. :)
This is a quote from Erik in an earlier Blog post:
"A sculpt is a sculpt. There are no alternate decos within this set, so this is the only Goblin Hero in We Be Goblins, for instance."
So Enlight Bystand's point holds true. The 7th repaint will likely be a non-Goblin. Again, my bet is on the Goblin Dog.
Steve Geddes wrote: There could be two repaints of the same figure.
Not that I know or even suspect that's the case. It's just rare to get a chance to utilise the pigeonhole principle in everyday conversation. :)
Nope, Erik already said that's not the case.
Could be that the last 'repaint' is in the next set, and since its already developed/approved, they counted it as a repaint even though it hasn't showed up to the public yet
Aren't there seven existing goblin sculpts? (3 from H&M and 4 from RotRL).
No, there were only 2 in HM with 2 different colourings each.
Weird. I thought there was only one repaint in H&M. Guess I haven't been paying attention.
Steve Geddes wrote: Weird. I thought there was only one repaint in H&M. Guess I haven't been paying attention. I think there's 2-1/2 sculpts in H&M. I swear there are two subtly different goblin warriors ( or heroes, the ones with the lowered weapon). One of them is more open. But I swear my 2 sinspawn are slightly different too...
Cpt_kirstov wrote: Could be that the last 'repaint' is in the next set, and since its already developed/approved, they counted it as a repaint even though it hasn't showed up to the public yet When Erik originally posted the blog about this set he wrote "The We Be Goblins Builder Series set contains five all-new sculpts in addition to repainted versions of seven previously released favorites"
Especially by using the word "favorites" this to me references sets that have already been produced and are in the hands of the customers.
Because of this, I would safely say that the final mini is a "goblin-themed" mini... which really only leaves 2: goblin dog and the bugbear.
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Eric "Boxhead" Hindley wrote: Steve Geddes wrote: Weird. I thought there was only one repaint in H&M. Guess I haven't been paying attention. I think there's 2-1/2 sculpts in H&M. I swear there are two subtly different goblin warriors ( or heroes, the ones with the lowered weapon). One of them is more open. But I swear my 2 sinspawn are slightly different too... They're the same sculpt, but given the malleability of the plastic during the production process means that they can be in slightly different poses. For example one of my 3 Gugs is leaning forward noticeably compared to its peers.
Ok, it's past the "early part of next week", what is the new set?
Spill it, Mona! Or I'll send in the "Double Secret" Goblin Exfiltration Squad to steal your computer!
Yes, please Eric, spill the beans. It is already the middle of the week, and the wolves are hungry, lol!
Woah, I didn't know my comment predicting the other sculpt was going to cause such a controversy. Ha ha.
Brocimus wrote: Woah, I didn't know my comment predicting the other sculpt was going to cause such a controversy. Ha ha. No problems. We have been going round and round on this one for a while now. (See response to Erik's earlier Goblins set previews.)
Wow, there certainly are some tightly wound miniature consumers out there. I bet there are even pictures of all the sculpts being offered for this product on the case itself, since it is an "ever-green" product (Yes, I am making assumptions about what exactly that means). There shouldn't be any surprises about what's possible from a single blind booster, regardless of what is written on the side. The seco dary market for these cases ought to be good. Some will be looking for the PC go line while others will want to be acquiring the standard goblins for army building. And I will quietly go around and scoop up a bunch of those un-loved goblin dogs to build my pack. :)
The display box packaging for this set includes a checklist of every mini in the set, so there should be no surprises about the set's contents for folks who take a close look.
Erik Mona wrote: The display box packaging for this set includes a checklist of every mini in the set, so there should be no surprises about the set's contents for folks who take a close look. Erik, although I am sure you are enjoying reading our speculative posts, I am just curious if you know when the final 2 minis might be revealed?
You mentioned that the proofs got sent before you had a chance to get photos done of them. Will you get the proofs or final paint of the minis in your hands before release of the set?
Kor - Orc Scrollkeeper wrote: Erik Mona wrote: The display box packaging for this set includes a checklist of every mini in the set, so there should be no surprises about the set's contents for folks who take a close look. Erik, although I am sure you are enjoying reading our speculative posts, I am just curious if you know when the final 2 minis might be revealed?
You mentioned that the proofs got sent before you had a chance to get photos done of them. Will you get the proofs or final paint of the minis in your hands before release of the set?
*Looks around innocently*
*BUMP*
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