Hey, Pathfinder Battles fans! Erik is currently sequestered in meetings and other important Paizo happenings, so I'm stepping in to take the blog wheel this week.
Out Adventuring, Be Back Soon
Friday, January 22, 2016
Hey, Pathfinder Battles fans! Erik is currently sequestered in meetings and other important Paizo happenings, so I'm stepping in to take the blog wheel this week.
And up next, we have Enora (the iconic arcanist), and Adowyn (the iconic hunter) and her wolf companion Leryn:
Iconic Heroes Set 5 is due to release soon, so keep your eyes out for final photographs of these figures on paizo.com in the next couple weeks!
Rusty Dragon Inn Singles
To give a quick update on the status of the Rusty Dragon Inn Singles: we do still plan to do a restock and some of our more highly sought after figures will be available once again early next week and to give our subscribers a heads up once this happens. Subscribers to Pathfinder Battles and any of our other subscriptions from paizo.com should have received their shipment notification email by now. If you still haven't seen this go through, let our Customer Service team know!
Chris Lambertz Community & Digital Content Director
The Rusty Dragon Inn set of prepainted plastic Pathfinder Battles fantasy gaming figures is officially out and available in the wild! You can pick them up from your local retailer order the figures by case or brick, or select your favorites from the list of singles available from the set. I've been hearing from folks with an Ongoing Case Subscription that subscriber cases have begun to arrive, and as you're all opening your minis or deciding which ones to get, I'd like to take a moment to look at the set as a whole and share some of my thoughts about how it came together, and how it turned out.
Pull Up a Stool (The Rusty Dragon Inn Debrief)
Friday, January 15, 2016
The Rusty Dragon Inn set of prepainted plastic Pathfinder Battles fantasy gaming figures is officially out and available in the wild! You can pick them up from your local retailer order the figures by case or brick, or select your favorites from the list of singles available from the set. I've been hearing from folks with an Ongoing Case Subscription that subscriber cases have begun to arrive, and as you're all opening your minis or deciding which ones to get, I'd like to take a moment to look at the set as a whole and share some of my thoughts about how it came together, and how it turned out.
I've always wanted to do a Pathfinder Battles set themed around a tavern. Most of my own campaigns tend to spend a lot of time in the city, and player characters can't help but get themselves into trouble when they're visiting the local watering hole. Paizo's tavern-themed Flip-Mats almost always sell out soon after we print them, proving that I'm not the only one who says "roll initiative" as often as "what'll you have?" when my player characters enter the tavern.
When we announced The Rusty Dragon Inn set several months ago, I knew that some folks would be concerned that the set was too NPC-heavy, so I made sure to include as many cool monsters as I possibly could, with a slight bias toward creatures I thought worked well in an urban environment (namely, ghouls). We also had a few hold-overs originally intended for earlier sets, like Zilvazaraat, the Large Silver Dragon, and the Gorgon. And, perhaps most importantly, the set gave us a chance to execute an idea I've been kicking around with WizKids for a long time—doing a major terrain piece as a special limited edition "case incentive" figure, in this case the Tavern Bar. Add to this the continuing experiment with dungeon dressing and my first chance to include things like the Cart and Large Cart, and you've got a set I've been excited about for a long, long time. It's finally here, and here are some of my own thoughts from along the way, and especially from opening my own personal case last weekend.
Dungeon Dressing
I'm thrilled with how the dungeon dressing came out for The Rusty Dragon Inn. From a gamer perspective, like a lot of you, I'd prefer more tables, crates, and barrels than are included in a single case, but I'm also sensitive to folks who don't enjoy their monster or NPC figures being swapped out for a piece of furniture. Demand for these pieces is extremely high (I think they all sold out within a couple of days of our first singles release batch), and that's a factor we will continue to weigh with WizKids to determine the best mix in future releases. The next set also contains a bunch of cool dungeon dressing pieces, and I'm eager for you to get a look at them. Beyond that, anything is possible. Please leave a note in the comments with suggestions of additional pieces of dungeon dressing you'd like to see in future sets.
Singles Sales
Singles from The Rusty Dragon Inn have sold incredibly well, with 14 figures already out of stock on paizo.com within the first week of the set's release. That's a phenomenal show of support for the set, and I think it probably bodes well for the overall sales we're expecting to see this time around. We know that the new paizo.com sales strategy for singles (ending sales at the end of the month) caused some alarm with subscribers who did not have their case to know what they might want or need before high-demand singles started vanishing from the site, and I've had a chat with our warehouse and web store team, and I'm confident that we will be releasing at least one more "wave" of singles before the end of the month, timed after we believe most subscribers will have received their cases. Watch this space very closely in the coming weeks for an announcement when this next batch goes on sale. We'll do the best we can to make sure that if you want a single from this set, you'll have a good chance of getting it, so long as you act quickly.
Rusty Dragon Flip-Mat?
In recent comment threads regarding the set, I've seen a lot of suggestions that we release a Rusty Dragon Inn Flip-Mat scaled to the Tavern Bar case incentive and designed for optimal use with the set. I think that's a fantastic idea, and I'm relatively confident that we'll do it—eventually. The actual size and contents of the Tavern Bar set were in flux until very late in the game, and I want to be able to match the scale on this stuff exactly so that everything fits the way it should. Suffice it to say, this is very likely coming, but probably not as rapidly as you might like it to. A good idea is worth taking the time to do right.
Overall Impressions
I'm thrilled with this set overall. As usual when you crack a case, some elements of rarity choices become more clear in your hand and on your table than they did in your head. Had I a chance to do it again, I might move the Bunyip to uncommon, for example, but that's really just a quibble. The paint jobs on the rares are remarkable (especially Allevrah, Elf General), and overall I think the factory did a good job, even on the faces (which is one of the toughest aspects of making these miniatures). I'm really happy with a lot of the figure and rarity choices, and I'm eager to use these figures on the table. I've already used the Half-Elf Enchanter as a conductor leading a little band of a Half-Elf Bard, a small circle of Dwarf Bard drummers, and three Dancing Girls. That's an encounter right there. I love it when random collections of figures from a single set fit so well together.
So, what do you think of the set? What are your favorite figures? Where do you think we could have done a better job? And, as always, what else would you like to see in future sets?
Welcome to the first 2016 edition of the Friday Publisher Preview, where I show off upcoming Paizo releases, usually (but not always!) for the Pathfinder Battles line of prepainted plastic gaming figures. While I don't have any brand new images of upcoming miniatures to show this week, I do want to pop the cork off a bottle of champagne and celebrate the official release of The Rusty Dragon Inn, the latest set!
The Rusty Dragon Inn is Open for Business!
Friday, January 8, 2016
Welcome to the first 2016 edition of the Friday Publisher Preview, where I show off upcoming Paizo releases, usually (but not always!) for the Pathfinder Battles line of prepainted plastic gaming figures. While I don't have any brand new images of upcoming miniatures to show this week, I do want to pop the cork off a bottle of champagne and celebrate the official release of The Rusty Dragon Inn, the latest set!
The occasion allows me the chance to update folks on a number of items related to the release of The Rusty Dragon Inn.
Singles Sales
Single figures from the set are on sale now here at paizo.com. We're changing the way we stock and sell single figures for the foreseeable future, starting with The Rusty Dragon Inn. Henceforth Paizo will be stocking significantly fewer singles for all new sets, with sales lasting as long as our limited supplies last. Singles sales of The Rusty Dragon Inn on paizo.com will cease at the end of January. It's possible that some will re-appear later, but these will be figures cycled through the secondary market rather than from a vast supply that we keep in our warehouse. If you prefer to snipe the handful of figures you want as singles rather than buying boosters, bricks, or cases, be aware that you're going to have to act more rapidly than you're used to in order to get the figures you want. We MAY restock singles during January, but after that the entire set will be removed from singles sales indefinitely.
Feiya and King Irovetti Replacements
WizKids has taken the opportunity of this set's release to re-release repainted versions of two figures that did not match their quality control standards from previous sets, namely King Irovetti from Legends of Golarion and Feiya, Human Witch from Reign of Winter. These figures are repainted versions of the same sculpts, with improved paint application from their previous versions. WizKids has packed both replacement figures into a single unmarked "super-booster" in each case of The Rusty Dragon Inn. The two figures are in addition to the four regular figures in each booster, totaling six figures per "super-booster."
If you're already an ongoing Pathfinder Battles case subscriber, you need do nothing to receive these two free replacement figures. Customers buying a full case of The Rusty Dragon Inn will likewise receive the super-booster. As usual with these sorts of things, collation is not guaranteed.
We've listed a small number of the Feiya and King Irovetti repainted figures for purchase as singles on paizo.com.
Beds, Beds, Beds!
Lastly this week, when I saw the amazing dungeon dressing figures for this set come through approvals, I knew GMs would want more than the number of beds they were likely to get in their cases. As a result, we had WizKids create a special promotional version of the bed figure with a blue bedspread (rather than the standard red). These promo beds were produced in very limited quantities. Once they're gone, they're gone for good. You can get as many as you'd like (for now) here.
And that's it for this week. I'm quite pleased with the few boosters of The Rusty Dragon Inn I've opened so far, and look forward to diving into the rest of my personal case this weekend! I hope to be back next week with some news to reveal. The next set is even better than this one!
Do you have a favorite bar? I do. It's called The Rusty Dragon Inn, and it's coming your way in prepainted miniature form in January! Over the last few months, I've been previewing figures from the upcoming Pathfinder Battles set, and with last week's preview, I've revealed all of the new sculpts in The Rusty Dragon Inn set.
Singles Bar
Friday, November 13, 2015
Do you have a favorite bar? I do. It's called The Rusty Dragon Inn, and it's coming your way in prepainted miniature form in January! Over the last few months, I've been previewing figures from the upcoming Pathfinder Battles set, and with last week's preview, I've revealed all of the new sculpts in The Rusty Dragon Inn set.
I have not yet revealed the final version of the special limited edition case incentive. I'm happy to correct that now with this amazing image, courtesy of our friends at WizKids:
This image includes two complete case incentive sets, plus a lot of figures and some dungeon dressing from the full set. The final piece list for a single case incentive box is:
3 Long Barfront Sections
1 Corner Piece
2 Bar Shelf Sections
1 Table
6 Bottles (2 sets of 3)
2 Barrels
1 Small Keg
4 Stools
The table and barrels are alt-deco repaints of the standard table and barrel from the main set. Everything else is a new sculpt unique to the case incentive. I'm very excited about the look of this incentive, and I hope that it will bring life and excitement to your fantasy RPG campaigns.
Canny readers will also notice a couple of familiar faces from earlier sets among the assembled crowd in this image—Feiya, Human Witch, and King Irovetti. Both of these figures are intended as replacements for previously released figures that simply did not meet Paizo or WizKids's quality standards.
I have confirmed that these two replacement figures will be inserted together randomly into boosters in the set, at an intended rate of 1 pair per brick. These replacements will not replace any figures (the booster they are in will contain 6 figures).
Finally, I'd like to talk a little bit about singles, and particularly singles on sale here at paizo.com. For past sets, we have stocked a very large number of single figures for sale on our website. We still have stock on hand for many older figures, allowing customers to pick and choose and to take their time in deciding which specific figures they would like to purchase.
Starting with The Rusty Dragon Inn, we're changing the way we offer singles for sale on paizo.com. We will have a limited selection of figures available for roughly the first two weeks after release, but following that we will not be offering any singles for sale for this set. You will likely be able to get them from other retailers, if you must, but I want to give an early warning that supply for The Rusty Dragon Inn will likely be significantly lower than in previous sets. No longer will we be offering enough figures to last several years. If you prefer to "pick and choose" your Pathfinder Battles figures, I HIGHLY recommend that you do so as close to the set's official release as possible. I definitely cannot guarantee you will be able to wait and choose. In fact, I can guarantee you that you won't be able to, at least here at Paizo.com.
Today I've got the final three figure previews for January's The Rusty Dragon Inn set of prepainted plastic Pathfinder Battles, and by a happy coincidence, it's easy to use all three to create a mini-encounter set in the hold of a ship! Two of these items are "dungeon dressing," while the third is an oft-requested character that I consider one of the strangest figures we've done to date. Let's take a look!
In the Cargo Hold
Friday, November 6, 2015
Today I've got the final three figure previews for January's The Rusty Dragon Inn set of prepainted plastic Pathfinder Battles, and by a happy coincidence, it's easy to use all three to create a mini-encounter set in the hold of a ship! Two of these items are "dungeon dressing," while the third is an oft-requested character that I consider one of the strangest figures we've done to date. Let's take a look!
First up this week is the Crate. It's a crate. WizKids has added a nice ink wash to pull out the wooden details here, and if you can somehow figure out how to get a bunch of them (I suspect—but do not know for sure—that there will be as many as 2 per case), you'll be able to create a cool warehouse scene, or dress up a basement, a bandit lair, or just about any encounter with some handy terrain. The Crate fits nicely on the Wagon and Cart figures that also fill out the "dungeon dressing" offerings in The Rusty Dragon Inn, so while it's a simple "wooden" box, there's a lot of versatility here that I suspect will make the Crate a popular piece.
Next we have the Barrel. It's a barrel. Very much in place at an inn or a tavern, the Barrel is another versatile piece of dungeon dressing I've been trying to get into a set since the idea of terrain pieces first crossed our mind about a year ago. Is it filled with booze? Explosives? I dunno! That's up to you!
Last up this week is the perfect accompaniment for crates and barrels in a ship's cargo hold, Ranzak, the goblin pirate! First introduced as a playable goblin character in the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Ranzak is a delightfully psychotic little wretch who has been demanding representation in Pathfinder Battles almost since the day he was created. Seriously. Dude has been carving his name into my office door with his hook hand. He's very ill-behaved. This, of course, makes him a great addition to a Pathfinder campaign, whether at the head of a group of goblin scallywags, or as a unique "oddball" crewmember for the party's next ocean voyage. Ranzak is a Small, rare figure.
And that's it for The Rusty Dragon Inn previews! We've significantly revised (for the better) the bar case incentive for the set, and between now and next Friday I hope to get new shots to show off the increased size and versatility of the set.
As the Halloween weekend approaches, and fancy dress parties loom on the very near horizon, I find myself getting a bit thirsty for the cavalcade of beer and alcohol that's just around the corner. That brings me, naturally, to The Rusty Dragon Inn, the next set of prepainted plastic Pathfinder Battles gaming figures! The set, now scheduled for a January release, adopts a "tavern" theme, with many of the figures in the set being appropriate for tavern-based encounters and battles. Early reaction to news of the set had some folks worried that maybe the set would include too much bar stuff, or too many NPCs, and over the last several months worth of previews I've done my best to assuage those concerns with previews of all manner of generally useful creatures and characters, whether your heroes are in the tavern or not.
Seat Yourself at Any Table
Friday, October 30, 2015
As the Halloween weekend approaches, and fancy dress parties loom on the very near horizon, I find myself getting a bit thirsty for the cavalcade of beer and alcohol that's just around the corner. That brings me, naturally, to The Rusty Dragon Inn, the next set of prepainted plastic Pathfinder Battles gaming figures! The set, now scheduled for a January release, adopts a "tavern" theme, with many of the figures in the set being appropriate for tavern-based encounters and battles. Early reaction to news of the set had some folks worried that maybe the set would include too much bar stuff, or too many NPCs, and over the last several months worth of previews I've done my best to assuage those concerns with previews of all manner of generally useful creatures and characters, whether your heroes are in the tavern or not.
No more. By my count I have six figures plus an updated and much-improved case incentive to preview, and all but ONE of those figures fits hand-in-glove with the tavern theme. The outlier figure will have to wait for next week, but I suggest all minis fans start chilling their pint glasses immediately. There's some heavy drinking up ahead!
Every good bar needs a Bartender, of course, and the The Rusty Dragon Inn is no exception! This sassy, saucy lady is more than happy to pour you a foamy brew or share rumors from the local community—for the right-sized pile of coins, of course! I don't know why, but I appreciate the fact that she's got a dishrag. Adventurers can be such messy folk. The Bartender is a Medium, rare figure.
I suppose the Bartender's dishrag might come in very handy once adventurers make a mess on this table! Randomly inserted about one-per-case in exchange for an uncommon figure, this Medium table is just one of a handful of useful bits of dungeon dressing spread out through the set (others include the previously previewed wagon, cart, and bed). I suspect a lot of folks would appreciate more tables than just the one they're likely to get in the set. As with the bed we previewed last week, I'll see what I can do about getting a promotional repaint, but there is not currently one in the works. But there may be more news on this in the next couple of weeks...
One of my favorite gods in the Pathfinder pantheon is Cayden Cailean, god of beer, wine, freedom, and bravery. With a sword in one hand and a frothy beer in the other, Cayden sometimes manifests in local bars to check out new brews. Here we see him in mortal form—he became a living god by drunkenly passing the Test of the Starstone. It just so happens that Cayden makes a GREAT proxy for a drunken player character, or a short-term ally of the party who gets them into trouble by always being a little too deep in his cups (or in his tankards, as the case may be). I love the expression on his face, which came through great on the paint master I saw a few weeks ago. What a wry bastard. Love him. Cayden Cailean is a Medium, rare figure.
By my count, we've got one more rare and two more pieces of dungeon dressing before we get to the grand finale!
Let's start off this week's Friday Publisher Preview with the bad news. The Rusty Dragon Inn, the next set in the Pathfinder Battles line of prepainted fantasy miniatures, has been officially moved from a November release to a January, 2016 release. So we're all going to have to wait just a little bit longer to receive these amazing miniatures. Having seen the paint masters at this point, all I can say is that I can assure everyone the wait will be worth it. There's a little bit of knock-on fluidity with the upcoming Pathfinder Battles Iconic Heroes boxed sets as well, but I don't have final confirmation and I don't expect a significant delay on that front. I'll let you know more when I know more. Again, those sets are incredible, and the wait will be worth it.
Rusty Dragon Grab Bag!
Friday, October 23, 2015
Let's start off this week's Friday Publisher Preview with the bad news. The Rusty Dragon Inn, the next set in the Pathfinder Battles line of prepainted fantasy miniatures, has been officially moved from a November release to a January, 2016 release. So we're all going to have to wait just a little bit longer to receive these amazing miniatures. Having seen the paint masters at this point, all I can say is that I can assure everyone the wait will be worth it. There's a little bit of knock-on fluidity with the upcoming Pathfinder Battles Iconic Heroes boxed sets as well, but I don't have final confirmation and I don't expect a significant delay on that front. I'll let you know more when I know more. Again, those sets are incredible, and the wait will be worth it.
With that unfortunate news out of the way, let's move on to this week's previews!
Up first this week is the Graceful Slayer, an elf barbarian from page 22 of the Pathfinder RPG NPC Codex. One of the last figure selections from my dear, departed licensing assistant Mike Kenway, this fearless warrior is ready to rock with an elven curve blade and a formidable bow. She should work great as a player character, or as a member of a wilderness tribe. The Graceful Slayer is a Medium, uncommon figure.
It's been a while since I've had a chance to reveal any of The Rusty Dragon Inn's "dungeon dressing," so I'm pleased to show off this handsome Bed. Sleep on it, tip it over and use it as cover, or... well, I'll leave other uses to your imagination, but you can't have a proper nighttime inn ambush without a proper bed, and The Rusty Dragon Inn is here to help you out! The Bed is a dungeon dressing piece that will be randomly inserted into booster packs, with the general idea of there being at least one per case (collation, as per usual, is an inexact science and is not guaranteed).
And here we have my favorite miniature in the entire set, a bird/bear combination we can only call "Beaky". This monstrous creature is one of the largest of its time produced in prepainted plastic to date, and while he's technically a Large creature, he really pushes the limits of his size in a way that's sure to send shivers up the spines of your players. Beaky is substantial, in terms of size, weight, and table impact. I cannot wait to get one of my very own. Beaky is a Large, uncommon figure.
And that's it for this week. Join us in seven days as we reveal more amazing figures from The Rusty Dragon Inn!
The next set of Pathfinder Battles prepainted miniatures is getting closer and closer, and I've still got such sights to show you! This week I want to focus on previews of three figures from The Rusty Dragon Inn set!
More Denizens of the Rusty Dragon
Friday, October 16, 2015
The next set of Pathfinder Battles prepainted miniatures is getting closer and closer, and I've still got such sights to show you! This week I want to focus on previews of three figures from The Rusty Dragon Inn set!
The Rusty Dragon Inn is loosely themed around the types of characters and creatures you might find in a tavern in the Pathfinder world. That's meant a fair number of "NPC types" as well as urban adversaries. This week we've got a nice mix of both creature types.
First up this week is the Vampire Spawn, a sort of lesser vampire created by a real vampire as a servitor. Stats for Vampire Spawn appear on page 271 of the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary. These nighttime creatures make for a chilling urban ambush, so we've put the Vampire Spawn at the common rarity to make sure your vampire villains can build up a whole gang of them. The Vampire Spawn is a Medium figure. It's also the final common figure of the set. From this point forward, everything I reveal will be either uncommon or rare.
I'll probably never get sick of miniatures of rich people in nice clothes, and The Rusty Dragon's Aristocrat is the latest to come down the line. The Aristocrat's fine staff makes him a good proxy for a wizard or cleric, and I think his style runs the line between good and evil, making him an excellent option of a stylish hero or villain. The Aristocrat is a Medium, uncommon figure.
Here we have the insidious Ghoul Monarch, from page 87 of the Pathfinder RPG Monster Codex. This CR 12 beast was originally slated at rare due to his high degree of challenge at the table, but in production we realized that his simple design and relatively basic paint scheme would be better at uncommon, leaving the rare figures for truly unique or challenging sculpts. I think that works fine. While three of these guys on your table might not make sense as “monarchs,” they work great for any kind of spellcasting ghoul adversary. The Ghoul Monarch is a Medium figure.
That's it for this week. Swing by this space in seven days for another look at more minis from The Rusty Dragon Inn!
Greetings and salutations from New York Comic Con, where I have braved halls choked with cosplayers to bring you another Friday preview! I had to escape from the terrible Cobra Clutch of Sgt. Slaughter himself to bring today’s blog to you, so let’s make it a good one!
Large and In Charge
Friday, October 9, 2015
Greetings and salutations from New York Comic Con, where I have braved halls choked with cosplayers to bring you another Friday preview! I had to escape from the terrible Cobra Clutch of Sgt. Slaughter himself to bring today’s blog to you, so let’s make it a good one!
We all love monsters, right? And when it comes to miniatures, I’m a big proponent of “bigger is better.” Lots of people, if presented with a time machine, would go back to solve some prominent historical mystery, or to witness some great achievement first hand. At this point what I would probably do is go back and convince the earliest tabletop gaming figure companies to make their tin soldiers just a little bit larger, so the gamers of future generations could get more detail on their prepainted plastic miniatures.
I imagine those gamers would be shocked by the idea of well-painted plastic figures of today’s quality, but shame on them for living in the past. In retrospect it was a very poor choice.
So, since regular-scaled minis are so small, it’s really something to get a larger creature, because they often have so many more details and personality. Today’s previews are certainly expressive, well-sculpted monsters that benefit from a larger presentation. I’ve seen all three in-hand at this point, and I’m proud of all of them.
Here we have the Kirrix, an enormous six-legged rat monstrosity from the ratfolk section of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Monster Codex. When that art rolled in, I couldn’t resist putting it on the fast track for miniature-dom. What a great match he makes for our oversized Dire Rat from Heroes & Monsters or the Wererat from Skull & Shackles. Rats are mainstays in dungeons, and I think this beast has what it takes to be the pinnacle fight against a whole rat-based faction. His mouth is huuuuge. The Kirrix is a Large, uncommon figure.
This imposing Flesh Golem will look very familiar to players of "The Trial of the Beast", the second adventure in the Carrion Crown Adventure Path, since the image comes directly from that volume’s cover. I’ve never seen a better flesh golem illustration than that one, so into the minis line he went. We’ve only got a few more “core” golems to go, and lots more from the later Bestiaries after that. Very exciting! The Flesh Golem looms over other figures, being an amalgamation of body parts from other similarly Large creatures. Seeing this guy hit the table will definitely have your players reaching for their torches and pitchforks. The Flesh Golem is a Large, uncommon figure.
There have been a lot of dragons hitting the prepainted plastic market in recent years, so I’m not in quite the hurry that I once was to cover all of the sizes of all of the basic dragons. That said, some of our dragon designs, like Ben Wootten’s Silver Dragon, simply cry out to be made in prepainted plastic, and who am I to resist their clarion call? They have breath weapons, don’t you know? The Silver Dragon is a Large, rare figure.
That’s it for this week. Come on back next Friday with a look at more figures from The Rusty Dragon Inn. I still have such sights to show you.
I’m writing this from the floor of PAX Prime, where we’re running thousands of gamers through Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and Adventure Card Game demos here in our home town of Seattle. It’s always a blast to rub shoulders with gamers at this convention, as it has a youthful, joyful buzz that makes it the perfect way to (pretty much) end the summer convention season.
More from the Rusty Dragon
Friday, August 28, 2015
I’m writing this from the floor of PAX Prime, where we’re running thousands of gamers through Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and Adventure Card Game demos here in our home town of Seattle. It’s always a blast to rub shoulders with gamers at this convention, as it has a youthful, joyful buzz that makes it the perfect way to (pretty much) end the summer convention season.
I am giddy with excitement not because of PAX, however, but because of what WizKids delivered to the Paizo offices last week: ALL the paint masters for November’s The Rusty Dragon Inn set of Pathfinder Battles prepainted gaming figures!
I’m getting a bit ahead of myself, naturally. It took our crack team more than an hour to carefully evaluate the paint masters for Iconic Heroes: Set 5 and Iconic Heroes: Set 6, where were absolutely incredible and include some of the best prepainted figures I’ve seen from Pathfinder or any other line.
But all along, my eyes kept wandering to The Rusty Dragon, which looks absolutely phenomenal. I couldn’t be more proud of the way the set is coming together. If you liked Dungeons Deep (and sales suggest that most of you did!), you’re going to love The Rusty Dragon Inn.
It’ll be a while before we can show off the paint masters, but seeing all of them got me in the mood to share some more images from the set!
Up first this week is the Farmer. He farms. He’s a great victimbystander figure for rural or town scenes, and I imagine he slakes his thirst after a difficult day by grabbing a seat at the Rusty Dragon Inn. The Farmer is a Medium, common figure.
People on the comment threads keep worrying that this set doesn’t have enough monsters. You might think they’re afraid. Or even PETRIFIED. In the grand spirit of petrification, and to prove that The Rusty Dragon has more than farmers and barmaids, I present the Gorgon, whose breath turns victims into stone. The Gorgon is a Large, uncommon creature.
Did you know that no one has ever made a prepainted miniature of a Bunyip? Well, no one until November, that is! Another straight-up monster from The Rusty Dragon flops its way onto the scene. Bunyips show up in a surprisingly large number of Pathfinder adventures (including The Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition), so I thought it high time they got a chance in the spotlight. The Bunyip is a (meaty) Medium, common figure.
And that’s it for this week. I’m back to PAX! See you in seven days!
With Gencon behind us, it’s time to get back to weekly previews of upcoming Pathfinder Battles releases! Today I spotlight three figures from November’s The Rusty Dragon Inn set.
Around the Inn
Friday, August 14, 2015
With Gencon behind us, it’s time to get back to weekly previews of upcoming Pathfinder Battles releases! Today I spotlight three figures from November’s The Rusty Dragon Inn set.
Here we have the Kobold Devilspeaker, from page 134 of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Monster Codex. That book is the gift that keeps on giving for Pathfinder Battles, since it contains so many great full-body illustrations that are perfect for miniatures. We’ve done several kobolds so far (notably in the Legends of Golarion set, but I always wanted a robed, spellcasting kobold, and the Devilspeaker makes a great addition to the hordes of kobolds already available. Best of all, the Small figure is slated at the common rarity, so you can pretty easily build up a whole coven of robed kobolds for all your nefarious GMing needs.
While it’s a little difficult to imagine a kobold being allowed in the Rusty Dragon Inn, it’s well known that the bar caters to some, shall we say, less reputable characters. The Cutpurse, from page 144 of the NPC Codex is a great example of one such lout. Use him as your rogue player character or collect a handful for a street ambush. At the common rarity, this Medium figure is great for filling out your tavern map on the off chance that a fight breaks out.
Everyone loves horses, right? The set includes this Riding Horse, perfect for tying to the hitch outside the tavern or using as a mount. We decided to go without a saddle for this guy, so he also works for a wild horse. If demand is there, perhaps we’ll see a saddled horse in a future set. We’ve already announced a Draft Horse, so this horse will have plenty of equine company in the set. The Riding Horse is a Large, uncommon figure.
That’s it for this week! Check back next week for more previews of upcoming Pathfinder Battles releases!
