Pathfinder Battles Preview: The Big Reveal

Friday, March 23, 2012

Ardent followers of our Friday Pathfinder Battles preview blog surely noticed its absence last week, when necessity pulled me away to the wild frontier of Las Vegas for the GAMA Trade Show, an important game industry event that draws publishers, distributors, and retailers from around the country. While at GTS, I had a chance to sit down and chat with my counterpart over at WizKids, and our discussion covered where the Pathfinder Battles line has been, and where it's headed in the future.

We spoke for the first time about the set after the next set (which we haven't even announced yet, but which is already in sculpting!). Sales have been strong for the line, and retailer comments at the show were very positive.

WizKids leaked a few details about Pathfinder Battles at a GTS presentation, including that the Rise of the Runelords set will have two booster configurations. The Standard Booster contains four figures, one Large and three either Medium or Small. The set also contains four Huge figures, sold in random single-figure Huge Boosters. Unlike with Heroes & Monsters, these two booster configurations will come in two different case sizes, so that retailers (and customers) will be able to re-order the size of booster that they need.

Although we are very, very close to being able to reveal specific details about price and availability, we still lack a couple of pieces of critical information that are preventing us from posting the product page so you can preorder these exciting figures right this very second. I expect that to change very soon, so keep your eyes on this space!

At the GAMA Trade Show, WizKids also revealed the worst-kept secret of the line, finally officially identifying the set's premium miniature: the Rune Giant! This gorgeous Gargantuan figure towers over Medium, Large, and even Huge figures, and with his enormous sword he cuts an imposing figure on your game table.

The final miniature will have elaborate tattoos all over his skin, inspired by the original rune giant art by Wayne Reynolds. That's the Vampire from Heroes & Monsters down there by the Rune Giant's shin. I thought you guys would appreciate a sense of just how big this figure is relative to, say, a player character miniature.

Like the Huge Black Dragon of Heroes & Monsters, this figure is produced in extremely limited quantities, and will be available to purchase by customers who subscribe or preorder cases of Rise of the Runelords Standard Boosters (as well as through select retailers). Details on pricing and exactly how you can be sure not to miss this amazing figure will come shortly.

WizKids also revealed another much-anticipated figure, the rare Runelord Karzoug the Claimer, arch-villain of the entire Rise of the Runelords campaign!

This pose was drawn from a chapter-opener image from Ultimate Magic, depicting Karzoug in battle against a hated foe. Both the magical spell effect launching from Karzoug's left hand and the flames of his pole-arm are rendered in tinted clear plastic, adding to the energy effect. With gorgeous fine detailed painting along the hem and embroidery of his robes and lavishly detailed equipment and clothing features, this is a miniature your players will long remember and really relish defeating.

Lastly this week, I wanted to show off a figure that WizKids didn't reveal at the GAMA Trade Show. I wanted to pick a monster, and I wanted to pick something distinctly Pathfinder, something emblematic of the Pathfinder brand that maybe wouldn't have ever appeared if not for the original Rise of the Runelords campaign.

I decided on this guy, the brutal Sinspawn Axeman.

This miniature is an armored, souped-up version of the Sinspawn miniature we previewed weeks ago. As the campaign gets tougher, the player characters actually fight more of these axe-wielders than they do the regular type from the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary, which is one reason we've put both of them in the common rarity.

That's it for this week! We've still got plenty more awesome figures to preview in the weeks and months to come, as well as a lot more specifics on price, exact configuration, and other important details.

Until then, we'll see you next week!

Erik Mona
Publisher

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Tags: Pathfinder Adventure Path Pathfinder Battles
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Liz Courts wrote:
There are several soulbound doll miniatures in this set, and a number of creatures for animal companions here.

Or alterntively, I could just take the erasers off my pencils and use them to represent the tiny minis.

Okay, so its no secret, I dislike tokens / stand up paperdoll minis / and using pennies and dice as miniatures :)

Those might be good options for other players though, but it will not cease my campaigning for tiny pre-painted miniatures :)


selios wrote:
Enlight_Bystand wrote:


Sellios, it was well advertised for months before that this set will be 60 minis, and rumours point to it being 60 normal minis, 4 huge and the Rune Giant...

Well I really didn't know.

I hope that +50% minis will not equal +50% price.

Also, I hope that one case (whatever price and size it will be) will be engouh to have a complete collection like Heroes and Monsters.

I can't see how the price for a case won't go up somewhere around 50% given the number of minis per case is increasing (from just over 80 to just over 120). Especially since the number of large/huge minis is greater - presumably that implies a greater cost per mini.

Their goal is for 93% of cases to include a complete set (at this stage, anyhow). The higher number of minis (presumably coupled with the size distribution) made the goal of 100% that they tried for with H&M unachievable.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Standard Booster Packs will have an MSRP of $14.99; that includes 1 Large and 3 Medium/Small minis. Cases include 32 boosters, and we'll offer some discount for purchasing a case, but we don't have a finalized case price to share yet?

Steve Geddes wrote:
Their goal is for 93% of cases to include a complete set (at this stage, anyhow). The higher number of minis (presumably coupled with the size distribution) made the goal of 100% that they tried for with H&M unachievable.

I'd also note that the other 7% of cases will likely be short just one rare mini. (In order to target 100%, they'd have had to add several more boosters per case, almost certainly increasing the price well beyond that of purchasing a single mini on the secondary market.)


Can anyone say how the size of the rune giant compares to the Iron Rain Hill Giant from Mage Knight?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Skeld wrote:
EDIT: Since I don't have access to my books at the moment, does anyone remember what is the maximum number of Rune Giants appearing in a single encounter?

In the transition from 3.5 to Pathfinder, and in our pursuit of making CRs actauly more closely represent the power of a creature...

... the rune giant went from being a devastatingly unfair CR 14 foe to a more accurately represented CR 17 foe. As a result...

Spoiler:
... the number of rune giants encountered in the Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Hardcover is MUCH smaller. While theres always the chance for bad luck with wandering monsters or splitting parties "activating" more than one encounter at a time, the encounters with rune giants in the revised edition never have more than one of them popping up at a time.


pres man wrote:
Can anyone say how the size of the rune giant compares to the Iron Rain Hill Giant from Mage Knight?

The rune giant looks approximately 112mm (he's in a combat stance)So its pretty close to 40' tall.

The iron rain hill giant is about an inch smaller


Kor - Orc Scrollkeeper wrote:
DeciusBrutus wrote:
Any sculpts in the plans for tiny or diminutive minis? I could use a bunch of fairies and stirges, as wells as some familiar minis.

I like the idea of making minis for familiars. I don't really like the idea of incorporating familiars with character sculpts as was done in this set. Its still a nice looking mini, but I would rather have the ability to pair up my own familiar with my character's mini.

A removable familiar would be pretty neat though if possible. Like the character still comes with the familiar but it isn't glued to the base it just sits on top

Scarab Sages

I took one look at that awesome Rune Giant on Friday and my jaw almost fell off. It deserves a shout:

THAT IS ONE FANTASTIC FIGURE*

Can't wait for my FLGS receive their order this summer... I wonder how tall is it on the table? 11 or 12 inches? It would make a great conversation piece if well displayed in one's gaming/rec room!

*: truly it is too grand to be referred to as a "mini"!!

Scarab Sages

beepeearr wrote:
Kor - Orc Scrollkeeper wrote:
DeciusBrutus wrote:
Any sculpts in the plans for tiny or diminutive minis? I could use a bunch of fairies and stirges, as wells as some familiar minis.

I like the idea of making minis for familiars. I don't really like the idea of incorporating familiars with character sculpts as was done in this set. Its still a nice looking mini, but I would rather have the ability to pair up my own familiar with my character's mini.

A removable familiar would be pretty neat though if possible. Like the character still comes with the familiar but it isn't glued to the base it just sits on top

That would be a neat trick to have a removable familiar! But alas I bet it would be both complicated and expensive to produce, because I don't think it be viable if there was only one kind while there are dozen different kinds of familiars to choose from in the game. Cool idea though.


Bravo. Name the price and I'll pay it. I better get three of those rune giants just to be sure.

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

If you look at WizKids' Squirrel Girl Heroclix her "familiar" Monkey Joe can share her base and be moved independently. Of course he's running around with a tree trunk where ever he goes, but it is an example of how familiars can be done.


Ryan. Costello wrote:
If you look at WizKids' Squirrel Girl Heroclix her "familiar" Monkey Joe can share her base and be moved independently. Of course he's running around with a tree trunk where ever he goes, but it is an example of how familiars can be done.

Cool, now I know where to look if I need a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing mini.


Is it August yet? I want my minis!!!!!


i thought they were coming out in july unless i missed something


Nope they got changed to August it got revealed at the GAMA Tradeshow.


voodoo chili wrote:
Giants are fine and all, but all I want to know is if we're going to see more GOBLINS?!
According to the repository of all the information, there will be 4 gobins, plus a goblin dog, announced in this blog entry.
Quote:
The next set, Rise of the Runelords, has several more goblins on the way, including a Goblin Warchanter, Goblin Commando, Goblin Commando on Goblin Dog, and a goblin chief astride a giant gecko.


Figures look great, as always! Really looking forward to having that Rune Giant in my hands. :)

How many Huges are going to be in a case? Is it going to basically just be a case of four, and you will get one of each in the set?


I can't afford many plastic minis, but I have to say these minis look better than the first batch. That Rune Giant looks especially awesome. Congrats if you can afford this!

Grand Lodge

James Jacobs wrote:


... the rune giant went from being a devastatingly unfair CR 14 foe to a more accurately represented CR 17 foe. As a result...

Thanks much for this sneak peak into the Anniversary edition. I truly look forward to the day I can plop this Rune Giant on the table and watch the characters scattering for cover.

Later,

Mazra

The Exchange

Now that there are two booster sizes, how are subscribers getting theirs? Are we buying two cases (one of each), or something in between?

Scarab Sages

From another thread:

Vic Wertz wrote:


Pathfinder Battles case subscribers will get a case of Booster Packs *and* a case of Huge Packs, with the guaranteed opportunity to buy the Gargantuan Rune Giant at a 75% discount. (If you subscribe with a quantity of two, you'll get two cases of Booster Packs, two cases of Huge Packs, and the guaranteed opportunity to buy two Gargantuan Rune Giants at a 75% discount.)

The Exchange

Dream Daemon wrote:

From another thread:

Vic Wertz wrote:


Pathfinder Battles case subscribers will get a case of Booster Packs *and* a case of Huge Packs, with the guaranteed opportunity to buy the Gargantuan Rune Giant at a 75% discount. (If you subscribe with a quantity of two, you'll get two cases of Booster Packs, two cases of Huge Packs, and the guaranteed opportunity to buy two Gargantuan Rune Giants at a 75% discount.)

thanks

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