Pathfinders of Death

Friday, January 6, 2017

A dark wind blows through the Paizo offices (or at least through mine) on this chilly January afternoon, but that wind brings good portents of something very, very evil. Four of our favorite Pathfinder iconic heroes are coming to the world of the Kingdom Death: Monster nightmare horror miniatures game, so I'm taking the opportunity of today's usually minis-filled publisher preview blog to tell you all about it, because honestly, I'm super excited about this project!

Kingdom Death: Monster is currently in the final day of its record-shattering Kickstarter campaign, the largest ever for a game—tabletop or otherwise—in Kickstarter's history. It's a success the game richly deserves. Kingdom Death: Monster is one of the best-looking hobby games I've ever played, and one of the most interesting campaign-style minis game I've ever come across. The current Kickstarter is for a "1.5" update of the original, which many of us at Paizo purchased the first time around a few years ago. Many Paizonians play after-hour Kingdom Death games here at work, and the game's crazy atmospherics and innovative gameplay keep us coming back for more.

Erik Mona plays a pre-release version of Kingdom Death: Monster at Gen Con 2015.

For me, the big appeal is the miniatures. Simply put, Kingdom Death has some of the most gorgeous miniatures in my entire personal collection, featuring jaw-dropping designs. They're also produced at a slightly larger scale than, say, Pathfinder Battles figures, which allows for easier painting and greater sculpt detail without being so large that you can't use them with a 5-foot grid or with other 35 mm figures.

I've always dreamed of seeing the Pathfinder iconic characters as Kingdom Death figures, and I'm happy to say that, thanks to the newly announced Pathfinders of Death expansion, that dream (nightmare?) is now a reality.

Pathfinders of Death will include official Kingdom Death: Monster unpainted figures for Pathfinder iconic characters Merisiel, Valeros, Kyra, and Seoni, as well as rules to play them in the game. Minis collectors not interested in the full game can pledge at the $5.00 level and then add the set as a $60 add-on, but as a player of the game I've got to say that would be a mistake. For the first KD Kickstarter I focused on minis over the game, and later learned how amazing the gameplay is and I had to purchase some of the expansions on the secondary market at inflated prices. Don't overlook the game, is what I'm saying.

Above we see the Kingdom Death version of Merisiel, Pathfinder's iconic rogue. Most Kingdom Death characters awaken naked in a shadowy nightmare realm with only a rock as a weapon, but our Pathfinder characters appear fully armed and armored, with new rules for more heroic characters in a world that usually involves very little hope indeed.

Here's an early look at Valeros, who has picked up some characteristically Kingdom Death magic items on his journey into nightmare. He is one tough customer, and that sword he's got is probably the most metal sword he's ever held before. Wow!

We haven't seen Seoni, yet, but Kyra here just arrived in the Paizo offices and sailed through the approval process without a hitch. Those of you familiar with the world of Kingdom Death no doubt know that characters in the game are often fairly naked, with several optional figures falling into a "pin-up" category with, let's call it a different approach than the one you're used to seeing in Pathfinder. We wanted to make sure that our heroes, while absorbing some of the appeal of the KD visual aesthetic, were nonetheless still the Pathfinder heroes you know and love. A pinup version of Kyra, for example, was never on the table.

Let me circle back on that point for just a moment. As a note for those not already familiar with the game (and who didn't infer it from everything above), Kingdom Death is the reason the phrase "for mature audiences only" was invented. Kingdom Death explores every form of horror you can imagine—and many you hopefully can't imagine—going to extremes we'd never explore in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. We want to make it clear that this arrangement does not signal some new direction for the Pathfinder RPG or the content you'll find in our products. It does, however, signal the chance for you to get insanely high-quality miniatures of your favorite Pathfinder characters. So, forewarned, make the decisions right for you and your gaming group.

For now, these figures are available exclusively through the Kingdom Death: Monster Kickstarter campaign, which ends in less than 24 hours. We may find a way to bring some limited quantity of these figures to folks who miss out on the campaign months and months and months down the road, but if you want to be absolutely certain to get them, I urge you to back the project while you still can. We love these miniatures and the game here at Paizo, and hope that you will enjoy these figures as well.

And that's it for this momentous week. There will be NO Publisher Preview for the next two weeks, as I head to Hawaii for a MUCH needed family vacation. When I return I will bring an epic feast of Crown of Fangs previews for you to enjoy.

Until then, I remain...

Erik Mona
Publisher