Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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Here's some late-breaking news from the Pathfinder front:
Paizo Partners with Reaper to Produce Pathfinder Miniatures
Monthly metal miniatures releases to support Paizo’s new Pathfinder Roleplaying Game
August 12, 2009 (INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.) – Paizo Publishing and Reaper Miniatures today announced a new partnership that will see Reaper produce monthly metal miniature releases to support Paizo’s blockbuster new Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. The line is set to debut in Fall 2009, with fantasy miniatures supporting the Pathfinder RPG, Pathfinder Adventure Paths, Pathfinder Modules, and the world of the Pathfinder Chronicles. All miniatures will be cast in the finest white-metal alloy and will be available through regular hobby distribution channels.
“We’re ecstatic to be working with the fine people at Paizo Publishing,” said Ed Pugh, CEO of Reaper Miniatures. “The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game has set a new standard in roleplaying and gaming in our industry. We’re proud to be a part of such a groundbreaking endeavor.”
With the formal release of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook scheduled for tomorrow , on the opening day of the Gen Con Game Fair, Paizo has already seen its initial print run of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook sell out completely to gamers and distributors, with the presses working overtime on a new second printing expected in early November. The massive Pathfinder Bestiary, featuring more than 350 fantastic foes for Pathfinder heroes, debuts in October. The Pathfinder RPG is an evolution of the 3.5 edition of the world’s oldest fantasy roleplaying game, and is released under the terms of the Open Game License.
“All of us at Paizo use miniatures in our games, and when it comes to marrying high-impact sculpts with excellent production and distribution, Reaper Miniatures stands at the very pinnacle of the hobby games industry,” said Erik Mona, Publisher of Paizo Publishing. “I simply cannot wait to discover the incredible sculpts and dynamic characters Reaper will produce for its Pathfinder line.”
The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook and Reaper’s extensive, award-winning miniatures line can be found wherever gaming products are sold or can be purchased directly from Paizo Publishing via paizo.com.
ABOUT PAIZO PUBLISHING
Paizo Publishing®, LLC is a leading publisher of fantasy roleplaying games, accessories, board games, and novels. Paizo's Pathfinder® line of rules, adventures, sourcebooks, and campaigns combines decades of game design experience into one evocative system compatible with the 3.5 rules. Paizo's GameMastery® accessories offer easy-to-use tools aimed at improving the tabletop RPG experience. Titanic Games™, Paizo's board game imprint, unleashes fun, challenging games like Kill Doctor Lucky™ and Yetisburg™ that appeal to both families and casual gamers alike. Paizo's Planet Stories® line of science fiction and fantasy novels promise thrilling adventure of the like not seen since the legendary pulps. Paizo.com is the leading online hobby retail store, offering tens of thousands of products from a variety of publishers to customers all over the world. In the seven years since its founding, Paizo Publishing has received more than a dozen major industry awards and has grown to become one of the most influential companies in the hobby games industry.
ABOUT REAPER MINIATURES
Reaper Miniatures is a worldwide leader in the design and casting of metal science fiction and fantasy miniature figurines. Based in Denton, Texas, Reaper products are available in fine hobby shops around the world.
For more information about Reaper Miniatures, visit the Reaper Miniatures website at ReaperMini.com.
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Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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Just one added note for Paizo.com customers.
We'll be discussing the scope and future of this range here at Gen Con over the next few days, and I imagine both Paizo and Reaper will have much more to announce by way of details in the next few weeks.
For the time being, this does not change the available miniatures currently in the Pathfinder range, though many of those sculpts will eventually be rolled into the new line, which will include new sculpts on a monthly basis.
It will be a few months before things start appearing in stores and here at Paizo.com, so if you're dying to get one of the currently available miniatures, you may want to place your order sooner rather than later.
I'm very excited by this development, and expect amazing things.
More soon!
Reaper is a quality, big name mini producer. While I liked the previous run of minis, I think that someone that is better able to produce on a larger scale is probably a better fit for Pathfinder. Here is to hoping this is a mutually profitable and satisfying partnership.
Great news!!!
The only thing that could make it better is if Reaper made pre-painted plastic versions, for the spastic amongst us.
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That's incredible news! My wife's an avid miniature painter and doesn't almost exclusively Reaper minis. They're great quality, reasonably priced, and now include Paizo stuff?!? Amazing. You guys made my day.
Now if only you'd commission some good halfling minis - monks especially - that's a niche that isn't made in a miniature ANYWHERE, and I have a habit of wanting to play halfling monks.
Excellent news!
I loved Croc's minis but I see this as an incredibly positive thing indeed.
Good job!
Fantastic news. Paizo & Reaper is like chocolate & peanut butter. Two great tastes that taste great together.
OH DRAT!!!!!! Another subscription I simply MUST have.
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Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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Wow. Hmmmm.
I'd be very interested to hear what people would be looking for in a minis subscription. The more comments on that the better, as far as I'm concerned, because to tell you the truth we haven't really even considered it.
But it does seem a bit obvious, now that someone has brought it up.
Hmmmmm.
Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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One option would be to have the mini-line tied to the adventure path, with the featured creature on the cover also being the mini of the month. That might not be feasible given the lead time for the sculpts and the art for the volumes. It'd be cool to get a figure per month (plus, that'd give us the time to paint them.)
Another option would be to have them be like the map packs/item cards - one set per adventure path released near the end. That could be a collection of relevant mini's (e.g., the big bad guys depicted on the cover, or a bunch of goblins).
This is a good thing!
As has been mentioned earlier, a grouping of Pathfinder Goblins in a grouping of 5 or so would be good. Also some of the relevant NPC's might help us GM's who want to have mini's for the few times we need to "assist" the party.
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Wow. Hmmmm.
I'd be very interested to hear what people would be looking for in a minis subscription. The more comments on that the better, as far as I'm concerned, because to tell you the truth we haven't really even considered it.
But it does seem a bit obvious, now that someone has brought it up.
Hmmmmm.
Oh frak. There go another 10-20 bucks a month. Well, eating is overrated anyway...
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Non-collectible, pre-painted plastic figures keyed to the adventure path release of the month would be the ideal for me personally. Perhaps a set of either the key creatures, and/or one or two of the key NPCs. Metal figures would work of course too, but are a bit more costly and time consuming (with painting).
Other than that, my other thought would be something along the lines of the old style "dragon-of-the-month" lines, with an iconic creature or set of creatures each month. Take the most common creatures, ideally used in multiple modules and adventures, and release a set. Again, pre-painted over metal is my preference, but not sure what the options are that are being considered.
Does that mean the old ones are history?
What about the minis that were already announced, like the other iconics?
wohooo! *makes a funky little dance move that may or may not, look cool*
WooHoo!!!! Reapers mini's have always looked fantastic... and I made the mistake of carrying my DND minis in a tool box, so it was lifted when my vehicle was broken into.
My brother'll hate me though, as I can't paint for junk... so they'll go by him first.
Oh frak. There go another 10-20 bucks a month. Well, eating is overrated anyway...Wow. Hmmmm.
I'd be very interested to hear what people would be looking for in a minis subscription. The more comments on that the better, as far as I'm concerned, because to tell you the truth we haven't really even considered it.
But it does seem a bit obvious, now that someone has brought it up.
Hmmmmm.
and
Reaper to make PF Minis ? Oh holy crap... !!!
You two have said what I was thinking.
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That's incredible news! My wife's an avid miniature painter and doesn't almost exclusively Reaper minis. They're great quality, reasonably priced, and now include Paizo stuff?!? Amazing. You guys made my day.
Now if only you'd commission some good halfling minis - monks especially - that's a niche that isn't made in a miniature ANYWHERE, and I have a habit of wanting to play halfling monks.
You mean a halfling monk like this?
http://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/monk/latest/02709#detail/02709_ds
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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Unfortunately, I would't buy metals, but a line of pre-painted plastics I would happily subscribe to (yeah, I've been spoiled by DDM, have thousands of the little buggers). But great news for metal mini collectors, to be sure.
I'm definitely more of a plastic minis guy myself, but the thought of getting a metal miniature a month and being able to paint it has a certain level of intrigue to it. I wouldn't want to have to paint all my minis (I have neither the time nor the talent), but having a mini or two to pain each month has a lot of appeal for me.
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Has there ever been talk of a line of paper mini's (ala Precis Intermedia's Disposable Heroes line)?
Wow. Hmmmm.
I'd be very interested to hear what people would be looking for in a minis subscription. The more comments on that the better, as far as I'm concerned, because to tell you the truth we haven't really even considered it.
But it does seem a bit obvious, now that someone has brought it up.
Hmmmmm.
Depends on the price, but...
I'd say a 'themed' pack every month, 2 to 8 mini's (or an oversized mini for huge creatures) priced about $16 would be the sweet spot.
Some examples :
8 Goblins in 4 poses (small minis)
4 Melee characters (f/h fighter, m/h fighter, f/o fighter, m/o fighter, mediums)
2 Mounted characters (f/h knight on horse, m/h knight on horse, large)
1 Red Dragon (huge)
That puts the mini's at about $2 for small things like goblins, about $4 for 'standard' sized minis, about $8 for large minis, and $16 for huge ones.
EDIT: I would much rather have prepainted plastics, to be honest. They would be cheaper to produce in bulk, and you can always re-paint them to get some variety. Plastics have enough give to survive my cat playing with them when I'm not watching, the metal ones usually die a horrible death that looks like they got shot by a vulcan mini gun (tooth and claw indentions).
I'd say paper minis are covered, here.
Oh, and thanks for doing business with a Texas company!
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Wow. Hmmmm.
I'd be very interested to hear what people would be looking for in a minis subscription. The more comments on that the better, as far as I'm concerned, because to tell you the truth we haven't really even considered it.
But it does seem a bit obvious, now that someone has brought it up.
Hmmmmm.
You know, I was thinking just this week that the next step in promoting Pathfinder should be a miniatures line...
Personally, I'd love to see more monsters. I have seen enough PCs, thank you very much!
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Wow. Hmmmm.
I'd be very interested to hear what people would be looking for in a minis subscription. The more comments on that the better, as far as I'm concerned, because to tell you the truth we haven't really even considered it.
But it does seem a bit obvious, now that someone has brought it up.
Hmmmmm.
The big question would be how many per month are being released. If its 1 to say 5 a month then its a good idea, if its 20 a month then you are talking close to 100 dollars a pop based on a 5 dollar avg for minatures. just my two cents.
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Pathfinder Paper Minis.Hmmm. How about a Pathfinder Paper Mini's subscription as well?
They're not actually made by Paizo and thus Paizo can't control the rate of production.
Still the paper minis are a nice purchase for a few bucks and make the Legacy of Fire AP a little more unique.
Farking-A!!! Excellent news! This whole Paizo thingie just keeps getting better!
I may have to consider moving to Seattle, just to stalk the employees.
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I'd probably subscribe to either a metal or a preprinted min subscription that produced minis once a month that either go particularly well with previous of current AP or modules subscriptions .
I think focusing on monster that can't be easily found elsewhere (Derhii - Flying Apes from J3) or antagonists from APs would be best. But if lead times wont allow this all the time then maybe every other month (or every third) there is a mini specific to an AP and the other months have more "generic" monster like goblins, etc (hey, I'm not picking on goblins... I love them too).
(BTW I would so love a flying ape mini ... so cool)
Great news!!!
The only thing that could make it better is if Reaper made pre-painted plastic versions, for the spastic amongst us.
+1 for this as well
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I'm definitely more of a plastic minis guy myself...
Same here. I never got into the whole painting minis thing, and only started collecting a few sets into the pre-painted stuff from WotC.
And if I remember correctly, Reaper has made some pre-painted plastic minis - it was their Legendary Encounters line, of which I have a few.
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Some thoughts:
Prepainted plastic vs. white metal: Although not everyone has the time/ability/patience to paint their metal minis (MM), they ultimately look better than prepainted plastics (PP). Personally, I'd rather see PPs of common things like orcs, goblins, etc., that one might need a horde of, and MMs for unique/special figures. I know that's probably unrealistic from a business standpoint two run two minis lines, so I'd go for the MMs, and pick up another comapany's PPs for the hordes.
Miniatures Subscription: While I am not much of a subscriber these days, I think a minis subscription would be good. Back in the day, Grenadier had a Dragon of the Month, and later Giant of the Month, line. Something like that could be really cool; a kind of "Iconic of the Month" line, each month featuring an iconic creature. That's something I'd subscribe to in a heartbeat.
Adventurer Minis: There are already a lot of adventurer minis out there, from Reaper and others. Yet there are always folks who want just the "right" figure for their PC or NPC. Easily modifiable minis for such figures would be nice to see. A figure that comes with optional pieces - different weapons/heads/accoutrements - in the blister would be useful for this. Also, Ral Partha used to make a line of figs where there were three versions of the same character - a low-level, mid-level and high-level version. That would be nice, too.
Just my two coppers...
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Overheard at the Paizo checkout counter:
Pirate Clerk: "Paper or plastic?"
Ninja Gamer: "Metal, actually!"
Pirate Clerk: "Ay! Do ya have yer Supersubscriber Savings Card?"
Ninja Gamer: "Yes. I am a Super-Duper-Whooper-Schmoopersubscriber. Here you go."
Pirate Clerk" "Arrgh! Me warehouse folk know of ya. You 'an yur kind arrgh always breakin' our backs wit' yer subscriptionizing."
Ninja Gamer: "Yup. Seems I've found a company that'll listen to me, and offer me what I need and want at a good price with high quality, while honoring 30+ years of game tradition in the style of the world's oldest RPG."
Pirate Clerk: "Arrrgh. Ay! PAIZO 'an Reeper put 'da Rrrrrrrr in RPG."
Robot: "Excuse me, carbon units, did I overhear you saying that metal will be available for purchase from PAIZO?"
Ninja Gamer and Pirate Clerk: "Arrrrgh-Rrrreeeeeper is gonna' partner with PAIZO."
Ninja Gamer: "Hey what time are we playin' Pathfinder RPG tonight?"
Robot: "We're actually starting at 10a.m. Pacific Time tomorrow after I download the .PDF"
All: "Okay, see you then. Bye!"