It seems like very few miniatures being offered this year. Is the summer set the "last set" or just the only one slated to come out this year? Why the change back to a completely random 60 miniature per set model vs. a mostly random with just 40 miniatures? Any theories?
Not that I don't have enough minis at this point to handle my D&D games forever but it still would be nice to continue to see new mini sets to have figures to represent new monsters or new twists on existing ones.
L
A few things...
I was disappointed to see that there is only one set of minis lined up for the year (at least that I found). I was pleased that it will have huge minis. I do like the prepainted minis, and I think that there are a lot of them that are pretty good. However, there seems to be a huge variation in quality between sets. The last couple have been pretty good IMO, but there were a few not so long ago that had particularly bad sculpts. The paints jobs also vary. Remember that the common minis go through several less paint steps than the rares, so they will always look kind of shabby in comparison. I don't like the randomness of the sets, and I refuse to buy the packs. I only buy singles I want off of miniature market. If I were in charge, I'd produces themed packs that are all totally visible- giant pack, demon pack, undead pack etc... And I'd sell huge minis as singles (just like toys).
The idea of the dnd essentials seems like a good one to target those players new to the game (particularly young players- 11-16). Currently, if you have no dnd experience and want to get into the game it can be quite daunting. This will alleviate that. Right now you need to get the 3 core books, plus you need either dungeon tiles or battlemats to effectively run combat and minis or tokens. Producing quality tokens could really help out for those new dms who want to run a game, but don't have the time or money to put together a big collection of minis. I'd like to see sets of nice tokens, possibly with plastic clips for bases (like those seen in some to the FFG stuff- like Arkham horror and the new Warhammer rpg).
I'm a teacher and I've introduced the game to a group of grade 5 students. We play 2 lunch hours a week. They love it. Next year they are moving onto middle school, and I'm sure they'd like to continue, but I can't see them buying all the core books, battlemats and minis so that they can run their own game in the style they've grown accustomed to (which includes all of those things, as I have them all). I think the upcoming counters and the red box set would be great for them, and might enable them to run their own game next year. Without something like that I don't see them continuing the hobby once they are done in June. The dnd board games might also be good for them, because they can get everything they need to run a game in a single box (even though it's not a true rpg).
Finally, I'm looking forward to Darksun, but as a dm who has gotten used to running games with lots of minis that match the encounters, I think that Darksun will be a little frustrating at first, as it has a much different look and feel, which will require a lot of different minis from what I have. I hope they provide a Dark Sun counter set sometime in the future to support the setting (however, I didn't see any sign of that).
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The idea of the dnd essentials seems like a good one to target those players new to the game (particularly young players- 11-16).
On reflection you are completely right. Having been gaming for so long I have forgotten the excitment of the "Red Box" as an introduction to RPGing. I commend WotC for reviving the roots begun with TSR and their actions I hope will draw another generation into the fold - or as it was termed in the 80's/90's cult. :)
Complicated mechanics is something you appreciate after you have spent a few years rolling dice and slaying dragons first...
S.
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With the release of Martial Power II, which sounds good from the reviews I've seen, I now more than ever wish that an Arcane Power II was on the schedule for later this year. I was just looking a few things up in Arcane Power yesterday, and it really feels lacking compared to what the other power sources have.
I'd like to see more fluff about arcane magic in the world, much like we saw in Primal Power for its respective power source.
Some of those classes really need some love. Artificers are still the neglected step-child of the arcane power source, and I think Bards need some work as well (the class still doesn't feel "right" to me). I also think more support for Sorcerers and Swordmages would be welcome. (Wizards and Warlocks have pretty good support out there as it is, but who would complain about more pacts or implement masteries?)
I agree the artificers and swordmages need some love, as they are from seperate campaign settings versus a handbook, but warlocks need more work before they consider sorcerers or even a wizard.
Warlocks could be helped along with some of the other arcane classes by laying out implements that better suit the class it is intended for, even including implement masteries.
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I agree the artificers and swordmages need some love, as they are from seperate campaign settings versus a handbook, but warlocks need more work before they consider sorcerers or even a wizard.
Warlocks could be helped along with some of the other arcane classes by laying out implements that better suit the class it is intended for, even including implement masteries.
I was considering that warlocks are up to 6 pacts, at last count, versus 4 spell sources for sorcerers (and 6 wizard builds). But presumably there would be plenty of new content to go around!
DMG2 is my favorite of the 4e books, too. However, it is very short, and has a "setting" section tacked on to the end, which makes me think that the comments about "not even being able to fill one book" have a certain validity.
As far as future products run:
I preordered the Dark Sun stuff.
I'll almost certainly buy Monster Manual 3 at some point, because I'm a big sucker for monster books.
I might pick up PHB3 at some point.
I doubt I'll buy anything else.