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WotC is so Evil!
Wizards of the Coast as a company really doesn't know how to be a good roleplaying games publisher. They suck at doing rules errata. Their editing is crap. The business doesn't make enough money to make their Magic the Gathering/Pokeman-addicted dark lords at Hasbro happy. So, a year or so ago they started doing prepainted plastic miniatures for D&D, made up a game to go with them besides the roleplaying game--cause apparently that isn't a large enough audience--and sold them as randomized collectable packs.
Frankly, I find the whole collectable thing manipulative and a bit skanky, but it certainly works. The miniatures game is totally unappealing to me--as if D&D wasn't simplified enough!?--and I have plenty of the the old-school metal miniatures to play with. As for the collecting thing,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
appleang and I bought a starter pack of MtG way back when, and we set an important money-saving rule: "We will not buy more booster packs each than we play games.". We bought three booster packs and played two games and that was the last time we did anything with it. Interesting game I guess, but so not worth the hassle of all the deck-building.
I've gotten a few D&D miniatures packs for free for being an RPGA member, and I've handed them all off to a friend who is serious about the minis game. Don't need to play that game.
That is until today. You see the bastards finally found my weakness: Star Wars minis. They just released the first set of 60 minis, they are pretty cool, and I can use them for all the Living Force games I play and run. I bought the Starter Pack and two Booster packs today, netting me 24 figures (20 unique of the set of 60) for about $45. There are several more I'd really like (particularly the droids) so I guess I'll be buying another four booster packs. Of course, once I have most of the set and I'm ready to swear off this crap again, they will have the next set of 60 ready for publishing. I could pay more for the set via EBay, which seems even more silly.
Those bastards!
So, cry for my ethical stand against WotC's marketing practices, for it is has truly passed... What is really crappy is that WotC and LucasFilm have put any new RPG material on hold until after the mini lines are released and probably until the third movie comes out.
So, while my purchasing will not fully reflect my stand I guess I can state it here for posterity: Mini game sucks. Minis for RPG rocks. Print more RPG books. PS: The Starships of the Galaxy book has been out of print for four years, you've never made a new one, and the thing is fetching $100+ on Ebay. Make another print run or update it!
Update: Gah, another six booster packs and I still only have 2/3rds of the 60 uniques! $2 a mini is pretty reasonably priced, but having to buy them 7 at a shot in the hopes of getting the ones I'm missing really adds up. They really are evil!
Frankly, I find the whole collectable thing manipulative and a bit skanky, but it certainly works. The miniatures game is totally unappealing to me--as if D&D wasn't simplified enough!?--and I have plenty of the the old-school metal miniatures to play with. As for the collecting thing,
appleang and I bought a starter pack of MtG way back when, and we set an important money-saving rule: "We will not buy more booster packs each than we play games.". We bought three booster packs and played two games and that was the last time we did anything with it. Interesting game I guess, but so not worth the hassle of all the deck-building.I've gotten a few D&D miniatures packs for free for being an RPGA member, and I've handed them all off to a friend who is serious about the minis game. Don't need to play that game.
That is until today. You see the bastards finally found my weakness: Star Wars minis. They just released the first set of 60 minis, they are pretty cool, and I can use them for all the Living Force games I play and run. I bought the Starter Pack and two Booster packs today, netting me 24 figures (20 unique of the set of 60) for about $45. There are several more I'd really like (particularly the droids) so I guess I'll be buying another four booster packs. Of course, once I have most of the set and I'm ready to swear off this crap again, they will have the next set of 60 ready for publishing. I could pay more for the set via EBay, which seems even more silly.
Those bastards!
So, cry for my ethical stand against WotC's marketing practices, for it is has truly passed... What is really crappy is that WotC and LucasFilm have put any new RPG material on hold until after the mini lines are released and probably until the third movie comes out.
So, while my purchasing will not fully reflect my stand I guess I can state it here for posterity: Mini game sucks. Minis for RPG rocks. Print more RPG books. PS: The Starships of the Galaxy book has been out of print for four years, you've never made a new one, and the thing is fetching $100+ on Ebay. Make another print run or update it!
Update: Gah, another six booster packs and I still only have 2/3rds of the 60 uniques! $2 a mini is pretty reasonably priced, but having to buy them 7 at a shot in the hopes of getting the ones I'm missing really adds up. They really are evil!