The end of DDM skirmish?

Kunimatyu said:

The end of DDM?

It sure sounds like it. It definitely sounds like the end of sealed play, which is the only thing I'm particularly interested in competitively.

EDIT: The article also mentions nothing at all about DDM stat cards, just delve cards and power cards for the heroes. I'd bet the skirmish game is done.

So...no more skirmish...?

The WOTC boards were hard to access the last few days so I should have known something was up. It sounds like a major revamp in how they are doing boosters. It shouldn't be a bad thing as it's changes people have been wanting for awhile. The only question, which the article didn't actually address, is if the sets will still have DDM cards in them or not. And how does this impact Feywild? Is that set still coming out or is that set now replaced with these new sets?

Wow, what a pile of horse poo. Large price increase and weird distribution. Still pretty random for monsters, but $15 now for 5 minis vs. 8.

Heh, I didn't even notice the price increase per mini. Looks like singles might be the way to go, rather than trying to get boosters to get the monsters you want.

Jerry_Damage01 said:
And how does this impact Feywild? Is that set still coming out or is that set now replaced with these new sets?

It seems pretty clear that Feywild is no more, since it says that Demonweb will be the last of the current style of release, and that the new stuff starts in the Spring (though I suspect the first few releases of the new heroes and monsters packs are filled with that would have been Feywild monsters).

I dont think they'll can the mini's line, I just think theyre taking the middle road here. Appeasing the people who want some control over what they're buying, and keeping the skirmish minis "semi-random." There is a case to be made for how much they spent on converting to 2.0, and how much they've spent on development since the line was introduced. This is a step in a good direction I think, as it helps sales, and it might actually increase interest in the minis game, if people can grab a semi random booster and know theyll get an ogre or a bugbear.

And Im willing to bet the heroes packs have awesome looking minis, which are all rare quality sculpts and paints, and thats something alot of people will be willing to pay for.

But I could be wrong, and they could just be killing the game. They have been trying to kickstart a dead horse for a while now.

FullplateTank has finally won.

{tear}

Hmm...

Stygian said:
I dont think they’ll can the mini’s line, I just think theyre taking the middle road here. Appeasing the people who want some control over what they’re buying, and keeping the skirmish minis “semi-random.”

It pains me when I do so, but I’ve often argued that it would probably a wise move on their part to start making the minis line RPG-first and Skirmish-second. Even in non-scientific polls at the seminars (at which skirmishers are over-represented), RPGers make up three quarters of the folks.

That said, I think there’s still a lot of potential in the skirmish game, and I bet Wizards sees it, too, so I hope this isn’t cutting that aspect out entirely—and suspect it isn’t.

For us 1/4 of the population, putting the stats on the backs of the power cards and on the backs of the delve cards is no less awesome than putting them on the front of the RPG stats.

ktatroe said:
It seems pretty clear that Feywild is no more, since it says that Demonweb will be the last of the current style of release, and that the new stuff starts in the Spring (though I suspect the first few releases of the new heroes and monsters packs are filled with that would have been Feywild monsters).

Tear*....so I guess that delicious nonrandom starter I've be salivating over is no more. Tear*

x 10

Um. Crap. That's news, not sure if I call it good or bad yet.

I would really hope that there's some new quality standard established.

And if this is the way it's going to go, then give us a town & village pack for chrissakes.

Any chance someone could copy the text? (stupid websense)

We have received a tremendous amount of feedback from fans regarding the D&D Miniatures line, and have made some exciting changes for 2009. Here’s what’s coming to a shelf near you!
Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures -- Player’s Handbook Heroes

More than anything else, D&D players have been asking us for more PC (player character) minis. The D&D Heroes line features high-quality miniatures representing iconic player character races and classes described in the Player’s Handbook and Player’s Handbook 2 core rulebooks. Now players will be able to find the miniature that best represents their PC, and Dungeon Masters can use these figures to represent non-player characters in their adventures.

Launching in Spring 2009, the first D&D Heroes series features six different packs (18 figures total):

* Martial Heroes 1
* Martial Heroes 2
* Arcane Heroes 1
* Arcane Heroes 2
* Divine Heroes 1
* Primal Heroes 1

Each package contains 3 PC minis: 2 males and 1 female, and 3 unique power cards featuring brand new class powers. All three of the figures in the package will be visible so you’ll know exactly which pack to pick for your game.

The D&D Heroes will be refreshed regularly in order to continue to deliver new PC options to players. There are two series scheduled for 2009 and three scheduled for 2010. MSRP $10.99.
Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures -- Monster Manual

Also new to the 2009 lineup are Monster Manual themed releases. These sets are designed to be what every Dungeon Master (or D&D enthusiast) needs to create riveting adventures and exciting encounters at all levels of play.

Releasing in Spring 2009, the first D&D Monsters set is called Monster Manual: Dangerous Delves. This will be a 40-miniature set containing both medium and large sized figures. Each semi-randomized “booster” box contains 5 minis: 1 visible figure, 1 rare figure, 1 uncommon figure and 2 common figures, as well as full-color D&D Dungeon Delve stat cards for each miniature. MSRP $14.99.

Upon the release of D&D Monsters and D&D Heroes, we will no longer package the D&D Miniatures line in its current configuration (fully randomized booster packs and huge packs). This means that November’s set -- D&D Miniatures: Demonweb -- will be the final release sold in fully randomized booster packs.

I honestly don't know what to make of this...

How can you play sealed with two boosters? Or is that 3 now? Doesn't that mean sealed is now way more expensive? And will there still be statcards or will all statcards be available online only? I hope we get some additional answers soon

Its funny to read all the RPers praise this decision on different boards and here its a tear or pain in the stomach. They really wrote this for the RPers and did NOT give enough detail on the skirmish aspect which makes it very scary.

IanB said:
EDIT: The article also mentions nothing at all about DDM stat cards, just delve cards and power cards for the heroes. I'd bet the skirmish game is done.

Whoa - if that's the case, it's a MAJOR kick in the teeth! I'd certainly like this to be addressed officially before even thinking about it more.

the silence on what this means for skirmish is deafening

I guess the monster pack containing the Rust Monster will sell out soon