Dr. Propaganda

Lord of the Gnolls (SKU 02704), Pazuzu, (SKU 02206) and Demonic Lasher (SKU 02716)Are all very nice sculpts. But, like Demon Lord of the Undead (SKU 77316) and Minotaur Demon Lord (SKU 77376), I think it is time for an upgrade. While you guys are working your way through redesigning all the demons for Bones, don't forge the Big Guys. Lord of Gnolls is about the same size as the current standard gnolls, he should be at least the size of an Ogre, if not bigger. Pazuzu might not need to be huge, but, giving him at least a wingspan wide enough to really take off would be good. And Demonic Lasher had ought to be Frost Giant size to say the least. I have a regular sized Graz'zt, having an ogre sized one would be nice. The recent Bones 4 Carnivorous Pudding and Fungal Queen make good stand ins for other famous demon lords, but it would be great to finsih off the Court of the Abyss in true to scale form. Why should the Outer Gods get all the love?

I would like to see the IMEF expand as well. There are a decent number of troops, and a good selection of special and squad weapons, with the flamer and the heavy rotary cannon. How about some missile launchers or grenade launchers? There is a medic, how about a comms trooper? How about a hand scanner, ala the Colonial Marines from Aliens? The Bulldog is awesome, and I am dying for it to be released in Bones. How about some arm or weapon options for the Bulldog? The autocannon is nice, but a rotary gun, a laser, a missile pod? And some female troopers would be a good addition. The sniper is great, but having some front line gals to bulk up the numbers would be great, especially if they had some special weapons options. How about some stationary guns and teams? A machine gun nest, a mortar crew, both would be good for building battlefield encounters. And, should all my other wishes come true, throw in a cameraman (or drone) and a press attache, like from Starship Troopers. Got to keep that morale up! Let the folks back home know that the fight against the Kulathi menace is going well!

I see a lot of people in this thread asking for different cultural sets (Mezoamerican, Greek, Egyptian), and in general I think those are good ideas. When I look up the tag "Japanese" in the online store, I see that there are a number of samurai and ronin style minis already available, and one ninja. That makes me think that this is a popular culture for fantasy gaming, but, that the line could use a number of additions. For starters, there is only one female mini in the line, Mika, Female Samurai (SKU 03058). She has on distinctlively Asian style footwear, but otherwise is not especially samurai-like, with her not-katanas, midriff-baring armor, and non traditional sashimono back banner. She is a beautiful mini, but, adding a number of more traditional samurai options for female characters would be nice. Also, there are dozen or so options for guys with swords. How about some Kyudoka archers? Maybe some Ashigaru spearmen? Guns tend to be beyond the scope of my fantasy table, but, perhaps even a man or two armed with the teppo flintlock? Even more than martial options some spellcasters would be nice, which guess would be men and women with staves, or scrolls, or wands (or fans, magic fans would be a nice touch) in traditional medieval dress. As a DM, my primary concern when looking at a line of minis is to have a good selection of bad guys. Having six players pick out their characters is one thing. Being able to table a credibly threatening force is another. The current Japanese line has one obvious bad guy, the Jade Regent (SKU 60097), and one guy who looks bad but could just be in an Oni mask, Hiroku of Okura (SKU 02505). Obviously the other samurai could be used as bad guys, but, since this is wish list, I would like to see a more sinister looking force developed. Taking a page from Hiroku, this could easily be accomplished by sculpting a line of samurai in Oni masks. Say four poses, variety of weapons, all clad in fanged horned masks over their helmets. Giving them a leader or a caster similarly clad in Oni masks would tie together a group that could be tabled as a cohesive force. And finally ninjas. What good is a Japanese fantasy line without a plethora of ninjas? Edo, Male Ninja (SKU 03081) is a great mini, who would be a great edition to the Bones line up all on his own, but, I don't think you should stop there. Ninja (SKU 80032) could benifit from being produced in Bones new grey material if not Bones Black. Reiko, Iconic Ninja (SKU 89036) is a good looking mini, but, why not have more than one? Ninjas present such a wealth of distinct weaponry and equipment, that there should be any number of options for outfitting them, form swords and bows to chains and blowguns and shuriken. And what game would not benefit from the occasional ninja attack? Not just Japanese fantasy environments, but general fantasy, weird west, steampunk, superhero, modern, ... ninjas are like bacon, you can put them on anything. So, in conclusion, Bones would be a great place to flesh out and fill in the Japanese line. You could do a whole Bones 5 Expansion based around Japanese fantasy minis, with new characters, bad guys, ninjas and regional monsters and probably do quite well with it. I know I would buy one.

Why not break out the translucent bonsium and make a Will O'Wisp? Fairly basic monster, don't think there is one in the line yet. Be nice to replace the little led candle I use now. And while you are making things out of "light", maybe some torches or lanterns or spell effects? The modular hands on the dragon man from Bones 4 would make a good template for a spruce of custom hands with effects or lit items.

Very nice. The paint job is excellent, and I am really impressed by the water work you did on the bases.

These guys are great. The basing is very dynamic, your color scheme really pops, and I love the runes on the shields. Excellent.

Very nice blending, especially on the belly scales. The display base is beautiful. You might try underlighting him for any future pics, to remove the shadows caused by his wings.

The leaves are a beautiful touch. I love the depth you have given the materials, especially his hair and beard braids.

Great looking minis. I love the eyes you did on your Terror Fish and your Maw-Face-Teeth-Thingee. They really stand out and make the whole miniature pop.

I run the occasional Wild / Weird West game, and one thing that is lacking from the Western line is a range of bad guys. There are a few character bad guys (Deadeye Slim, Lobo Sanchez and Jeb Lawson), but not a collection of rank and file bad men. There are more undead and anthropomorphic animals in the Western line than there are dudes with bandannas over there faces and guns in their hands. In the fantasy line, there is a range of "Bandits" who are extremely useful. The Western line could benefit from a similar set of Banditos. Three to six minis, male and female, in hats, dusters, and face masks, armed with a variety of common weapons. One pistol, two pistols, shotgun, rifle. It would be really cool to release them like the new dragon man from Bones 4 with a small sprue of hand options, so I could mix and match pistols, sawed off shotguns, knives, maybe a money bag, or a machete, or a stick of dynamite. Three guys (one with a cowboy hat, one in a bowler and one in a sombrero) with five or six hand option would allow a storyteller to flesh out a large number of interesting and visually diverse opponents in a short time, with a minimum of effort. And the new grey bonsium material would allow them a wealth of details.

The Bones 4 Core Set included a single winged dragon man / half dragon / draconian, complete with a sprue of hand selections. This guy is great. It took me longer to figure out which configuration of hands and equipment to give him than it did to put all the rest of my sets together. Once he is released for general purchase, I plan on acquiring a dozen or so more of him, and using them to run a Dragonlance revival for my daughter and her junior high friends. In that light, I would love to see more winged dragon man options. Different body styles to represent more dragon variants and colors. Ones armed with two handed weapons or heavier armor. Archers in lighter armor. Ones in robes set up as spellcasters. Officers. Females. Female Officers. A fully realized range of these kinds of guys. Also these guys would go great with a few Guardian Drake style minis, as attack beasts, or, as mounts. Heck, I think you guys could score a win by turning these guys into a whole new Warlord faction. Who wouldn't want to field an army of badass armored reptilian dragon men, armed to the teeth, complete with spell casters, all of them winged for flight, or at least jump-capable, mounted on flightless drakes the size of elephants, surrounding a dragon who is the leader of the army and the centerpiece of the collection?

I bought my first D&D boxed set on my 13th birthday way back in 1983, and Keep on the Borderlands was included. I have run it a couple of dozen times since then, and have been giving it a lot of action lately. Of course, it was the playtest module for D&D Next, and I ran it with a couple of different groups. When my oldest daughter turned 13, I started a game for her junior high friends, and sent them in to get their feet wet and learn how to use their characters. This year, I started the same process with my second daughter, now that she is in junior high. Now that my oldest daughter is in high school, she is running her own game, and when she asked what I thought she should run for a new group, I recommended Keep on the Borderlands. I work at a university, and employ student workers. When they start up campaigns, and come to me for advice, my advice usually revolves around getting a pdf of Keep on the Borderlands, and everybody learning the ropes together. It is a staple of my table. I make most of my own campaign content, and have since college, but, whenever I feel nostalgic, or, I want to introduce new players to the concepts, mechanics, or just the basic rules of dungeoneering ( don't split the party, look for secret doors everywhere, prisoners are not always what they seem...) I reach for KotB. I think one of the things that makes KotB so useful is that while it is very generic, it offers such a wellspring of opportunities that every group is able to put their own stamp on it. Murder Hobos, Negotiators, Character Actors, Beer and Pretzel Jokers, Bean Counters, everybody can find a place to shine in the Caves of Chaos. Maybe they do a sweep and clear on the whole complex. Maybe they rescue prisoners and spend a lot of time interacting with them. Maybe they hire out a tribe, or get hired out by a tribe to fight against another tribe. Maybe the cult is the real villain. Maybe each tribe has a different warlord or chief who is a distinct character and requires different tactics or efforts to defeat. Also, KotB is a great place to work into any number of plots. When I am keeping things simple, a drunken scout sells the players a map to the Caves, and the Watch Captain pays a bounty on monster scalps. Or, a merchant has lost his wares to raiders and wants his stuff back. I have used the borderlands as a frontier-type atmosphere, and made the characters protectors of the local colonists, ala Last of the Mohicans. One Halloween, the zombie plague broke out at the Keep, and the cause, as well as the only cure was held by the death cult in Cave K. Another time, an evil wizard gained a mighty relic, and decided to build his tower nearby. He recruited the tribes one by one and they began to organize under his banner. The characters had to go in and weaken his forces before storming his stronghold. Another time, a magical blade was being sent across the border as a symbol of a new treaty, and the impending nuptials of the neighboring kingdoms prince and princess. When the couriers were ambushed and the blade spirited away, the characters had to recover the sword, only to discover that the death cult was the tool of an evil baron who plotted to keep the kingdoms at war, and coveted the princess for himself. I love Keep on the Borderlands. It is one of my Top 5 Classic Modules, maybe even as high as #3. If you've run it before, revisit it. If you've never run it, or never played it, get a copy and give it a whirl. It is a lot of fun packed into a two page blue-and-white map.

Sharp. I need one. To keep the other dozen odd ogres I have company.

Reaper has done a great job fleshing out the Kobold, Goblin, and Orc lines in Bones. How about expanding the Hobgoblins, Gnolls and Bugbears lines? The hobgoblins rolled out in Bones 3 were great, but there are only four, and there are three pewter options that don't look at all similar. A leader type, a spell caster, some spearmen, maybe a banner bearer and a musician or two. Similarly there are four bugbear poses, all melee fighters. Unlike the hobgoblins there are a few option more available in metal, but again the aesthetic is wildly different. Again, leader and spell caster would be nice. Perhaps some missile troops. Bugbears are noted to be stealthy, perhaps some kind of skulker or ambusher. As for gnolls, They have a leader, a cleric, an archer and some melee types. Maybe a spearman or, some two handed weapon users? And hyenas. Two or three hyenas would do great at rounding them out.

Speaking of monsters totally missing from the Reaper line, adding a male and a female Rakshasa would be a good addition to the Bones line up. And, while we are on the subject of tiger people, a weretiger (or weretigress, we have no female lycanthropes to date), and an appropriately sized tiger (Perhaps SKU 03668) would all all be welcome additions. You could put them all in as a reward level together. "Earn Your Stripes" or something punny.

Speaking of monsters totally missing from the Reaper line, adding a male and a female Rakshasa would be a good addition to the Bones line up. And, while we are on the subject of tiger people, a weretiger (or weretigress, we have no female lycanthropes to date), and an appropriately sized tiger (Perhaps SKU 03668) would all all be welcome additions. You could put them all in as a reward level together. "Earn Your Stripes" or something punny.

I love the new Duergar in Bones 4, and look forward to collecting a larger number of them, including a few more of the large-size spell effected duergar. However, I can't help but point out that duergar have TWO inherent spell-like powers, Enlarge and Invisibility. We have a enlarged duergar, how about an invisible one? Cast in clear resin, like the line of invisible adventurers, (who conspicuously are missing an invisible dwarf as well, I might add. If you are going to turn the cleric and the warrior invisible, you know you are going to need to turn the dwarf invisible as well, he's the least stealthy one of the bunch!) an invisible duergar would be of great use to those of us who plan on fielding a force of these great new minis on the tabletop. In addition, I would second the call for more duergar miniatures as well. Bald female dueregar would be great, and perhaps some lighter armored duergar, like a dagger-wielding rouge poisoner or a robed duergar mentalist. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Here's hoping. Bones 2 brought us the Fire Elemental, and Bones 4 brought us the Roc. Why not combine them and give us a big beautiful Phoenix? Cast in clear orange resin, a large beast, big as you can make in one piece, the size of a dragon or better would make a great set piece or massive foe. Rising up from the tabletop with huge, up-swept flaming wings, it's beak open in a defiant cry of rebirth. I think it would be a thing of beauty. The new Bandits from Bones 3 are really cool. I have put together a small force of them to menace my low level characters, and they are very versatile, being useful for a number of different scenarios. However, all of them are armed with melee weapons. Bandits are best used from ambush, and ambushes are best done with ranged weapons and missile support. How about a couple, few bandit crossbowmen or archers? There is a bandit crossbowman in SKU 02677 but he does not really match the aesthetic of the Bandits that have already been released in Bones. Most of the other archers and crossbowmen have the visual style of one of the Warlord factions. I like Mason Thornwarden ( SKU 02918) but he is a popular miniature used by players in my game. How about some bandit bowmen? It would really flesh them out as a force. So many new beasts have been added, and they are great additions to the line and to the tabletop. Gorgons, manticores, chimeras, rhemoraz, basilisks ... how about a cockatrice? I would love to field a hideously ugly plumed serpent monster, painted bright as a red rooster. I know they are not very big, but, the new Bones grey material has lent exquisite detail to the new gnome and kobold mins. I would look forward to putting one of these on the tabletop to the groans and hisses of my players. Thanks for your consideration. There is a noticeable absence of Merfolk in the Reaper line, doubly so in the Bones. How about a few Merfolk? Couple of trident-wielding males, a mermaid or two, perhaps a noblewoman, or spellcaster, maybe somebody sidesaddle on a giant seahorse. Might be a nice addition. Add in a selection of aquatic monsters ( I have a werewolf and a wolf, a have a wereboar and a boar, I have a werebear and a bear, I have a wereshark and ... a zombie shark. Maybe a regular shark?) Sharks, eels, giant set piece sized crab that can snip a ships mast in half with a claw. All of these would be useful and welcome.

I haven't received the mail alert.

In answer to your question, the obvious argument to be made against toy store snakes is that giant snakes available through toy stores tend to be made of a "rubber" material / latex foam that is very soft and pliable, or, from vinyl. Neither is particularly good for conversion work, and both are difficult to pose in any way that does not result in a foot long snake taking up a large portion of your board. In addition, the level of detail is lacking on most toy snakes. Even realistic ones do not have the level of detail we have come to expect from fantasy miniatures. However, the best argument to be made for a Bones snake of some size is 77126: Vermin: Spiders (2). Toy spiders are readily available at toy stores and at Halloween you can buy them by the bagful. However, Reaper not only produces 77126: Vermin: Spiders (2), but as of this writing they sit at #8 on the list of top selling miniatures on the Reaper Online Store. And they were released way back on 08-26-13, so it is not like there is a rush to buy them just because they are new. In addition, Reaper offers 77395: Cadirith, Demonic Colossal Spider, 77128: Vermin: Spider Swarm (2), and 77025: Giant Spider in Bones, and 59031: Terrantula, 03055: Giant Spiders(2), and 03501: Deathspinner Spider in pewter. If there is a market for spiders from Reaper (a market that includes one of their best selling miniatures), why wouldn't there be a market for snakes? I personally don't see a lot of crabs or lobsters at my toy stores,and finding one that does lot look like a cheap restaurant decoration, and is bigger than a quarter, suitable for conversion is difficult. Looking online I can find diorama quality shellfish for sale to science teachers and such, but they are not any less expensive than I would expect to pay for a comparable sized miniature from Reaper. While not in Bones yet, Reaper already makes 14501: Scuttlebones, Undead Crab. Is it so unreasonable to ask for a Bones casting? Or better yet, a larger casting of a crab big enough to make Ray Harryhausen proud? I assume the same could be said for whales, as long as you are looking for killer whales. I doubt your local toy store has many humpback or baleen whales sitting on the shelves. I am not sure exactly what you mean by "leviathans", but if your toy store has a lot of leviathans sitting around cheap, I would worry about the owner. I assume a leviathan is either a big octopus ( 77291: Kraken) or, a Cthulhu of some sort ( 77194: Cthulhu, 02983: Familiar Pack IX, or 77113: Eldritch Demon ). Either way, it would seem there is a market for those in Bones as well. So, why not a huge, coiled, Conan-esque hero-gulping snake?

I agree. And speaking of champions, in addition to the 77268: Squog Warriors (2) and 77269: Mudcroak, Squog Shaman that we already have, I would love to see a Squoq King, Chief, or Leader of some kind. Some kind of big, diabolical looking frog dude with a headdress and wicked looking weapon, perhaps all bloated up with air to give his terrifying battle croak. Or, a Squoq Queen, if that is how Squoq's roll.

I would in fact, like to see a number of big monsters added to the line up. A big crab, a giant slug or snail, or, a huge, character-gulping fish. Something big, the size of a dragon or giant, or even as big as 77375: Mashaaf . Perhaps a roc or a giant, dragon-sized bat. An enormous bat, possibly with a vampire or lich rider, would be a really cool, original option for a lot of campaigns or for tabletop strategy games.

I would like to see a really big "giant snake". Like "cover of a Conan novel" big. 03676: Giant Snake and 03679: Giant Cobra are both great minis, but I mean something the size of 77183: Frost Wyrm if not larger. Something to the scale of 77395: Cadirith, Demonic Colossal Spider. The sort of snake that could make a swallow attack on a character or his horse, and still keep fighting. Not only would this be a great opponent for general fantasy and pulp use, but, it would be an excellent product for a villain in all those Mousling campaigns, and a lot easier and more useful than releasing a house cat to scale.

I was looking at the new line of furniture and dungeon dressing, and I was thinking that using the translucent fire effects and water effects would be helpful. A fireplace for instance, could be either cast in two pieces, one in regular bonesium for the actual stone hearth, and a second piece of flames, so that the two could be put together or left apart for an unlit fireplace. Or, it could be cast in one piece of translucent bonesium, with the stone portion needing to be painted like the current water weird. Flaming braziers, buckets of water, boiling cauldrons, campfires, beds of coals, fountains, sinks, or water wells, dozens of different pieces could be added to the line.

I would like to see a few more humanoid spell casters. I really like 60175: Oloch, Iconic Warpriest, and 14597: Toghra the Despoiler, Gnoll Warlord in Bones is a step in the right direction, but I would like to see even more monstrous spell casters. 03699: Hobgoblin Sorcerer or 14569: Goblin Shaman would be a nice addition. Perhaps an orc wizard in robes with a hood and shoulder plates and a skull topped staff, or some bugbear priests. Female versions of some spell casters would be appreciated as well.

Another nice addition to the line would be a skeletal dragon of playable size. Kaladrax is a beautiful sculpt, and a excellent display piece, but he / she / it is a bit much to put on the tabletop. A skeletal dragon mini, of roughly the same size as the other bones dragons that are currently available ( Deathsleet, Cinder Blightfang), would be a welcome addition to the line, speaking as a DM. Also, I think it would be a nice touch to throw in a phylactery mini, just to make scene building and dioramas easier.