Bones Kickstarter #3 Discussion

[FaekiasDracon]

don't think there was a not dead icon for the bases, it was kind of popped up on us just before Bryan went to bed the other night.

[Sirithiliel]

There wasn't, because the goal was forgotten to be revealed, so we just got them when they were unlocked rather than see them as a goal to unlock

[Crowley]

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[Jessie]

 

 

So I have a question for all you mini lovers:

 

I own no minis, having only gotten into DnD a few months ago. This will be my first set of minis, and as such I am more interested in the minis that provide a better 'use per dollar' than the more niche ones. So I much prefer, say, a set of lizardmen to a Behir. I would simply use the former far more often than the latter. (Without trying to be rude, I need to say that I do not need advice on where to start my collection, what to buy, etc. I have goals in mind, and Bones III is one of them.)

 

With that said, my question is: How much use do you feel you will get out of the Stoneskull expansion? (And, if I may ask; how many minis do you already own and what game(s) do you use them for?)

 

(This post is not to start a discussion on whether you or I or the pope uses their minis 'appropriately' and if we have correct definitions of 'appropriately' or 'use per dollar'. That mileage varies per person. Please do not devolve this into a "the way you do things is wrong" thread.)

I think, that because it has creatures of varying power levels you would get a whole lot of use out of it. Gremlins, twig blights, the bear and perhaps the were armadillo at low levels then the minotaur and the stitch golems a little higher up, then the brain in a jar, succubus and finally the behir. And that that's just right now

I agree. I've faced off against nearly everything in that set and still feel like it is a great value for the minis in it today and of course it's only going to become a better deal. Weremadillo might be the only weird-ish one, but I think it's a good sculpt and I'm going to try to chop it up and turn it into a normal armarillo (dire armadillo?) Didn't fight gremlins but I think they'd be perfect for a lot of little baddies, a sort of generic smaller guy baddie if you don't want to use the kobolds/goblins you have. Or if you don't have kobolds/goblins these would be good stand ins.

 

And I know I have a rep for asking for mostly bread and butter minis on this forum but I find the stitch golems perfect for something a little non-standard but really fun and good substitutes for a lot of things that don't have to be straight up just 'stitch golems'.

[Reaperbryan]

 Didn't fight gremlins but I think they'd be perfect for a lot of little baddies, a sort of generic smaller guy baddie if you don't want to use the kobolds/goblins you have. Or if you don't have kobolds/goblins these would be good stand ins.

 

I think they work well as Imps or Mites, in a pinch, without even too much imagination

[sirgourls]

Man I kind of want to try writing an adventure (it'd be 5e) for Stoneskull once we reveal it all.

[Aard_Rinn]

Yeah, I think I'll work on one too. Or we could get some folks to collab?
 

As far as the gremlins go, I think they'd be cool painted pale blues and purples and used as fae creatures. Hell, I'll make some little wings to stick on~!

[Sanael]

 

 

So I have a question for all you mini lovers:

I own no minis, having only gotten into DnD a few months ago. This will be my first set of minis, and as such I am more interested in the minis that provide a better 'use per dollar' than the more niche ones. So I much prefer, say, a set of lizardmen to a Behir. I would simply use the former far more often than the latter. (Without trying to be rude, I need to say that I do not need advice on where to start my collection, what to buy, etc. I have goals in mind, and Bones III is one of them.)

With that said, my question is: How much use do you feel you will get out of the Stoneskull expansion? (And, if I may ask; how many minis do you already own and what game(s) do you use them for?)

(This post is not to start a discussion on whether you or I or the pope uses their minis 'appropriately' and if we have correct definitions of 'appropriately' or 'use per dollar'. That mileage varies per person. Please do not devolve this into a "the way you do things is wrong" thread.)

The nice thing about this KS is that the core is a really phenomenal value for a start to your collection. You have a wide range of potential PC's, a good number of low-level baddies in reasonable encounter numbers (six gobbos, four orcs and one to three ogres is an awesome spread for first-through-fourth level adventurers, and that's before dealing with lizardmen or ticks and centipedes).

The Stoneskull Expansion is a different beast, IMO. Where the core is a scattershot of really great new-to-collecting, every-D&D-game-needs-these items, Stoneskull to me is a very focused adventure module (I've seen a number of people complain about the exact opposite, but I don't get their POV...this expansion is so cool!): I have been writing a very pulpish Eberron campaign to start once my current campaign ends, and I was stuck for a central arc. Stoneskull solves that problem for me. Given a currently-unseen mad scientist villain, this expansion gives you:

• low-level "wilderness" encounters with the gremlins, twig blight and dire bear*;
• a recurring set of baddies with the BBEG's** stitch-golem henchmen/gophers;
• a great mid-level encounter with the minotaur guarding the madman's mountaintop fortress;
• some potentially difficult combats or interesting NPC encounters with the Armadillo-man (twisted and pitiful creation of SCIENCE!! who will either fight the PCs or help them) and succubus (maybe she's trapped and will make a literal deal-with-a-devil for help returning to her home plane, maybe she's the one twisting the scientist's brain);
• a twisted reminder of science gone awry with the brain-in-a-jar (possibly the mad scientist himself, bent on vengeance against the world for leaving him to die and forcing him into this hideous form).
• And a BEHIR!! To me, the behir becomes a set-piece encounter***, the guardian of the macguffin the players need to stop the madman's machinations. Probably, it's the close of the second act of my campaign arc, the last thing the PCs do before going to the BBEG's lair.

So, while the core set is all-around useful, the Stoneskull expansion can be a campaign-in-a-box. You may never use the stitch golems or weremadillo outside that campaign, but they will be memorable to your players for a long time if you use them well. On top of that, the dire bear and twig blight are useful anytime your players are in or near a forest, minotaurs are great monsters anytime, the gremlins are awesome extra goblins, and who doesn't need a succubus in their game world?

The bottom line is, I think the Stoneskull expansion might be a better value than the core set this time around. It's certainly more exciting to me, personally. Well done, Reaper.


And to your other question: my wife and I own at least a thousand minis, and I don't care to estimate beyond that number. We are painters and gamers. We mostly play D&D3.5 in the Dragonlance and Eberron worlds, although we are also experienced in Shadowrun, WHFRP, D&D prior to 3End a variety of other games. We also dabble in Warmachine/Hordes.


*low-level being 1-5, mid in this case being 6-10. I play D&D 3.5, so this may be skewed for folks who play D&DX (where X is a value other than 3.5) or Pathfinder. It's defintiely skewed for those who play GURPS. And it's beyond skewed, into the land of meaningless gibberish, for those who play Amber Diceless.

**Big Bad Evil Guy or Gal; the End Boss.

***While it's true that you'll use the horde of lizardfolk more often than the behir, keep in mind that you want set-piece encounters from time to time, and those should probably be as unique as possible. While slaughtering hundreds of goblins is the adventurer's bread-and-butter, it's the time he slew an ogre mage that he retells in every tavern. Players are the same way: give them something memorable every so often.

 

Man I kind of want to try writing an adventure (it'd be 5e) for Stoneskull once we reveal it all.

 

Yeah, I think I'll work on one too. Or we could get some folks to collab?

I don't know why my "new posts have been added" function doesn't work...but you can see in my last post, the module is already percolating in my brain. Can't wait to see what y'all have brewing. If you'd like to PM me, I'd love to brainstorm!

I also know that Reaper has friends in RPG-writing places; I'm wondering if there isn't a module coming as part of a later unlock within the expansion... Edited July 17, 2015 by ladystorm
merged sequential posts

[falstius]

Speaking of adding wings to gremlins, could we get a bones Wings sprue??

[Crowley]

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Current Total Pledges $1,215,945
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[Arkady]

I totally agree on Stoneskull looking like a great set. Personally, I think it might actually cause a noticeable uptick in the number of backers. After the previous two Bones campaigns, to me, compared to the core set, it feels a lot less "scattershot more of the same mostly character miniatures, whatever", and much more "okay, I guess I really could use one of those... and those... and can I have doubles of those... and... more!"

 

In other words, I think Stoneskull may be more tempting to people who feel a need to save/make the most of their budget and already have tons of miniatures. (added: And of course, once that set expands, that'll hold even more true.)

Edited July 16, 2015 by Arkady

[Aard_Rinn]

I'm not sure I agree about the Behir, actually. I'm fairly certain that with enough of those in a variety of colors, my players will never need to fight a non-behir-laden campaign again. Behir in all colors! Behir for all climes!

 

That said, I think it'd be a good midpoint campaign enemy - make it about two encounters before the end boss, and then make that the BiaJ. Get the fighters some nice exp and maybe a level before they have to go up against the caster...

[Canadutchian]

 

With that said, my question is: How much use do you feel you will get out of the Stoneskull expansion? (And, if I may ask; how many minis do you already own and what game(s) do you use them for?)

 

(Snipped)

 

The nice thing about this KS is that the core is a really phenomenal value for a start to your collection. You have a wide range of potential PC's, a good number of low-level baddies in reasonable encounter numbers (six gobbos, four orcs and one to three ogres is an awesome spread for first-through-fourth level adventurers, and that's before dealing with lizardmen or ticks and centipedes).

 

(Snipped)

Thanks for the detailed response. I actually am in for 2 cores at the moment, because the core is AMAZING. This will be the start of my collection. (I have bought some other minis so far in local shops, but those are mostly for learning to paint.)

 

Again, for anyone that is wondering if they should get the core: the answer is yes. It is AMAZING.

 

PSA: The core set is AMAZING.

 

And in case it was not clear, buy the core. It is, after all, AMAZING.

Edited July 16, 2015 by Canadutchian

[klarg1]

So I have a question for all you mini lovers:

 

I own no minis, having only gotten into DnD a few months ago. This will be my first set of minis, and as such I am more interested in the minis that provide a better 'use per dollar' than the more niche ones. So I much prefer, say, a set of lizardmen to a Behir. I would simply use the former far more often than the latter. (Without trying to be rude, I need to say that I do not need advice on where to start my collection, what to buy, etc. I have goals in mind, and Bones III is one of them.)

 

With that said, my question is: How much use do you feel you will get out of the Stoneskull expansion? (And, if I may ask; how many minis do you already own and what game(s) do you use them for?)

 

(This post is not to start a discussion on whether you or I or the pope uses their minis 'appropriately' and if we have correct definitions of 'appropriately' or 'use per dollar'. That mileage varies per person. Please do not devolve this into a "the way you do things is wrong" thread.)

 

I'm going to try to answer your question as best I can, but I am pretty sure I am the wrong audience. 

 

Speaking for myself, I will be shocked if I use the Behir in some kind of games as much as twice in the next decade. On the other hand, I think it looks like a beautiful sculpt that I would very much enjoy painting. When (if) I get around to it, I plan to get my fun out of the process, and if it manages to make an appearance on a D&D or Pathfinder table, hey, bonus for me!

[Aard_Rinn]

 

So I have a question for all you mini lovers:

 

I own no minis, having only gotten into DnD a few months ago. This will be my first set of minis, and as such I am more interested in the minis that provide a better 'use per dollar' than the more niche ones. So I much prefer, say, a set of lizardmen to a Behir. I would simply use the former far more often than the latter. (Without trying to be rude, I need to say that I do not need advice on where to start my collection, what to buy, etc. I have goals in mind, and Bones III is one of them.)

 

With that said, my question is: How much use do you feel you will get out of the Stoneskull expansion? (And, if I may ask; how many minis do you already own and what game(s) do you use them for?)

 

(This post is not to start a discussion on whether you or I or the pope uses their minis 'appropriately' and if we have correct definitions of 'appropriately' or 'use per dollar'. That mileage varies per person. Please do not devolve this into a "the way you do things is wrong" thread.)

I'd say that it's gonna be great. Especially if you're picking up two of the core, I'd say grab this... Some enemies, like the bear and the stitch and stick golems and the gremlins and minotaur, will be handy all the time, some like the BiaJ and the Behir (despite my OVERWHELMING FONDNESS) will be used only once or twice, but will make a HUGE impact on your players. The others, like the succubus and Weremadillo, will be only as useful as you make them - but the succubus is a good general demon (or Demon General!) and the Weremadillo could just as easily be painted greens and greys as a swamp beast or given tusks and be used as an umber hulk.