funded Reaper Bones 5: Enthusiasm and Commentary thread

[Adrift]

Could care less about scale. 
 

Humans vary in height immensely, and I don’t need a plastic or metal toy to be the pinnacle of what that creature’s gene pool would establish as the upper limit of its height to enjoy tossing it on my gaming table. I either like a sculpt bc it’s cool, or I don’t. 

[haldir]

16 hours ago, ttuckerman said:

17 hours ago, Crowley said:

There are other games, and not everyone has no taste and plays 5e...

FTFY

 

& then there are people who do play 5e, but also play other systems as well. 

18 minutes ago, Adrift said:

Could care less about scale. 
 

Humans vary in height immensely, and I don’t need a plastic or metal toy to be the pinnacle of what that creature’s gene pool would establish as the upper limit of its height to enjoy tossing it on my gaming table. I either like a sculpt bc it’s cool, or I don’t. 

 

I totally agree with this statement, but I will say I do like having bases match up with the descriptions. It's easier on me + while I don't have OCD, just seeing a creature with a 3 inch base when it should be 4 inch base is annoying for example. I've ran games where a regular prepainted Vulture mini (out of Pathfinder Battles) stood in for a large sized one, I just tacked the mini to a large base. It was goofy but it served it's purpose.

 

I've had guys at the game store say 'oh it's ok" after I explain I didn't have time to get a certain mini for this creature (ie travel time vs when the game happens for one), but for me its annoying as I take pride in having the right mini for encounter & such.

 

Minis are just fancy tokens when used for game purposes but dangit, it looks better & just feels right to have em in there!! I ran one adventure that had all sorts of weird critters that at the time I couldn't think of any minis to represent (it was a Frog God Games 5e module) & I just used blank Reaper bases for encounters. Wow, it didn't feel right. To me it was like running a game without a referee screen up. The later parts of the adventure I had to pick up minis which after some searching came up easily. (first time I used the bird men/Horus guy from Croc Games for ex)

[ttuckerman]

You would have hated my last session.  We had 6 tanks, 21 enemy soldiers, 20 allied soldiers, 2 NPC friendly and 3 PCs.  Of that I had 4 tanks, two pickups, 34 soldiers, and 13 assortment of SF dinos with guns, sf mouselings and one flying monkey as stand-ins.  (I think our GM was trying to tax my mini collection to see how far I could go.  I could have gone all human soldiers but did not want to pull out the Western Calvary.

[Chaoswolf]

10 hours ago, Adrift said:

Could care less about scale. 
 

Humans vary in height immensely, and I don’t need a plastic or metal toy to be the pinnacle of what that creature’s gene pool would establish as the upper limit of its height to enjoy tossing it on my gaming table. I either like a sculpt bc it’s cool, or I don’t. 

Yup,  I agree.

[haldir]

13 hours ago, ttuckerman said:

You would have hated my last session.  We had 6 tanks, 21 enemy soldiers, 20 allied soldiers, 2 NPC friendly and 3 PCs.  Of that I had 4 tanks, two pickups, 34 soldiers, and 13 assortment of SF dinos with guns, sf mouselings and one flying monkey as stand-ins.  (I think our GM was trying to tax my mini collection to see how far I could go.  I could have gone all human soldiers but did not want to pull out the Western Calvary.

 

If that's all yah got, then go for it!! In these days of internet buying & 4 day package delivery I'm willing to take the chance to make sure I'm put out what I want on the table. I remember the old days of using change or whatever you had for the game. It worked & it was fun, but damn these days, those do look great. That be said, we always did cringe whenever the DM put out a dime on the map or the dreaded quarter monster!!! 

[ttuckerman]

6 hours ago, haldir said:

 

If that's all yah got, then go for it!! In these days of internet buying & 4 day package delivery I'm willing to take the chance to make sure I'm put out what I want on the table. I remember the old days of using change or whatever you had for the game. It worked & it was fun, but damn these days, those do look great. That be said, we always did cringe whenever the DM put out a dime on the map or the dreaded quarter monster!!! 

It doesn't work if you are not the GM.  He does not tell me until he says I need ...

[R2ED]

With this being my first Bones investment, just kind of curious how everyone deals with getting their sets. 

Do you map out what you're building first?

Do you create plans on what you're painting? 

Are there things to be aware of while opening boxes? 

How to you go about opening all the pieces?  

Do you open them all, clean them immediately, and then store them for painting later? 

How the hell do you store this much unpainted miniatures? 

If there's missing pieces, but you don't discover until months later when you're finally putting together that model? 

 

So. Many. Questions. 

 

I honestly don't know how people who've done this before contain themselves.  This is nerve-racking waiting to see updates or if there's new adds.  There's so much i feel like i don't know or am supposed to expect, but i love it all the same.  I haven't felt this excited about something in a long time.  Having to wait for something awesome is a virtue I forget how valuable it is with the current "get it now" or "immediate gratification" world.  

 

...and yet i want it now.  Breathe. 

[Glitterwolf]

10 minutes ago, R2ED said:

With this being my first Bones investment, just kind of curious how everyone deals with getting their sets. 

Do you map out what you're building first?

Do you create plans on what you're painting? 

Are there things to be aware of while opening boxes? 

How to you go about opening all the pieces?  

Do you open them all, clean them immediately, and then store them for painting later? 

How the hell do you store this much unpainted miniatures? 

If there's missing pieces, but you don't discover until months later when you're finally putting together that model? 

 

So. Many. Questions. 

 

I honestly don't know how people who've done this before contain themselves.  This is nerve-racking waiting to see updates or if there's new adds.  There's so much i feel like i don't know or am supposed to expect, but i love it all the same.  I haven't felt this excited about something in a long time.  Having to wait for something awesome is a virtue I forget how valuable it is with the current "get it now" or "immediate gratification" world.  

 

...and yet i want it now.  Breathe. 

 

Do you create plans on what you're painting? 

PLANS???? MMMWWWHUUUAHHHAAAARRRAAARGGGGGGG  Cough cough,, argh...

 

How the hell do you store this much unpainted miniatures?

Good Question ( looks at drawers and boxes stuffed with minis)

You ehhh, just do...somehow...somewhere, ( stuffs minis under the bed of the vixens, digs a hole in the garden...)

 

How the hell do you store this much unpainted miniatures?

Reaper's customerservice is amazing, so just email them when it happens. Usually you'll get a replacement.

[Kro]

41 minutes ago, R2ED said:

With this being my first Bones investment, just kind of curious how everyone deals with getting their sets. 

Do you map out what you're building first?

I build them all before doing anything else, just to make sure I'm not missing pieces.

 

Do you create plans on what you're painting? 

I play D&D with them, so whatever is coming up next in the campaign gets priority. 

 

Are there things to be aware of while opening boxes? 

Keeping things organized helps. To verify that I got everything I printed out the images of each set (core, expansions, etc) to verify that I got all the figures in them. While opening the box I'd make one mark to confirm I got the mini and a second mark to confirm that it had all its parts. I ordered a boatload during Bones 4 and had a few small issues (of 2 core sets and 4 expansion sets I had two missing minis and 3 missing/wrong body parts [1 head missing, 2 left arms instead of one of each, 1 missing tentacle of a 6 tentacle beast]. A quick email to reaper and they set it straight.

 

How to you go about opening all the pieces?  

Depends on how it comes, but many of the ones with multiple pieces have come in their own bags before. I tend to leave them in their own bag until I'm ready to put them together. It is a good idea to order alot of glue beforehand.

 

Do you open them all, clean them immediately, and then store them for painting later? 

I only clean them directly before painting. I will still use unpainted minis while playing D&D and they're liable to be handled multiple times before they get painted anyway, making re-washing them wise before painting them at that point. 

 

How the hell do you store this much unpainted miniatures? 

I bought bookshelves that I set up in my gaming room that work well for the task. The DM sits next to them and can grab whatever they need. (Ikea, ~220-240ish I think for each bookcase in my setup)

 

If there's missing pieces, but you don't discover until months later when you're finally putting together that model? 

I'd assume they're still good about replacing anything missing, but I open and assemble everything within a month of getting it to get that part out of the way as soon as I can.

 

So. Many. Questions. 

 

I honestly don't know how people who've done this before contain themselves.  This is nerve-racking waiting to see updates or if there's new adds.  There's so much i feel like i don't know or am supposed to expect, but i love it all the same.  I haven't felt this excited about something in a long time.  Having to wait for something awesome is a virtue I forget how valuable it is with the current "get it now" or "immediate gratification" world.  

 

...and yet i want it now.  Breathe. 

Edited November 5, 2020 by Kro

[Sirithiliel]

37 minutes ago, R2ED said:

With this being my first Bones investment, just kind of curious how everyone deals with getting their sets. 

Do you map out what you're building first?

Do you create plans on what you're painting? 

Are there things to be aware of while opening boxes? 

How to you go about opening all the pieces?  

Do you open them all, clean them immediately, and then store them for painting later? 

How the hell do you store this much unpainted miniatures? 

If there's missing pieces, but you don't discover until months later when you're finally putting together that model? 

 

 

1. yes i always plan what i build first, however it sometimes changes if i see something that looks a lot cooler in person than it did in pictures

2. Yes i had painting plans when the kickstarter was still active

3. keep track of loose pieces and what they go to, or you might never find the mini it went to. I remember last kickstarter someone had a mystery piece for a fair while, we eventually realized it was the tongue to a giant sloth mini

4. i usually use all the counter space

5. i open ALMOST them all, clean them, glue them, and store them

6. store with lots and lots of shelving space, bead boxes for the little ones

7. missing pieces is one reason i at least dry fit everything right then and there,  but i usually go ahead and glue things (except dragons and what not, those i dry fit)

[MoonglowMinis]

37 minutes ago, R2ED said:

With this being my first Bones investment, just kind of curious how everyone deals with getting their sets. 

Do you map out what you're building first?

Do you create plans on what you're painting? 

Are there things to be aware of while opening boxes? 

How to you go about opening all the pieces?  

Do you open them all, clean them immediately, and then store them for painting later? 

How the hell do you store this much unpainted miniatures? 

If there's missing pieces, but you don't discover until months later when you're finally putting together that model? 

 

So. Many. Questions. 

 

I honestly don't know how people who've done this before contain themselves.  This is nerve-racking waiting to see updates or if there's new adds.  There's so much i feel like i don't know or am supposed to expect, but i love it all the same.  I haven't felt this excited about something in a long time.  Having to wait for something awesome is a virtue I forget how valuable it is with the current "get it now" or "immediate gratification" world.  

 

...and yet i want it now.  Breathe. 

Do you create plans on what you're painting? 

- Sort of.  But that's mostly in my head.  I imagine uses for the minis the minute they show up on the KS.  I do happen to have a few color ideas written down, but that's for the horde-minis.  I've got so many unpainted goblins, kobolds, etc.  I have a document of skin-color variations I want to try.  But I'm waiting to get some more stragglers from Bones V before starting.

Are there things to be aware of while opening boxes? 

- I would just warn you that not everything comes assembled!  The assembly required bits come in individual packaging, but you might not want to open them until you're ready to assemble.  I have cut into a lot of these bags, but leave them unassembled until ready.  Especially useful to keep them bagged for the guys with shields and stuff that you know you want to paint while unassembled.

You will also never get them to all fit back in the box - you've been warned.

How to you go about opening all the pieces?  

- I don't.  I tend to look through what I have, and maybe open the larger bags, but as mentioned above, I take them out as I need them.

Do you open them all, clean them immediately, and then store them for painting later? 

- nope.  Just the ones I want at a time.  Or the ones I think I want that end up cleaned and abandoned.  Or cleaned, based, primed and abandoned.

How the hell do you store this much unpainted miniatures? 

- A lot of shelf space, under my painting table, wherever I find room.  Another reason I recommend only opening what you want to use.  The rest stays in the box, though it is difficult to get everything to fit back inside once you've opened it.

[Chris Palmer]

1 hour ago, R2ED said:

With this being my first Bones investment, just kind of curious how everyone deals with getting their sets. 

1) Do you map out what you're building first?

2) Do you create plans on what you're painting? 

3) Are there things to be aware of while opening boxes? 

4) How to you go about opening all the pieces?  

5) Do you open them all, clean them immediately, and then store them for painting later? 

6) How the hell do you store this much unpainted miniatures? 

7) If there's missing pieces, but you don't discover until months later when you're finally putting together that model? 

 

1)  No. My norm is to wait and build stuff as I plan to paint it.  I don't know now what my exact need will be for a particular figure until I'm ready to paint it, so if I decide it needs to be converted some how, or used to convert some other figure, I don't want to have stuff already glued together.  I also don't wash my Bones until I'm  ready to assemble and paint either. 

 

2)  I don't really map it out, though I mentally have a list of ones that are favorites and ones I think I'll have the most immediate need for.  This is constantly in flux, so no need to make a concrete list.  Once they all arrive I really just paint them in the order that need or my mood dictates, as I know this will change regularly.  Currently, I find myself just making deliberate attempts to work my way though Bones 4 Expansion boxes one at a time, becuase at this point I've painted all my first priority figures. I just finished the Darkreach expansion and have started on the remains of Dreadmere.

 

3) Yes, go through and check every box to make sure it has all the figures and figure pieces that it is supposed to.  Make a list of everything missing.  

 

4) Carefully, so as not to loose any parts.  If past Bones Kickstarters are any indication, 98% of the figures you receive will be packed in plastic bags.  Sometimes these have been ziplock bags and sometimes heat sealed.  For the most part, I leave things in their bags until I'm ready to use them. 

 

5) As I've said above, I leave everything as it is until I'm ready to paint it.

 

6)  The Core & Expansions usually come in self contained boxes, and I leave the figures in there until I'm ready to paint them.  These boxes I just put on a shelf.  The larger figures that don't come in boxes, I just toss them in a pile on a shelf as well.

 

7) Try not to let this happen.  Job one when you get your Kickstarter should be to go through and check every figure.  If it does happen, [email protected] is your friend.    I have never known them to not help a customer with  a missing piece no matter the time frame.  

 

If you haven't seen  a picture before, this is probably what your KS will look like when it arrives. (Assuming Reaper keeps to their packaging traditions)    This is my haul from Bones 4:

 

Edited November 5, 2020 by Chris Palmer

[Ratmaster2000]

2 hours ago, R2ED said:

With this being my first Bones investment, just kind of curious how everyone deals with getting their sets. 

Do you map out what you're building first?

Do you create plans on what you're painting? 

Are there things to be aware of while opening boxes? 

How to you go about opening all the pieces?  

Do you open them all, clean them immediately, and then store them for painting later? 

How the hell do you store this much unpainted miniatures? 

If there's missing pieces, but you don't discover until months later when you're finally putting together that model? 

 

So. Many. Questions. 

 

I honestly don't know how people who've done this before contain themselves.  This is nerve-racking waiting to see updates or if there's new adds.  There's so much i feel like i don't know or am supposed to expect, but i love it all the same.  I haven't felt this excited about something in a long time.  Having to wait for something awesome is a virtue I forget how valuable it is with the current "get it now" or "immediate gratification" world.  

 

...and yet i want it now.  Breathe. 

1) You mean like a plan? Well, sort of, I PLAN on building and painting them all. Does that count?

2) I plan on what I want them to look like, but as far as what to paint in what order, no. I just grab what I feel like (or what may be chosen for the quarterly contest on FB from reaper or the something to fit the contests on the forums here)

3) Yes, especially after the last kickstarter (and will probably continue going forward). As far as add-ons, they will come bagged (usually, some like the elephant king were boxed, as well as argent), what I recommend is rebagging them in a zip lock bag AFTER making sure all the mini's and associated parts are there. I remember bones 4, a few people had several issues (mumlak having broken tusks, mixed up paint, things like that), so you want to check everything as soon as you can and make a list of everything you find (Reaper prefers if you send them one list of everything found rather then several lists). As far as expansions sets, those were in one box per set (like the ones @Chris Palmer showed) and each mini was individually wrapped (as I recall). I would check them for any damage or again missing pieces if they are multi-part. That is what was different this time around, many of the mini's came unassembled (which I prefer), which requires some gluing and possibly pinning. I rebagged all mine, because what I did was number all them as I checked them so it would be easier to recognize missing mini's (use the numbering from the Kickstarter page)

4) block out a few hours to go through them:) Might try and do it over several sessions to make it easier. Maybe all add-ons first, then the expansions

5) I store them as clean as I work them

6) well, ideally, you want them all in one place, but at the moment I have some in parts racks over my paint station, a LOT in bins under my computer desk, and several on my dresser in my bedroom:)

7) As Chris said, DO NOT do this. Make the effort to check them all as soon as you can. Maybe film yourself unboxing them and post them for all to see. It's long, but here's my Bones 4 unboxing I did https://youtu.be/4GYvQWqULT8

You can see how big my box was at the start (this was MY first kickstarter, so I went kind of crazy getting EVERY expansion and core set (and core set extras haha), a LOT of add-ons and a ton of bases. Careful, you can go overboard, as I dropped just over a grand on B4. I was a LITTLE restrained this go, as I am going to be just shy of 600).

I do not have shots of my box to post as my hard drive crashed early this year and I am still going through the recovered files, but I do remember my 6 year old (who was 5 at the time) fit into the box WITH a little room to spare:) We all actually did a box challenge to see if we could fit into our boxes from Bones 4:) I think @Cyradis actually fit into hers, that was crazy.

 

My biggest recommendation , if you can afford it, get what you like and think you'll need, The Kickstarter is a great value and a quick way to bulk up your collection and some things take quite a while to hit retail (Baba Yaga's hut is just coming out for example, and we are STILL waiting for Bones 3 weapons sprues to come out). But also, do not overextend yourself and put yourself in a cash strapped hole. Have fun, and tell us what you get (we love that around here)

[mikem91]

Not much to add other than to emphasize to take inventory on receipt, or very shortly there after (like that week).  If there's something wrong/mangled/missing, Reaper's ability to replace in kind diminishes over time.  They will have some leftovers for just this sort of situation; I imagine they'll be sold shortly after shipment completes when they figure they should have heard about wrong/mangled/missing models.  They're unlikely to have them back in stock until the model is put into production which could be months to years.

[Chris Palmer]

10 hours ago, R2ED said:

I honestly don't know how people who've done this before contain themselves.  This is nerve-racking waiting to see updates or if there's new adds.  There's so much i feel like i don't know or am supposed to expect, but i love it all the same.  I haven't felt this excited about something in a long time.  Having to wait for something awesome is a virtue I forget how valuable it is with the current "get it now" or "immediate gratification" world.  

 

...and yet i want it now.  Breathe. 

I just wanted to add that this feeling is addictive and not at all uncommon. It’s why I’ve come back for every Bones Kickstarter since the first. To me, buying into a Reaper Kickstarter is like getting a ticket to an 18 month event full of excitement and anticipation. Following along with, and sharing in, the enthusiasm thread here on the forum with like-minded people is icing  on the cake.  That fact it’s all a great bargain for great models ain’t bad either!