Bones 6 Enthusiasm and Commentary

[DragonWyrm]

So the Green Griffin expansion. Nice terrain pieces, but severely lacking sitting patrons! I would have preferred more sitting people, so this is currently the expansion I am least interested in. 

The shadows expansion has a nice intellectual skeletal giant and I do love the spirits and necromancer. The skeletons are skeletons, don't like some of their weapons and armour while others are okay. Vampires are vampires, I already have a lot of them from previous bones kickstarters. They do look nice.

 

The fae expansion I am getting. There is no question about it!

The Egyptian expansion interests me with what has been shown, but we do need to wait for more.

Edited April 2, 2022 by DragonWyrm

[AlonTey]

Holy moley so much stuff.  Speed thoughts.

Core Set - Buying. Hail ants.  It's a bit of a mish mash so my enthusiasm level is all over the place but the pieces that work for me are worth price of admission.
Green Griffin - Buying. Man this place is haunted.  Lot of stuff I already have in my collection but it's all executed so well here I can't say no.  Some more seated patrons as an add on would be nice?
Shadows of Sullenhall  - Buying. Crypt and wights sell it for me.  Same as before, plenty of stuff I already have but the execution is spot on.
Briarwood Vale - Buying. Damn, really thought I was going to be safe from part 1.  Beefolk is an itch I didn't know I needed scratched, excited to see what Shimmerscale is going to look like.  Strongly suspect when I get these in hand they're going to be sleeper hits.
Lost Tombs - Probably a pass.  ....well, Mr. Anubis is nice but this is gonna be a hard one for me.  Already have plenty of mummies and genies and what have you so this is going to come at me from an unexpected angle.  Ooh, a big old 3" base Ammit?  Zombie camel?
Denizens of the Dungeon - Buying. ....yeah, even without knowing whats in it it'll get me. 
Gnolls - Buying. The newer Reaper gnolls are in a good scale, hope we'll see some hyena (and giant hyena?) friends for them?
Men at Arms - Pass.  Perfectly fine but I've got other options that work fine.
Orcs of the Ragged Wound - Pass. I want to like these but I'm afraid they're in scale with the shrimpy bones 5 orcs. 
All Them Chibis - Pass.
Hellborn - Pass  Perfectly fine, might pick them up at retail if I roll a tiefling but don't have any need now.

Annnnd finally a plea to Reaper!  Even if a legally distinct from Spelljammer expansion seems to not be in the cards, please consider adding Admiral Gnoph and First Mate Higgins to the core (maybe a neogi if I'm being greedy).  The good people need space hippos.

[Sirithiliel]

the shimmerscale dragon (?) is interesting, might be another for me to get at retail alongside the Nightmare

[ksbsnowowl]

1 hour ago, Nunae said:

Soooo, since we now know what's in the Briarwood Expansion, I'd love to see a horse with butterfly wings (it is drawn right there and it is beautiful!). Or a sprue of butterfly wings to fey-ify everything.

 

See SKU 77582

 

 

It was from Bones 3, I think?

[Joshinminn]

1 hour ago, DragonWyrm said:

So the Green Griffin expansion. Nice terrain pieces, but severely lacking sitting patrons! I would have preferred more sitting people, so this is currently the expansion I am least interested in. 

The shadows expansion has a nice intellectual skeletal giant and I do love the spirits and necromancer. The skeletons are skeletons, don't like some of their weapons and armour while others are okay. Vampires are vampires, I already have a lot of them from previous bones kickstarters. They do look nice.

 

The fae expansion I am getting. There is no question about it!

The Egyptian expansion interests me with what has been shown, but we do need to wait for more.

How is the skeletal giant intellectual?! 🤣

[tommyzolla]

2 hours ago, Chaoswolf said:

really super-cool-knock your socks off-crazy-awesome stuff

This is what I'm hoping for! 

[Pezler the Polychromatic]

Was on the road yesterday, so couldn't stalk the kickstarter website until it was time to pounce. Still, managed to get to one of my stops long enough to make a pledge about 5 minutes after the site went live. Didn't even bother to look at the core set, just threw my money at Reaper and kept going. Still hoping that flumphs will be included in Bones 6, they're very important to me personally.

[YronimosW]

Reading between the lines from Reaper's replies to the Kickstarter comments, I'm guessing that if the expansions were teased early on purpose, it's because the Reaper staff who would normally keep up with the website to update images and so on have been working non-stop since the Kickstarter began, and finally got to get home and get some sleep.  Three cheers for the Reaper staff, by the way, on yet another wildly successful Kickstarter - looks like it funded in minutes again, and seems to be going pretty well so far!

[tommyzolla]

My thoughts so far:

 

Core set - yep, more than enough here to justify the cost, some stuff I absolutely love and must have - bog shambler, ants, the dreadmere and brinewind models.

 

A few things that I own in metal (and, although I was originally a little bummed about the double up, I've come to look at it as I can use the plastic as gaming models and a quick/practice paint job, and then the metal as display piece - so now I'm loving them). Almost certainly a sleeper hit or three to look forward to in here as well. Any pieces that I realise I have no interest at all in painting or using I'll just give away to friends or sell (or use for terrain/scenery. The zombies that everyone seems to not want will become piles of carrion for any upcoming campaigns over warring countries - with a little sculpting these could be dead on the ground, in mud, or hanging from nooses. 

 

This set will only get better for me as more stuff keeps being added. Already a great deal in my eyes for 125, and only getting better!

 

Green Griffin - yep, another great one. Not what I was expecting (but I honestly don't know what more I was after). Love the fireplace, froth the barrels so much (same as the Brinewind ones - a real sleeper hit there), great ghosts to be used elsewhere, and a nice simple bar set up. 50 bucks is great for this stuff. I know I've spent more on less multiple times. Again, anything I don't need I'll give away - we all know a new DM who can use stuff for a tavern set up. 

 

Shadows - yep, nice price, great terrain. Enough for a whole campaign here, some really neat figs too. I love the giant skelly, and the crypt will be awesome to really sell a setting to the players. 50 for just those two seems reasonable to me, but you also get a full set of undead to run around, some awesome set dressings, and some great vampires. Do I need more vamps? no, I own all the reapers ones, plus doubled up on ravenhall in B5. Do I want these new ones anyway? yep.

 

Briarwood - Yep yep yep. Funny enough, the only one I thought wouldn't have much for me (except for the Egyptian one). I've never really had much of an interest in Fey, figured I'd grab it anyway, but thought I'd use them mostly for painting and giving. I was wrong. So, so wrong. I love every mini in this set, bar none. I bought the spirit of the forrest mini because I loved it - and now the arboreal defender has come along and blown it out of the water! All killer here. 50 is a steal.

 

Options - paints yep, orcs yep (had a moment of hesitation as I have heaps, but I'd rather 14 less and some extra orcs than 14 in my wallet and regret later), men at arms yep (again, not needed - but will make great NPC guards/victims in dungeons), gnolls yep, at 14 buck why not?

 

I'll only be passing up the chibi - nothing wrong with them, just not my cup of tea. 

 

Upcoming: 

I'm already sure I'll froth enough in the DD expansion to back it already - how can I not love the stuff in here? 

 

I'm so grateful to the artist who make these amazing minis, the fact I have enough expendable income to buy them, and the company that puts on these kickstarters. It's a golden age of affordable mini gaming that I'm so happy to be part of. 

 

 

6 minutes ago, YronimosW said:

Three cheers for the Reaper staff, by the way, on yet another wildly successful Kickstarter

My thoughts exactly - I was just saying as much a moment ago!

[Kalibak]

It's weird how Bizarro-world Bones 6 is in relation to Bones 5 for me.  Last time I was all about the expansions and this time I'm all about the Core set.  Maybe it's because the Core set seems to be the Dungeon Dwellers expansion from last time turned up to 11.

 

I'm surprised how into the Briarwood expansion I am though considering I don't care much for fey-themed stuff.  But those redcaps, sylphs, will-o-wisps and kelpie are all very exciting.

 

However, I'm very disappointed in how basic and uninspiring the Green Griffin expansion is, especially considering that the whole Kickstarter is named after it. 

There are so many other interesting things that could have been added to that set to make it more interesting: a whole music band of bards really should have been a must, card players, brawlers, a noble patron, a pickpocket, a bouncer, a passed out drunk, a mysterious stranger, a cat or dog, a rug, a candelabra, a standing shelf with bottles or books, a stable, horses, a rat swarm... the list goes on.  Where is the creativity that went into something like the Dark Depths expansion from last time?  Get the person who created that one back!

 

I do like a few of the options though and the Egyptian expansion is my second-most anticipated one, so I'm hoping that one renews my interest in the expansions.

[Evilhalfling]

how big is the arboreal defender? 
it its 25 mm I want several, if its 50mm or large 1 is just fine 

 

Starting my ranked lists. 
 

the briarwood vale expansion looks so good - the things I would buy in retail outweigh the core set 

[YronimosW]

I was one of the first backers I know of to suggest a fey-themed set, a couple years ago, and I'm glad to see it here... I had something of a "grimdark" concept of evil fairies envisioned, but would have been just as happy with any great set -I think Reaper delivered.  After it was teased, I think I saw a couple comments making early references to the feywild in regards to the Briarwood set, and that's probably fair enough, but I get the impression D&D Feywild had a very specific flavor that didn't appear to everyone, judging by the tone (I'm not very familiar with it, having seen only a few pictures from recent game books) - Reaper's artists and sculptors went with their own, distinct take on a fairy set that seems to be neither grimdark nor feywild, and I think it was a good call:  it's a beautiful set, and I can't really imagine the Reaper team doing anything different anywhere near as beautifully, now that I've seen it. 

 

I have no idea why the bee-people just work for me, but they do - on paper, it sounds like a ridiculous idea.  After actually seeing the bee-people renders, however, I'm an instant fan - they're far cooler than bee-people should have any right to be, and that's awesome 😄   And that murder hornet is going to be terrifying in a game - that's gotta be a hell of a sting! 

 

I could probably take or leave the mushroom king and queen, but even they are great figures, overshadowed at first glance by the rest of the cast of characters in that set.  When start thinking of ways to use the Core Set's mudmen, witches, elven cat, and swamp shambler with the fey  expansion, suddenly I see hidden the potential in the mushroom king and queen, and the whole set clicks for me as more than just the sum of some great parts:  this is a cast of fey characters from the same swamps that the Dreadmere characters came from!  In some cases just as dark and swampy as the Dreadmere itself, in other cases, points of deceptively bright light among the dark and gloomy vegetation and black and marshy earth....

 

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by YronimosW
At war with clarity.

[Smokestack]

Briarwood Vale expansion looks good, but I really only like section 1, 3 and 5 of it... But i think that will still make it worthwhile to get.

 

The Men-at-arms option.  Are all the options (head, weapons, shield, etc) in there for all 6 bodies, or is it 2 copies of the 3 options for the 6 bodies? Meaning you get 6 total heads (and other options) so have to use all 6 heads to be able to complete the 6 men at arms...  If its the latter then you really dont have options as you have to use everything and make the same 3 models twice...

 

Like can I make all 6 minis with the horned helmet? Or can I make 6 minis with different heads, but all with bows?

 

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by Smokestack

[strawhat]

Hmmm.

 

I'm up to about $125 worth of value (my own, personal, ratings...not a reflection of actual or theorized MSRP, and certainly not worth the paper on which it is printed) so far.  I'm still weighing whether or not I'm in.  Nothing against Reaper, it's my personal situation.

 

The CORE still has a ways to go before it would be "worth it" for me.  Some of the expansions are 100% the things I like, but I have enough of the rest that waiting for retail is recommended.  We need more ants, perhaps like Reaper did with the graveyard walls in B3, or just a pack of 10 warriors/workers.  I want a couple of the Sophies, but that's a "nice to have."  The Werebear is tempting, so very tempting.  Mongrelfolk aren't generally my thing--I like how the middle one is a reminder of the original illustration out of the MM2.  That's a nice bit of nostalgia right there.

 

The GREEN GRIFFIN is just not my proverbial cuppa.  I really like the ghosts, but none of the rest leap out of me.

 

SHADOWS OF SULLENHALL is the type of place where I'll hang my proverbial straw-self!  I'm very much digging the Vorvorlaka Elder and Santoro.  The giant holds no interest for me (not usually my thing is all), and the knights are....I don't rightly know.  I definitely appreciate them, and there's nothing wrong with them even though they somehow don't quite resonate.  I can't explain it.  I like the rest of the spirits, though.  I totally dig Wraith.

 

Getting lost in the BRIARWOOD VALE will not be a problem for me.  I could paint up the Sylphs for a friend, and those Beefolk are great!  But that's where my interest wanes.

 

BLACKMANE GNOLLS are very interesting.  I've long been a fan of gnolls.  Not quite as fond of the giggling horde as I am of the undead, but it's close.  And they fit perfectly with the world in my head.

 

Those MEN AT ARMS hold a lot of potential.  I like them, and wish that more options (hobgoblins, perhaps...) like this existed.  But I also get that multipart models like this are a new area for Reaper and cautious exploration is in order.

 

ORCS OF THE RAGGED WOUND, again not really my thing.  They look great, though.

 

PATHFINDER CHIBI (HEROES & GOBLINS).  I have trouble resisting cute.  I accept this.

[Brianuk]

The core set always ends up being worth it. Typical cost will normally finish at about 80p /80 cents a mini. 

I am probably in for one of everything except the chibis and paint. 

Favourites so far are the orcs (I love the Angus McBride style for the Dungeon Dwellers orcs) and Fae. Am loving the Fungal Queen and King, and all the fairies. 

 

If you were considering Wargaming, rather than role playing, I see quite a few decent armies here. If you are interested in the big skirmish games (like saga, dragon rampant, warlords of erehwon) then you could easily turn one of the expansions into an army for c. £50/$50. If you brought two undead or fae expansions, you would have the basics for a 'proper' army for something like Oathmark, or the Kings of War 'Forces of Nature' faction or the undead, for about £100/£120, if you also used the useful stuff from the core. 

You could buy boxes of plastic minis on sprues for that sort of money, of course, but you are getting giants and characters etc etc for £0.8 to £1 each. 

That's where a lot of the value is and it was the same in Bones 5. Their selection is getting more useful for wargamers because they are providing more sets of minis that would work as a unit rather than just two poses of each RPG monster and a billion of each RPG classic character type.