Bones 6 Enthusiasm and Commentary

[Jeronimus]

No, of course it's not a fair comparison, but I see this expansion and find it hard to justify the 50 bucks. Strictly speaking it's still a 'good deal', but... these kinds of things are extremely available, and in terms of paintable detail, these are still Bones and won't be the best there is.

 

Receiving my huge load of Bones 5 figures - and other kickstarters I probably need not have backed - is making me think more critically, of course. I should be glad I'm not excited.

[ksbsnowowl]

I went in heavy on Bones 5. Total spent was well over $1,000 (maybe around $1500?). End of Day 1 there was tons I wanted. 
 

Not so much this time. I count 35 mini’s I want or sorta want from the Core set. The Blackmane Gnolls are awesome; I’ll get them despite the 40% price increase compared to similar sets in Bones 5. The orcs are a harder sell at that price. I really don’t need more orcs, and I just picked up a bunch of Mantic orcs at retail for $1.50 per mini. 
 

Sullenhall is awesome. Sure, I have no need of more skeletons, but the terrain is great, and I was sold after the 2nd stage was revealed. I’ll probably get two or four copies. 
 

Briarwood Vale has enough for me to get it. Some of the sculpts aren’t exactly to my liking, but they’ll still be useful. 
 

Green Griffin is a harder sell. I’m sure I’ll end up getting it, but it doesn’t really wow me. 
 

Maybe I’m more discerning because I have more stuff now, but a lot of this isn’t scratching my style itch the way Bones 5 did. Maybe I was just really lucky with Bones 5.

[StarFyre]

I do think the prevalence of decent 3d print patreons has lowered interest in generic models.  I normally keep the cooler bones stuff and sell the rest but bones 5 was painfully hard to do that.  Not the interest from the prior 4. 

 

Now that my girls like painting stuff... in their way, will end up keeping more stuff I get for them. But so far just Egypt set is a possibility.  I'd like the large faerie dragon but need to see it's look first.

 

 

Sanjay

[Guyra]

8 minutes ago, ksbsnowowl said:

Maybe I’m more discerning because I have more stuff now, but a lot of this isn’t scratching my style itch the way Bones 5 did. Maybe I was just really lucky with Bones 5.

 

I think that's definitely the case with me. The stuff I really want, is stuff I don't have already. The stuff that doesn't catch my attention, is stuff I have more than enough of already(which includes most of the Core Set, the Men At Arms, most of the undead in the SOS expansion, and the orcs). I think the only thing I've decided on not buying, and at the same time being something I don't already have a lot of, is the chibi stuff.

[izzylobo]

2 minutes ago, StarFyre said:

I do think the prevalence of decent 3d print patreons has lowered interest in generic models.  I normally keep the cooler bones stuff and sell the rest but bones 5 was painfully hard to do that.  Not the interest from the prior 4. 

 

Now that my girls like painting stuff... in their way, will end up keeping more stuff I get for them. But so far just Egypt set is a possibility.  I'd like the large faerie dragon but need to see it's look first.

 

 

Sanjay

 

So, the problem with resin prints from a 3d printer (and even FDM prints to a lesser extent, although they also run into resolution issues in some cases) for me is that the resin minis are just so much more fragile than PVC (floppy, lower resolution), HIPS, Siocast, or metal. I can bounce a well-glued HIPS mini that doesn't have, like, fine antennas or something - just a sword or gun or the like - off the ground without much problem. I can almost run a Bones Classic mini over with a car without damaging it. With a resin cast or print, I've got an unfortunately large chance of having a pile of garbage after gravity has her harsh way with it. Since my minis are (almost) all for the tabletop, not for display or competition, that's a problem - even people who aren't actually clumsy by nature drop things on occasion, and saying "hey, be careful" can cause anxiety surges that make the thing you were trying not to have happen, happen.

 

This is on top of all the other problems that resin minis have (needing a filter mask when cleaning them up, modifying, etc. them, difficulty in assembly in general - some resins just don't.want.to.respect.cyanoacrylate, no mater what you do - priming is sometimes an issue, bubbles and casting problems... oh, and all the obnoxiousness of a resin printer if you're rolling your own.

 

Like, resin works for some people, and that's great! But I'll stick with my plastics and metals until the process gets a little easier, the materials get a little easier to work with, and the resulting prints are a lot more durable so that tabletop use isn't as likely to result in broken minis and bad feels.

[corbie]

Updated thoughts:

• Forgot to mention that Core was an instant buy for me. The first few additions were honestly a little disappointing, since they were mostly of things I have in metal. But they're things I already have because they're amazing sculpts, so rehoming the plastic versions won't be hard at all.
• I didn't think Briarwood would grab me like it did, since I'm not usually a fan of fae stuff (beyond faerie dragons), but this ended up the easiest add for me. The bee folk and even-better not-Zuggtmoy (which is saying a lot because I absolutely love the original Fungal Queen) were pleasant surprises.
• Ended up adding my $50 for Sullenhall. I figure that what I'd definitely buy at retail (all of part 4, some of part 3, and the giant skelly) would easily add to that and, even though I have plenty of medium skellies already, those are some extremely good bone bois. Also hoping that they put out a shirt with the Sullenhall crest.
• Not going for the chibi Pathfinder iconics set but will pick up Seelah, Amiri, and Fumbus at retail. Still considering the goblin set, though.

[ksbsnowowl]

16 minutes ago, izzylobo said:

Like, resin works for some people, and that's great! But I'll stick with my plastics and metals until the process gets a little easier, the materials get a little easier to work with, and the resulting prints are a lot more durable so that tabletop use isn't as likely to result in broken minis and bad feels.

I’m not a 3D printer person, but I watch YouTubers who are.  The resin you choose to use makes a HUGE difference on how durable the minis are. 
 

Check out 10 seconds of this YouTube video. The durability of that resin is kinda jaw-dropping. 

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vconnD98iGY&t=72s

[JoeGKushner]

1 hour ago, Jeronimus said:

The "Shadows of Sullenhall" expansion feels kind of weird to me right now.

 

I'm like, surely if I wanted those kinds of figures, I'd just get Cursed City and get them with more character, with more details, and a game to go with it?

Depends on how you like your zombies.  there were a lot of naysayers against the tree sprouting zombies when they first came out.

[YronimosW]

The durability is one of the draws of Bones for me, too - they're light and durable, inexpensive, and easily repaired and customized.  They end up being game pieces for future generations - they resist a lot of damage, and if something goes wrong, it'll be easy enough to source spare parts from a bitz stash, or even 3D print something.  Metal isn't quite as light, inexpensive, or durable - kind of think of metal as the display-cabinet stuff these days.  The 3D printed stuff might as well be disposable - if you break it, print another.

 

Good to see that Reaper is at least considering (and seems to have decided on) splitting parts, if not all,, the Core Set.  I haven't seen anything yet that I "need" dupes of yet, but it's nice to see the option.  Especially for those who do want it.  Some of the best Core Set candidates revealed so far, I think, would be:   the Ants, the Mud Men, and the Town Guards.

 

I think that the strongest suggestions I've seen for a Green Griffin Extras pack has been more townies - particularly the niche stuff like non-human, non-male patrons, and sitting patrons.  That said, it sounds to me like Reaper had an idea board for the inn, along with a little background story for it, and were forced to pick-and-choose what would fit into a $50 limit, while still being popular enough to be backed... meaning, they likely had some leftover ideas that they're happy to make use of for an Extras pack, alongside brainstorming for whatever is needed to complete the pack.  I'm going to assume that many of the ideas they couldn't use for the original expansion were townie character minis, but terrain and even monsters are possible - for example, the tavern ghosts are a nifty addition to the original Expansion.  I wonder what was left on the cutting-room floor? 

 

By the way, thank you to all of you in this thread who have been archiving the "insider" info and sneak-peeks - the teaser screenshots, the pictures from the Kickstarter, and the quotes from Reaper staff - they're greatly appreciated!  🙂

 

 

 

[Chaoswolf]

I've gotta jump on the 'Bones plastic is better in some ways' train, too. 

 

GW makes some absolutely wonderful figures, but a lot of them (especially the newer ones) also look like they'll break if you stare at them the wrong way. That's fine if all you're going to do is paint them and stick them in a display case, but I think it's absolutely horrible for a figure that's meant to play a game with. I've been to game stores and used to play a lot of tabletop games, including those by GW, and MOST people/players try to be careful and respectful of your stuff, but not all of them. I played a game once with a guy who liked to knock over my guys like you see people knock over chess pieces (at least the cheap plastic ones); he wasn't at all careful about it, and the figures would fly a few inches each time he did it. After the third time (in rapid succession) that he did so, another player saw the absolutely murderous look on my face and suggested that maybe he not do that anymore.

The point is, GW's very pretty and very fragile figures would be junk after that, while my Bones figures wouldn't be.

 

TLDR: For MY purposes, Bones figures are a better choice than GW's because they are much more durable, and can stand up to a little abuse.

Edited April 2, 2022 by Chaoswolf
spelling

[MoonglowMinis]

10 minutes ago, Chaoswolf said:

I've gotta jump on the 'Bones plastic is better in some ways' train, too. 

 

GW makes some absolutely wonderful figures, but a lot of them (especially the newer ones) also look like they'll break if you stare at them the wrong way. That's fine if all you're going to do is paint them and stick them in a display case, but I think it's absolutely horrible for a figure that's meant to play a game with. I've been to game stores and used to play a lot of tabletop games, including those by GW, and MOST people/players try to be careful and respectful of your stuff, but not all of them. I played a game once with a guy who liked to knock over my guys like you see people knock over chess pieces (at least the cheap plastic ones); he wasn't at all careful about it, and the figures would fly a few inches each time he did it. After the third time (in rapid succession) that he did so, another player saw the absolutely murderous look on my face and suggested that maybe he not do that anymore.

The point is, GW's very pretty and very fragile figures would be junk after that, will my Bones figures wouldn't be.

 

TLDR: For MY purposes, Bones figures are a better choice than GW's because they are much more durable, and can stand up to a little abuse.

+1 to this.

 

Even with the slightly more brittle newer formulation, Bones can take a lot more abuse than about anything else on the market without a substantial loss in quality.

 

I use mostly bones and never worry about my players handling my minis. But the one time I used a few very brittle (but very nice) 3D printed flies, many wings and legs were broken. 

[Rainbow Sculptor]

8 hours ago, Peacemonger said:

2) Puck/Peter Pan-esque Option/Fan Favorite item: As one of many who asked for Fey, I'm very, very happy with the Briarwood Vale Expansion. Only thing I (once again selfishly) will plug in if there's a chance in an Option or if they're doing Fan Favorites again at the end is some sort of male fey figure(s) that has sort of a Puck or Peter Pan type flair, pretty much male counterparts to Daffodil, Lily, and Daisy. More than satisfied if that doesn't happen though.

 

Anyways, since I know Reaper always has to deal with some level of angst/entitlement during these Kickstarters, want to be one of the ones who says thanks and that I think Reaper keeps getting better and better. 

Hmmm....that would be fun to do.

[bearsman6]

2 minutes ago, Rainbow Sculptor said:

Hmmm....that would be fun to do.

If anyone can do it justice, I think it's you. Love everything you have added to this KS already!

[Corsair]

Very disappointed in no Chronoscope this time around. I do hope there will at least be a sci-fi Encounter of some sort. If not, I will probably just be in for some paint.

[ksbsnowowl]

I backed Ravaged Star for my specific sci-fi needs. Pledge manager just opened yesterday. The surprising lesser showing of Bones 6 may well allow me to get a second unit pack… I want the heavies with the troop vehicles.