“We are changing our approach to our minis product line,” Wizards of the Coast Senior Brand Manager for D&D Scott Rouse said of the company’s major changes to Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures.  WotC will move the line away from fully randomized packaging beginning next year.  The final 2008 release, Demonweb, will be the last D&D Minis release sold in that format.  WotC will also offer more player character minis and more large figures. 

 

Two new series will begin in 2009:  Players Handbook Heroes and Monster Manual.  

 

Players Handbook Heroes will feature player character races and classes described in the Player’s Handbook and Player’s Handbook 2.  The first of two series planned for 2009 will include 18 figures sold in six different packs of three, all of which will be fully visible, for $10.99 MSRP.  The six packs will be:

Martial Heroes 1

Martial Heroes 2

Arcane Heroes 1

Arcane Heroes 2

Divine Heroes 1

Primal Heroes 1


Each pack will include two male figures and one female and corresponding power cards.  The set releases in Spring 2009, with one more Heroes set planned for 2009.  Three Heroes series are planned for 2010. 

 

The Spring 2009 Monster Manual release, Dangerous Delves, will be partially randomized.  The 40-miniature set will come packaged in five mini packs, each with one visible figure, one rare figure, one uncommon figure, two common figures, and stat cards, all for $14.99 MSRP.  The figures will be a mixture of medium and large figures. 

 

Wizards of the Coast is the second company to make a move away from collectable game packaging recently; Fantasy Flight Games has changed its collectable strategy for both miniatures and card games (see “FFG Explains Its (Non-) Collectible Game Strategy”).