Get it? It’s a small bonus. For miniatures.
Your mileage with this project may vary – it is entirely optional. It isn’t going to radically give someone a leg up over anyone else, but it does reward the effort that many of you put in. If you don’t join in, well, you probably won’t notice. But if you do, you’ll eventually notice, I think, and what’s more you’ll have a sweet looking miniature.
Last campaign, way back in the before-times, I was really impressed by the increasing quality of the miniature painting going on. On one hand you had JIM, going through characters and painting new ones and on the other hand you had Rolland, Matt and Noe who found really appropriate miniatures and painted them well. I think Noe’s Tersplink was what started this train of thought choo-chooing along.
Stage Two Percy, with Nobody and Ishiro in the background and Malicia skulking off to one side.
Although it has never really come up, Mike is a pretty great green-stuff conversion guy. I really enjoy modifying miniatures and I think that skill and effort can be rewarded too (especially in 3-6 below).
Miniatures can kind of make the look of the game. Using a bad miniature – one that is really just a placeholder – is, …I don’t know, just reminding you that it is a chess piece. But using a good miniature, one that in some way captures the essence of your character really does lend something to characterization. It’s stupid, I know, but somehow playing 40k against BRose’s orcs and JIM’s tyranids was always slightly extra fun because you had a wall of painted miniatures rushing at you. It isn’t that it is immersive… but it is something.
In regards to our last campaign, no-one is going to forget that Albedon was a fire mage, because he is a flame-haired dude in orange and red throwing his arms around in the midst of magical evocation. That wouldn’t have suited a mage that specialized in necromancy or illusion, but you take one look at that little guy and you kind of know he is an evoker and his miniature says something about the character. Only Matt could tell you which came first, the miniature or the change in Albedon’s temperament.
So I think there was solid work there on the behalf of the group’s painters and I want to reward that, because I think it is worth it. I’m going to award a standing bonus to everyone who uses a miniature. You’ll get it every time you play, tacked on to whatever other XP you receive.
1) Supply your own miniature: +10xp
2) Paint your own miniature: +10xp
3) Class & race appropriate miniature: +10xp
4) Level-appropriate miniature: +10xp
5) Thematic bonus: +10xp
6) WYSIWYG Bonus: +20xp
1, 2, 3) So, bring your own lump of lead, paint your own lump of lead (undercoats don’t count), Class and Race appropriate miniatures, those are all easy enough.
4) Level appropriate is a bit harder and will be even harder on people who don’t like buying miniatures. JIM alluded to it in his earlier post: at the moment, if you supply a miniature that looks like a first level-whatever, you’ll get a bonus. That same mini won’t be appropriate after a couple of levels though. Your gear will get fancier, your stuff less-rag-tag. As you get to 10th and 15th level you’ll really start looking like a bad ass. But until then, you don’t. Your character is starting off – they have to carry their own adventure gear and it’s kind of cobbled together from whatever they can find/afford.
Left to right: 1st level, 5th level and 15th level dwarf.
I was trying to get these miniatures finished, so that I could illustrate this idea better, but I’ve been kind of caught up in painting the six castaways that this project slowed down. Sorry, these are – sob – unfinished miniatures you are looking at. The shame…
On your left you have a not-impressive dwarf, suitable for low level play. He’s got a backpack and all his shit strapped to him. It’s not an impressive looking dwarf, but it IS a great miniature… at least I think so. Actually, I kind of love these miniatures. The Reaper packs of miscellaneous adventuring gear (and the plastic equivalents that GW used to put out with Mordheim kits) are some of the best fun I can have with plastic cement that doesn’t involve hallucinating.
In the middle, you have a dwarf who has his shit together. He’s settled into his role as the party face-smasher, so he doesn’t need to lug around a bunch of other shit. All business, that’s the middle guy and business is good enough for him to buy some nice gear. You know what he does, you know what he does it with; that’s some character established right there.
On the right, you have a dwarf at the top of his dwarfing game. Big shiny double-headed axe, sweet-ass helmet, big fancy cloak in rich-people colours. What’s more, he is gesticulating with that axe, he’s telling people what to do. That’s about as far as it gets for dwarves. It would inappropriate for a miniature with as much dwarf swag as this guy to be a 1st level miniature.
That’s what I’m talking about with level appropriateness.
5) As for thematic bonus. this is for any effort to make your dude look like he is currently living in the campaign, i.e. currently on a tropical island. Full plate armour? You may as well microwave yourself. What this looks like, is entirely up to you. Detailed scenic base? Sun burn? Improvised fabrics? Exotic animal prints? Go fucking nuts.
6) Lastly, the What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get bonus. In the unlikely event that you have a level/class/race/armour/weapon-perfect miniature, with no extraneous gear that your character doesn’t have, you’re getting a bonus. Either for doing so much research or for hobbling your character just so it fits the mini. Hats off to you.
That reminds me, Mike, that I have a barbarian mini you might like and would be easy to paint or re-arm if you want him.
Freshly stripped after I couldn’t get tattoos right!
http://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/human%20bald%20barbarian/latest/03461
Dude, that is one ripped barbarian. Bullseye!
Will my current Orny mini never get the WYSIWYG bonus because there could literally be ANYTHING under that cloak?
Until you buy a longspear, sure. Simple miniatures befit simple equipment lists.