Are Critical Role miniatures worth your hard-earned money? Don't worry, you're no less a Critter for considering that question. Even if you're a big fan of the online series or its animated adaptation by Amazon, minis to go with the best 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Dungeons and Dragons books are expensive.
That's why I've been having a closer look at many of the new Critical Role miniatures by WizKids. Heavily inspired by artwork from the likes of Tal'Dorei Reborn, these figures promise to give you premium, tablet-ready game pieces you can throw straight into your games. But are they worthy of the Critical Role name? Similarly, how do they compare to other 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:WizKids miniatures?
You'll find my thoughts on all of the above here, including how well these minis would integrate with other entries from our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best tabletop RPGs.
Critical Role Wave 2 - Characters 💃of Tal'Dorei (Seꦕt 1)
Price: $59.99 / £59.99
What's included:
- Matthew Mercer
- Rivermaw Brawler
- Rivermaw Stormborn
- Kraghammer Barbarian,
- Kraghammer Goat-Knight
- Goat-Knight Steed
- Kuul’tevir Rogue
- Kuul’tevir Fighter
- Verdant Guard Ranger
This pack isn't quite what you'd expect. With a name like 'Characters o♎f Tal'Dorei', it'd be understandable t🎐o think you're getting well-known faces from the world of Critical Role - perhaps those who aided Vox Machina in their many quests.
As it turns out, there's only one recognisable name in here… and it's Dungeon Master Matt Mercer himﷺself. Everything else is drawn from the creatures section of Tal'Dorei Reborn, allowing you to use them as foes, NPCs, or so🧸mething else entirely.
In many ways, this is ܫa net positive. There are many suitable candidates for player characters here if you're starting a game set in Tal'Dorei, and many of them are refreshingly unusual. The Kraghammer Goat Knight is a great example. Designed to split in half along the waist so that he can be seated on his (very grumpy-looking) steed, it's a good showstopper piece for your party.
Another case in point would be the Rivermaw goliaths. They're the same species as Vox Machina staple Grog, so tower over other models and boast intricate tattoo pattܫerns all over their bodies.
Maꦡtt's miniature is delightful thanks to an outfit that evokes his real-life DM attire
While the other miniatures are more in line with archetypes, they still offer good - if not excellent, in the case of the Kuul'tevir lizardfolk -🐼 paintwork. The Verdant Guard Ranger will appeal to anyone that finds themselves drawn to playing wood elf bowmen, for instance. That means these minis are compatible with the likes of Pathfinder; there isn't much that ties them to Tal'Dorei specifically🀅, letting them pull double-duty for games with different settings.
Naturally, I couldn't go any further without mentioning Mercer himself. Matt's miniature is delightful thanks to an oඣutfit that evokes his real-life DM attire, along with a🌞 sly expression that suggests he's about to drop a very nasty monster on you. He'd make a great villain for your adventurers.
As always, the only hang-up I have is price. Costing $59.𓄧99 in the USA and £59.99 in the UK, that's steep for nine models - as awesome as they are.
Critical R🐭ole Wave 2 - Monsters of Tal'Dorei (Set 2)
Let's be real for a minute; NPCs are all good and well, but monsters are where it's really at. If you're playing D&D, you probably have your party set and ready to go. That just leaves foes for them to fight, and for the most part, these Critical Role miniatures hit the spot. There's a gre🐎at variety of beasts and bad guys here to suit your needs, and much like the꧃ other entries in Wave 2, many are pulled directly from the art of Tal'Dorei Reborn.
The Wraithroot tree (which is my favorite from the eဣntire pack) is a great example. It's the spitting image of its monster entry at the back of the book, and the sharp detail, not to mention that precise paintwork, help it excel. Cue a 'chef's kiss' response from me on this one.
Not that it'sܫ a problem if they don't look exactly like their namesakes, of course. The Cyclops Storm🌳caller isn't a dead ringer for the book's concept, but it's still a fun sculpt that captures the creature mid-bellow to the skies.
Similarly, the Satyr (which initially seems like a bizarre inclusion) and Ettin are clearly mimicking the artwork that has the former feeding the latter something. And although these models don't recreate that scenario per se, it's a cool nod nonetheless matched by a menacing pose for the Ettin itself. The only thing I wasn't sold on? The Ettin is a little flat in terms of color - it lacks shading or highlights that I'd expect from a miniature this size. Which isn't a disaster by any meanꦿs, yet it stops it short of being properly great.
They aren't perfect, but for the price, you're getting 🐠a decent selection that can be use🧔d in a variety of unique scenarios
I have reservations about the Skeleton Centaurs as well. Although they look 🥂fantasticꦰ, they're pretty fragile and taking them out of the box is a nightmare. One of mine broke in the process, and I had to glue it back together.
Fortunately, the Flaming Skeleton (with excellent use of tꦰranslucent 'fire' plastic) and Demonfeed Spider make up for it. These are evocative horrors that will look great on any tabletop.
The Atronach will also look superb, but for a different reason. This one's more ethereal and the🔥 use of opaque purple plastic sells tha൲t notion perfectly. The face is a little 'blobby' in that it's hard to make out the features, but it's impressive overall.
That's very much the ꦛtheme of these monster models in general; they aren't perfect, but for the price, you're getting a decent selection that can be used in a variety of unique scena💎rios.
