Paizo and Wizkids announce Pathfinder Battles miniature line

Paizo Publishing and WizKids Games announce Pathfinder Battles, a new ongoing prepainted miniatures brand to debut in December with Heroes & Monsters, a blind-packed, randomized set of 40 miniatures based on the smash-hit Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Additional sets will follow throughout 2012 and beyond, including a 60-figure Rise of the Runelords set scheduled for June 2012. These sets join the already announced Pathfinder Beginner Box Heroes pack of four high-quality nonrandom prepainted plastic miniatures, due in October 2011.

“Response to our initial Pathfinder Beginner Box Heroes set has been overwhelming,” said Lax Chandra, President of WizKids Games, "A full line of Pathfinder Battles miniatures will enable us to provide gamers with a huge variety of figures based on the award-winning imagery of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.” 

“WizKids continues to blow us away with their sculpts for the Beginner Box Heroes and Heroes & Monsters sets,” said Paizo CEO Lisa Stevens. “Every day we’ve been getting amazing images from the WizKids sculptors, and we cannot wait until these figures hit gaming tables all around the world.” 

Pathfinder Battles prepainted fantasy miniatures will be available at paizo.com and through WizKids distribution partners worldwide starting in December 2011.

Pathfinder Battles Q&A:

Q: How will Pathfinder Battles fantasy miniatures be packaged?

A: Pathfinder Battles fantasy miniatures will be available in a variety of formats. The first release, Heroes & Monsters, will come in a “brick” of 19 blind standard booster packs, with 16 packs including one Medium or 2 Small figures, and 3 large packs featuring 1 Large monster each. Duplication of figures within a sealed brick has been held to a minimum, so purchasers should get no to very few duplicate figures in a brick (as with any randomized product, collation is not guaranteed). Buyers who purchase factory-sealed cases (4 bricks) should get a nearly complete set of figures.

Heroes & Monsters is scheduled for a December release. Future Pathfinder Battles sets, including June’s Rise of the Runelords, will use a multi-figure blind booster format. Additionally, WizKids plans to release additional Pathfinder Battles Encounter Packs, which will feature visible non-random assortments of selected repainted or resculpted figures from the full sets. Product details for these later sets will be released shortly.

Q: How often will Pathfinder Battles sets release?

A: The first set, Heroes & Monsters, will release in December 2011. The second set, Rise of the Runelords, will release in June 2012 to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the very first Pathfinder Adventure Path. Additional Pathfinder Battles Encounter Packs will appear between these two large releases. More full sets and Encounter Packs will follow throughout 2012 and beyond.

Q: How many figures will be in each Pathfinder Battles release?

A: The first set, Heroes & Monsters, contains 40 miniatures. Retailers who order one case (four “bricks”) will have the opportunity to purchase the mighty Black Dragon, a special promotional miniature that towers over other figures in the set and sits on a 3-inch base. The Rise of the Runelords set, scheduled for a June 2012 release, contains 60 figures in the standard set, with promotional figures to be announced in the future. Pathfinder Battles Encounter Packs generally will include 6 figures each.

Q: Will Pathfinder Battles fantasy miniatures be available as part of a Paizo subscription?

A: Pathfinder Battles fantasy miniatures are produced by WizKids under license from Paizo, and are not currently part of any Paizo subscription. That said, Paizo understands that many of its customers would appreciate a way to subscribe to these miniatures, and is currently exploring options to offer a subscription or similar service.

Q: How does this affect the Pathfinder Miniatures line from Reaper Miniatures?

A: Reaper Miniatures has been producing unpainted metal Pathfinder Miniatures since Fall 2009, and they will continue to do so. Paizo is committed to producing the finest-quality miniatures for gamers of all tastes, whether they prefer prepainted plastic or unpainted metal.

Q: Do these miniatures use Reaper's sculpts?

A: These miniatures use all-new sculpts by WizKids.

DC HeroClix Superman Previews! (UPDATED)

MONDAY TELEMETRY For July 18th, 2011

Welcome to another installment of Monday Telemetry, a weekly blog from The Launchpad that covers some of the more interesting releases or events that are coming to the store this week.

A lot of cool stuff this week! Read on! [See the full list of new titles here!]


ITEM! This week's Flashpoint package deal is: FLASHPOINT WONDER WOMAN AND THE FURIES #3, FLASHPOINT DEADMAN #2, FLASHPOINT LEGION OF DOOM #2, FLASHPOINT THE OUTSIDER #2; all for $9.99!


ITEM! This week's Fear Itself core package is: FEAR ITSELF DEADPOOL #2, FEAR ITSELF FEARSOME FOUR #2, FEAR ITSELF FF #1, FEAR ITSELF HOME FRONT #4; all for only $8.99!
  
ITEM! This week's Fear Itself complete package is: AVENGERS #15, FEAR ITSELF DEADPOOL #2, FEAR ITSELF FEARSOME FOUR #2, FEAR ITSELF FF #1, FEAR ITSELF HOME FRONT #4, HERC #5, HULK #37, IRON MAN #506, IRON MAN 2.0 #7, UNCANNY X-MEN #541; all for only $23.99!

AVENGELYNE #1
"DEVIL IN THE FLESH," Part One The legendary fallen angel returns to comics. As New York City's sins are covered with a fresh blanket of snow, the psychotic serial killer, Torment, is hard at work creating new ones. Meanwhile, Avengelyne has her hands full with the Red Dragon who has taken a human vessel in search of a new apprentice. Who has the Dragon chosen as his vessel and does it have anything to do with Avengelyne's new look? All this plus the introduction of the stunning, Heaven Starr!   AVENGELYNE is a new ongoing supernatural series written by MARK POULTON (Koni Waves) with art by OWEN GIENI and letters and color assists by DEXTER WEEKS.

THOR HEAVEN AND EARTH #1 (OF 4)
In the days before the terrible events of Ragnarok, the Gods of Asgard stare across the ramparts of their city towards a massive, demonic army massed at the gates - the prophesied End of All Days is about to begin. As the armies of darkness begin their initial attacks, Thor confronts Loki, who is destined to usher in the fall of Asgard. But what he learns from the Loki may change the way he sees his treacherous half-brother. For perhaps this terrible event is a time also of renewal. Perhaps in this desperate hour even the God of Lies has a purpose.

WAR OF THE GREEN LANTERNS AFTERMATH #1
The shocking consequences of the blockbuster "War of the Green Lantern" event have shattered the lives of Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart and Kyle Rayner in ways no one will see coming. Everything you thought you knew about the Corps is no more!

MONDAY TELEMETRY For July 11th, 2011

Welcome to another installment of Monday Telemetry, a weekly blog from The Launchpad that covers some of the more interesting releases or events that are coming to the store this week.

A lot of cool stuff this week! Read on! [See the full list of new titles here!]

ITEM! New HeroClix set releases this week! Stop on by Wednesday for Marvel HeroClix Captain America bricks, boosters, and singles!

ITEM! This Week's Flashpoint Package Deal: BOOSTER GOLD #46, FLASHPOINT CITIZEN COLD #2, FLASHPOINT DEATHSTROKE THE CURSE OF RAVAGER #2, FLASHPOINT EMPEROR AQUAMAN #2, and FLASHPOINT FRANKENSTEIN CREATURES OF UNKNOWN #2 this week! Get the above five titles as a package deal for only $9.99!

ITEM! This Week's Fear Itself Complete Package Deal: FEAR ITSELF SPIDER-MAN #3 (OF 3) FEAR, ALPHA FLIGHT #2 (OF 8) FEAR, BLACK PANTHER MAN WITHOUT FEAR #521 FEAR, GHOST RIDER #1 FEAR, JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #625 FEAR, NEW AVENGERS #14 FEAR, cover price is $19.94 for these titles, get them all for only $14.95!

ITEM! Rollbacks this week! Get GHOST RIDER #1 for $2.99, a dollar off the normal cover price! And ULTIMATE COMICS FALLOUT #1 is also $2.99, a dollar off the normal cover price! And finally X-MEN SCHISM #1 for $3.99, a dollar off the normal cover price!

BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #3
Trapped with childhood friend Dawn Golden deep beneath Gotham City, Batman's only hope for escape also happens to be one of his worst enemies! Meanwhile, Etrigan the Demon turns against his masters and confronts a twisted, evil incarnation of Ragman with the help of Alfred. Only Batman knows the secret to defeating the demon possessing Ragman - but The Dark Knight is nowhere to be found!

GHOST RIDER #1
IN THE WAKE OF "FEAR ITSELF", THE SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE GETS A NEW LEASE ON DEATH!
The hottest, most rocking thing on two wheels returns!  Start pumping your fists and banging your head for GHOST RIDER # 1, by writer ROB WILLIAMS (DARK WOLVERINE) and featuring the long-awaited return of superstar artist MATT CLARK (Outsiders, Superman, INHUMANS). Witness the violent birth of the all-new Ghost Rider...come to cleanse the earth in a firestorm of Blood, Oil, and  Vengeance! Johnny Blaze has been chained to Hell long enough. With the world thrown into chaos in the events of FEAR ITSELF he is given a chance to rid himself of the Spirit of Vengeance forever...and he takes it. The curse is passed onto a new host but Blaze has no idea what nightmares his action has wrought upon the world. Will the new Spirit of Vengeance bring us salvation...or send this world of sinners to a flaming death?

LADY MECHANIKA #2
From the imaginative mind of Joe Benitez with colors by the incomparable Peter Steigerwald, comes this all-new supernatural action-adventure series!
The tabloids dubbed her "LADY MECHANIKA", the sole survivor of a psychotic serial killer's three-year rampage through London. Found locked in an abandoned laboratory amidst countless corpses and body parts, with her own limbs amputated and replaced with mechanical components, her life began anew. With no memory of her captivity or her former life, LADY MECHANIKA eventually built a new life for herself as a private detective, using her unique abilities to solve cases the police couldn't or wouldn't handle. But, she has never stopped searching for answers...
Now, disturbed by haunting memories from her past, LADY MECHANIKA is consumed by a need for answers and focuses all her efforts on investigating the mystery of the Mechanical Girl. The trail leads her to a traveling show run by a band of gypsies, where help might not come as easily as anticipated. But even with the aid of the Gypsy Queen, can LADY MECHANIKA discover who created the Mechanical Girl and why? And will the answers bring her one step closer to uncovering the truth about herself?

ULTIMATE COMICS FALLOUT #1 Of(6)
The End before The Beginning.

MONDAY TELEMETRY For July 4th, 2011

Welcome to another installment of Monday Telemetry, a weekly blog from The Launchpad that covers some of the more interesting releases or events that are coming to the store this week.

A lot of cool stuff this week! Read on! [See the full list of new titles here!]

ITEM! The Summer events continue with Fear Itself #4 and Flashpoint #3!

Our package deals continue as well. This week's Flashpoint Package includes FLASHPOINT #3, FLASHPOINT ABIN SUR THE GREEN LANTERN #2, FLASHPOINT BATMAN KNIGHT OF VENGEANCE #2, FLASHPOINT SECRET SEVEN #2, FLASHPOINT THE WORLD OF FLASHPOINT #2; all for $9.99!

We're moving to a weekly deal on Fear Itself as well! Get the four core Fear titles for the week (FEAR ITSELF #4, FEAR ITSELF UNCANNY X-FORCE #1, FEAR ITSELF WOLVERINE #1, FEAR ITSELF YOUTH IN REVOLT #3) also for only $9.99!

Or, get all the Fear Itself titles releasing this week (FEAR ITSELF #4, FEAR ITSELF UNCANNY X-FORCE #1, FEAR ITSELF WOLVERINE #1, FEAR ITSELF YOUTH IN REVOLT #3, HEROES FOR HIRE #9, THUNDERBOLTS #160, UNCANNY X-MEN #540) for only $16.99!

ELRIC THE BALANCE LOST #1
Afterword by Neil Gaiman! For 40 years comic fandom has thrilled to the exploits of Elric since his introduction in Marvel Comics' Conan the Barbarian in the early 1970s.  Neil Gaiman called Elric's creator Michael Moorcock "my model for what a writer was" while Warren Ellis said he is one of the "eight core sites in my creative genome." Now the godfather of the Multiverse teams up with hot New York Times bestseller Chris Roberson (Superman, iZombie, Stan Lee's Starborn) for an ongoing series that sees a crisis break out across multiple worlds with Moorcock's other two most famous fantasy franchise characters, Corum of the Scarlet Robe and Dorian Hawkmoon!  The workings of Fate are being tampered across the Multiverse, upsetting the Cosmic Balance. Elric is on a quest to restore The Balance and save the Multiverse from ruin! Elric, Corum, and Hawkmoon are forced into action far and wide, but will they fight on the side of Law... or Chaos?

MOON KNIGHT #3
You've seen what insanity the new Moon Knight can do, but how is he doing it? Find out here! Plus, who is the kingpin of L.A.? And why do all the other criminals cower at his feet?  And just how far is Moon Knight willing to take his new blood fued? (Hint: pretty damn far!) From the Eisner award-winning team that brought you Daredevil, Halo, and Avengers.

RED SKULL #1 (OF 5)
Witness the chilling creation of Marvel's greatest monster, and liberty's greatest enemy. As Berlin descends into chaos and ruin, sinister forces are on the rise...and the men who will form the Nazi Party ascend to power. Against this tragic backdrop of history, a boy comes of age...Johann Schmidt. orphan, thug, urchin - Johann has nothing...and how far he would go for power will change the world...Greg Pak, the writer of X-MEN: MAGNETO - TESTAMENT, and breakout Mirko Colak (SECRET WARRIORS) bring to life the twisted birth of the Red Skull.

VENGEANCE #1 (OF 6)
When MAGNETO of the X-Men tries to rescue a young Mutant on the run, he accidently kicks off a series of events that will shake the very Marvel Universe to it's core!  Who are the new TEEN BRIGADE?! Who are the Brotherhood and what do they want with the YOUNG MASTERS OF EVIL?! And how is the RED SKULL pulling the strings from beyond the grave? Joe Casey (AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST) joins Nick Dragotta?(FANTASTIC FOUR) for some major acts of VENGEANCE!