PUBLISHER: WIZKIDS | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Dungeons & Dragons is a weird sort of game; you sit around and imagine what you’d be like as an adventurer from a fantasy novel. It’s sometimes useful to have physical props to help inspire and spur the imagination. Though models aren’t usually an integral part of the experience, it’s really nice to have physical representation of your character, and it can make combat and action scenes easier to figure out.
The D&D Icons of the Realms Epic Level Starter is intended to inspire both new and experienced players and is intended as a complement to the Dungeons & Dragons starter set. We get seven models that represent six heroes, of the sort you’d find in a game of D&D. It also comes with a nice map, suitable for use as a play-mat during a gaming session.
Our first model is a heavily armoured dwarf called a ‘gold dwarf cleric’. She wields a magically enhanced hammer and a shield. It looks very much like a dwarf priest from a high-fantasy novel, so it’s a good place to start your character. Next up is a human ranger; with their dark brown cloak and longbow, it’s again a great place to inspire new players to create characters. Next up is a ‘sun elf wizard’, which is an odd choice for this set, but it’s a nice model and they’re casting a spell (likely the D&D classic flaming hands). We also get a Wood Elf Druid model who could easily double as another wizard depending on your party.
The Northland’s fighter is basically a sheepskin and the only model with a paint job that isn’t that inspiring. Nice model but the fur he’s wearing is painted white and it looks like he’s carrying a sheep. Still, it’s a cool piece in more than one way. Finally, we get a Halfling Rogue who looks like he’s come straight out of a popular fantasy book featuring Hobbits. We get two versions of this model; one is fully painted and the other is translucent plastic, in case you want an ‘invisible’ version of the Halfling.
Overall this is a useful set and if you’re getting into D&D, it’s a very nice way to grab some inspiration.
