By Ed Fortune

One of the most fun monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual is the Mimic, a weird beastie that disguises itself as a common household item in order to lure in unwary adventurers. Its classic form is that of a treasure chest, and this is such a stinker of a move that it’s become notorious in D&D circles, with player’s never trusting a treasure chest again because instead of treasure, they might get a beastie with big sharp teeth and a huge tentacle-like turn.

Over the years, it’s a little bit famous; they make a Mimic plush toy, it’s turned up in all sorts of video games, and if you ask the horrible thing, it probably thinks it’s in the Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves movie (maybe it’s all the un-opened treasure chests. How would we know?)

Of course, it must be a pretty lonely life being a mimic, sitting around in a dungeon all day waiting for unwitting adventurers to devour. Or it would be if it didn’t turn out that mimics form colonies. Wizkid’s Dungeons & Dragons Icons of The Realms Mimic Colony is a collection of furniture that are actually monsters. These are pre-painted miniatures for use in a standard-scale D&D game and are based on the Mimic Colony concept from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.

We get a wardrobe that looks perfectly innocent until you open the doors, and it reveals lots of yellow eyes, many teeth and a big purple tongue. The chair looks almost innocent except for a rogue leg, and then when you turn it around, it’s got a face. The table is horribly warped thanks to the huge teeth and tongue coming out of it, the flower pot is decidedly hungry, and there’s a bear skin that looks fine until you take a closer look and realise it’s warping into a monster.

We also get a classic chest with a huge grin and a sneaky tentacle on the front of it. It’s a bit less chompy than the one in the Dungeons & Dragons – Honor Among Thieves: Icons Of The Realms set, but it’s just as good. Finally, we get a  barrel that looks like a complete nightmare, warping through the wood, teeth, eyes and tentacles everywhere.

This is a fun set that will work well with most fantasy games. The hideous furniture looks like warped versions of tables and chairs you can get in other Wizkid sets. This is a fun addition to any collection, especially if you’re a fiendish Dungeon Master.