One of the far too many kickstarters I have been suckered into spending far too much money on, is Dungeon Saga by Mantic Games.

A fresh take on the classic HeroQuest game with a small dash of Dungeons and Dragons. Simplistic rules with straight forward gameplay, easy enough to game with the kids. Hopefully not too boring to play with other grownups.

As I usually don’t enjoy painting heroes all that much, I decided to just start with them before any fatigue sets in. That way I might actually finish the set without too much ado.

Here are the first basic heroes, your typical archetypes as prescribed by HeroQuest: Dwarf, Wizard, Elf, Barbarian.

Since this was a kickstarter, there were several other heroes unlocked and delivered, such as a Groot, a fishlady, two hobbits (or a Halfling and an Imp…), a warrior nun, a paladin, a dwarf barkeep with his faithful throwing mastiff and a massive lizardman, plus a resin not-Drizzt and a version of Blaine the Interdimentional Man of Mystery that has had a miniature in most of Mantics kickstarters.

 

The Dungeon Saga minis are made in a newish PVC material similar to the rigid Bones PVC, only even harder and not rubbery at all. The two exceptions are the Dragon that is more rubbery and slightly bendy (when using force), and the KS exclusive not-Drizzt that is made in “premium resin”.

I am glad to see that big strides are being made in miniature materials and production technology. However, I see online that many have taken issue with the material these minis are made in.

Frankly, I do not see the problem. This material is perfectly fine for this kind of mini. Yes, there are bent minis in the box, but this also goes for almost every other miniature out there that is not polystyrene HIPS. The details are fine (better than in similarily sized Bones), but not quite as sharp as a resin mini. But then what can you expect at that price point?

Straightening or repositioning the bent bits is a simple matter of dipping in hot water to make it soft and pliable, straightening and then dipping in cold water, just like Bones, and restic.

The material is rigid and primes up and takes paint well and when painted the minis look excellent. The plastic is quite hard and damage resistant. The moldlines are present, but not even close to as much work to remove as with Restic or Bones.

All in all, I like it.

 

 

Heroes from the Dungeon Saga game set

Mantic Games

Rigid PVC

25mm bases.

 

Painted so far this month: 4

Painted so far this year: 106  

(Day 67 of the year. I have a good head start on one-a-day, especially as it has been almost three weeks since I have been able to get any minis painted.)