Four Horsemen Studios Mythic Legions

[secondwhiteline]

If nothing else, this has reinforced my desire to play through Final Fantasy X-2 again, because Wear Cute Outfits That Change Your Powers is basically how I approach my life anyway. So the Horsemen might be onto something here but they've made it in the wrong format for people of entirely the wrong gender identity.

 

[Damien]

If nothing else, this has reinforced my desire to play through Final Fantasy X-2 again, because Wear Cute Outfits That Change Your Powers is basically how I approach my life anyway. So the Horsemen might be onto something here but they've made it in the wrong format for people of entirely the wrong gender identity.

Honestly, I can think of a bunch of ways they could have done something really cool with expanding on their figures and mythology that did not involve trying to force their way into a very dense community that they don't care about and don't understand.

 

[fac]

To what end? The 4H are not a TTRPG company. They are a toy company. Why do they -want- people who collect their action figures to 'give this game a try?' It's circular logic - the game has to exist so people can try it, and people want to try it because it exists.

I still think it is firstly an attempt to create some sort of IP, and secondly a reason to re-release figures and accessories as part of any future expansion.

you almost certainly know what D&D is and you've already decided whether you want to try it or not.

Fair, and to be honest there are few things I find more boring than D&D (granted it has been a long time)...

It's like making a series of golf shoes

Golf being one of those things I find even more boring...

All the defenses for this amount to 'but what if someone DOES want to?' It's never '-I- am excited to play this game.' Like ever.

I will say if I was still at my old organization which had a few action figure collectors, I suspect I would at least ask them if they were interested in going in on this as a group and possibly try the game. Because the concept, as someone who isn't into these things normally, has some appeal to me - but I do not have a group to play it with.

 

[secondwhiteline]

Honestly, I can think of a bunch of ways they could have done something really cool with expanding on their figures and mythology that did not involve trying to force their way into a very dense community that they don't care about and don't understand.

I have to wonder how many people who have bought into this thing have bought into an RPG KS before. Because one of the first things that stands out to me is that there's no link to a short demo module or even a gameplay example, like the kind of thing you'd get in any crowdfunding project for a new system.

 

[docsilence]

Yeah, the thing is: I like MTG and D&D and tons of other games and I'm the exact market for gaming-based figures, but most gamers are spending too much money on their games to buy figures! And yeah, to an extent, gamers have been taught to buy figures, but they're not going to give up those extremely practical little miniatures to mess around with giant figures. Damien's deeply right in that everything about this that triggered a "Well, that might be neat" reaction from me is from the figure collector part of me, not the gamer part of me.

Meanwhile the gamer part of me pretty immediately thought this: "The figures-in-game idea is cute, but the logistics of stopping play so you can change your maps to put a bigger map on the table and then populating that with giant figures that require posing and remaining steady enough to stand while everyone is rolling dice and checking their books for rules clarifications and everything, that all sounds like a huge pain to implement for real."

And then the figure collector part of me had a realization: "If you're the exact right person for this who's halfway between a figure collector and a gamer, you're absolutely the DM here and making your friends play your copy that you bought for the figures, since there's about no chance in hell that any friend group in the world has 2 people who bought into this KS independently of each other, and the last thing you want is them getting their grubby, Cheeto-dusted hands all over your Mythic Legions figures."

Very much this.

I honestly think I'd be stupidly aligned for this. I'm a 4H buyer. I own enough of them that @Damien would absolutely make fun of me for it. ( ). I back crowdfunding TTRPG stuff all the time, and legit like 5-6 5e-specific projects a year. But I'm definitely looking for a way to buy some of the figures without any interest in the game. And I GM for a good... 20-ish players every month? And not a SOUL is interested in this. But they're not action figure people. I did ask a bunch of them if they would buy action figures of their current characters and they said sure, for like 30 bucks. How fast does it ship? Year or two? Maybe later if I can get it at a con or something.

When they announced it my first reaction was fuck, if they do a ton of Mythic Legions-style unpainted minis I'm gonna throw like a hundred bucks at it on launch day and use those in my games. And if a KS gives me a fun bestiary or magic items or some wonky mechanic I can bolt onto my games? I'm a slut for that stuff. I just haven't seen anything about the game other than "use your toys!" so far.

And for real, I'm gonna get 3-4 figures from this KS, easy, maybe more. I'm not knocking that part of it. But those 3-4 figures are gonna be for me, not for my table. If I bought 100 dollars worth of minis? I'd be hand-painting those to be villains or player characters.

I have to wonder how many people who have bought into this thing have bought into an RPG KS before. Because one of the first things that stands out to me is that there's no link to a short demo module or even a gameplay example, like the kind of thing you'd get in any crowdfunding project for a new system.

This is the thing that jumps out at me. Every other KS I've ever seen has a gameplay video, a download of sample content, something about what's on offer. The action figures look beautiful, but the game content is vapor.

 

[JakeEkiss]

They get a new mini. Because D&D players buy minis. Just ask @docsilence - he can't fucking stop himself.

I CACKLED at this. Brutal drive-by and so true (in the friendliest possible way @docsilence you're awesome)

like, four D&D action figure lines tanked in the past few years, there's a disconnect between the two communities (I say this as someone who BOUGHT those figures!)

My Xanathar is so lonely on my shelf. He so much wants some Mind Flayers and a Bulette friend...

I actually think if they did a vanity purchase option where you could buy parts to create YOUR character as an action figure they'd draw in a SOME non-4H fans (Heroforge but action figures) because a lot of young players like vanity items for their characters, but the logistics of that would be a nightmare.

That's basically that convention thing they've been doing, no? The sort of build-your-own legion thing? That's legit the kind of gimmick I'd absolutely overpay for at a convention. I'd spend an hour holding up different pieces together thinking "what about THIS option...

Well, maybe that is their target, action figure collectors who might decide to give their game a try?

I feel like those of you who are very into the TTRPG stuff are assuming this is for you, and not casuals who might be intrigued by connecting the toys to a game in a direct way.

I'm not disputing that this may have limited to no appeal to folks who buy dozens of games and have the miniatures and all of that. But it may have appeal to others?

Anyway, they pretty much said that you only break out the action figures at specific times for specific purposes, while using the matching miniatures most of the time.

The thing is, they chose to make a D&D fork and contrary to a lot of popular belief, D&D is not a new player friendly game. Like, at all. It's famous and popular, but almost every other ttrpg system out there is easier to learn. Especially true if it's come out in the last 20 or so years. So in a very real way they've picked a system that is almost hostile to new players if they don't have a chaperone (because that's how most folks get into D&D specifically, they have a friend who already does it teach them).

One of the biggest drawbacks of a D&D group is if they've never played anything else it can be hard to get them to switch because they assume all ttrpgs are as onerous to learn.

I have to wonder how many people who have bought into this thing have bought into an RPG KS before. Because one of the first things that stands out to me is that there's no link to a short demo module or even a gameplay example, like the kind of thing you'd get in any crowdfunding project for a new system.

This is my biggest red flag with it as a game kick. There is no sample or tease for the mechanics, and "you can play the same game only scaled up so much that it won't fit on most tables anymore" isn't a strong draw for anyone who is used to doing combat on a grid. A 1-inch grid is already shockingly hard to find space for if you want to really use the kinds of ranges you can in D&D.

 

[docsilence]

That's basically that convention thing they've been doing, no? The sort of build-your-own legion thing? That's legit the kind of gimmick I'd absolutely overpay for at a convention. I'd spend an hour holding up different pieces together thinking "what about THIS option...

It is, and holy fuck I'd spend too much time and money building my own figure with that if there was an online option. And the players I know who aren't necessarily action figure friendly would, at least a quarter of them, be sellable on mix and match til you get your dude.

I CACKLED at this. Brutal drive-by and so true (in the friendliest possible way @docsilence you're awesome)

Look, I know myself. I had reapermini.com open on my browser when Damien fired that shot. I'm trying to find a goddamned wizard who looks like a trash mummy for SOMEONE

My Xanathar is so lonely on my shelf. He so much wants some Mind Flayers and a Bulette friend...

That goddamned Xanathar rolled off the shelf twice this week. I also can't find a home for the displacer beast but I will never put that kitten away, he's awesome. I actually like him better than the beholder.

This is my biggest red flag with it as a game kick. There is no sample or tease for the mechanics, and "you can play the same game only scaled up so much that it won't fit on most tables anymore" isn't a strong draw for anyone who is used to doing combat on a grid. A 1-inch grid is already shockingly hard to find space for if you want to really use the kinds of ranges you can in D&D.

I posted a humiliatingly long list of games I backed since 2026 upthread and if someone were to click through to any of those, every single one has a game play preview video and quickstart sample doc. It's basically table stakes if you want to make a TTRPG crowdfunder now.

 

[JakeEkiss]

Look, I know myself. I had reapermini.com open on my browser when Damien fired that shot. I'm trying to find a goddamned wizard who looks like a trash mummy for SOMEONE

That goddamned Xanathar rolled off the shelf twice this week. I also can't find a home for the displacer beast but I will never put that kitten away, he's awesome. I actually like him better than the beholder.

I never grabbed the Displacer Beast but sometimes I think I should. I didn't quite like the look of the Owlbear but the kitty I'm kinda here for. I'm still pissed we haven't gotten BG3 figures. I want my Karlach dammit!

 

[docsilence]

I never grabbed the Displacer Beast but sometimes I think I should. I didn't quite like the look of the Owlbear but the kitty I'm kinda here for. I'm still pissed we haven't gotten BG3 figures. I want my Karlach dammit!

They fucked up not doing BG3 figures, but if they were as shoddy as the movie figures we lucked out. Every single movie figure had QC issues, stuck joints, broken limbs, etc.

The owlbear is too cartoony for sure compared to Xanathar (it's fun but like a different line). Highly recommend the displacer beast though. All the good animal engineering from Classfied but in a D&D monster.

 

[PantherCult]

I quite like the owlbear. I got it in white and brown and bought extras when they went on clearance to make a black one and maybe customize a great horned owl or perhaps a grey screech owl.

 

[TheSameIdiot]

I'll trash my carefully curated toy D&D party the second someone announces Baldur's Gate 3 figures. Fuck off, Mythic Legions. I have a Lae'zel now.

Those of us who are very into the TTRPG stuff have the experience to say what -gets people into TTRPGs-.

This is what I keep coming back to.

Pre-COVID, my friends and I tried to teach ourselves D&D. It fizzled out within two months. Years later, Baldur's Gate 3 came out. Baldur's Gate 3 is like playing Monopoly on the computer. It's faster. It's prettier. It's easier. It does all the math for you. After that, we started playing D&D for real again because we experienced an S-tier version of it. 4H's slapdash 5e setting is basically the polar opposite.

The thing is, they chose to make a D&D fork and contrary to a lot of popular belief, D&D is not a new player friendly game. Like, at all. It's famous and popular, but almost every other ttrpg system out there is easier to learn.

If you start with D&D and don't have an experienced DM at your table... good luck.

 

[Alt]

Dunking on the Horsemen:
So after the initial first day surge one thing is becoming clear: this is a toy kickstarter.

That was really all my rambling was establishing earlier.

Shadowheart when?

 

[JakeEkiss]

I quite like the owlbear. I got it in white and brown and bought extras when they went on clearance to make a black one and maybe customize a great horned owl or perhaps a grey screech owl.

Sadly I think BG3 ruined it for me because the game's take on owlbears was so much cooler and more what I'd want.

They fucked up not doing BG3 figures, but if they were as shoddy as the movie figures we lucked out. Every single movie figure had QC issues, stuck joints, broken limbs, etc.

Yeah... we might've dodged a bullet. But like, what if they gave them the kind of love they gave to Classified? Imagine how cool those would be. Karlach with a few special items and hands and a spare raging head... maybe some sort of light-piping for the chest so you would put a light behind her and she'd glow a little... so much they could do with those figures.

 

[TheSameIdiot]

I am praying to Ao above and Lolth below that Figma gives us a partially complete BG3 party. I could make do with Lae'zel, Shadowheart, and Karlach. A fourth companion would be lovely, but I'm not pushing my luck.

Please, we need something good in our lives.

 

[fac]

Go back to, for example, how many new TTRPG fans were created by there being an official Star Wars game? In my experience - startlingly few. You know who played it? People very into TTRPGs that were waiting for a good Star Wars game. That's who.

That's an interesting point, partly because Lucasfilm used West End Games in the late 80's and 90's to get a lot of background lore out there - lots of character, place and vehicle names as well as timelines were first introduced or organized in their game materials, and many people bought those guides not to play the game but to enhance their Star Wars fandom during the time when the Expanded Universe was just starting in books and comics. I could see many fans of the ML toys interested in the book not so much for the game but for the information.

Pre-COVID, my friends and I tried to teach ourselves D&D. It fizzled out within two months.

That was me and my friends, but back in 1980 when Advanced D&D was still new. As 7th/8th graders didn't hold our interest. Tried again maybe 10 years later, still didn't work out. I suspect there are some folks like me that was intrigued but never intrigued enough, who at the right time might have thought they'd give this game a try.