Reading over the recent "Hascon" announcement, it dawned on me that Hasbro still has "Dungeons & Dragons" as one of the brands it controls. The last thing they did with it was Kreos 4 or so years ago. Now is the time to actually give us what we really want: fully articulated 3.75" scale figures, accessories, creatures and environments. Each figure/creature/accessory would come with a card describing the character/creature/accessory and it's abilities utilizing the same stats from the RPG and maybe even dice to get kids interested in playing the game.
The basic figures ($12.99 pricepoint) could be named characters (existing or original) from the various character classes and species available in the vast "D&D" mythos. Parts sharing/reuse would of course play a big part to minimize cost.
A few basic bucks (ball joint head, ball hinge shoulders/elbows/knees, ball waist, ball hips - wrist and ankle articulation would be great but not expected) could serve the entire line:
Male:
Armored Knight - self explanatory
Hero (Loincloth) - barbarian, etc.
Hero (Clothed) - peasants, unarmored adventurers, etc.
Long Robed - wizard, king, etc.
Female:
Armored Knight - self explanatory
Heroine (Bikini-like Outfit) - barbarians, evil sorceresses, etc.
Heroine (Clothed) - peasants, rangers, clerics, etc.
Long Gown - Queen/Princess, Sorceress, etc.
There would need to be areas in the sculpt where various secondary items could be swapped during the production process to create all manner of characters - i.e. different shoulder armor, collars, etc. A half dozen or so styles of each part would make for a pretty good tooling library to begin the line with.
In addition, the parts would be compatible between the same sized bucks to allow Hasbro to create a wide array of different characters with the initial parts - i.e. the bare arms from the nearly naked male or female bucks could be used in conjunction with the clothed torsos to make characters in tunics or vests, etc.
Multiple different lower arms and legs would also need to be tooled to allow for different types of gloves (armored, long/short leather, etc., boots (leather, fur, etc.), bracers, etc. This could be accomplished by having a rotational joint at the wrist and calf or ankle that the different parts could be popped into. A half dozen or so styles of each part would make for a pretty good tooling library to begin the line with.
Any of the base bucks could be used for multiple species - i.e. Orcs could use the Hero bucks (either Loincloth or Clothed), Mind Flayers could use the Long Robed buck, etc. The only additional parts that would have to be tooled would be the various heads and hands.
Accessories to start off would be 4 different swords (Hero sword, Villain sword, plain longsword, plain short sword), an axe (double bladed), 3 different shields (badge, circular metal, circular wooden w/metal bits), 2 different magic wands (good, evil), male and female crowns, a wizard's hat, 2 different spell books (1 good, 1 evil), a dagger, a bow, a quiver of arrows, single arrow (could fit into opening in quiver), king/queen scepters, and a few helmets (Heroic winged, Evil winged, horned, plain). Some assorted straps, belts, tunics, capes, etc.
Some Examples:
Wave 1:
Male Barbarian - Conan-like, large axe, Heroic sword and circular metal shield.
Orc Warrior - Clothed Hero buck lower body and torso, bare Hero arms, circular wooden shield, longsword and horned helmet.
Good Wizard - Gandalf-like, good magic wand, wizard hat, good spell book.
Evil Wizard - Long Robed buck, evil magic wand, evil spell book.
Ranger (Elf, Female)- Clothed buck, bow, quiver, arrow, dagger.
Paladin - Armored Knight buck, Hero sword, badge shield, Hero winged helmet.
2pks ($21.99):
Knights - basic medieval knights, longswords and badge shields, could have flip up faceplates on non removable helmets.
Heroic King + Queen - Long Robed Male and Female bucks, King crown, King scepter, Hero sword, Queen crown, Queen scepter.
Orc Soldiers - Clothed Hero bucks, plain helmets (2), circular wooden shields (2), longsword, axe.
Wave 2:
Paladin and Orc Warrior from Wave 1 carry over.
Dark Elf (Male) - Clothed Hero buck, bow, quiver, arrow, short sword.
Orc Knight - Armored Knight buck, Villain sword, circular metal shield, Evil winged helmet.
Good Wizard (Female) - Long Robed buck, Good magic wand, cape.
Ranger (Elf, Male) - Clothed Hero buck lower body and torso, Bare arms, bow, arrow, quiver, dagger.
2pks:
Knights and Orcs carry forward.
Magic Duel - Male Good Wizard - Long Robed buck, different head, Good magic wand. Female Sorceress - Bikini buck w/ armored bits, cape, Evil magic wand.
After a few waves, I could see Hasbro expanding the tooling library. The basic bucks would probably stay the same but the number of different heads, accessories (including all new accessories like crossbows) and secondary items would expand.
Deluxe Figures:
Deluxe figures ($21.99) would either be figures with horses or other similarly sized creatures or larger figures like Trolls or Centaurs and would most likely be boxed. There could be one articulated horse mold (swivel hips/tail, ball hinge neck/knees) that would get different vinyl saddles/reigns/etc. (maybe 2 different sculpts - good/evil?). The horse mold could probably work for the Centaur as well with the humanoid torso going in the place where the ball hinge neck goes. The Troll mold could be 5" or 6" tall (ball head, ball hinge shoulders/elbows/knees, swivel waist/hips) and could also be reused for other large creatures such as Ogres and even a Cyclops.
Wave 1:
Knight on Horseback - One 2pk Knight (variant simpler deco), Horse, Good saddle/reigns, longsword, round metal shield.
Orc on Horseback - One 2pk Orc Soldier (variant simpler deco), Horse, evil saddle/reigns, longsword, round wooden shield.
Troll - giant club accessory.
Accessories:
Hasbro can take advantage of some of the great gameplay elements from the long running RPG. Accessories could be things like weapons racks, treasure chests/piles, wizard's gear (potion bottles, cauldron, spell books etc.), siege weapons or even small creatures. Accessory packs probably would not be released until there were at least 2 waves of product at retail but I could see 2 different classes of Accessory Packs, smaller carded sets ($12.99) and slightly larger boxed sets for things like catapults ($19.99).
Carded Wave 1 (accessories are combination of initial offerings and new ones):
The King's Armory: Double sided weapons rack, 2 spears, 6 different swords, axe, 2 different shields, 2 helmets, tiny creature accessory.
Wizard's Magic: Table (unassembled in package), magic wand, spell books, potions bottles, small statue, candles, tiny creature accessory.
Evil Armory: Double sided weapons rack, club, spear, 4 swords, 2 daggers, 2 shields, helmet, tiny creature accessory.
The Dragon's Treasure: Treasure pile base (all other accessories fit into it in recessed areas), treasure chest (opens/closes), sculpted coin piles/stacks, gem piles, sword, shield.
Wave 2:
Wizard's Magic and Dragon's Treasure would carry forward.
Bestiary - 3 tiny creatures, 1 medium creature, 1 large creature with 1 or more articulation point.
Evil Wizard's Magic - Cauldron w/fire pit base (transparent flames), spell books, magic wand, potion bottles.
Boxed Wave 1:
Catapult - 2 or 3 "stones" for ammunition.
Giant Crossbow - 2 or 3 bolts for ammunition.
Future Accessory Packs could be more elaborate, more like mini playsets and utilize other game elements like traps.
Creatures:
I could see 2 different price points for the boxed creatures- medium sized creatures ($21.99 - $29.99) like a Gryphon, Hydra or small Dragon, and a larger ($39.99 - $49.99) SKU for a deluxe creature like a large Dragon. These would probably only be released after a few successful waves of the basic line. Maybe a small dragon as an initial offering as the line is called "Dungeons & Dragons".
Playset:
While playsets are not a common site in toy aisles any longer, I could not see Hasbro passing up the opportunity to make at least one in time for the Holiday season. I envision a boxed playset in the $60-$75 range with 1 pack-in figure. The playset would probably include some play elements from the RPG like some traps (moving walls, collapsing staircase, etc.) and maybe some nominal accessories (almost certainly recycled from those already available to keep costs down).
Temple Of Evil - comes unassembled in the box and assembles into an 18" tall by 12" square "stone" playset consisting of an alter with steps leading up to it (stairs collapse to send figures to the "dungeon" in the square base), a spire with a Chulhu-like dark being bas relief sculpted into it along with "arcane" hieroglyphics. A firepot with transparent flames stand at each of the 2 front corners of the altar area. "Dungeon" in base has shackles on 1 wall, a skeleton in the corner, a "wood" door that opens/closes into an open area in the back of the base resembling a stone hallway (can also be accessed by a moving wall in the dungeon) with steps or ladder leading up into the hollow backed spire. In the spire is a small recessed area at the summit with a treasure chest and treasure in it (recycled from the Dragon's Treasure Accessory Set). The pack-in figure would be a Mind Flayer (Long Robed buck, new head/hands, new staff and new "sacrificial" dagger).
