We are WizKids Games, maker of games like HeroClix, Mage Knight, and Quarriors. We just announced a partnership with Wizards of the Coast to release a new line of minis and games for the new edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Ask us anything!

Have any of you been lurking on /r/Heroclix? As a moderator there, how can we encourage you to take part in discussions or pass some previews our way?

I'll send you a PM.

Oh wow, I did not see this coming! First off, Heroclix is doing great and I can't wait to see what's coming next! I have three questions:
1. Can you say what's going on with the Street Fighter set?
2. Is the rumors of a Flash set true?
3. Will you be doing an announcement of what's to come after War of the Light within the next month or two?

Thanks for taking the time to read and answer our questions, keep doing what you're doing WK!

Thanks for the support and kinds words. Unfortunately, we cannot comment on rumors. We're still in the planning phases of our schedule post War of Light. So it's still a little too early to comment.

Not a problem, I had a feeling but I thought I'd ask. Thanks for the response WK, looking forward to your upcoming stuff and that new Dice Building game. Hopefully we'll see you over at /r/heroclix!

We may not have the time to actively post on /r/heroclix, but we will try working with the mods to get some more info there. Thanks for playing!

Pirates Constructable Game: Will it ever return? I loved this game so much and still have a huge cache of tiny boats that are still super fun to bust out from time to time. I checked out the card game that came out recently, but I'd love to build me some tiny boats again.

Wow. Thanks! That certainly takes us back. It really was a fun little game wasn't it? We are always looking at past products to see if there's a way to bring something back to success with a relaunch. Pirates is definitely on our list. Nothing firm to announce yet though.

Are these miniatures going to be scaled for a 1" grid?

You guys have some pretty excellent sculpts sometimes. I rebased a number of mageknight minis for 1" to use in my home DnD games.

Yup. Our D&D minis will be scaled for a 1" grid. Thanks for the kind words on our sculpts. We're excited about our D&D set. Can't wait to show more.

No question. Just a gigantic thank you for making my life better by stumbling upon Heroclix one random day. You guys single handedly started my sick addiction into tabletop gaming.

That's great to hear! Thanks for playing and enjoying our games. We always love to hear that people are enjoying themselves with our products. Here's a little thank you back to you.

Will there be multiple versions of each PC/Player Character? If so, is there any chance it might be based on level? For instance, a blister pack featuring three versions of a female fighter: a low-level version with a plain sword and leather armor, a mid-level version with a better-looking sword and bow + chain mail, and a high-level version in magical plate mail, elaborate magical sword, etc.

All your ideas are belong to us! But seriously, this is already our approach in HeroClix and Pathfinder. So we'd look to replicate this approach with D&D.

EDIT: Pathfinger was a typo. Though now that I think of it, it sounds like a James Bound theme song.

You heard it here first, folks! WizKids new game: Pathfinger action movie series: James Bound!

Oh noes! Our secrets!

Any plans on doing HeroClix for the Arrow TV show characters?

No plans at this time. But thanks for the question!

Are there any plans for Marvel vehicles for Heroclix on the horizon? I'm in dire need of a Fantasticar (and more Fantastic Four pieces in general).

Also, are there Godzilla Heroclix on the way so that I can stage epic battles with my Pacific Rim clix?

We've talked about it for years. No definitive plans though. Trust us, we'll announce it far and wide if we do it. A Helicarrier would be really cool, wouldn't it?

As soon as I saw "Helicarrier" I smiled. It seems I cannot stop smiling. Thanks for the response!

I can't wait to play a Helicarrier on the Helicarrier Map.

Yo Dawg. I heard you like Helicarriers, so we put a Helicarrier on your Helicarrier.

I LOVE your quarriors game. Anything cool coming up for that?

We love Quarriors too. First off there our iPad version of Quarriors for iOS. We just submitted to Apple for our impending release of the Quarmageddon expansion for that. So we're hoping next week.

On the board game, we are launching our Light vs. Dark expansion for Quarriors in June of 2014. The new release will be playable both as a base set and as an expansion.

What about a PC version of quarriors?

The game is built using the Unity engine, but we're using iOS Game Center for multiplayer, achievements, and other things. So we'd have to identify a platform that supports those things or code something on our own. It's not outside the realm of possibility, but we'd probably start somewhere like Android first. Who knows, if Unity support improves on consoles, we could bring it there as well.

what about android?

We've got Android squarely in our sites. As noted above Quarriors for iOSis built on the Unity game engine, but we're using iOS Game Center for multiplayer, achievements, and other things. So we'd have to figure out how to use Google Play services to supports those things. I can't say it's officially in the works yet, but we are looking at it to see what's involved. Thanks!

Can you tell us about any new Heroclix sets? After Yu Gi Oh of course.

So Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes is about to release. After that we have X-Men: Days of Future Past (April 2014), Deadpool (May 2014), War of Light (begins May/June 2014), Guardians of the Galaxy (comic, August 2014). The second YGO set will release later this year.

How similar will your new D&D sets be to your currently produced Pathfinder Battles sets? In particular:

1. Will there be random packs that I can buy as a case?
2. How likely is it that I'll be able to get a complete set if I buy a case? (With Pathfinder Battles, I heard this was about 99%.)
3. How large will the sets be, both in terms of sculpts and in terms of number of miniatures per case?
4. How will rarity be broken down? How many common figures, how many uncommon, how many rare?
5. There have been a lot of complaints about your packaging, in terms of environmental friendliness, ease of opening, and protection. On protection in particular, frequently miniatures get loose and rattle around, breaking everything else inside the box. What are you doing to address this?

Thanks.

1. Yes.
2. We never guarantee collation.
3. About 45-50 figures. There will be 128 figures per case. The sculpts will vary in size. Obviously these are the rough stats we are working with right now and they may be subject to change, depending on ongoing discussions with WotC.
4. This isn't finalized at this point.
5. We're always working with our factories to improve our packaging both in terms of protection and environmental friendliness. We know it's important.

Thank you for the comments.

I'm curious how the D&D minis will be marketed. Will we see adventure-specific teams of PC / NPC minis? Will there be large sets? Will the packaging be random or revealed?

All good questions, some of which we can answer at this time, some of which we can't. The D&D RPG line have a combination of visible and blind packaging, much like our other RPG line ;)

Our Attack Wing D&D game will be configured very much like our Star Trek: Attack Wing game, with a box set and stand alone visible figures.

Our initial release will support the first D&D storyline arc from Wizards of the Coast. We haven't started development on the second set yet.

By "first storyline," do you mean the adventure booklets they've already released using the D&D Next ruleset, or do you mean a future series of adventures or novels WotC are publishing, or do you mean previously published Dragonlance or Forgotten Realms novels?

Yes to all? It's up to Wizard, at this point. For now we can only speak to their recently announced Tyranny of Dragons

For Marvel Dice Masters, will there be an official storage solution? I am thinking a Quarriors style box with the plastic sorting trays .

We've set up the product packaging of the starter to act as a storage solution. We may look into more official storage solutions after launch.

EDIT: Typos. I hates them.

Are there currently any points of interest that you're looking to improve upon for Heroclix (ex. OP kits, balance, sculpt quality, Heroclix Online, etc)? Or are you happy with everything with the game (production through gameplay)?

Also, are you able to divulge the demands/pressures from Marvel/DC in deciding which characters can be made within a set (for example, does DC request that New52 characters be prominent within a set, or is that entirely your decision)?

Of course there's always room for improvement both in product and programs. We're constantly looking for ways to change things up. One thing that people don't realize is that we are pre-planned about 14-18 months out. If we were to make a change today, it would phase in within 14-18 months, which is quite some to work a change into the system.

As for the Marvel/DC set question, it's not all on them or all on us. We propose a set list to our partners and they review, revise, comment, or reject, as they see fit. We do try to be good partners by supporting those initiatives that our partners want to put forward.

STORAGE!!! I would like to know if WizKids is developing any STORAGE solutions for HeroClix ... Everyone I know has a different method, or custom built stuff (myself included)! We love our Clix ... can you help us store them in an ORGANIZED, SAFE, and aesthetically pleasing manner?

We've actually played with several solutions internally and considered several ideas. We haven't landed on anything yet, but it's something we are consistently returning to until we get it right. One ClixBox to rule them all.

Would anyone from Wizkids (especially a designer) ever consider being a guest on our Heroclix podcast Dial H for Heroclix? We have a large fanbase and while we're typically more critical, it'd be nice to actually sit down and talk with you guys and get your viewpoints on various subjects. We also do a variety of dial design contests and the like, and it'd be awesome to discuss the thought process that goes into each individual character and figure.

Unfortunately, we're a small group of people working on very large things. As such, we don't always have the time to do as much personal outreach as we might want to. With podcasts, the issue is that if we do one, we kind of have to do others and it can quickly grow out of control. Don't not ask. If we find time, we'll try to work it in. Keep up the good work.

Thanks a lot, it means a lot hearing that straight from you guys. If anyone in your company is ever interested and finds the time we'd absolutely love to have one of them on, just shoot me a PM.

Will do. And thanks again for the invite!

How is your day going?

It's going pretty well. The owner of NECA (our parent company) got the whole company lunch today from Qdoba. So that's pretty awesome. Also, I love interacting with folks on Reddit. This is my first time doing it in an official capacity, so that's always interesting. The snowmageddon that's been hitting the NY/NJ area is temporarily on hold (until this weekend). I think I tweaked my back this week though. But, all in all, I can't complain. How are you doing?

Glad to see you are doing well! oh and I am just loving life. You guys are the first to respond to a question i asked.

It's an important question worth answering. Keep up the good work.

How did you end up choosing pink as the new color for the HeroClix PAC?

It's the color of our staff uniform here at WizKids Games. It goes with almost anything. Seriously, though, it's the best contrast to existing colors on the dial.

If you had to choose another color to add new powers for, are there any remaining you think are distinct enough to qualify?

It sounds like you have a specific color (or colors) in mind here. What colors would you think would be good?

While we're having a WizKids/WOTC lovefest; what are chances of translating the MtG universe to the 'Clix platform?

One can dream...

How do you decide on if a set that coincides with the release of a movie will be based on that movie or not? For example, there was recently an Iron Man 3 set that was based on that movie. However, there will soon be an X-Men: Days of Future Past set, but it is not based on the movie.

edit: just wanted to mention /r/Heroclix, which has been a really welcoming community and has been really helpful as was getting into the game a year ago.

It's mostly a matter of licensing, rights, and the content owner. Sometimes it also depends on the movie release date. Our licensing partners retain a considerable amount of control and approval over our releases. So we have to work within their constraints.

This isn't a question, but I just wanted to tell you guys: I've been playing Heroclix for 13 years, across seven states and two countries. I've made a ton of friends playing it and going to organized play events has been, for the most part, an extremely positive experience for me. I love the game and I look forward to playing it a lot more in the future. Thanks for putting out a great product.

Hi there! Thanks for the kind words. We love to hear about people who've made great friends and memories from our games. We hope to continue to support your enjoyment with our new releases. Thanks for playing.

My son is already showing an affinity for gaming as an uber-precocious Kindergartner that spends much of his free time asking about the creation of the universe and how the wireless internet works. He's currently a master of Minecraft, but I think he would love to start learning more about the intricacies of gaming, how it works, how they are created.

As an English major who is really only good at reading things, I'm in over my head here. Any websites/youtube channels/games that are age appropriate for a six year old that teach about computer programming/gaming/logic/architecture?

And should I start learning Dungeons and Dragons now or later?

It's great that you are looking to support your son in learning more about computers, the internet, and game development. There are many tools to get kids excited about game development. We're not sure if all of these are still around, but there's some great stuff there.

As for D&D, I say it's never too late to learn. It can actually be a great family activity. It really encourages creativity and social storytelling. Obviously different campaigns will be more or less appropriate for children, but given that D&D ruleset provides a good dungeon master the tools they need to craft their story for any audience, we think it's an awesome thing to do with your kids, especially as they older. I played D&D with my parents and I turned out OK. braces for all other WizKids employees to comment

• What product (a whole set, or a single piece) are you most proud of and why?
• How did the Pacific Rim set for Heroclix come about. It seems pretty different than all the other sets: a new property, with one film. Did they approach you or what happened?
• Can I get any info how I can get an orange lantern for War of Light? I didn't see it in the OP Kit solicits.

We obviously really like all of our games, else we wouldn't have made them. Personally, I think the Mage Knight board game by Vladimír Chvátil is a masterful game.

The owner of NECA has a close relationship with Guillermo del Toro. His concept for the movie was a very exciting one. So once NECA was doing product for Pac Rim, we wanted to support it.

We'll announce more about the other color lantern soon. Stay tuned!

How did you guys talk Iron Maiden into doing clix of the bands albums? Haha

The owner of NECA (which owns WizKids), knows the guys from the band and their management from when he used to manage bands a long time ago. It was just a cool idea that just sort of came up and we all thought it would be fun.

KA2 and Iron Maiden got me thinking, have you guys ever rejected a property based on content?

And follow-up, would you be open to doing a niche or limited availability set even if that meant the individual price point would have to be higher?

We pass on properties on a regular basis.

Niche sets mean limited demand. Add to that a higher price point, which would drive the demand further down. The tooling costs alone require that each set sells a LOT of figures to make a release even modestly commercially viable. As such, we select properties on appeal and accessibility. Sometimes we'll take a chance on a property on a case-by-case basis (pardon the pun)

Are the new D&D minis on clix bases?

The initial release will not be on our Combat Dial clix bases. We're looking at our options, including HeroClix, for future releases. We can confirm that we are doing an Dungeons & Dragons Attack Wing game, which will use the same game engine as Star Trek: Attack Wing.

I am also curious if they will be on the base. Also if they are compatible with heroclix

The initial figures will be fantasy miniatures for use with the D&D RPG. We are considering a HeroClix line of D&D figures. Stay tuned!

Dungeons & Dragons Attack Wing: Dragons, Griffons, and Spelljammers? Or is it something you can't go into detail on yet?

Unfortunately, we can't give more detail than to say that it will have a similar product configuration to our Star Trek: Attack Wing game. We'll be revealing a bunch of information about our D&D Attack Wing game at the GAMA trade show in Las Vegas this March. Stay Tuned!

Will the new D&D series of minis have any old fan-favorite characters?

By old fan-favorite characters, I assume you mean D&D characters? If so, absolutely yes. If not, then no.

Yes, some of the big names in D&D that have been with us for ages. I've been playing since 1st edition, and I'd LOVE to be able to pick up some of my old favorites. This is awesome to hear, thanks!

Trust me! We're excited too. We can't wait to play with the Drizzt figure.

Any upcoming Quarriors expansions? A few more things involving Corrupted Quiddity maybe?

See our other comment about Light vs. Dark and Quarriors on iOS. Thanks!

How are you going to do Battle Royals at Gen-Con this year? Thanks for doing this!

Look for an announcement for our 2014 convention plans soon. We'll post on our Facebook Page and on Heroclix.com.

Will we get to see some licencing deals with Marvel and DC for their popular TV and future Netflix properties?

We're always exploring our options with Marvel and DC. No news yet though.

Will the Days of Future Past CTD each have 1 Nimrod figure? Also, will you ever get the Shadowrun license from Topps? Shadowrun Heroclix would be AWESOME!

Content for the X-Men set will be previewed soon on Heroclix.com. As you mentioned the Shadowrun property is with Topps and their partner Catalyst games. Would be fun though.

For side-sets like Assassin's Creed and Street Fighter, do you guys seek the licenses or do they come to you?

Good question. It really varies for each property. Sometimes they come to us. Sometimes we really like a property and want to work on it.

If we were interested in a property getting translated to clix, would you say we should badger you guys or the developers about the opportunity to get it made?

Both. Obviously the more fans speak out about properties, the more a property owner might hear you and come to us, or the more we might take you guys up on something and seek out the license. No promises though. Also, just because we don't do a property that would be a great idea doesn't mean we wouldn't want to. The opportunity may just not have presented itself in the right way just yet. Keep the ideas coming though.

When I first got into HeroClix, I just started buying random figures that I liked. Then I noticed all of the starter packs that you promote, and I bought one or two of those. When I got interested in tournaments, I noticed that I had been missing things, like objects and such. Would you guy potentially sell a good starter set? One that includes everything that you could want to play with? Also, would there be any chance of seeing individual maps in the future?

Starter sets include everything you need to play the game. Our configuration and business model is such that we sell additional items in a collectible format, allowing you to scale your investment as you see fit.

For the upcoming D&D minis, will you be sticking to the heroes in the books, or will you be making a full range of heroes and villains for tabletop gaming (i.e. will it be Drizzt Do'urden and friends, or will you be making non-specific characters and iconic monster minis)?

Yes to all! Of course subject to licensor approval. We obviously want to provide people with some of the perennial favorites, but also want to support campaigns with non-specific PCs, monsters, and creatures.

1) Will you continue making Pathfinder Battles miniatures?

2) Any plans to let people create customer miniatures (kind of like the Heroforge Kickstarter)?

Of course we'll keep making Pathfinder Battles minis! Paizo is a very close partner and we love working with them. They're great.

We've thought about custom mini in the past. We've even considered a Kickstarter. For now, though, we are going to stay focused on building on the properties our licensing partners have created.

Are there plans to release last year's convention exclusives (Shuma-Gorath and Trinity of Sin) through retail stores like Giant-Man was?. We had a couple of players who have been lucky enough to get them (thanks for the Moonstone that came with my Shuma by the way) but there's certainly people who didn't who would like to have a chance at getting them.

Yes. Details forthcoming.

I just bought Quarriors and Quartifacts! Hoping to get it to the table tonight. When I first got into the hobby I was holding out on the speculated "Quarriors: Light & Dark". Whatever happened to that?

See our other comment about Light vs. Dark. It's coming out June 2014.

In the meantime, there's also the Quarmageddon and Quest of the Qladiator expansions.

are there plans for a broken minis replacement plan?

Yep! Replacements will be handled through our Product Replacement Site.

Do you have àn office in Canada... I want to work for a gaming company really badly ;)

We don't have an office in Canada. Unfortunately. I've found a small list of board game companies in Canada. Not sure if this is current.

Let's talk about Dice Masters! What is the expansion outlook for the rest of 2014? It hasn't hit shelves yet and already a ton of folks are excited about the game.

The initial release will be Avengers vs. X-Men, which has a starter set and expansion packs. Each expansion pack includes two character dice with corresponding cards for 99 cents. We have a second release of Dice Masters currently in the works for later in 2014. Stay tuned!

For the new D&D miniatures, do you plan on having a huge size or larger dragon in the set? If so, can you tell us what type?

Just you wait! Unfortunately, we can't tell you what kind of dragons will be in the release or how massive they will be. At least not yet. We're also doing a dragon-based dogfighting game using the same engine as our Star Trek: Attack Wing game. So yes, dragons of all shapes and sizes.

Considering the corresponding release of tyranny of dragons, I'm hoping for a tiamat.

We can neither confirm, nor deny...

Will you be doing any special promotions for your new D&D miniatures at Gen Con this year, like a limited edition miniature exclusive to the convention?

Think of Gen Con as the coming out party for our D&D line. So there are a lot of great things planned around D&D for Gen Con. We haven't finalized our plans yet though. Stay tuned!

For the D&D Minis, will you be doing anything akin to the Icons series from WotC’s original line? That is larger, non-randomized miniatures like the Colossal Red Dragon?

We've discussed something similar with WotC but haven't finalized plans. Nothing concrete, so no promises. We love the idea though.

What game did you see as an Unexpected Hit? And what game did you see as a disappointment in terms of sales/reviews?

We obviously knew that Quarriors by Mike Elliott and Eric Lang was special. So we can't call it an unexpected hit, but we are very happy with how it has performed and continues to perform

We'd rather not retread regrets. We learn from everything that we do and hope to keep improving with every new game or product we release.

The D&D minis, any planes for some of the off the wall creatures no one else makes minis up because they are Wizard's IP?

I'm specifically thinking about a Thri-kreen mini for a PC.

Can't comment specifically Thri-Kreen, but this license gives us access to all of WotC's D&D IP. So, pending approval, we can work with any of their creatures. Stay tuned!

Can you talk in any detail about how many will come in what sorts of packs and the like? I enjoy blind pulls, but I know others enjoy seeing what they get. Will there be a mix?

Also wanted to say that I am very excited by this, and love that two of my favorite companies are working together. Cheers!

Thanks for the kind words. There will be visible and blind packs, very much like our Pathfinder line.

I've been a huge fan of tabletops and collectibles for as long as I can remember.

How did you get started in the collectable tabletop industry? Any tips/tricks for young professionals looking to start careers in that industry?

Couple of different ways. You can offer to volunteer for a company as a judge or event organizer or play tester. Then there's the traditional route. Justin started by sending his resume to a job opening on a corporate website at Wizards of the Coast. He was willing to work cheap on a product he loves (D&D). It appears we've come full circle.

Any chance we'll see you at NYCC one of these years?

Don't have a booth at NYCC but we always have people walking the show.

I just heard Tom Vasel from The Dice Tower talk about Marvel Dice Masters, but disappointed that it was only 2 players. Will it eventually be played with more players with future expansions?

Dice Masters will remain a 2-player game for the foreseeable future. That said, we always love to see what the community will come up with and we often will take cues from that for future expansions. For example, the advanced culling and two-buy rules for Quarriors were part of pre-launch ideas that we implemented after seeing the response from the community to the base rules for that game.

Are there any plans to support the supremacy league further with a new season?

Supremacy League was a program by our partner Alliance Games. We provided some prize support. There are no current plans for anything further at this time.