Based on a 2011 Namco Bandai action role-playing video game, DARK SOULS: The Roleplaying Game was released by Steamforged Games earlier this year. Following in those footsteps, they’ve put out the first wave of DARK SOULS miniatures for use with their tabletop roleplaying game. Steamforged sent me a set of the first wave miniatures.
As you can see from the picture above, the first wave consists of two character packs, three enemy minion packs, and one boss enemy pack. All of the miniatures can be purchased from the DARK SOULS RPG Miniatures webpage.
Unkindled Heroes Pack 1
Unkindled Heroes Pack 1 contains miniatures and class cards for the Knight, Warrior, Assassin, and Herald classes. It retails for $24.95.
The cards are double-sided, and cover the main class features on one side, with the other showing the abilities and features the Hero gains as they level up.
Unkindled Heroes Pack 2
Pack 2 contains 6 Heroes: The Pyromancer, Cleric, Thief, Sorcerer, Mercenary, and Deprived. It retails for $29.95.
The Silver & The Dead
This pack features two Silver Knights and two Hollow Soldiers. It retails for $24.95.
The enemy cards are laid out a little differently. The fronts show actions and reactions, while the back has the stat block and special abilities.
Silver Knight Greatbowmen
The Silver Knight Greatbowmen consists of 4 miniatures and their stat cards. It retails for $24.95.
Hollow Crossbowmen
The Hollow Crossbowman, like the Silver Knights, consists of 4 miniatures and their stat cards. It retails for $24.95.
Guardian Dragon
There’s only one miniature in this box, but the 4-piece mini dwarfs the other figures in this first wave. The Guardian Dragon retails for $49.95. Here are some other shots of him:
DARK SOULS RPG Miniatures – Wave 1 Verdict
First, a caveat: not having played either the DARK SOULS video game or RPG, I can’t confirm the accuracy of the designs of the miniatures. That being said, you can see for yourself how nicely detailed they all are. Additionally, the mold lines on the casts are minimal, so anyone wanting to paint them will have very little cleanup work to do.
While I overall like these miniatures quite a bit, I was disappointed to see art assets and sculpts reused in the line. It would have been nice to have had different pieces of artwork on the cards for the Silver Knights and Silver Greatbowmen, as well as the two different types of Hollow Men. Similarly, when you have boxes that contain four of the same type of enemy, there should be at least two different sculpts. I know this is something Steamforged Games does in their Epic Encounters line, and I’m not sure why this wasn’t repeated here. Hopefully, we’ll see those changes made in upcoming miniature waves.
If you play the DARK SOULS The Roleplaying Game, then the Wave 1 miniatures are a great addition to your game. The inclusion of the stat cards provides a handy reference for both players and Gamemaster. While they may be specifically sculpted for DARK SOULS, these miniatures would fit in well in any fantasy roleplaying campaign.
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Disclosure: GeekDad received a copy of this game for review purposes.
