Emperor's Choice Games & Minis Arduin Figs

[Chief Lackey Rich]

Here's a bit of unexpected nostalgia I stumbled across while browsing the OSR blogosphere - Emperor's Choice is starting up operations again after quite a long hiatus, and is selling Arduin books and minis online again.  The minis range is here:

https://empcho.com/product-category/miniatures-fantasy/

Apparently all those prices are from seven+ years ago when they were last available and will be going up at the start of 2022 to reflect raw material cost increases, so if you ever wanted (say) an octorilla, a few throon, a phraint or two, or more air sharks than you can shake a stick at this would be a good time to indulge yourself.  There's a delay on the shipping while they they tend to back orders from before their hiatus (of which there are apparently quite a lot) but everything ordered now is supposed to ship by end of January 2022.





Me, I'm tempted by the vroats and hell hoppers, and maybe a black phraint for Stargrave plus some skeletons for Felstad and roleplaying.  Perhaps a saurig for Ghost Archpelago to go with my snakemen?  Bigger stuff is a little pricey but not back-breaking, and the small stuff is a bargain by modern prices.  Nostalgia is a terrible thing - I remember being murdered by some of those things in Arduin way back when I was a wee laddy.





Can't personally vouch for how reliable or fast these guys are but I guess I'll find out.

[Mister Frau Blucher]

Arduin! I got the original three booklets, they were very inspiring. I never ran a group through that deadly world, but I was a player once. After meeting at Rumbletummy's Inn, we headed out and got slaughtered by Kill Kittens in the 2nd or 3rd room of some dungeon.

Thanks for the link. i think the figs will be large for my true 25mm dudes, but that won't be an issue with monsters. I may have to get some phraints, at the very least. 

[Chief Lackey Rich]

From what the website says they're planning on doing more material for the original edition, ie the same first three booklets.  There have been two others over the years but I guess they don't plan on continuing with either of them, preferring to revert back to the one that was entirely written by the original creator.

Not sure on the theoretical scale of the minis, but like you said with monsters it doesn't matter much.  Even skeletons - maybe people were just taller or shorter back before they were nothing but bones. 

[Bloggard]

crikey, a few gems amongst that lot 

[Chief Lackey Rich]

crikey, a few gems amongst that lot 

Indeed.  They tickle my nostalgia bump quite nicely, doesn't get much more old school than Arduin.  I'm particularly fond of the "hell tide" swarm, which ought to set off anyone with a fear of creepy-crawlies quite nicely.



Pretty good giant bat, too, which you can get with a variety of riders as well.



And who doesn't love a good phraint, be it fantasy or scifi?

[Grumpy Gnome]

I quite like those Phraints.

[Hobgoblin]

That plant thing would be a very good call for one of the weirder broos in Glorantha's Big Rubble, in the Slop and Slime gang: a "walking sea anemone".

[dgrosso]

These are awesome figures, on the larger end of 28mm, actually more like 32mm. I have several Phraints, Throons, Deodanths, and Airsharks. Nice robust figures, with very clean details, and solid connections on the flight stands. Prices are about what Reaper charges for metal figs, so not unreasonable at all.