As hobbyists, we can probably all agree that a good miniature needs to be well sculpted, but a great miniature needs more than that – it needs to tell a story.
Telling a story doesn’t have to mean creating a sprawling diorama festooned with paraphernalia, but rather implying information about a character’s life, history, culture, beliefs and personality through the use of subtle details.
Tell Your Story With Customisable Miniature Kits
Just take a look at these three dwarves, for example. The first is standing proudly over the dismembered tail of a recently defeated beast, a warhammer slung casually over his shoulders as though such a feat is all in a day’s work. The next has his own likeness incorporated into his helmet design – is he a renowned warrior worthy of such a bold statement, or is his ego trying to compensate for something? The third stands amongst the rubble of a dwarven hold, blasting his mighty war horn to call for aid in avenging the destruction of his home.
These are just a few of the storytelling interpretations that might flow from the design of these miniatures, but they’re by no means the only ones. When you customise your own miniature hero in the Forge we want you, in a way, to become the author of your character’s story. After all, each kit has literally thousands of different part combinations so, while we’ve verified that they all fit together beautifully, we haven’t necessarily seen every single one with our own eyes. That means each Dragon’s Forge kit is like a tome full of untold stories, just waiting to be discovered by you and shared with the world.
The Story Snapshot
Each of our customisable digital miniature kits features at least three poses, one of which we call the ‘story snapshot’. That’s not to say that the other poses don’t tell a story, but the story snapshot is where we go all-out to really set up a scene and evoke a compelling narrative – multiple narratives actually, depending on which custom parts you choose!
This Halfling Questfoot kit is a great example, seen here relaxing next to a campfire with her canine companion. The fact that she’s cooking a hearty meal shows us that she’s a true halfling, through and through! Her lack of armour and her joyful expression suggest that she’s perhaps not quite ready for the action, danger and adventure that await her on the road. Are we seeing her at the very start of her quest, when she’s not yet been moulded into the seasoned adventurer she’ll become? Where and how did she meet her faithful hound? A good story encourages imagination, not just answering questions but inviting them too.
If you’d like to explore these kits in the Forge and print your very own customised heroes, you’ll want to back our Kickstarter campaign launching on 30th September 2021. Check out our pre-launch page!