Ben’s absolute favorite new upstart vendor on the dealer floor of Gen Con 2012 was Legendary Realms and its magnificent, pre-painted terrain. Their RPG accessory offerings have it all: creativity, innovation, modularity, affordability and quality. Join Ben in this multi-part review as we give three mighty cheers for the little guys and everything that’s right about our cottage industry.
While picking up a little steam, pre-painted terrain is still a bit of a rare gem these days – and for good reason. It’s insanely difficult to pack a profit. Unless you have some child labor factory in a far away land that the world has forgotten about, it’s often nearly impossible to cast and pre-paint all that terrain at an affordable, mass quantities re-sale price.
So imagine Ben’s dismay when he stumbled upon Legendary Realms tiny little, tucked away booth at Gen Con this year. He was stunned at what he saw…boxes and boxes of pre-cast terrain all painted up and ready to go. We’re pretty sure Ben literally blacked out for a second. No idea how they’ve created this budding enterprise but their stuff is legit.
Yes, yes – some of their terrain is Hirst Arts (they’re an officially licensed dealer) and you could certainly make that all yourself – time permitting. However, there were a bevy of unique items too! Even better the casting material is highly durable. So, let’s take a look at some of the things Ben snatched up.
The Great Outdoors
There were some fun items on hand to raise the nature bar:
- Burial Plots: Shallow graves with headstones
- Camp Fire: No fuss, no muss for your outdoor matte
- Tree Stumps: Perfect for cover or stealth
Room Service
Plenty of options to enhance your dungeon décor:
Spot On
Sometimes you need a quick marker on the map to illustrate the end goal:
- Mysterious Symbol: inscribed on the wall or floor
- Simple Sword: There’s something behind the tree
- Single Scroll: Grab it before the other guy does
Off the Hook
These specialty items have their unique place:
- Webbed Bodies: Saving food for a rainy day
- Statuesque: You can never have enough ornamental stone
- Web Portal: Want more than stairs or doors
This blog post is a prime example of why you absolutely have to go to Gen Con each year. You find all sorts of entrepreneurial gamers who are trying to get their dreams off the ground. Legendary Realms online offerings are growing but several of the items here were show-only pieces at special Con prices at the time.
Honestly, Ben’s only regret is that he didn’t buy more of this stuff. Be sure to stay on top of these guys as their business grows – the best just may be yet to come.
Questions to Ponder: Did you have a favorite piece? What do you wish they would make? Is there an existing Hirst Arts item you least enjoy casting and/or painting?
Peruse the Legendary Realms Store | Checkout their Kickstarter Project
October 4th, 2012 at 7:33 pm
I’m humbled by your appreciation of my sculpts. I have tons more coming. Please also check out our Kickstarter as we try to raise the funds to get a 3d scanner and printer so we can offer things we can’t cast in the traditional ways.
December 15th, 2012 at 11:26 am
[...] pre-painted grave marker from Legendary Realms denotes Corky in the first act. However, when dusk is upon us, the DM brings forth a Half-Troll [...]