Reviewing WizKids’ ‘Icons Of The Realms: Monster Manual 1’

Welcome to the table,

The newest Dungeons & Dragons core books, including the newest versions of the Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide, have been out for a little bit now. WizKids has delivered some delightful miniatures to coincide with the most updated designs of dungeon denizens in their Icons Of The Realms: Monster Manual 1 collection.

I was really excited when my pals at WizKids sent these over to me. This set contains 47 miniatures with some of the most iconic monsters, like the Giant Spider, Owlbear, Ochre Jelly, and Black Pudding, having variants within the set to give some extra collectability to those who only collect, and some really cool variety to your gaming table.

The most hard to come by minis from this set are the iconic Young Red Dragon and a demon known as a Nalfesnees. The Young Red Dragon is, for the money you spend on these things, a brilliant miniature in both paint and sculpt. The Nalfesnees looks fantastic with big flaming orbs around their hands that are carved into the likeness of screaming skulls.

For being the go-to guy when it comes to all things dice and dragon-related, I was totally out of my depth when it came to the Nalfeshnees. This demon has been around for ages, and somehow it has never been something I have unleashed at the table, or at least something I have a memory of unleashing at the table. You can rest assured, though, dear readers, that when I unboxed this mini, I immediately went into research mode and am now very well versed. At the time of the unboxing, though, I had no idea what I was looking at or even how to pronounce the name of the creature.

What I really dig about this collection is that it feel very utilitarian and provides a seed to start exploring the D&D space for both those new to the table looking to try some cool new monsters out on their players, as well as providing iconic monsters for those who are well versed in the setting and lore and looking for more monsters to add to their menagerie.

I would be failing you if I did not mention there is an epic Death Slaad in this collection as well as some cool offerings that could stand in for both player characters and non-player characters depending on what your Storyteller or players’ needs are.

The Hobgoblin Warrior is really rad and could be a phenomenal mini for a fresh adventurer. All in all, this set really works for me from what I have seen. You can pick up your own boxes of this set over at the WizKids using this link.

Until next time, the semitransparents used in this set, at least from what I have seen, really shine. I can’t wait to get my hands on more of these.