Pet Rocks, anyone?

[BuShips]

They do look excellent, but when I actually pay for terrain (as opposed to making it myself), I tend to want something that's going to do more than just block LOS, or act like a hill. I like my terrain to offer qualities that allow the miniatures to actually interact with it (like hiding in a cave dug into the side of a hill, or climbing to the second floor of a building for a better shot) rather than just hiding behind it or running over it. I think I'm kind of in the same boat as byram (which is kind of scary) on this. If they came in different formations I'd be all over 'em.

You mean a bit more like this? Maybe not perfect, but they can be combined to form less mundane shapes.

 

[byram]

when you put it like that, may i suggest $1 for the smaller ones, $2.50 for the medium to bigger ones.

 

[BuShips]

Here is photo #2 from previous, dressed up a bit-

 

[BuShips]

when you put it like that, may i suggest $1 for the smaller ones, $2.50 for the medium to bigger ones.

Hah. Even byram could be sold a rock. There's hope in this concept yet! :shock:

 

[veon]

they look really nice, but how much do they cost from stores? No offense bu, but if i could just swing by michaels and pick up a load of these I wouldn't really have reason to order them (minis are a different story though). Paying shipping for rocks of all things seems rather insane though, although they certainly do look good in some of your pics, and would work a lot better than my current terrain of roughly cut ovoid pieces of pink foam .

So: does white glue stick to them (for flocking)

do they chip or lose paint easily?

how much would you be willing to sell them for? (I'm not gonna put 20 bucks if I could get em for 5 )

and where did YOU get them maybe you can't tell but yeah it would be nice to know if its sorta rare cuz that would increase demand for them

 

[BuShips]

they look really nice, but how much do they cost from stores?

You probably wouldn't find them in most stores :wink: .

Paying shipping for rocks of all things seems rather insane though, .

I had said as much before. I think shipping might not be viable. They are primarily for my walk-ins (and my use of course). I wanted to see how useable you all thought they might be for games.

although they certainly do look good in some of your pics, and would work a lot better than my current terrain of roughly cut ovoid pieces of pink foam .

That's the point here. They're ready to go, and look like... rocks.

So: does white glue stick to them (for flocking)

I would think more like superglue, as white glue would probably rub off.

do they chip or lose paint easily?

They are maybe a mortar-like material, so if they were dropped on the sharp edge, might break. As far as paint, I wouldn't say it's a paint finish, it looks like more of a colored acid or etching compound. In other words, they don't look painted, they look like... rocks :wink: .

how much would you be willing to sell them for?

How much would you be willing to buy them for? :wink: :wink: :wink: (see poll).

OK, seriously, that's what this is about. There is a resistance to pay for what looks like something you might pick off of the ground. BUT, these aren't found on the ground, they are manufactured "faux" (fake) rocks, and are dang good ones at that (heh). I'm trying to get a feel for gamer acceptance of ready-made rocks for tabletop use. While I think they are nifty (and I'm the only one that gets to feel and look at these in my hands), I wanted to see the reaction. It's about what I expected, with most resistant to paying much and those with a more open mind to them being kidded by the rest (lol). As in, "you'd really buy rocks from that chap?" :wink: . I really do find this very interesting. If you ever get down this way, you can have a look at 'em. I might even let you pick them up . And since you'd be a "walk-in", I might make you a deal.

and where did YOU get them

I could tell you, but then I would have to fill out a section eight form for your mind erasure...

 

[byram]

what type of material do you use, because then it just becomes about, material cost vs profit.

 

[BuShips]

what type of material do you use, because then it just becomes about, material cost vs profit.

byram, I'm not making these. I'm buying them from a source that doesn't even probably know about our little hobby. The thing is, I have to buy these in bulk, and I've never seen these offered for sale a piece at a time. For your curiosity and veon's (and I'm filling out those section 8's as I type this :wink: ), they are used in making a decorative "rock wall" in your house. This is why there are flat sides. They are meant to be glued to a wall in order to make it look like it's real stone. So if you're filthy rich, you use real river rock (and you will have to pay someone for it- really). If you are only semi-rich, you buy faux rock (but with a nifty flat side to it). In case anyone else is curious, yes they used real river rock, and then they made molds to cast these. I hope that was informative, as well as entertaining .

As far as cost, there are many sizes that these come in, and they are quite random (I've never seen a duplicate yet) so I'll have to figure out ranges of size and groupings for pricing. I'll probably sell the smaller ones for like $4.00 and the bigger ones for upwards of $10.00. These larger ones however are 8-10" across. I suppose I could make molds off of these, and cast them in a lighter material. I don't see how they could sue me for patent infringement, because then God could sue them, heh. This I don't believe I'll do though, because then I'd have mold cost and wearout, casting material and labor to make and finish them. And like I've said before, I've done the casting gig and it isn't a way to pay bills very well. These are all done and finished, and someone else can wear down their fingernails, not me. Not this time, baby :idea: .

 

[Quark]

If you were selling these at the prices Byram mentioned (good God I'm agreeing with Byram agin!) I could see picking a few up. The nice thing is the fact that they are light enough not to smash wayward minis, and if nothing esle I could use them as a base to build off of.

 

[BizGF]

I would buy them for under $5. Mainly because a little plastic miniature is expensive enough already and for a foamish looking rock thing, I don't think they're worth that much.

 

[Michka]

I've paid for rocks before. They came in bags that said Armorcast. I know lots of other guys who bought them too. I'd suggest that you actually paint up a few of them. I know that this goes against the grain but any terrain looks more like the rest of the game if it has that painted look. It's part of that whole Suspention of disbelief thing. Try it out if you don't believe me.

 

[veon]

I would buy some if I go down to your store bu.... and if i had any money . just starting a DnD club at my school so i think buying new books is gonna be yet another way to spend my money :roll:

 

[BuShips]

I would buy some if I go down to your store bu.... and if i had any money . just starting a DnD club at my school so i think buying new books is gonna be yet another way to spend my money :roll:

No prob, veon. You'll get the time sometime. No hurry.

 

[BuShips]

I've paid for rocks before. They came in bags that said Armorcast. I know lots of other guys who bought them too. I'd suggest that you actually paint up a few of them. I know that this goes against the grain but any terrain looks more like the rest of the game if it has that painted look. It's part of that whole Suspention of disbelief thing. Try it out if you don't believe me.

These are probably the only thing that I will probably not be painting, even though I know what you are saying can be true. These have such an accurate coloring (they absolutely are 100% accurate to real rocks) that I can't possibly do anything except lay these on a table and maybe place some lichen around them. If someone ever comes out with a game based on the first Tremors movie (where they have wood poles and polevault from rock to rock), I'll be sure to use these, heh. Hey, I could use Burrower Bugs for "Graboids" even, lol. Heyyyy, Mongoose. License time!

This photo shows how they can be nested together, fitting together nicely.