At EN World, I talked about the upcoming lines of action figures based on tabletop roleplaying games such as the Dungeons & Dragons movie to the cartoon to those based on the old LJN toyline as well as Vox Machine, Cyberpunk 2077, and Warhammer 40,000. But what about those lines that paved the way, the ones that gave us the first glimpses of RPG characters in multiple points of articulation?
RPG ACTION FIGURES OF THE PAST
Since 2019, there has been a growing catalog of action figures based on tabletop roleplaying games. However, these aren’t the first toys pulling from familiar intellectual properties (IPs). Over the decades, there have been notable attempts to bring games to the action figure market. The most important attempt was the LJN line of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons figures from the 1980s. This line coincided with the D&D cartoon of the era, though it didn’t bring the main cast to plastic. Instead, it offered original characters, some of whom appeared in supplements from TSR. This line broke down the barrier between action figures and toys. The line didn’t last, but it started RPG’s move to plastic.
Anecdotally, LJN’s line might be seen as the completion of a cycle. Let me explain. Many early D&D monsters were based on cheap toys that Gary Gygax and company could put onto the gaming table as reference. They were small, fun, and helped to inform the early days of D&D. From these toys came elements of D&D, so it’s only fitting that D&D make its way back to toys.
After that line, there have been smaller projects, some action figure lines, some tabletop tie-ins. There was a Vampire: The Masquerade line from Diamond Select in 2002. It amounted to three figures, but they were iconic VtM characters like Lucita, Theo Bell, and Beckett. Like the LJN figures of the ‘80s, these figures are crude by today’s standards, but it’s still cool that something from The Masquerade can be displayed on your action figure shelf.
The next year, as a tabletop tie-in, there were the Shadowrun Duels from Heroclix that were action figure sized semi articulated figures and a new version of Heroclix. This series gave us the only instance of high fantasy cyberpunk action figures that I’m aware of. If you’re interested, Action Figure-Atorium did a video about line (which I took the picture of the line from).
The Pathfinder Minimates from Diamond Select dropped in the mid-2010s, many of which are still available from Paizo’s site. These two inch tall figures are from Diamond’s the Minimates line, which has its fans. They are blocky, yet articulated and easy to collect and display.
The last toyline related to gaming before the next wave started in 2019 were Funko’s Magic: The Gathering Legacy Collection figures from 2014. While not fully RPG, they are board out of tabletop and have seen elements converted for use in Dungeons & Dragons. These MtG figures brought some of their most popular planeswalkers to plastic. However, the line didn’t find as wide a fanbase as Funko’s other toys, Pops!, meaning the line didn’t last long.
While the preceding may not be every RPG toyline, it’s close to a full list. From the 1980s until 2019, there were various attempts at transforming RPGs into action figure lines, but there was never more than an experimental effort as nothing caught fire. By comparison, the RPG related action figures coming out since 2019 exceeds the nearly four decades of prior output. To that end, I reviewed what has come out since that timeframe at EN World.
WHAT REMAINS?
As stated, there have been a few attempts to build on tabletop games and take them into a new market. Prior to 2019, the results have not been exceptional, and the current wave has yet to prove its potential. That said, assuming the new figures are the next golden ticket and toy companies begin transitioning RPGs to plastic, what lines might we expect?
Pathfinder is the most obvious toy option. Second only to D&D among fantasy RPGs, Pathfinder figures would draw from their iconic characters (Iconics). With the right toy company backing this project, they could go a step further and base the figures on Wayne Reynolds’ amazing artwork. There’s opportunity to create a great line of toys that taps into the same market as D&D figures. Need proof that Pathfinder’s goblins would be great as action figures? Check out the Plunderlings for a cartoony look at goblins in 1:12 scale.
As long as we’re talking about Paizo, let’s talk about their other option, Starfinder. The Four Horsemen, a toy company composed of some of the best sculptors and painters in the toy industry, are developing a line of figures called Cosmic Legions. This line showcases original science fiction figures that would compare favorably with a Starfinder toyline. If they took off [See what I did there!], Starfinder figures might enhance the game’s position in the RPG market.
We’ve seen a few figures twenty years ago from Diamond Select, but The World of Darkness is a likely candidate for a toyline. Not only does the property have a following, iconic characters to draw from, horror elements that translate well with action figures, it’s also been optioned by Hollywood. Creating ‘90s goth vampires, werewolves, and modern day mages offers a number of visual options, especially if they could create characters based on Tim Bradstreet’s artwork.
Beyond those obvious choices, another Shadowrun line would rock. Call of Cthulhu’s Mythos monsters would be great to get in plastic. Delta Green might do well as GI Joe scale action figures from an indy toy company such as Valaverse’s Action Force. These possibilities and more might happen if the current wave of RPG toys goes over.
If RPGs were being turned into action figures, what properties would you like to see transformed into plastic?
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