[Product Review]: Muse on Minis MK3 Faction Tokens

Muse On Minis was vending at the NOVA Open this year, and they had some fancy pants tokens they were pretty proud of.  They offered to give me a set if I wrote a review of them on the site. Overall, I was pretty impressed, but I do have some suggestions / criticisms which you can find in the pro/con lists at the bottom.

Last Wednesday at my LGS, I set out to blight the good blight equipped with a fancy new set of “Dragonspawn” Tokens, a spiffy magnetic spray template and some AOE mats for my Ravagore Scathers.  Local buddy and PG Chris decided to try and show me the error of my blighted ways, and threw down with his Biel Tan Eldar Retribution.  He happened to have some of the new MK3 Muse tokens, too, as well as a set of magnetic objectives for us to mostly ignore.  To make sure this review is as saturated with Muse stuff as possible, we borrowed some rectangular zones from the Advanced Maneuvers crew (who were filming one table over) which were custom made for them by none other than…  you guessed it… Muse on Minis!

Have I name dropped enough yet?  Yes?  Cool, let’s get on with the pew pew noises and pictures of pretty, pretty tokens by models.

Step one was to get all the stuff out for the list I was running.  Thagrosh1 was my Warlock for the night, so I dug around for his upkeeps, buffs and other accouterments.  I’m pretty jazzed that the Muse tokens are in blues, purples and pinks – they really match well with my Aquablight scheme, and look super slick next to my models.

I’m also excited about having some dedicated AOE templates for clouds and things that aren’t boring brass rings that never stay where I put them.  These were 3″, so not quite right for MK3 Scather templates, but they’ll work great for acid pits, Gaspy2’s Caustic Mist, etc.  The mousepad material is gripy, flexible and holds the color really nicely.

One of my favorite parts about the Muse Tokens is that they’re double sided.  I store mine in a compartmented bin, and it would suck having to dump all of them out and flip them over to find the ones I want.  Instead, I can just dig around really loudly, and annoy my opponent before the game starts.  #pshychologicalwarfare

Seriously though, not having to worry about wiping off dry erase markings, or flipping one-sided tokens so they’re face up is awesome.  It saves time and lets you focus more on the game than on how your tokens are placed.

The Retribution “Elven Zealots” tokens are super tech-y and on point.  The Legion “Dragonspawn” ones have different colors and silhouettes for upkeeps, one-round spells, animi and debuffs.  I think all of the faction token sets so the same.   By the time the game was over, I was already used to knowing which spells were upkeeps and which weren’t based on their colors.  That makes the maintenance & control phase super lazy because everything that’s purple or red goes away, and the blue upkeeps stick around.  #colors

The kits come with a big snazzy Feat token, and a pair of Mini Feat tokens.  As you can see, the Feat Token is a little larger than a 40mm base, which is, like huge. I really didn’t need to use it here for Thagrosh’s feat turn, but it was pretty and I wanted to use it, damnit.  It also reminded me that I didn’t get to do combat with Spiky Jones there who was brought back to life that turn.

Far and away, one of my favorite things Muse made is the magnetic spray template.  It disassembles into a 6, 8 and 10″ spray.  Sure the translucent ones show the same info, but these are more compact for storage, they’re fun to fiddle with during your opponent’s turn, and did I mention… THEY HAVE MAGNETS!!1!  I just can’t.  These things are way too cool, and a fun example of how technology evolves to fit the need of the community.  #innovation

 
Ok, I’m out of pictures, so let’s Gilmore this.

Faction Tokens

Pros:

• Dedicated tokens for each effect – No worrying about accidentally wiping off dry erase glyphs and symbols only you can interpret anyway.  I’m also a War Room user, so since I no longer need a dry erase marker to write on cards or tokens, I don’t have to remember to have one in my bag anymore.  See below Re: Lazy.
• Double sided – Makes finding tokens easy, and means you don’t have to worry about the tokens being right side up.  Lazy = awesome.
• Form as function – With different colors and designs for upkeeps, spells, debuffs and abilities, it quickly becomes second nature what each token represents at-a-glance.  Maintenance is simplified, because you can just scan the table for the necessary color or silhouette.
• Attractive – They’re very pretty; the amount of effort that went into the art on these tokens is clear, and they’re very in-theme for their respective factions.  They also managed to keep the colors bright somehow.
• Shiny – I’m fairly certain there are multiple coats of gloss coat on them, which protects the printed art, and makes them super shiny & durable.
• Value – They’re the same cost as other premium token sets, and the Hordes factions aren’t $15 more just because they need more FURY tokens.

Cons:

• Dedicated tokens for each effect – You have to dig for the right tokens for the army you’re running.  You can do this ahead of time, though.
• Upkeep – When new models are released with new abilities, you’ll need to buy upgrade kits for the new stuffs.  Luckily, Muse sells these individually so you don’t have to re-buy the whole set.

Magnetic Spray Template

 

Pros:

• Easy to switch sizes – Self explanatory, really:  YOU. CAN. TAKE. IT. APART.
• Colors – There are several colors available, so you can find ones that match your army.  Purple looks killer with my Legion, but I’d probably prefer orange for Khador or Protectorate, for instance.
• Storage – The spray templates are the largest “token” needed to play, and at 10″ they’re a pain to store safely.  These are much shorter, and don’t have the tabs at the small end that can break.  Chris was pretty jazzed that his fit inside his small KR dice tray thing he’d purchased for dice and tokens.

Cons:

• No gloss on the underside – The side of the acrylic that has the ink has a flat finish, which means it’ll rub on things and might take damage.  I made a permanent mark on mine with a thumbnail.  The color didn’t scrape off, but it affected the grain of the matte finish.  I’d like to see these get the same gloss treatment as the acrylic faction token sets, just for durability’s sake.
• Not transparent – You’re supposed to line up the spray’s centerline with a line from center of one base to the center of the target’s base.  Since you can’t see through to line up with the target’s base, you have to best guess. This isn’t a big deal for me, but some folks like to see exactly what’s under the template.  These may not be perfect for the competitive scene, but they’re just fine for us filthy casuals.  #ownit
• If you lose a piece, you’re screwed – From what I understand, Muse is pretty great about replacing lost tokens, but that doesn’t help you in the moment.  Luckily, the magnets help keep everything together, so it’s not a huge concern.

AOE Templates

Pros:

• Fancy – These are so much better looking than brass rings.  The only way they’d be better is if they were actual 3D holographic cloud projectors.  Can you guys at Muse get on that?
• Durable – I don’t know about you, but my mousepads never die, and that’s with repeated daily use.  I suspect these suckers will last a loooong time.

Cons:

• Need to be updated for MK3 – 4″ templates for Scathers, plz.  #kthxbai

 

Disclaimer: I did receive the Dragonspawn token set, magnetic spray template and AOE markers for free in exchange for this review.  Muse was explicitly clear that should I not like them, I should 100% still write a review saying exactly why I didn’t like them.  I honestly do like their products.