If you’ve followed these humble reviews for a while, you’ll know that The Meeple Guild — the small group I game with — loves mini-based game offerings. And you’ll also know we’ve become big fans of Helios, a Canadian mini manufacturer that’s doing some very cool stuff. (You can check out their full range at www.heliostabletop.ca).
The coolest of the cool from Helios are their Mythic Encounter boxes. Each box contains a handful of minis centered around a particular theme that you can paint up and drop into just about any fantasy RPG. That flexibility is aided by Helios including pre-generated rules for using the minis as a ready-made random encounter — a sweet touch that lowers the prep time for game masters.
Those rules are really the icing on the cake, helping GMs get these minis onto the table with minimal fuss.
The Curse of the Eternal Pharaoh Mythic Encounter box is arguably the most versatile release from Helios to date. While its Egyptian-themed baddies fit neatly into a typical D&D-style dungeon crawl, they also blend perfectly into pulp RPGs (think The Mummy) or even modern settings like a museum heist where, perhaps, the exhibits don’t stay quite as inanimate as expected.
“The Curse of the Eternal Pharaoh Mythic Encounter was designed with both versatility and compatibility in mind,” admitted Nick Di Scipio, owner of Helios, via email.
“When we plan these sets, we try to strike a balance between highly unique encounters that deliver a one-of-a-kind experience — like our Haemoturgy Lab (previously reviewed, and a more horror-themed set) — and more broadly versatile sets that can slot into a wide range of campaigns and settings, so DMs with different tastes and styles can all find something that works for them,” he said.
“The sculpted details in this set lean into that ancient desert civilization aesthetic. You can just as easily drop them into a fantasy tomb-crawl, a pulp desert expedition, or even a modern museum heist where the displays don’t stay as inanimate as they should. That broad usability was intentional, because it lets DMs spin different stories without the minis ever feeling out of place.”
It’s that versatility that makes this box an easy first choice from the Helios line.
“As for my personal favorite, it has to be the Pharaoh Lich,” said Di Scipio. “The sculpt’s intricate detail and commanding presence immediately screamed ‘final boss’ to me. I love how its design combines the regal garb of a pharaoh with the sinister aura of undeath, making it both awe-inspiring and terrifying on the table. On top of that, I’ve always enjoyed the mechanics behind lich-type monsters, so this piece felt like the perfect centerpiece to anchor the entire encounter.”
All of which begs the question — when will Helios create skirmish rules to pit box versus box?
“On the skirmish rules idea, to be honest it’s not something we’ve fully thought through yet, but it’s definitely been floating around in the background among many other ideas we have,” said Di Scipio. “We’re actually in the midst of releasing our first retail product — Mythic Mystery Hero Minis — and right now the focus is on that as well as our latest Mythic box, Crimson Feast. But as we expand, I’m sure this is something we can revisit!”
From this reviewer’s point of view, Helios should bring those skirmish rules to the front burner and turn the heat to high — so those ideas start percolating faster.
In the meantime, though, check out The Curse of the Eternal Pharaoh. It’s a good one.
About Author
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
Such a Versatile Box of RPG Minis
The coolest of the cool from Helios are their Mythic Encounter boxes. Each box contains a handful of minis centered around a particular theme that you can paint up and drop into just about any fantasy RPG. That flexibility is aided by Helios including pre-generated rules for using the minis as a ready-made random encounter — a sweet touch that lowers the prep time for game masters.
Those rules are really the icing on the cake, helping GMs get these minis onto the table with minimal fuss.
The Curse of the Eternal Pharaoh Mythic Encounter box is arguably the most versatile release from Helios to date. While its Egyptian-themed baddies fit neatly into a typical D&D-style dungeon crawl, they also blend perfectly into pulp RPGs (think The Mummy) or even modern settings like a museum heist where, perhaps, the exhibits don’t stay quite as inanimate as expected.
“The Curse of the Eternal Pharaoh Mythic Encounter was designed with both versatility and compatibility in mind,” admitted Nick Di Scipio, owner of Helios, via email.
It’s that versatility that makes this box an easy first choice from the Helios line.
“As for my personal favorite, it has to be the Pharaoh Lich,” said Di Scipio. “The sculpt’s intricate detail and commanding presence immediately screamed ‘final boss’ to me. I love how its design combines the regal garb of a pharaoh with the sinister aura of undeath, making it both awe-inspiring and terrifying on the table. On top of that, I’ve always enjoyed the mechanics behind lich-type monsters, so this piece felt like the perfect centerpiece to anchor the entire encounter.”
All of which begs the question — when will Helios create skirmish rules to pit box versus box?
“On the skirmish rules idea, to be honest it’s not something we’ve fully thought through yet, but it’s definitely been floating around in the background among many other ideas we have,” said Di Scipio. “We’re actually in the midst of releasing our first retail product — Mythic Mystery Hero Minis — and right now the focus is on that as well as our latest Mythic box, Crimson Feast. But as we expand, I’m sure this is something we can revisit!”
From this reviewer’s point of view, Helios should bring those skirmish rules to the front burner and turn the heat to high — so those ideas start percolating faster.
In the meantime, though, check out The Curse of the Eternal Pharaoh. It’s a good one.
About Author
Calvin Daniels
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
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