Miniature painting can be intimidating if you're just starting out. And even if you're not, come to think of it. It's expensive, too: there's a dizzying variety of options to get caught up on before you put brush to paint. D&D model-maker WizKids wants to remove those obstacles. More specifically, it's launching its own line of paints that focuses on entry-level hobbyists later this year. Dubbed 'Prismatic Paint' and made in collaboration with the experts at Vallejo, this range is primed to launch toward the end of 2021.

It's not the only release the company has planned, either: WizKids is also working on brand-new, sprue-based miniatures. Called 'Frameworks', these will provide customizable characters, large monsters, and boxsets that offer multiple foes per kit to populate adventures from the best Dungeons and Dragons books.

Created in partnership with the maestros of Vallejo, 60 paints will be making their way to stores at the end of this year for an undisclosed - but apparently affordable - price. These will be available individually (in pots with dropper lids) or via two boxsets. One, known as the Starter Case, includes 30 basic colors and serves as an entry-level option. The second is an intermediate bundle with 30 more complex effects. In other words? You'll be able to collect the entire Prismatic line if you buy both.

Although the range includes some formulations we've seen before (albeit in smaller pots this time), 20 are entirely new, D&D-branded additions. These hope to be more user-friendly than the competition with names like 'Scarlet Red' or 'Gunmetal' that do exactly what they say on the tin. In addition, each pot features easy-to-understand branding that'll tell you which kind of paint, wash, or effect you're seeing at a glance.

Accessibility is key

This cuts right to the core of what Prismatic Paint is here to do: as Wiker points out during our talk, accessibility is key.

"We're trying to develop a paintline that is mainly aimed at people who are not pro painters," he says. "The people who are maybe just dipping their toes into the hobby, who want to try things out and not be confused by terminology that's designed to cover all possible applications of the paint."

Framework Sprues

Unless you've dabbled in model-making sites or are converting something in figure surgery like Sid from Toy Story, creating characters that fit your vision is easier said than done. That's why WizKids has been beavering away on Frameworks behind closed doors. These sprues will feature minis with a variety of head, weapon, and accessory options that can be mixed and matched to your heart's content. Keen to give your dwarf a mug of ale rather than a shield? No problem. Want to add a creepy would-totally-murder-you-in-your-sleep gingerbread man from the Night Hag set? Go ahead, you brilliant weirdo.