Over the past few months, you've been telling us what characters and monsters you wanted in the 2008 D&D Miniatures All-Star Set. You selected 59 of the 60 miniatures, drawing your choices from across all eleven eligible sets (from Harbinger to Blood War).

To select the 60th and final member of the set, we turned to the D&D Miniatures fans inside the walls of Wizards of the Coast (and there are plenty of them). From R&D to Finance, from Sales to Organized Play, the minis fans came out to rally for their favorites.

Many votes were cast, and several models had a shot to claim the final spot in the set. But when the dust cleared, one miniature declared victory with a mighty roar!

Thanks to all who participated in the selection process. Look for the new game statistics for the Steel Predator and the rest of the 60 miniatures in the All-Star Set right here in July!

Steel Predator Trivia

The steel predator miniature was released in June 2005 in the Angelfire set designed by Rob Heinsoo.

The steel predator's first appearance in D&D was in the 3rd-Edition adventure Lord of the Iron Fortress, published in January of 2002. The bladeling also appeared in that adventure; it beat the steel predator into plastic form by over three years (a bladeling fighter appeared in March 2002 in Giants of Legend).

In April 2003, the steel predator was picked up for inclusion in Fiend Folio. Only a handful of other monsters from that book have been created as minis, including the half-illithid lizardfolk, iron cobra, and mongrelfolk (from Aberrations), ophidian (also from Angelfire), dark creeper (Underdark), maug (Blood War), blood golem of Hextor (Unhallowed), and the shadar-kai and scarab beetle swarm (Desert of Desolation). Contrary to rumor, there are no plans for a senmurv miniature any time soon.

Some Staff Comments on This Vote

"I goofed by not voting for it myself, and I was kicking myself later that night at my D&D game as people were talking about how much they liked that mini."

-- Rob Heinsoo, D&D Mechanical Design Lead (and designer of Angelfire)

"My love of the Steel Predator began at the Angelfire prerelease event in Milwaukee, where I pulled a Steel Predator to help me go undefeated in 7 matches. I ended up playing the Steel Predator several times since then. My band at the 2005 constructed championship had the Steel Predator, Efreet, a few goblins, and the Skullsplitter for my commander. I played a two Steel Predator, four Kobold Miner warband in a community event at Gen Con So Cal later that year. That deadly sonic cone was a shiny toy that I just had to keep using again and again."

-- Peter Lee, D&D Miniatures Designer
(and former D&D Miniatures tournament player and judge)

"The steel predator is a truly evocative monster. I imagine them roaming Eberron's Mournlands, perhaps as minions of the Lord of Blades."

-- Chris Sims, D&D Story Team

"The steel predator's victory is just the latest step in this magnificent creature's meteoric rise to glory. When Todd Lockwood first sketched out the steel predator for the cover of Lord of the Iron Fortress, I knew immediately that it had the chance to become a hit. The blend of natural feline grace and Gigeresque metallic artifice made for a scary, enigmatic foe to spring on the PCs, and the (ahem) pure design genius behind its statistics ensured its success. If it'd been allowed, I'd have seen to it that the All-Star Set was nothing but 60 Steel Predators. Hey, get that straitjacket away from me…"

-- Andy Collins, Design & Development Manager for D&D (and author of Lord of the Iron Fortress)

"We wuz robbed! I voted for Snig, Worg Rider because I had given the original Snig the Axe his name. He started as a cool goblin warrior and then got his own vicious mount. How could I not give him my support?"

-- Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, D&D RPG and Miniatures editor

[Note: Snig, Worg Rider made a run at the last spot but ultimately came in second. Sorry, Jennifer.]

To those unhappy with the all star selections leaving out a favored mini:

Now you know how I feel as each new set is released and there is no new Blink Dog included.  :-P�

The Steel Predator was one of my first ever Rares.  After getting it as a Rare I started to question whether I wanted to collect D&D minis if that's what sort of mini I would get as a Rare.  Unsurprisingly it was also the first ever mini that I traded.

Olaf the Stout