ZEITGEIST Zeitgeist: figures / miniatures

I noticed on some images of other people runnig the game they had quite a selection of figures for the players and npcs.
Any recommendations for certain figures for any particular npcs? I'm starting to invest in miniatures for my players and I'd like to have some for key npcs or reoccurring characters.

If you're planning on using Wizards of the Coast prepainted minis, then I'd consider in grabbing some Star Wars minis to represent Risuri marines, and other forces armed with rifles, pistols, etc. Rebel Commandos are particularly good IMHO, because their aesthetic isn't too futuristic or too iconic.

For big personalities (such as Lorcan Kell, Xambria Meredith, Rock Rackus or Lya Jierre) you want to pick out a cool mini that you don't use very often, or for anyone else. I have Senator Palpatine ready to stand in for Governor Stanfield, should the need arise. Again, Star Wars minis will present you with more choice for NPCs armed with guns.

Aberrant creatures of various kinds can stand in for thoughtforms, but the trouble with minis here is that they are so different from the thing you want to represent that in my mind they supplant the image in the players' minds. I was constantly reminding my players that 'this is a Worm Maw, okay - not a beholder!'

I never thought to use star wars figures! Wonderful idea, ill definately start picking up a few to flesh out the first adventure or two. I'm about a month off from starting. Pretty exciting

Additionally, the Star Wars minis also have some great creatures that can stand in for the thoughtform beasts, and it won't break the immersion as much. It's much easier to think beholder than k'lorr slug, and I felt like that made it a little easier for my players to forget what they thought was going on, if that makes sense?

I'd also look into Wiz Kids stuff. Their pathfinder minis are awesome, and they fit the Zeitgeist-y feel a bit more than WotC's traditional fantasy minis do. Also, if you have a store that does bargain bin things, look through a bin of Hero Clix and Mage Knight. There are a ton of cool figures in those lines, that you'd have to rebase, but they work great. I used AIM agents for the technicians in the Screams and Security encounter in Dying Skyseer. I'm planning on using a figure called "Mending Priestess" whenever they finally encounter Lya Jierre in combat. I'm planning on using a Purple Man mini for Roland Stanfield. Plus, a lot of the Hero Clix (especially the older ones) are super cheap!

Hope this helps. I'll try and find some more specific examples of figures I've already used.

EDIT - It occurs to me that this could be a valuable resource for others who enjoy using lots of miniatures, and strive for as great a likeness as they can get. Hopefully others can think of good ideas for the various important NPCs. We could even make a list of all of the NPCs that gets "pictured" so to speak in the AP and come up with two or three examples of good minis for each one. I don't know, it's early and I'm just thinking it could be fun.

Here's a sample of some of the minis I'm using for key lower tier Ob characters.

From left to right: Roland Stanfield, Lorcan Kell, and Lya Jierre

Where did you get them?

Several places.

trollandtoad.com has a pretty great selection, as well as coolstuffinc.com

Actually, two of those three (Kell and Jierre) were just from an old shoebox full of Mage Knight and Hero Clix.

I'd suggest looking at a gaming store, or if you have anything like Vintage Stock, they are likely to have a huge bin full of those, and the place I go sells them for .10 each. You might even just try buying a large bundle off ebay or amazon, and see what you get?

I had such trouble coming up with miniatures that I ended up making tokens out of all the art from all the adventures.

Yeah, that's a pretty good way to go, really, because the actual artwork is really well done, and evocative.

I started using minis when I started DMing as a way to kind of stand out in my group, and it's just become something I enjoy so much. The hunt for the perfect mini is almost as fun as the game itself. And, when it's a mini that the players enjoy, and refer to the character based on what they saw in the mini - that is very rewarding.

d2OKC said:

The hunt for the perfect mini is almost as fun as the game itself.

Click to expand...

I agree. But Zeitgeist is tough. I have thousands of minis, but none of them were suitable for Rock Rackus! (For example.)