Poker Chips Under Mini Bases

[TarionzCousin]

I'm looking for the perfect poker chips to stack underneath miniatures. Mostly my groups use WotC's plastic minis, but we all have plenty of pewter/lead/solid gold ones, too.

I don't want to spend the money on AleaTools' magnetic base markers, thanks. Instead, I want a similar effect from skinnier, cheaper poker chips.

Does anyone use this sort of thing and, if so, where can I buy a nice pack of poker chips or tokens in at least 8 colors?

 

[im_robertb]

I personally use condition tokens I got from Litko Aerosystems. In particular, I got two of these, though I probably only needed one:
4E Condition Tokens, Game Masters Set - LITKO Game Accessories

And one of these:
Bloodied Tokens, Set of 10 - LITKO Game Accessories

The bloodied tokens are great - when a monster is killed, I often leave the bloodied token on the board. The condition tokens are pretty good, but for the obscure/rare/useless conditions, like Deafened and Petrified, I end up using the tokens for the dozens of "Miscellaneous" conditions that can come up.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Would a 3/4 inch poker chip be easily visible underneath the standard D&D miniature?

I can't find a ruler or anything to measure right now. Instead, I turn to you, my internet enablers, to help me feed my gaming addiction through continued spending.

Edit: Okay, standard WotC mini bases are 1 inch diameter, right?

 

[Kzach]

Edit: Okay, standard WotC mini bases are 1 inch diameter, right?

No. They're 25mm. Hence being called "25mm minis".

IMO, which you'll get whether you like it or not, chips are a waste of time. They SOUND like a good idea, but in practice they're far too clumsy and take up far too much time at the table and the end benefit is minimal.

You're much better off buying small stickers of various colours. Say... red for solos, blue for elites and yellow for standard monsters and white for minions. Write numbers on them or letters, doesn't really matter, as long as they're easy to see from a distance.

Then just use index cards and write the condition next to their number or letter. Sure, players don't get this information at a glance, but again the benefit of that is pretty minimal and far too much hassle.

 

[Droogie]

Edit: Okay, standard WotC mini bases are 1 inch diameter, right?

Yes, for medium creatures. Small creatures have smaller bases, and large critters have 1.5 or 2" bases. I've seen 7/8 inch poker chips at amazon; those might do the trick.

 

[TarionzCousin]

No. They're 25mm. Hence being called "25mm minis".

You're lucky Morrus is in England; using the Metric System is illegal here in the U.S.

IMO, which you'll get whether you like it or not, chips are a waste of time. They SOUND like a good idea, but in practice they're far too clumsy and take up far too much time at the table and the end benefit is minimal.

You're much better off buying small stickers of various colours. Say... red for solos, blue for elites and yellow for standard monsters and white for minions. Write numbers on them or letters, doesn't really matter, as long as they're easy to see from a distance.

Then just use index cards and write the condition next to their number or letter. Sure, players don't get this information at a glance, but again the benefit of that is pretty minimal and far too much hassle.

This is actually a valuable opinion. Thanks.

We've been using a combination of notes on a whiteboard and small plastic rings and glass stones. It's okay, but I would prefer something better, so I'm willing to spend $12.00 on poker chips.

 

[cmrscorpio]

An awesome alternative to placing tiles or tokens beneath the miniatures is to put plastic rings (like the ones from plastic bottles) *over* the mini. It is much easier to place on the miniature, and they come in such a wide variety of colors. Coca-cola Classic bottlescaps are all red, perfect for denoting bloodied miniatures.

 

[Kzach]

An awesome alternative to placing tiles or tokens beneath the miniatures is to put plastic rings (like the ones from plastic bottles) *over* the mini. It is much easier to place on the miniature, and they come in such a wide variety of colors. Coca-cola Classic bottlescaps are all red, perfect for denoting bloodied miniatures.

The only problem I have with that, personally, is that it ruins any sense of illusion one might have that you're playing a roleplaying game rather than a tactical strategy game. I like to use 3D terrain and the 'right' miniatures as much as possible which is why I invested heavily in the DDM line and traded my ass off for monster minis. It helps me immerse myself into the scenario and imagine that I'm in the fight rather than a spectator of it.

Otherwise, this method works quite well as I've played in several games where it has been used.

 

[TerraDave]

I really think they are more like 30mm. (the minis, not the bases).

EDIT: oh, and I have been experimenting with these binder rings in different colors I got at an office supply store that you just sort of hang on the mini. Tried little-post its, not that happy with it. The rings are ok, but just writting the condition on the initative card (or remembering) is the main method of tracking.

 

[Stumblewyk]

Cheapest option I've found (and the only one that actually "stuck" with my groups) is to buy yourself a 1" hole punch, and several sheets of thin felt in multiple colors.

My groups use red (bloodied), blue (movement impairing effects), green (ongoing damage), black (Hunter's Mark, Warlock's Curse, etc.) and white (marks). Sure, minis start "growing" when they get marked, someone slaps a Hunter's Mark on them, and then they get bloodied from some ongoing damage. But for the most part, it works, it's cheap, and the 40 or so chips I punched out 2 years ago are still going strong.