SavageRobby
First Post
diaglo said:but they come prepainted with chocolate mang.
Yeah, but for all we know that chinese paint might very well taste better than the overprocessed american chocolate.
alternative "minis" for DnD
- Thread starter drakshasak
- Start date
Yeah, but for all we know that chinese paint might very well taste better than the overprocessed american chocolate.
Cardboard Heroes from Steve Jackson Games: http://www.sjgames.com/heroes/
Counter Collections from Fiery Dragon: http://www.fierydragon.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=4&id=20&Itemid=41
Cardboard Heroes have the advantage of being "three-dimensional", though they're more challenging to get cut out and put together properly (I use a metal straightedge and an X-Acto knife). Counter Collections are easier to cut out, though they don't stand up on the battlemat.
Counter Collections from Fiery Dragon: http://www.fierydragon.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=4&id=20&Itemid=41
Cardboard Heroes have the advantage of being "three-dimensional", though they're more challenging to get cut out and put together properly (I use a metal straightedge and an X-Acto knife). Counter Collections are easier to cut out, though they don't stand up on the battlemat.
Random Axe
Explorer
1. Ocho Games Monster Tiles, if you're so inclined.
http://www.ochogames.com/store/index.aspx
2. Paper figures! I forget if there was a site that specialized in that, but geez, it serves just fine for the sake of indicating one bad guy from another, and I once made a whole pack of orc warriors using a laser printer and sticky labels.
Look, my point is, the game is just the GAME. I have never seen any reason to go amassing boxes of miniatures just for the sake of role-playing. RPGing survived perfectly well without ANY miniatures, there really ain't no reason why it can't continue to. WASTE NOT THY HARD-EARNED BUCKS.
http://www.ochogames.com/store/index.aspx
2. Paper figures! I forget if there was a site that specialized in that, but geez, it serves just fine for the sake of indicating one bad guy from another, and I once made a whole pack of orc warriors using a laser printer and sticky labels.
Look, my point is, the game is just the GAME. I have never seen any reason to go amassing boxes of miniatures just for the sake of role-playing. RPGing survived perfectly well without ANY miniatures, there really ain't no reason why it can't continue to. WASTE NOT THY HARD-EARNED BUCKS.
Reaper is probably my favorite as they make a mini for almost everything you could want. PC, and beasts alike.
If you prefer an "old school" fee" I'd go with these. http://www.otherworld.me.uk/store.html
They don't have a whole lot of options, but there making stuff pretty quickly.
If you're looking for prepainted I'd check out your local gaming store and see if they have bins of cheap mage knight, or D&D, minis. (usually most of the places that do so pawn off the less common ones dirt cheap)
For larger battles of weaker bad guys. Like when a devil summons 20 lemures we tend to use Rolo's, hershey kisses, or some other form of wrapped candy. You get a bit of extra satisfaction in slaying the mooks this way.
If you prefer an "old school" fee" I'd go with these. http://www.otherworld.me.uk/store.html
They don't have a whole lot of options, but there making stuff pretty quickly.
If you're looking for prepainted I'd check out your local gaming store and see if they have bins of cheap mage knight, or D&D, minis. (usually most of the places that do so pawn off the less common ones dirt cheap)
For larger battles of weaker bad guys. Like when a devil summons 20 lemures we tend to use Rolo's, hershey kisses, or some other form of wrapped candy. You get a bit of extra satisfaction in slaying the mooks this way.
freyar
Extradimensional Explorer
If you like arts & crafts kind of work, you might enjoy making your own. I make minis out of Crayola model magic clay (which dries over night) and paint them with cheap acrylic paints. On the whole, it's quite inexpensive, I always get the critters I want, and I have a little fun and relaxation along the way. Humanoids (esp. the small ones) are tough, but I've gotten nice results for many other kinds of monsters.
blargney the second
blargney the minute's son
Another vote on the pile for the secondary market of D&D Minis. They're extremely inexpensive and you can pick from a huge array of figures without the randomness.
Elder-Basilisk
First Post
Every option has advantages and disadvantages.
1. Secondary market DDM singles. The price is pretty reasonable and there's a great selection. They can be representative for everything if you get a good selection but you don't need enough to have the PCs and important NPCs/villains look like what you want.
2. Fiery Dragon Creature counters etc. Advantage: cheap. You get a bunch at a low price. Disadvantage: they're two dimensional so poor lighting situations can make it hard for players to tell which is which (glare, etc). Also, they are thin and it's easier to move them accidentally. You also have to be organized with storage. If you just toss them all in a ziplock bag you'll never be able to find the one you want.
The papercutter at work or school and a flatened cereal box or other source of cardboard could also create these on the cheap if you felt like just numbering a bunch of paper chits.
3. "Dice minions" Go to your local gamestore and buy a bunch of d12s from the cheap dice section and a pack of round miniature bases. Superglue the dice to bases with numbers from 1-12 facing up. If you need more, pick up another color set of d12s.
They have the advantage that, as 3d representations, they look nicer on a battlemap than squares or two dimensional counters (especially if the PCs are represented by minis) and are easier to read. Also, because they are non-representative, you don't have the issue of the artwork being wrong for what you are representing. ("Everyone remember, the skeleton with the sheild and spear is the beautiful princess and the orc zombie with the axe is the halfling merchant, the woman wielding the axe is the succubus, and the three goblin archers are actually ghosts"). It can be a challenge to remember which is which but at least the appearance of your counter is not actively deceptive (which can happen if you proxy counters or minis that are unlike what you are proxying them for).
For large monsters, the 2 inch square Games Workshop monster bases make great proxies but dice or other markings would make them easier to tell apart.
4. Glass beads/ M&Ms/ candy.
Placeholders like this can be handy and are probably the cheapest option other than making your own counters. They are great when you need lots of minis for interchangable bad guys without enough hit points to take more than one hit. However, when you have to remember which M&M has 5hp of damage and which one is uninjured, it can lose its charm.
1. Secondary market DDM singles. The price is pretty reasonable and there's a great selection. They can be representative for everything if you get a good selection but you don't need enough to have the PCs and important NPCs/villains look like what you want.
2. Fiery Dragon Creature counters etc. Advantage: cheap. You get a bunch at a low price. Disadvantage: they're two dimensional so poor lighting situations can make it hard for players to tell which is which (glare, etc). Also, they are thin and it's easier to move them accidentally. You also have to be organized with storage. If you just toss them all in a ziplock bag you'll never be able to find the one you want.
The papercutter at work or school and a flatened cereal box or other source of cardboard could also create these on the cheap if you felt like just numbering a bunch of paper chits.
3. "Dice minions" Go to your local gamestore and buy a bunch of d12s from the cheap dice section and a pack of round miniature bases. Superglue the dice to bases with numbers from 1-12 facing up. If you need more, pick up another color set of d12s.
They have the advantage that, as 3d representations, they look nicer on a battlemap than squares or two dimensional counters (especially if the PCs are represented by minis) and are easier to read. Also, because they are non-representative, you don't have the issue of the artwork being wrong for what you are representing. ("Everyone remember, the skeleton with the sheild and spear is the beautiful princess and the orc zombie with the axe is the halfling merchant, the woman wielding the axe is the succubus, and the three goblin archers are actually ghosts"). It can be a challenge to remember which is which but at least the appearance of your counter is not actively deceptive (which can happen if you proxy counters or minis that are unlike what you are proxying them for).
For large monsters, the 2 inch square Games Workshop monster bases make great proxies but dice or other markings would make them easier to tell apart.
4. Glass beads/ M&Ms/ candy.
Placeholders like this can be handy and are probably the cheapest option other than making your own counters. They are great when you need lots of minis for interchangable bad guys without enough hit points to take more than one hit. However, when you have to remember which M&M has 5hp of damage and which one is uninjured, it can lose its charm.
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