Counters for combat grids

[roytheodd]

Steve Jackson Games: Cardboard Heroes. For $21 you get more than a hundred characters - good guys, bad guys, monsters, dragons, samurai - for use in lots of situations. They need to be cut-out and taped together, but the pieces (when assembled) stand up for easy moving. You can also buy bases for the pieces so they don't need taping (and I think look better too). The bases retail for $3 for like a dozen of them. Most game stores can get them, but most of them also require you special order them.

Fiery Dragon makes good pieces too, but there are key differences. Decide for what fits your needs:
SJG pieces stand up - FD lay flat
SJG gets you more for one purchase - FD costs less and easier to customize what you're getting
SJG has more variety - FD is gaining in this respect and, again, it's easier to customize
SJG needs scissors and time to make use of them - FD come apart with ease

 

[Shadow64]

copper counters

If you’re looking for cheap and effective counters take some pennies (or any small local currency), spray paint them any color you want, then use a permanent marker with numbers on them.

I will admit, it's not the prettiest thing, but I’ve never seen a better reaction from players when I dropped 35 cents on the table.

 

[Sir Edgar]

There are several NPCs in CP2. Here's a rundown of NPCs by organization:

The Prince's Worgriders: Goblin Prince, Barbarian, Rogue, Adept, Cleric and two different Blues.

Mogor's Fist: Mogor (high-level half-orc wearing Silver Dragonhide Breastplate), plus loads of orcs and half-orcs, including the elite Himrak.

Cult of Bakaal: All Human: Cult Leader (female), Male Blackguard, High Priest, plus some other NPCs (Necromancer, Wizards and Barbarian), plus brand-new Cultist NPCs.

Jirokk Clan: Fire Giant King, Queen, Monk, Sorceror, 4 males, 4 females, 2 fire giant boys, plus salamanders, thoqqua, other giants and a nasty unique villain.

Residents of the Mattadin: Athach, a new Yuan-ti abomination, plus yuan-ti halfbreed and purebloods.

Vampire's Legion: new Vampire Ranger, two new Vampire Spawn, plus several undead (including three nightmares for the vampires to ride).

Pax Hobgoblinica: All brand-new! Hobgoblin General, Chaplain, Battlemage, two lieutenants, 4 sergeants, 14 legionnaires, plus a kobold emissary, two kobold knights and two kobold assassins.

Knights of Solorien: Human NPCs galore! High Knights, Archers, Priests, Paladins. 20 total!

Bertram's Guild: two new halfling rogues, human smuggler, three human "street toughs", a human "streetwalker", 4 new city watch guards, plus mid- and high-level assassins.

So, NPC-wise, Counter Pack 2 delivers in spades!

Well then! I have to get it now! I need more NPC's though, Klaus! More! Like peasant farmers, barmaids, and merchants!Okay, so these types are not in combat often, but sometimes they are! And what about footmen? More humans, Klaus, more!

Anyhow, I will definitely pick up Counter Pack 2 since it sounds really good! I may get Counter Pack 1 later, but I don't see myself playing with too many demons yet. But give me at least a couple of big serpents in one of your next ones, okay? Thanks again.

 

[JDragon]

My group uses a combination of Minis (usually for PC's and Major NPC's) and battle dice.

We each bought a box with a diffrent color of 30 small D6's, then traded in groups of 6. That way you have a box of 5 groups in diffrent colors you can easily track (#1-6) for the price of one box of dice. Of coarse you need 5 or 6 people wanting to put in for a box of dice, but what gamer doesn't want more dice. Plus you have all the D6's you need for those high level metor swarms and such.

The counters seem cool, they a really good for monsters that are larger the 5' by 5'.

For the Grid we have the Chessex Battle Mats, which you can draw on with water based non-perm pens.

I've use the penny idea too.

JDragon

 

[nopantsyet]

Gaming stones, man. Chessex makes these for games that require counters and they come in different colors. They fit nicely in the 1" squares and don't get knocked over or blown away when somebody sneezes.

I really like the idea of counters, but I tend to have battles with lots of combatants, so I'd have to buy several sets to field my battles. Although I do like the art on both Claudio's and the Fiery Dragon counters.

Oh--and the stones cost like $2.50 for a tube of 25, so even when my two-year-old aspiring DM casts them across the room in his rendition of a boulder-throwing giant, I don't feel an immense sense of loss like I did when the meticulously-attached horsehair bowstrings got accidentally torn off my archer minis. (By a player no less.)