Do you Use Miniatures?

[Oryan77]

I don't use the miniatures, they use me...

First, you start out buying just some cheap commons and uncommon pre-painted minis. Then they establish contact with your mind and convince you that you need to buy just a few rares that would be nifty to use in your game. When they have you hooked, they tell you that you should get multiples to use for encounters that you will never run. Once they have used you to buy more than you'll ever need, they make you believe that you need to collect at least 1 of every mini from every set. Before you know it, your apartment is filled with them and you begin to think, "The new WoW minis look nice too"...

 

[thalmin]

Been using miniatures since my third game, about thirty years ago. I believe most of the D&D games played at our store for 26 years have used miniatures.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Always have, always will if I have any say. Since '76 I believe (Holmes basic but moved immediately to AD&D as it was released). Almost seems it would hardly be worth the effort to me without the miniatures.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

Always use minis, sometimes even while role playing (out of combat). In some ways I'm still a five year old at heart and I like to play with my toys.

 

[Mr. Wilson]

Anytime we play DnD, the answer is yes we use minis.

Games like Gurps, Deadlands, CoC, the World of Darkness settings, and Star Wars d6 we tend to avoid maps, but have broken them out if needed.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I must say I'm surprised. Given the debates that pop up about which edition is more "miniature-centric" I would think there would be more people who don't use them. And, with all respect to those who do use them, I don't personally understand the appeal. I can appreciate a well-crafted miniature, but I have no artistic ability to create them myself. I always looked at D&D as a highly organized and systematized "storytime around the campfire", where everything happens in your imagination.

 

[El Mahdi]

The group of friends that first got me playing used minis all the time. For the very first game I played in, I first picked out a mini at the local game store and painted it. I've never played an RPG were I didn't use minis.

Every single game, every single session, for 15 years.

 

[PoeticJustice]

Minis for every combat. I have entire crates of DDM. Always wanted to get into painting reapers, but never had the time or money.

My first DM ran a very combat oriented game. Although my style has drifted from that of my mentor, such that I don't necessarily run combat encounters each session, I still love to play with my little toys...

 

[Quickleaf]

Always use minis, sometimes even while role playing (out of combat). In some ways I'm still a five year old at heart and I like to play with my toys.

My friend's 2 year old son calls his dad's miniatures "daddy's toys." It has the ring of truth to it.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Almost always these days. I love to paint and play with the toys.