RPG Evolution: Gift Ideas for Fans of Miniature Terrain 2024

Please Note: I'm a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon regularly posts and delists items so these may not all be in stock, and if you plan to purchase these for the holidays check delivery times as some may be shipped from overseas. Listings are in price order from lowest to highest.'

Fall Trees ($10)​

These trees are easy to assemble, lightweight, and are the rare foliage color of fall that you don't often see in miniatures. They're also made of wood, which just gives them the appropriate texture. They're perfectly sized for 28mm figures. The trees range in height from 8 inches (40 feet high equivalent) to 5 inches (25 feet high equivalent).

Bonfires ($15)​

I'm always on the lookout for toys and doll sets that work with miniatures. They're about 1.5 inches each (so around 7 feet in diameter in 28mm scale). The flame seems large, but it's feasible -- more the size of a bonfire, but with the wood this is still in scale. You get four for the price, which might be overkill, but if your PCs are raiding multiple goblin camps or lookouts it might be just what you need to set up an ambush. If you need campfires, these work well.

Gnarly Trees ($30)​

These 3D-printed trees are a silvery white color, which gives them the appearance of dead foliage, but you can modify them with paint. You get five in total, each 2.4 inches in diameter and ranging in height from 4 to 5 inches. I like them particularly because you can create a cardboard cutout with holes to represent foliage and then place it over the tree to act as a platform, so characters can "climb" the tree too. After all, what good is a tree on a battlemap if you can't climb it?

Ruined Keep ($45)​

This 3D-printed terrain features a pillared overhang, with a set of steps leading up. What looks like another set is actually just rubble. There's one entrance that's open, more of a portcullis style barbican, and two others that are bricked up. There are four windows in total, one on each side and then two close near the main opening. A versatile set for fighting flying monsters or defending a siege.

1/60 Dragon Longship ($60)​

If you know someone who likes models, this ship is perfect for 28mm games. 1/60 is the right scale. This ship is 14 inches long and 3 inches wide (wide enough for three medium-sized figures in Dungeons & Dragons scale terms). That said, in most cases you won't be able to fit many figures on it, since the ship has lots of pieces that are connected to the hull, including the mast. It's all made of wood, which makes it even more amazing. A worthy addition to any miniature gamer or model collector!

 

[aco175]

Poor man's fire

Poor man's wildfire, or one of my players forgot to pick up his magic missile dice again.

 

[Yenrak]

The ship looks cool. Is that really the right scale? I’ve never been able to figure it out.

 

[talien]

Poor man's fire

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Poor man's wildfire, or one of my players forgot to pick up his magic missile dice again.

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Also, caltrops in the middle of the night after you cat flipped the dice off the table and you forgot to go look for that stray 4-sided (OW).

 

[talien]

The ship looks cool. Is that really the right scale? I’ve never been able to figure it out.

Basically, 1:60: Miniature model (gaming) - Wikipedia

In many games there is a definite scale specified for the square grid that the game is played upon. One of the most common is 1 inch represents 5 feet. This specifies an exact scale of 1:60. That implies that a 28 mm tall figurine represents a 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) person – which is a reasonable number for a modern 50th percentile male (See: Human height). Another popular scale is 1/72 or 1 inch equals 6 foot which uses 20 mm, to 25 mm miniatures. It is mostly used for historical gaming in part due to a wide selection of 1/72 scale models. Figures are commonly used with a variety of scales. It is not uncommon for there to be a mismatch between the game scale and miniature size. Chainmail used a scale of 1:360,[6] appropriate to 5 mm miniatures, but was played with 30 mm miniatures,[7] and the conceit that each figure represented 20 men. In the table below, figure height alone (excluding base thickness) is the feature from which approximate scale is calculated.

It seems to be an uncommon scale for vehicles. You can sometimes find cars this size, but it was challenging for my modern game to find something even close that wasn't a highly specialized car (everyone loves their models of the fast cars, but not practical ones).

 

[aco175]

I have the problem with vehicles is not fitting all the minis. I need a larger than what would be normal to put 6 minis in a raft and end up using a 10x20 tile.

I do like these horse minis for placing a PC mini on and then you at least know if they are on or off the horse. Not sure if other vehicles do this and sacrifice realism for playability.

 

[talien]

I have the problem with vehicles is not fitting all the minis. I need a larger than what would be normal to put 6 minis in a raft and end up using a 10x20 tile.

I do like these horse minis for placing a PC mini on and then you at least know if they are on or off the horse. Not sure if other vehicles do this and sacrifice realism for playability.
View attachment 386532 View attachment 386533

Love these! I bought a bunch of plastic horses and cut them up to do the same thing, but 3D printing is waaay easier.