Some questions about using miniatures in game...

[S'mon]

There's a strong case for not using anything (Basic & Advanced D&D never needed minis) but if it's a choice between minis & counters for NPCs, use minis. As a player I _hate_ getting killed by a piece of cardboard! My GM had been using minis, but she switched to counters. If that piece of cardboard had been a mini I might have realised it was an Orc Sleepless (Commander) Ftr-6 and not just an orc mook Ftr-2 before it Full Attacked my wounded female Fighter Zana into salami slices, *sigh*. Best PC I ever had.
Minis definitely are better.

 

[DaveMage]

I agree with what Joe said.

The beauty of counters is that they are easily portable and much less expensive then miniatures. Also, thanks to Fiery Dragon, many more of the D&D monsters are available as counters rather than miniatures.

However, if I have the choice, I'd rather use an exact mini to show the players exactly what their characters are fighting. It's much more impressive when you put that huge red dragon miniature (rather than a counter) next to the medium-sized PCs. I just wish the good miniatures weren't as difficult (or expensive) to acquire.

 

[JoeGKushner]

You know, I'd never thought about it, but it seems to me that painting miniatures and selling them on eBay is a perfectly viable (and potentially) lucrative profession. I'm sure there are people that do that for a living out there.

If you're either really good or if you have no interest in painting them, then yeah, it's possible.

By that, I mean you have to have a skill level where you can get hundreds of dollars for a single figure that'll probably take you 40 hours to paint (and hopefully you can work on others at the same time) or you've got to do armies and sell them. Both time consuming.

 

[tetsujin28]

Gaming without minis isn't gaming

But seriously, there's some gorgeous paper minis out there, including the ones by Claudio Pozas (which are counters) and Steve Jackson's venerable Cardboard Heroes (which are quite durable, if taken care of. I have several sets that are more than 20 years old).

 

[Narfellus]

I've gotten into the habit of making my own counters after buying dozens of the ones from Fiery Dragon. I mean, i liked those, but after spending money on stuff i've used very little, i decided i could make my own. If there's a picture i like, i'll download it, crop and adjust in photoshop to whatever size i want, and print it.

Just today i made about 100 Pictish barbarians from pictures i found online, from Last of the Mohicans to real Sioux warriors. I glue pennies to the stockpaper and Walah! Instant enemy.

Still love a good solid 3D mini. They both have their places i think. Some of my biggest monsters are 6x6 inch full color cutouts mounted on a little piece of clay so they stand upright.

 

[thalmin]

If you like to use minis, of course it is best to have the exact figure, but this is not always practical. I suggest use the exact if possible, a close substitute if you can, otherwise use the cardboard counter if you have one that is close. If you have nothing that is close then use dice. Don't use a totally wrong figure or counter; they may look nice, but they tell the wrong story.

 

[Narfellus]

Before i began my miniatures addiction, we used a Jar Jar Legos character for EVERY SINGLE ENEMY. It's all we had. I got so tired of killing that little bugger every time i went nuts buying new minis.

The best part was pulling him out in a short-lived SW campaign for the obligatory "kill the Gungan!"

 

[IronWolf]

I use minis in games I run. We use a whole variety - metals, pre-painted plastic D&D minis and I've been known to use dice when I simply don't have anything close at all. Generally I try to use a mini that is close (and with the collection my friend has, there is usually something close). If there is absolutely nothing close then the dice or some other form of counter comes out.

 

[Fiery James]

Do you think miniatures add something to play that counters don't?

100% No. Counters are actually better to use than miniatures due primarily to cost reasons.

Of course, if FDP every finds out a way to make miniatures at a profit, I reserve the right to contradict this completely.



(And check out Counter Collection Digital if you're in to creating and printing your own -- over 1,000 images ready to go!)

- JB

 

[Psion]

Do you think miniatures add something to play that counters don't?

Yes. It adds a visual element that is a bit easier for players to relate to.

Do I think this factor is significant enough to warrant a significant investment in painting time or money invested in sifting through randomly assorted packs to get the minis I need? No, I do not.