Do you use miniatures in your games? Paper, astic , metal, whatever?
TFT-style flat cardboard counters on hex maps (often transparent hex map photocopies on top of paper terrain sketches).
Up until 4th, I had only used miniatures for wargaming. We had a few minis back in the AD&D days, but didn't use them.
I really got into miniatures with 4th edition. Made papercraft terrain and designed encounters to utilize terrain and hazards. One of the things I appreciate about 4th ed is how it got me thinking more about the battlefield. I've got a tub full of the collectible plastic D&D miniatures I bought for this purpose.
Haven't used them since then. If I get a Starfinder group together, I'm thinking seriously about using the pawns and getting the miniatures for it.
I rarely use minis with RPGs, these days. (Sometimes players will have PC minis to illustrate marching orders and such, but they're usually not utilized for running combat as part of the game.) However, I'm a big fan of minis for wargaming. When I do use minis with an RPG, it's usually for a set-piece battle of some sort, more as a supplement to the RPG game than part of mainstream play.
Almost all of my minis are metal. I never got into the plastic RPG-oriented minis, but I've seen some very nice wargaming plastic minis from companies like Fireforge (http://www.fireforge-games.com/).
Quote from: Philotomy Jurament;990990Almost all of my minis are metal. I never got into the plastic RPG-oriented minis, but I've seen some very nice wargaming plastic minis from companies like Fireforge (http://www.fireforge-games.com/).
I've put together a wish list of Reaper Bones for Starfinder. Plastic tends to resist scratching and chipping, and resists wear for TT use. Plus Bones are a bit cheaper, and the Chronoscope line has damn near everything, from super heroes to sci-fi to fantasy.
I used minis for D&D for a time.
Currently the only game I use minis for is Fate of the Norns which has a map and minis based combat system. I have been able to amass a good collection of 15mm Vikings and Norse legendary beasts.
My group uses lego minifigs.
Generally, no. I'm a Theatre of the Mind kinda GM. That said, I am looking to include some miniatures of characters to go with my giant spaceship layouts in Traveller. By extension, I am hoping that Mongoose does get round to making a miniature spin-off for Traveller in the near future (as opposed to the far....).
Quote from: DavetheLost;990998I have been able to amass a good collection of 15mm Vikings...
Cool. Any pics?
Didnt we just have this thread a week or two ago?
I think I said this before... But like Trippy I like to do it all in the head.
I think they are beautiful as art pieces though, but they just don't do it for me in RPGs. They just pull me right out of the scene and back onto the table. That said, that's only my personal preference I know a lot of people who love using them. So whatever works best for the group!
Quote from: Schwartzwald;990984Do you use miniatures in your games? Paper, astic , metal, whatever?
Nada.
Occasionally, I have a huge collection but it's a pain to get them out and many players prefer theater of the mind.
Quote from: Schwartzwald;990984Do you use miniatures in your games? Paper, astic , metal, whatever?
6mm metal minis on .75 inch squares or hexes. (I use the hexes for vehicles.)
Q: Do you use miniatures in your games? Paper, astic , metal, whatever?
A: Very rarely. Too expensive and too hard to find for the games that I like. I recently got some really neat metal swashbuckler/musketeer miniatures that come in handy just to help visualize relative positions during swordfights. I still haven't found anything good to use for mythic Greek adventure in the vein of Jason and the Argonauts or the Odyssey.
Also, astic = plastic?
Generally yes, but varies by game.
For example:
D&D, WFRP, et al = lots of miniatures, terrain, etc.
The One Ring = miniatures for combat stance but not tactical play
Call of Cthulhu = no miniatures but lots of physical props (documents, artifacts, etc)
It depends upon the game (DnD mostly yes, SWN mostly no, Nights Black Agents no), the game location (basement at home sure why not, in the car going for a drive no) and the nature of the encounter (quick skirmish mostly no, set piece battle probably yes). I like it to be fluid and as mercurial as the GM.
We sometimes use minis (or the equivalent) for rough relative position and then like. When it isn't dice on the table or pen marks on a dry-erase board, it is a random collection of cheap plastic minatures that WotC released during the 3e era--I believe as part of an attempt to release a new "Chainmail" game (undoubtedly no relation to the original). No attempt at realistically portraying people's characters. And if we're up against 6 enemies and we have 6 zombie figs, those get used, even if the enemies are lizardmen.
Nope. Never have.
Miniatures? Yes, always. They're fun and add an additional dimension to our games. Not to mention no one worries about placement when spells go off.
I love collecting and painting minis but I can game with or without them. The Bones line from Reaper these past few years have made large collections of mook types actually affordable. The "oh shit!" factor of dropping a very scary monster mini on the table is still fun after all these years.
I do when we have a large table helps with combat order. I like the printable paper one from drive thru rpg.