Miniatures on the Cheap
Miniatures or Counters?
If you use a battle mat to draw out your combat encounters, you'll need some kind of token to represent where on the battle map your character and his foes stand.
Use counters, a cost-effective way to avoid paying for costly miniatures. Maybe you'll add those to your game later, but in the beginning, you don't want to break the bank. Here are some options.
- Counters
- Ceramic Tiles
- Wood Circles
Counters
The simplest tokens will cost you next to nothing. You can use coins. Sure, your mighty paladin of light might not look as impressive as a penny than as a painted miniature, but it will still do the trick, if you want to keep within a strict budget. Especially when you're just starting out, I would recommend spending your money on books first, and miniatures later.
Another option is to use glass "counters." These look like one half of a marble or like a blob of glass. They come in many colors and designs. Most importantly, they are inexpensive. Buy these from your local craft and hobby shop, such as Hobby Lobby. If you purchase them from your game store, you're likely to pay much more per counter and they often have less selection than craft stores.
Ceramic Tiles
Next time you're at your local home improvement store (such as Home Depot), check out their selection of mosaic tiles. These are the little tiles used for bathroom floors. They often come in sheets, with the small tile squares or hexes connected with a rubbery backing material. This is easy to cut with a craft knife to separate the individual tiles. For some kinds you may find it's hard to cut all of this rubbery stuff off, so you may want to buy loose tiles instead, which are not connected.
Wood Circles
You can often find wood circles pre-cut at your local craft and hobby store. These come in 1 inch and 2 inch sizes, which is what you want, so that they'll fit your grid to represent medium and large creatures. If you can find them in bulk, this is a great way to go.
If you have a handsaw and a vice or a bandsaw, you can buy one and two-inch dowel and cut off slices to make perfectly round bases. Naturally, you want to be careful when using any kind of saw in order to prevent injury.
Starburst Candies
One of the more ingenious counters I have seen used is Starburst candies. They're a little less than an inch across. With a fine-tip felt pen, you can number them, so you keep track of which creature it is on the field of battle.
I got this idea from one of the players in my campaign, who also dungeon masters. (Thanks Meike!) The best part of all is that whoever gets the killing blow on their Starburst foe gets to eat the candy. "Die, raspberry fiend!"
Sweet rewards, indeed.
Start Inexpensive, Then Grow Your Hobby
I love miniatures, from collecting to painting to converting them with modeling putty. For me, they are worth every penny. However, if you buy some counters to start off, you have what you need to play. Then you can add miniatures as your interest and budget allow.
You don't need dozens of miniatures to get started as a dungeon master. Select the ones you'll use most, such as orcs, humans, kobolds, and goblins. Then add the ones you'll use less later. With a little planning, you won't need to spend a lot on your hobby. OK, you won't need to, but you'll want to. ;)
Learn How using Miniatures can enhance your roleplaying game
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