Post by ThePup on Jan 27, 2008 12:06:01 GMT 9.5
Just for the record, I don't game with paper minis just because I'm cheap or against 'real' minis. I Love seeing a table with two fully painted armies battling it out!
So, As I see it, the Pros and Cons of Paper Minis...
Pros:
Cheap! - Many are downloadable free, or are cheap to buy, and you can then print as many as you like.
Resizable - In most cases, you can make them any scale you like. If you want to game in 15mm, print them in 15mm. 20, 30, 50... All just as easy. (Provided the've been designed well...)
Transportable! - Going on a business trip? Family holiday? Night shifts at work? Want to get in a couple of games, but don't want (Or if flying, don't have weight allowance) to carry large, heavy mini cases? Paper is the way to go!
Modifiable - If you have the time / patience to learn how to do it, making and modifying paper minis, using someone elses work as a template, is actually pretty fast and easy, with free software. (No, I can't do it either, but it's doable).
Cons
Limited Range - There's not as much variety out there as in real minis. Where there is a large range, the quality generally suffers
Erm... Happy to add more cons if anyone has them...
So, My setup? Here's my mini box... It's a 'Knex' case that my lad had. It's about 25cm along its longest side...
And inside?
Pens, Dice and importantly - MINIS! LOTS of them! Over 100, of various eras from gladiators to modern army to sci-fi! All printed at 25mm scale. Total weight of the kit? 570 grams. Hows that for a portable game? You're not gonna play mass battles with this setup, but squad size skirmishes are a piece of cake. If you only play one or two genres, then you could have enough minis for larger battles easily. I could pack double this amount in the case if I remade some of them a little differently.
And the minis themselves, in their bases?
The bases are the most expensive part of the kit! It's Fimo polymer clay moulded onto a washer, with a slot cut in. The 40 or so bases I have cost me 6 bucks to make.
Laminating the minis is really good if you can get hold of a laminator - I'm lucky enough to have one at work
Can laminate 30+ minis in one A4 slip if you arrange 'em right. (Bastard of a job to cut 'em out though!)
This setup goes many places with me... It travelled to Adelaide and Renmark over Christmas, it goes on nightshifts with me, it goes on holidays around the place. I Don't always get time to play, but it's small enough to take in case there is time.
So, As I see it, the Pros and Cons of Paper Minis...
Pros:
Cheap! - Many are downloadable free, or are cheap to buy, and you can then print as many as you like.
Resizable - In most cases, you can make them any scale you like. If you want to game in 15mm, print them in 15mm. 20, 30, 50... All just as easy. (Provided the've been designed well...)
Transportable! - Going on a business trip? Family holiday? Night shifts at work? Want to get in a couple of games, but don't want (Or if flying, don't have weight allowance) to carry large, heavy mini cases? Paper is the way to go!
Modifiable - If you have the time / patience to learn how to do it, making and modifying paper minis, using someone elses work as a template, is actually pretty fast and easy, with free software. (No, I can't do it either, but it's doable).
Cons
Limited Range - There's not as much variety out there as in real minis. Where there is a large range, the quality generally suffers
Erm... Happy to add more cons if anyone has them...
So, My setup? Here's my mini box... It's a 'Knex' case that my lad had. It's about 25cm along its longest side...
And inside?
Pens, Dice and importantly - MINIS! LOTS of them! Over 100, of various eras from gladiators to modern army to sci-fi! All printed at 25mm scale. Total weight of the kit? 570 grams. Hows that for a portable game? You're not gonna play mass battles with this setup, but squad size skirmishes are a piece of cake. If you only play one or two genres, then you could have enough minis for larger battles easily. I could pack double this amount in the case if I remade some of them a little differently.
And the minis themselves, in their bases?
The bases are the most expensive part of the kit! It's Fimo polymer clay moulded onto a washer, with a slot cut in. The 40 or so bases I have cost me 6 bucks to make.
Laminating the minis is really good if you can get hold of a laminator - I'm lucky enough to have one at work
Can laminate 30+ minis in one A4 slip if you arrange 'em right. (Bastard of a job to cut 'em out though!)This setup goes many places with me... It travelled to Adelaide and Renmark over Christmas, it goes on nightshifts with me, it goes on holidays around the place. I Don't always get time to play, but it's small enough to take in case there is time.