Post by onethatwas on Nov 5, 2012 13:31:19 GMT -5
Most people have minis. But some either never bothered collecting them, and still others may just have too tight a budget to bother. Also, while some gaming stores have bins for cheap, recycled minis that you can browse through, some don't (My own is one of those unfortunate few), and buying mini's new sometimes isn't a good option because most brands sell the minis in a random assortment, which may not get you that model you want or need.
WarHammer mini's are a good alternative, but expensive AND time consuming. I myself have been eying a box of Dwarven warriors on the shelf at my gaming store but haven't had enough money to buy them for 6 months...
So, I wanted to post up some ideas for people who want to "Go Gridless" while not breaking the bank. These are cheap and easy alternatives, and while certainly not ideal, can work in a pinch.
-Wooden Discs make excellent markers for characters, enemies, bad guys, etc. Especially since you can find them in 1 inch diameter sizes. I myself use them on a home crafted initiative wheel (I really prefer not to use the standard initiative rules for D&D...too static for my tastes). You can paint them to differentiate them from each other (I use Red or Black for bad guys), OR you can find some pictures online of various characters, bad guys, etc, print them up on card stock, cut and and paste them to the wooden disc to add character.
-Speaking of card stock pictures, there are literally TONS of pictures online you can use for character representations. Yeah it's a bit close to crafting paper dolls, but do what you got to do, right? And you certainly have pennies laying around to tape to the bottom for weight purposes.
-Chess Pieces can be gotten easily and cheaply, and sometimes intersting chess pieces can be gotten at thrift stores for really low prices. Paint them as you like and use them on the table.
-Ceramic or plaster figures can *sometimes* be found that are interesting to use as mini replacements. Not often, but sometimes.
-Dice! Being a MtG player for a long time now, and having an unintentional tendancy to make token decks all over the place, I can tell you that dice are perfect token representatives. For D&D, just have the PC's use their own D20 dice (See? You're not even spending money here!) to represent themselves, and then you just have to put out the other sized dice to represent enemies. Don't forget that D12's want to play too...
I have also seen coins, legos (A bit too tacky for me), candy, and origami models used, so there are some even cheaper ideas for you. Feel free to share your own ideas for those who want to join the Gridless movement on the cheap...
WarHammer mini's are a good alternative, but expensive AND time consuming. I myself have been eying a box of Dwarven warriors on the shelf at my gaming store but haven't had enough money to buy them for 6 months...
So, I wanted to post up some ideas for people who want to "Go Gridless" while not breaking the bank. These are cheap and easy alternatives, and while certainly not ideal, can work in a pinch.
-Wooden Discs make excellent markers for characters, enemies, bad guys, etc. Especially since you can find them in 1 inch diameter sizes. I myself use them on a home crafted initiative wheel (I really prefer not to use the standard initiative rules for D&D...too static for my tastes). You can paint them to differentiate them from each other (I use Red or Black for bad guys), OR you can find some pictures online of various characters, bad guys, etc, print them up on card stock, cut and and paste them to the wooden disc to add character.
-Speaking of card stock pictures, there are literally TONS of pictures online you can use for character representations. Yeah it's a bit close to crafting paper dolls, but do what you got to do, right? And you certainly have pennies laying around to tape to the bottom for weight purposes.
-Chess Pieces can be gotten easily and cheaply, and sometimes intersting chess pieces can be gotten at thrift stores for really low prices. Paint them as you like and use them on the table.
-Ceramic or plaster figures can *sometimes* be found that are interesting to use as mini replacements. Not often, but sometimes.
-Dice! Being a MtG player for a long time now, and having an unintentional tendancy to make token decks all over the place, I can tell you that dice are perfect token representatives. For D&D, just have the PC's use their own D20 dice (See? You're not even spending money here!) to represent themselves, and then you just have to put out the other sized dice to represent enemies. Don't forget that D12's want to play too...
I have also seen coins, legos (A bit too tacky for me), candy, and origami models used, so there are some even cheaper ideas for you. Feel free to share your own ideas for those who want to join the Gridless movement on the cheap...