In my younger days back in the 80s we did a lot of role-playing. Should have been studying but instead played D&D for three days straight sort too much role-playing. One thing we used to do was make cardboard flats for gaming – in New Zealand in those days you just didn’t get metals although most people I knew had the odd figure here and there. So, as aids for combat and so forth I used to draw my own and mount them on card. Had a big collection – especially Judge Dredd flats – that I wish I still had but it went south many decades ago.

In recent years flats have made a big comeback. Go to Drivethru-RPG and you can find dozens of down-loadable minis. There are even fan-made freebies out there – like these ones for Tekumel: Empire of the Petal Throne RPG (these examples are single sided).

I was asked to review some paper minis from the aptly named company from Lithuania called Flat Minis.

Right off the bat I have to say that I think that they have a great product. The minis are printed on an elasticised material with an adhesive backing. The images are double sided and come individually packaged in a small plastic bag.

The neat thing is that there is a laser-cut plastic body matching the image of the mini to stick the miniature to. This then clips into a small base to hold upright. The plastic is fairly rigid and about 1-2mm thick. I think these would be robust enough to be chucked into a container for transport without any damage. The cost is €2 per figure. Not exactly cheap but you get a gaming token ready to go with no effort. I would prefer metals but then add the extra cost, painting time, storage for transport and so forth. For role-playing I think these are a good idea.

Assembly took about five seconds. The sticker wraps around the plastic cut-out and the completed 2-D miniature fits snugly into the plastic base.

The actual images are somewhat cartoony – perhaps a little too much so for my taste. The printing however is crisp and the colours vivid. The current range from Flat Minis includes some eighteen characters. I would prefer a more realistic representation of characters – but these will do the job intended. If they made these for either the Harn or Empire of the Petal Throne settings – I would buy the lot.

Some other examples from their current range.

And of course one good thing about 2D miniatures. They can fit through really narrow gaps on your dungeon layout.

Flat Minis – http://www.flatminis.com