RPG players and GMs frequently like to have miniatures of some sort on the table top to help represent characters, creatures, other odds and ends. Right now there are 3 prevalent options you can use and mix to represent your game on the table top.

Pawns

Pawns are generally thick cardboard with double-sided images of monsters and characters on them, they generally set into a black round base. Alternatively this category can include printed images that use an assortment of basing methods.

Pros:

Price : For a standard box you can get 250 models for roughly $45, meaning each it’s the cheapest option, next to possible printing at home.

: For a standard box you can get 250 models for roughly $45, meaning each it’s the cheapest option, next to possible printing at home. Storage : Whether it’s in the package they came in, your household tupper ware or binder of some sort flat pawns and their bases take up relatively little space.

: Whether it’s in the package they came in, your household tupper ware or binder of some sort flat pawns and their bases take up relatively little space. Specificity : While there exist general pawn bundles that match the standard beastiaries, there are also pawn bundles specific to adventures giving you the specific models you need for that game.

: While there exist general pawn bundles that match the standard beastiaries, there are also pawn bundles specific to adventures giving you the specific models you need for that game. Durability: They are slick cardboard, if you don’t spill Mt. Dew on them (coke zero in my case) they will last quite a long time.

Cons:

Waste : When you buy in bulk, you generally get things you don’t need. If your campaign never goes nautical then a huge shark model doesn’t do too much for you.

: When you buy in bulk, you generally get things you don’t need. If your campaign never goes nautical then a huge shark model doesn’t do too much for you. Generic : While they could be specific to your Adventure Path, there is little you can do to customize what they look like short of printing you own and finding or creating your own art work.

: While they could be specific to your Adventure Path, there is little you can do to customize what they look like short of printing you own and finding or creating your own art work. Visibility: Being flat and two-sided sometimes it is difficult to see what a pawn is from specific angles. It might not seem like a big issue, and normally isn’t, but I’ve been in a few situations where it was bothersome.

Pre Painted

Pre Painted miniatures are generally plastic mass-produced miniatures that are machine printed and colored. They are generally sold in boosters of random miniatures. Pre painted miniatures have come a long way in the last few years. When they were first commonly used for RPGs the detail was lacking leaving them all looking like human shaped oatmeal, and the coloring was sometimes off enough that eyes would be on the side of the head. Luckily these days the quality is good enough you can actually tell what a miniature is.

Pros:

Aesthetics : It’s arguable, but for my money have a 3D fully colored model makes for a more dynamic game, and helps to immerse players in the world more. As for character models they just feel more badass.

: It’s arguable, but for my money have a 3D fully colored model makes for a more dynamic game, and helps to immerse players in the world more. As for character models they just feel more badass. customizable : While they come pre painted, they don’t have to stay that way, you can fully repaint or just touch up certain parts of them to make the model match your mental image.

: While they come pre painted, they don’t have to stay that way, you can fully repaint or just touch up certain parts of them to make the model match your mental image. Durability: Pre paintedplastic miniatures tend to have spindly little bits that can break off, but other than that you don’t have to worry too much about paint chipping, they can be tossed about fairly easily and warm water can be used to bend them back in to position.

Cons:

Price : A typical blister comes in at roughly 16 dollars, generally giving you 1 large and 3 small or medium-sized miniatures. $4 a miniature is not too bad, but compared to paper pawns it’s a sizeable increase.

: A typical blister comes in at roughly 16 dollars, generally giving you 1 large and 3 small or medium-sized miniatures. $4 a miniature is not too bad, but compared to paper pawns it’s a sizeable increase. Random : Unless you purchase them in an entire case, or individually it’s difficult to ensure you get all of the models of a set. If you just want to bolster your miniature collection buying a box piecemeal does not guarantee you get what you want.

: Unless you purchase them in an entire case, or individually it’s difficult to ensure you get all of the models of a set. If you just want to bolster your miniature collection buying a box piecemeal does not guarantee you get what you want. Storage: Being three-dimensional makes these miniatures waste a lot of space when being stored and generally require bags, or tackleboxes.

Unpainted

Unpainted miniatures come in all forms, single part multipart, plastic, metal, mass-produced or custom printed. For this discussion let’s assume I am talking about miniatures that you are painting or having painted. We will skip over techniques and tools for now and cover that in another post possibly.

Pros

Customization : You can paint the miniatures any color scheme you like, additionally there are more options to model or kit bash things together to get just the perfect mini. Additionally with 3D printing and services like Heroforge you can have exactly the miniature you need.

: You can paint the miniatures any color scheme you like, additionally there are more options to model or kit bash things together to get just the perfect mini. Additionally with 3D printing and services like Heroforge you can have exactly the miniature you need. Options : Off the top of my head I can name 6 different companies that I use or have used for miniatures that match a 1 inch scale, on top of that each company generally has a plethora of different poses and models. If you want something it’s likely out there already.

: Off the top of my head I can name 6 different companies that I use or have used for miniatures that match a 1 inch scale, on top of that each company generally has a plethora of different poses and models. If you want something it’s likely out there already. Aesthetics: Again this one is debatable, but I believe an even moderately skilled painter (or someone proficient reading online tutorials) can produce miniatures that beat their plastics counterparts in beauty. Also the molds themselves generally are sharper and better looking than their plastic brethren.

Cons:

Price : While there is a wide swath of unpainted plastic miniatures at a good price point (I’m looking at you wizkids unpainted and reaper bones) the metal or multi part plastic miniatures generally run in the 7 to 15 dollar range. That is before the tools, paint and time investment it takes to get them table ready.

: While there is a wide swath of unpainted plastic miniatures at a good price point (I’m looking at you wizkids unpainted and reaper bones) the metal or multi part plastic miniatures generally run in the 7 to 15 dollar range. That is before the tools, paint and time investment it takes to get them table ready. Complexity : These models likely need assembled or cleaned, and they will certainly need painted, unless you’re fighting an army of white skeletons. With out a doubt unpainted miniatures are more complex and have a higher barrier to entry compared to our other choices.

: These models likely need assembled or cleaned, and they will certainly need painted, unless you’re fighting an army of white skeletons. With out a doubt unpainted miniatures are more complex and have a higher barrier to entry compared to our other choices. Storage : Similar to pre painted plastics these minis take up more space, but with painted models you will need to be more cautious in their storage.

: Similar to pre painted plastics these minis take up more space, but with painted models you will need to be more cautious in their storage. Durability: Some might call me anal about the storage and protection of my painted miniatures, but I’m protecting a time investment. For a painted model the paint can chip, or glued parts can break and these are problems you will see at some point in your painting career.

Conclusion

Is there a right answer on what kind of character representation to use? NO! I myself use all three. I tend to only paint miniatures for player characters so they can look epic and use paper pawns and pre painted mixed together when I have the correct one to match a model that I need.

Let me know your thoughts, or how you use models in your game.

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