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October 3, 2008 
Like many people I don’t have an inexhaustible gaming budget. So, I look for deals where I can get them. As a DM I like to provide as entertaining a Dungeons and Dragons session as possible, including handouts, a magnetic game grid, and minis, but I don’t have the hundreds of minis it would require to have a unique mini for each monster my players will find.
Here are some solutions I have tried.
- Buy in bulk and re-use. Find a site offering bulk minis, or a collection on ebay, and pick them up inexpensively. Use the orc minis to represent not only orcs, but also goblins, hobgoblins, humans, gnolls, etc.
- Visit your local second-hand stores. Many times these minis get stuck in the toy section of your local goodwill or other second hand store, where you can pick them up for a dime (or less).
- Use tokens instead of minis. Gameboard tokens, chess pawns, etc. can fill the role of kobold minions nicely. Save your nicer looking minis for the bosses. Sure this allows for some meta-gaming (since the players always know who the boss is), but that may not always be a bad thing.
The key to remember is that most of the monsters will be long forgotten by the time the players reach the next encounter. If you are careful about how you reuse the minis you do own it can draw attention to the NPC’s you want them to remember.
On the flip side there is nothing wrong with painting fabulous minis or investing in some nice pre-sculpted and pre-painted minis as well. If you have the luxury of access to dozens or even hundreds of minis then by all means, use them.
Thanks, and enjoy the game!
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