Miniature figures to depict the characters in an RPG can really add a lot to a game. But conventional metal miniatures are heavy, fragile, and expensive. They’re bulky to store and difficult to move, and you need a lot of them. What’s more, you need to paint them yourself, and that’s an entire skillset (and, for some, and entire hobby) in itself. Paper minis serve as an alternative that provide most of the advantages of conventional minis without many of the drawbacks.

Why use minis?

A painted metal mini and a plastic mini (an ogre mage from Wizard's D&D Minis collection)
A painted metal mini on the left, a pre-painted plastic mini on the right.

With all the disadvantages, you might wonder why we use them at all. In truth, sometimes you don’t need them. The GM and players can simply imagine the action. But how do you ensure that everyone is imagining the same thing? Without some sort of visual aid it’s easy to have disagreements. Was the barbarian caught by the dragon’s fiery breath, or was he just far enough away? If you use minis it’s easy to tell. You can read more about that here.

So what’s the problem?

  • Metal minis weigh a lot. Most are made of pewter, which is dense even as metal goes.
  • You need to paint them. It takes a lot of time, patience, and skill.
  • They’re expensive. A typical mini will run $5-$10 and up.
  • You need a lot of them. D&D features hundreds of kinds of monsters, and you often need multiples of a kind.
  • They’re fragile, so you need padded carrying cases. The cases are bulky too, and some are pretty expensive.
  • They’re hard to transport. Between the bulk, weight, and fragility it’s a pain to move them if the game is at someone else’s house.

What about plastic minis?

Some companies make pre-painted plastic minis. They’re more durable than the metal ones, and lighter. But they’re about as expensive, and they’re still bulky. And you still need a lot of them.

Paper minis for the win!

Paper minis.
A variety of paper minis.

I use minis printed on light cardstock paper. I can easily create custom minis of whatever characters or monsters I want. They’re lightweight, fold flat for transport, and can be carried in a simple envelope.

Paper minis folded flat, and an envelope for carrying them.
A whole bevy of wizards.

You can buy plastic stands to hold the minis upright.

Two styles of stands for paper minis.
These bases were made by Steve Jackson Games, and are no longer available. But there are plenty of other designs still for sale.

Paper minis are cheap, light, and easy to store and transport. If you drop one, the sword doesn’t break off. And you don’t have to spend time painting them. All in all, they may not be as pretty as a 3D mini, but they’re a lot easier to own and game with.