Hi everyone,
You might have seen that I recently ran a poll on twitter asking mini painters and collectors what their preferred material for minis is. I was really interested to see how passionate and invested people are in this debate, and there were some very strong views expressed! 411 people voted in the poll, and without further ado, here are the results:
I have to be honest, I was a little surprised by the result! I thought that both metal and resin would be more popular and plastic might struggle a bit. Shows what I know!
I thought that as a follow up to the poll it might be interesting and helpful to summarise some of the responses and offer some positives and negatives of each. I don't think that it's likely to change the mind of those who had strong views in the poll initially, but for people just starting out or who have only really used one material it might help to inform future decisions. The sections below are summaries of what people said. Please don't shout at me if you disagree! Seriously, though, this is a conversation I'm very happy to keep having, so feel free to comment here or on twitter. One quick caveat, I said for the poll that we were assuming the miniatures were the same price, so cost doesn't come into these comparison. I'm going to start with metal.
Although not unanimous, the broad consensus amongst respondents was that metal miniatures didn't have the level of detail of a high quality plastic or resin miniature, but there was an indefinable joy in painting and playing with metal miniatures. It was even suggested that plastic wargaming miniatures just 'felt wrong'.
Metal miniatures themselves are perhaps the hardest wearing of all the miniatures, but they can be a pain to mend if they do break, and paint coming off the miniatures was often mentioned as a problem. Converting and modifying metal miniatures is also much more difficult than doing the same with plastic minis. All of this might sound very critical of metal, but the goal of miniature painting is enjoyment, and lots of people suggested that painting metal was just more fun despite it's shortcomings.
Best for: Old School Wargamers.
Within my poll I specifically stated that it was to compare 'high quality plastic', and this is an important point when looking at this material. There are many different types and qualities of plastic out there, and it can be a bit difficult to know what you're going to get. Particularly coming in for criticism were the older Reaper Bones miniatures, but the consensus was that these had improved massively in recent times.
With the highest number of votes it is unsurprising that there were lots of positive things said about plastic miniatures. Modern plastic miniatures can be very detailed while still being easy to work with. It was the overwhelming favourite for people who like to convert and modify miniatures. Although it was noted that plastic miniatures break more easily than metal ones, they are much easier to fix if they do break. Where it was noted that metal miniatures can be challenging to paint, plastic was seen to be the easiest to work with. In most cases it is easier to put the paint on the miniature and, once it's on, it stays there better too. The weight was a divisive issue here, some people liked the lightweight nature for travel, posting and storage, while for others they lacked the satisfying feel and heft of metal.
Best for: Gamers who travel and for conversions.
The variety of comments about resin suggest that there are some very different quality levels in terms of material and finish out there. Some people suggested that resin miniatures required the least work before painting, while others suggested they took the most. What is clear, though, is that you need safety equipment while working with resin. Make sure you have a mask before you start cutting, as the dust produced can be harmful.
Resin, it seems, is the go-to choice for miniature artists who don't game. The level and crispness of detail found on good resin miniatures is unmatched and the strength and stability of them means they don't tend to warp and bend in the way both plastic and metal do. Despite that resin received the fewest votes by quite some way. It appears that much as these are great for art, they leave something to be desired for gaming. The lack of flexibility which helps painting means that they are prone to shatter, at which point they are beyond repair. They were also reported to be harder to apply paint to than plastic miniatures. Fundamentally, resin was suggested to be the hardest material to work with.
Best For: Painters who don't game.
As I mentioned at the top, these are not necessarily my views, but the distilled wisdom of Twitter. That said, I'm very happy to continue the conversation if you're interested. If you're new to the hobby and would like to ask any questions, please do get in touch!
Finally, a big thank you to everyone who took part in the poll and for the friendly engagement. There were clearly some very strong views, but everyone expressed them courteously and in a friendly way. Goblin Squire
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I recently created my first supplement for Dungeon Masters' Guild - Aindreas' Encyclopaedia of Non-Magical Items, and I thought I would write a little about where the idea came from and how I went about writing it. If you're interested in checking it out it's 'Pay What You Want' so you can download it free from here.
A Homebrew World
I have been a player of Dungeons and Dragons for a long time, and of TTRPGs generally for even longer, but it wasn't until a couple of years ago that I started DMing a campaign. I had done one-shots and mini adventures before, but nothing so all encompassing as a full campaign.
When we were preparing to start the campaign I spoke with my players about the type of campaign they wanted, as well as what I felt comfortable running. We had decided in advance that it would be a homebrew campaign, and we decided that it would be in a gritty, realistic world. In this world a long rest takes a full week; divine, healing magic is rare, and arcane magic is illegal. So, of course, one of the players decided to play a warlock!
Gnashrakh's Mallet
Non-Magical Items
When I was creating a world of very little magic, it didn't make sense to me that there would be lots of magic items to be found. I still wanted there to be the prospect of getting exciting loot, however, so I started to think about the different non-magical loot items which might exist in the world.
Although my homebrew campaign was my inspiration for this supplement, I was aware that my players would be able to read this, so none of the items contained are ones I created for that world. While the items were designed so that they could be used in a world of low magic I think that they could also add variety to a world in which magic is perfectly common. Perhaps the big bad of the campaign can detect magic, so these items could slip through undetected. Or perhaps your players get strong, non-magical items but they don't work on some kinds of enemy.
Spectacle of the Cyclops
About my Writing
I've had a love of writing since I was a child (when I made multiple attempts to write a novel) and fully intend to keep writing supplements (and blog posts!). You can check out my writing and the other works I've contributed to on my Writing page.
I had the joy of collaborating with Highdenn Creations on this project, and they produced all the art in the supplement, some of which is reproduced on this post. I highly recommend you have a look at their work. Head over to https://highdenncreations.wixsite.com/home or twitter.com/highdenncreates. Just a reminder, you can download the supplement here. Goblin Squire :)
Today in my showcase of awesome small miniature manufacturers is Heresy Miniatures, which is based in Derby in the UK. Above you can see my painting of a piece of there's. Well, more accurately two pieces as the goblin is separate! As ever, I'm not getting paid for this review, nor have I received anything free.
These photos are taken from the Heresy Miniatures Website - heresyminiatures.com
The photos here show the two different ways you can build 'Manbane the Minotaur', either with two axes, or having pulled a human apart. What's great is the miniature ships with both, so you can decide at your leisure which way to build it. I did briefly consider building with the axes, but the other way is just too cool!
The quality and detail on the miniature is great - it's made with resin, but I didn't have any of the issues which are normally associated with resin miniatures. It glued together very well, the paint took really nicely and there's none of the brittleness you can get with resin.
Manbane the Minotaur is £15, which I think is very reasonable for a miniature of this size and quality. Having just looked on the website it's actually reduced to £12 at the moment, so it's a great time to grab a deal!
What the minotaur mini doesn't come with is the dead goblin. Don't worry, though, you can also pick it up from Heresy Miniatures. It's the Goblin Casualty miniature and I think it really adds to the overall effect.
The goblin casualty is a metal miniature, and is just £2.50. I think it makes a great addition to a base, as I've done here, but if you're playing a game and want to mark where a goblin died then this is absolutely perfect. Obviously it was hard to paint and is hard to talk about for the Goblin Squire, but I managed to get through it :)
Shipping from Heresy Miniatures has had to reduce due to the ongoing problems, but they are still shipping every week, so you should still get an order pretty quickly. They also sell gift certificates, which are a fantastic way to support small businesses at this time - they get the income, and you can use the voucher when things are calmer and they can work with fewer restrictions. Finally, they have a loyalty scheme which will reward the regular customer with money off future orders. All great reasons to check them out at heresyminiatures.com!
One final err...bonus for reading right to the end. You'll be please to know that Manbane is sculpted in an anatomically correct manner...
Thanks for reading!
Goblin Squire
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