Hi /tg/ I'm an expat in China and we FINALLY scraped together

Theatre of the mind or bust

>>53669444
/thread

Cut out cardboard pogs, print out what you need on them.

>>53669444
>Theatre of the mind
Some movement based classes get really screwed when you're not using minis.

I tried playing a PsiWarrior/Elocator in a game where we started with minis and the DM got bored of bringing them and we just went with narration of moves and placement.

He went way downhill when suddenly rooms were different sizes and targets were different ranges and a monster may or may not threaten an NPC. Half his powers were about spring attacks and running up walls and diagonal charges and suddenly this stuff didn't matter.

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>>53669583
I think they meant for 5e, where most of that shit doesn't matter.

For 3.5/4e you basically need minis. For all other editions, it depends on your group preference.

>>53669398
I use these metal office clips to hold cutouts of the characters. You can remove the metal wire bits and then it's just like a base for a mini.

>>53669637
>I think they meant for 5e, where most of that shit doesn't matter.
Fair enough, I haven't played it (yet), I was led to believe that it was half-way between 3.5 and 4 where it matters a bit in one and a fuckload in the other.

>bulldog clips as mini stands
That's pretty cool actually. I can see that working if I want to use monsters that are basically one-offs. A few minutes in PS and I've got a pic that I can print and clip.

>>53669637
>For 3.5/4e you basically need minis. For all other editions, it depends on your group preference.
Do you think that it's fucking weird that a company moved AWAY from the cash machine that is licensed miniatures?

>>53669398
>Now I want to play d&d, either 3.5 or 5
Why?

>>53670031
Why play d&d or why play those editions?

I like the system, the settings, the style of play.

I don't like Dungeon World very much (which we're playing atm) because it feels contrived and indulgent. I want to play the DM's story (or tell one as the DM).

I like 3.5 because the source material is so broad that I can build practically anything that I want, most other systems I want to build something and find myself constrained by the mechanics but in 3.5, that's never happened to me.

5 may or may not be the same, I haven't played it yet but I guess it will have less options than 3.5.

>>53669398
If you're the crafty kind, you could try to make some 3D paper (read: cardstock, 65lb/110lb) minis with some pva glue.

Pros: 3D, paintable minis. Cheap. Comfy if you enjoy making. Minis for any occasion. Lightweight/easy to carry in bulk. Easy to give out to anyone who wants one.
Cons: Water bad. Inflammable. Quality is dependent on your skill, probably limited to tabletop quality. Until you git gud, can be time consuming to make. I've made three and it can take me about 2-3 hours to go from start to unpainted finish. First one took forever because I had trouble following the videos.

I used this guy's videos to figure out how to make them out of stiff paper and cardboard bases. Guy's methods are solid, but video-making skills are not quite there yet.

In summary:
>Cut a rectangle
>Cut it almost in half (leaving about one third intact in the middle)
>Roll up the two halves to get an X shape.
>Glue the X in the middle. The upper limbs are the arms, the lower are the legs. Doesn't matter that they're the same length, nobody's going to notice at this scale.
>You now have a paper armature.
>A ball of paper at the top forms the head.

>Dress your new armature using scraps of paper.
>Scraps create a face and hair (hint, helmets covering the head are your friend).
>Use glue to stiffen limbs.
>Base it on cardboard, aim to fill 1" grids or whatever size you're using.

>Consider painting or using markers to colour.
>Keep it far away from water.

Tools: Scissors, glue, ruler, pencil. Small needle nose pliers and a utility knife helpful but optional.

Vids: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0XJwuojNwnwiNcl7oIbJajOGe54uSCIb

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>>53669637
I like this office clip idea, you can use this combined with portrait tokens like so.

>>53670898
Forgot to mention. You'll definitely want some tweezers.

Major advantage is that it saves the trouble of sculpting epoxy, learning wire, baking polyclay, etc. If you still want to, then go for it, but you can't get much cheaper than putting cardstock and old boxes on the table.

We still use homemade cardboard chits for various enemies.

>>53670898
>3D paper
I might give that a go, we're doing All Flesh Must Be Eaten next week because somebody is going home to visit their family (teachers are fucking unreliable with their schedules) and so one guy wants to run a short three-session game of zombies.