GM Ian's Guide to Purchasing Tabletop Miniature Models for RPGs

I noticed there were a lot of inquiries of where to purchase miniature models recently in my local groups so I thought I would type this up for ease of reference and just so I can link it instead of typing up the same thing again and again. Just take note, these suggestions may be skewed towards Malaysian (or maybe any non US and EU areas for that matter) audience because for us, Malaysians, we don’t have local manufacturers for tabletop miniatures (Well, except one but for reasons not clear to me, they can’t sell it here which is kinda stupid BUT ANYWAY...). For those living in the US or EU, they would normally get free shipping if the order is over a certain amount. So those everywhere else, we need to pay for the shipping. Please take note that this is based on my experience, research and preference so there’s gonna be some gaps but hopefully, it points people to a direction they desire. Also, I will be focusing on the manufacturers or even distributors instead of 3^rd party online retailers. Those you can find yourself. I’m just advising on which range is good.

Mmmm.... free shipping.... <drools>

Reaper Miniatures! It’s like the Big Super Store for all the RPG miniatures you need. You need miniatures for your heroes? Yes, they do have them in various races and classes but races such as Tiefling and Dragonborn may be limited in terms of classes. But for everything else, there’s Reaper Miniatures. You need models for the bad guys and monsters? They have it too! Skeletons, demons, ghosts, bandits, cultists, giants, trolls, and so on and so forth. You need NPCs for your village, blacksmith or tavern? Yes, they have it too! Reaper has the widest possible Fantasy range you will need to run RPG sessions with miniatures you may need.

You will probably recognize this. Reaper Miniatures released a range of affordable miniatures for RPG use.

However, the issue is for us non-US or EU residents when ordering from Reaper Miniatures is that the shipping is expensive (For us 3^rd World citizens who earn currencies which are weaker than the US Dollar or EU Euro or UK Pound or AU Dollar). My advise (at least for the moment) compare your shopping list in different currency. At the moment when I checked, the AU Dollar gives the best price so I pay in AU Dollar.

For some of us, we have it better than the Australians.

So, what about the official stuff from D&D or even Pathfinder? Well, you can’t exactly order straight from Wizards of the Coast but one of their retailers which is a good thing since you don’t have the main manufacturer competing with their retailers (Unlike a certain games company whose name I won’t mention here.). However, if you are a Malaysian like me, you noticed our local retailers don’t stock D&D products even though there’s a demand and would have been a good synergy and another channel to sell their other product lines. But no, for some reason, Malaysian retailers can’t seem to get a hold of D&D products DESPITE Wizards of the Coast’s effort to merge D&D with MTG ala Ravnica. So you would need to purchase such products from 3^rd party online retailers which, as I said before, I will not go into.

This is what you're looking for. However, I wish Wizards of the Coast sell them as singles.

Gale Force Nine does some of the more iconic or vital D&D characters but more for your foes in the RPG rather than miniatures for your heroes. Well, some but not a wide a range as I like it to be but if you want to be a bit special with introducing the main baddie of the setting then you get them there.

No lie. After I saw that I can order from Gale Force Nine, I ordered this.

For the Pathfinder stuff (which is D&D stuff but generalized and renamed so they don't get sued by Wizards of the Coast), Paizo actually do sell their stuff online plus other stuff including some of the D&D Heroclix stuff which is reasonable for tabletop use (though I would personally remove those weird bases with the dials and numbers). They also offer some relief and would reduce shipping cost for first few orders but only you buy at least 100 USD and again, I recommend people do group orders.

Probable Reason for Pathfinder's Existence.

Looking at another well-known IP and breaking into the mainstream, Games Workshop’s Warhammer range also does Fantasy miniatures albeit currently, a bit overpriced and going for a whole unique aesthetic. If you managed to get your hands on what people would refer to as Warhammer Fantasy, Oldhammer, Middlehammer and now as GW is going to introduce, Warhammer: The Old World, then you will get miniatures that would be familiar with Tolkien-esque albeit based on Europe (As many Fantasy worlds are e.g. Lord of the Rings). Warhammer Fantasy offers a world much like ours but with magic and the very real existence of demons. You will have Renaissance-era Holy Roman Empire forces, English/French Kingdoms, 3 Kinds of Elves, Ratmen and so on. A very diverse albeit maybe cliche world but one that’s very interesting in my opinion. Honestly, you just need to get one box of each type and you would have enough to challenge a group of adventurers with human city guards, elven archers, ogre raiders, etc.. As it is mainstream, Games Workshop has their own retail outlets and independent retailers so you can just drop by your nearest local game shop and most likely you can find their products.

Tell me you ain't inspired by the Warhammer Fantasy setting. I dare ya!

However, Games Workshop has a few contenders since it has abandon the Old World and created a New Plane so that it can IP what it created because Warhammer Fantasy is pretty much based on existing IP i.e. Lord of the Rings, existing folklore and actual historical figures and factions. Anyway, Mantic was the first to try to challenge Games Workshop dominance for a massed army wargame in 28mm even during the height of Games Workshop’s Fantasy rule with Kings of War. It has garnered a sizeable following and created a good range of miniatures which can be either good or bad depending on your preference. For example, the Undead looks great but the Elves look....too skinny. One of their main selling points is that they were cheap in comparison with Games Workshop.

WAY too skinny...

Another contender though going for a more skirmish kind of game is Frostgrave. For the book itself is published by Osprey Games but the miniatures are manufactured in partnership with North Star Military Figures. They too are coming out with a line of miniatures but more towards the people of the cold north aesthetic but they look great nonetheless. Their kits are much more diverse with various weapons. They even have kits for an all female warband and they are not sexualized. These may be good for the Icewind Dale setting since you know, snow, north and cold. But they are still good for more southern areas but probably not in the more Mediteranean and Equatorial areas. Weirdly enough, North Star Military Figures also started their own Fantasy line, Oathmark.

Look at them options!

The new kid on the block to take a step onto the Fantasy ring is Warlord Games’ Erehwon. Because I believe a few of their developers were from Games Workshop, Erehwon has taken on the Tolkien-esque look for their miniatures. You may also noticed that they mixed in a few products from other ranges such as Frostgrave and Oathmark.

Not the most memorable name for a wargame.

Oh, I almost forgot about Avatars of War. It’s basically Warhammer Fantasy but looks sexier. They also got behind the 9th Age since Games Workshop abandon and destroy Warhammer Fantasy to create “original” stuff to IP which again led developer after developer into filling in the void.


That said and if you've noticed, some of the developers I've pointed out also do historical and humans in Fantasy settings does reflect real historical people and so I'm gonna suggest a few more manufacturers that does historical miniatures as well. For example, Warlord Games do have their own line of historical medieval miniatures but they also would absorb or distribute for smaller manufacturers and add their product line to their online shop. However, I think North Star Military Figures have the widest selection of various manufacturers historical and Fantasy. That said, Warlord Games provide free shipping for orders over 50 USD so you choose either free shipping or widest possible selection.

Something something... Gary Gygax was a historical wargamer...

Starting with the Dark Ages (since it seems most Fantasy settings take on a Medieval look rather than a Classical look), we have Gripping Beast, they are the guys behind SAGA so you have Vikings, Saxons, Normans and recently, Arabs. They have a lot more so I suggest you have a look. Gripping Beast do have a few villager models as well if you need those. Going up the ages, we have Fireforge Games who came out first with their Teutonic Knights and slowly added more to their Medieval range including the usual Western European stuff, Rus, Byzantines and their own Fantasy line. Perry Miniatures, headed by the Perry Brothers who used to sculpt for Games Workshop, made their own line of miniatures specifically historicals. Again, more Medieval humans but they seem to focus on the English side of things as they have ranges for the 100-Year War and War of the Roses.


For us, local Malaysians, there's a few stores that stock such items. Wolf Game Shop stocks some Reaper Miniatures, Warlord Games and other manufacturers. Comics Mart also sell miniatures that you can find on Warlord Games and a few Reaper Miniatures.


One last place I would like to recommend is http://www.songofblades.com/ that's actually based in Malaysia. They have a range of Halflings, Dwarfs and other esoteric stuff.


So, that's everything from the top of my head. There's more I assure you and a lot of these manufacturers are very old school people but they got some good stuff as well. If you need further information or something specific, let me know. I also do orders every month or so to one or more miniature and/or terrain manufacturer so if you want to piggyback on my order, let me know.