"Did you ever use paper figures?" Topic

Back in the 70s and early 80s, I primarily gamed with paper figures – standees. That was what I could afford, and my first efforts at painting metal figures were disappointing. Then I eventually transitioned to metal figures, largely because I'd fallen into being a minis reviewer for a game magazine and was getting free samples (yay!), and because my painting skills improved, and I haven't used paper minis since (though I have nothing against them, and might use them again if circumstances were right). In fact, I still have my old paper minis around here somewhere…

So, did you ever game with paper figures, now or in the past?

Nope.

I made up counters for infantry and support weapons to use with WRG 1925 to 50 back in the 1970s. We did have some 6mm figures but the counters were easier to see.

My 1/1200 galley fleets are all just top down paper images stuck on card.

I actually do when playing Sorcerers Cave! a 'board' game.

Yes.

A number (non-zero number) of the scanrios I publish at INLGames come with paper figures (and 2D, sometimes 3D terrain) in the .pdf. I think it makes the scenarios more accessible … you don't have to go get figures or terrain, and you can upgrade as you play more often.

And, of course, there are these.

Yes.

No.

Yes.

My first Napoleonic troops were paper stand-ups.

Dave

No.
Though the closest I came to paper minis was using the game standees that were in the Avalon Hill's game Gladiator. And we only played that on the included game board

No

Yes.

I think so, maybe. I have a very hazy memory of paper ACW soldiers about the time of the Centennial. I do keep a few books of the modern 28mm versions off-site in event of fire.

Yes. I tried them out, for a short while. My fellow gamers hated them, so I stopped using them.

Printing them in full color is expensive: the ink density is extremely high, so whether you print them using inkjet ink (more precious than gold!), or if you use a color laser printer, they will drain your ink reservoirs quickly, thereby draining your wallet equally fast!

Most people assume they will be inexpensive to print and use… Until they empty their printer's ink wells/toner cartridges, and they realize how fast such high density printing will cost them. Cheers!

Only cardboard counters and stands that come with a boardgame

Yes

link

Facebook link

Yes, I have made my own cardboard counters for Ancient games, about the right size for 6mm units.

No but I have friends who do.

Top down ancients yes, for some DBA armies.

Most people assume they will be inexpensive to print

You control the printing quality. If you want high quality, you pay for high quality. If you don't, don't do that.

.y first Napoleonic armies were colored paper blocks, took fire and casualties by getting hit with darts

Yes. 10mm (nominal) flats from Junior General. I used them to test out some Revolutionary War rules.

No, can't say that I have.

Yes, on board games. Although, now a days, there are quite a few plastic figures as well.

For my ACW/late 19th century colonial games I used 2mm figures for map moves. I've made it a practice that each unit has a corresponding 2mm counter.

No

Nope.

No

I have in the past.

Almost. Printed out and started assembling ships for Roman Seas, but then the other person who was starting that project too faded away and it never got on the table.

Yes.

Mainly use PaperTerrain for buildings and my Vauban Fortress. I also started using Paper War the Spanish Succession from Peter Dennis of PaperBoys. Lastly, I have collected 2D armies from WoFun which are Peter Dennis' artwork on plexi type material.

You can see these at Historicon or if you can't make it, here are some blog posts:

Vauban Fortress with buildings: Scroll halfway through to see the buildings and fortress
link

Paper WSS Dutch Army: link

WoFun Gauls and Romans:
link

Cheers!
Eric

No.

I play often with paper figures.

The same people who say printing paper figures is too expensive will often play with high end, name brand metal or plastic figures painted with bespoke hobby paints. These are not cheap. Gripping Beast, Wargames Atlantic, Warlord, Vallejo, Games Workshop, Perry Brothers, how much do you pay for rules, figures, paints and terrain?

A ream of paper and a pair of ink cartridges can get me a lot of gaming.

For a real, fair cost comparison let's both start from scratch. No hobby supplies at all. Just an empty table. I can download paper figures on my public library computer and have them printed in high quality on good paper for less than $2 USD per page. I can purchase, download, have printed for me, and base 32 full color paper Arthurian infantry for less than the cost of four (4) unpainted, metal Arthurian infantry without spears or bases. That is 8 fully ready to go paper figures or one, unpainted, unarmed, unbased metal figure. Tell me again how paper figures are too expensive…

Eight figures ready to deploy on the table top. Fully coolored and based or one figure that I still have to paint (and buy paint and brushes) and base (and purchase basing material for), and purchase a spear for, as well as buy a shield transfer if I don't fancy my skill at painting a shield for the same money. Not to mention teh eight figures will be on teh table before the one is cleaned and the primer dry ready for base coating.

I think I'll stick with my paper boys. Faster, cheaper, and look good on the table. I came to play games.

Fair points, Dave Crowell. Well said. I print terrain using my color laser printer. I could set it to conserve toner (lower quality), but I choose to print at full resolution and quality because it is worth my investment of time and money.

I just want people to go into printing figure flats, and/or terrain, with their eyes wide open. All hobbies are money sinks… I would not spend my money on my hobbies if I did not enjoy them.

I played with 110# card stock buildings, and figures, in the past: original WorldWorks Castle, 110# card stock, walls printed in B&W, ink saving mode, to lessen the cost; not my favorite, hoping to re-print them at high quality, on my color laser, cladding them to chipboard (see examples below). I found them too soft to survive much use at the table. I began using the printouts as skins over a chipboard skeleton: durable, long-lasting, look great with very little painting (blackening the cut, white edges, mostly), and with sufficient heft that they do not blow around, unless there is an open window and a very strong breeze blowing through it.

If I were to go back to 2D printed figures, I would use them with chipboard to make them more durable. Printing has its place in my gaming hobby: 2.75D printed chipboard model of the massive, 25mm scale-sized Steading of the Hill Giants, the first TSR AD&D published adventure module; Fat Dragon Games' castle clad onto chipboard, castle walls and gates for a fantasy city siege game, complete with printed chipboard siege towers and battering rams; various chipboard printed buildings; and one of my favorites, a printed, clad-on-chipboard bridge. They all burned up plenty of toner cartridges, but after I clad the paper printouts to chipboard, they will last decades longer than I will. LOL! Cheers!

Paper printouts as cladding for chipboard, or foam core in extremis is the way to go if using paper terrain.

I base my paper figures on heavy bases, otherwise they do have a tendency to blow around, especially singles for skirmish gaming.

If I die without seeing another 28mm metal figure, I'll die a happy man.

After nearly 5 decades of wargaming only 3 things have sparked my interest in recent years. The 6mm MDF romans from Commission Figurines, 2mm Ancients from Antonine and Korhyl and the wonderful 'Paperboys' from Pete Dennis.

No