6 WAYS TO REPURPOSE YOUR MINIATURES

Miniatures don’t need to wallow in a box somewhere when not in use. Whether they have an origin in wargames or RPGs, we look at ways you can repurpose them for a new life on the tabletop

Over the years, you’ll find that you’ve collected countless miniatures. It might be because you started out as a hobbyist, painting minis to match a historically accurate battlefield. It could be because wargaming has always been your passion. Perhaps you’ve been a part of far too many RPG campaigns and you’ve got plenty of custom characters to prove it.

Regardless of why any of us have built up a miniatures collection, the question is what to do with them all once they no longer serve a purpose. Whether you’ve moved on from the game you’ve been playing, or they simply outlasted their use, you’ll suddenly find that you’re overflowing with these detailed creations, but don’t want to just throw them away. There has to be a better solution than sending them to landfill, and adding to the environmental issues the industry is currently facing. Luckily, we’ve got some suggestions on how you can repurpose those minis so that you can get a new lease of life out

of them.

Miniatures are so often associated with wargames and other tabletop experiences, that it’s easy to forget that they can also be utilised in roleplaying games. D&D is the classic example, with miniatures becoming a fantastic resource to help visualise a character and a campaign. Look across your miniatures collection and find a figure that could be perfect for an RPG.

Irrespective of the game being played, your latest customised character could be entirely inspired by the miniature in front of you. So whether you’re adding a rogue gunslinger to your party, or perhaps an experienced infantryman, the physical details on the miniatures can guide the way these new RPG figures fit into a story. And of course, that doesn’t just have to apply to player characters. If you’re in need of NPCs, look to that collection for a wacky array of unexpected enemies and allies.

MODIFY THEM FOR NEW SESSIONS

There’s a whole community based around modifying miniatures. It’s a complex process and might take some practice to build up the necessary skills. But new paintwork, a change of weapons, or maybe a shift in the attire can make all the difference in how a miniature can be used.

By modifying a miniature, a new role can be found for them in the game they already exist within, or they could be carried over to a completely different title. It might be harder to take a character like a Space Marine into the world of D&D, or to transfer a Marvel

villain from Crisis Protocol over to Star Wars:

but oftentimes these problems can lead to creative solutions. Suddenly, the space age suit of a Warhammer 40k character could re-emerge as a magical piece of armour, fit for any fantasy campaign. Your imagination is your strongest asset in how you approach these challenges.

USE THEM AS A TESTING GROUND

You might have been a part of the gaming community for a long time, but never really tapped into your skills as a painter, and miniature maker. If you’ve got a miniature spare, then it may provide a great opportunity to hone your abilities further. Long-term painters and modifiers will know the value in being able to test out ideas, without worrying about the consequences of a mistake. These leftover miniatures could therefore be repurposed as a testing ground, to experiment with different paints, styles, colour combinations, and modifications.

You’ll find that without the need to get it perfect the first time, the pressure will be lifted and you’ll develop your expertise far quicker. Once you’ve practised on this extra miniature, the others in your collection will look so much better, and you’ll find your future wargaming tables will begin to appear more detailed thanks to the techniques picked up in the process.

SHARE THEM AMONG THE COMMUNITY

Tabletop gaming is already such a communal experience, and it’s commonplace to share resources and ideas about how to make the most out of any title. However, we also want to encourage the sharing of miniatures

among fellow players, to ensure that someone else can get a renewed use out of those expanding collections.

Just because you’re finished with a miniature, it doesn’t mean it cannot be used elsewhere, by another player. In return, you might receive new miniatures of your own, that you can find ways to repurpose or bring into a current campaign. There should certainly be more schemes designed to create these points of connection so that the community as a whole can come together and find a new appreciation for these minis. If a complete swap isn’t an option, it would be fantastic to pay it forward and help someone who is just starting out to expand their own collection.

CREATE WARGAMING TERRAIN & SCENERY

Miniatures can be repurposed in the most unexpected ways. You’ll be so used to playing a game with these tiny characters, that you might not have even thought about using them to set the terrain for your next adventure. Miniatures can get damaged and might age poorly, but by deliberately dissembling them, these weaknesses can become new strengths.

Get creative with how the components on a miniature could be used elsewhere for terrain and scenery. A blaster could be detached to build out a weapons barracks. Maybe a helmet could be displayed on a miniature’s base, to add to the chaos of the battlefield. A miniature could be used as a gargoyle or statue, guarding a tomb that holds secrets inside. In both wargaming and RPG environments, there’s a surprising array of ways that miniatures can be broken down and brought into a game table. By using the unique look of the minis, you can world-build in a creative capacity that contrasts from their original purpose!

PLAY GAMES THAT REPURPOSE OLD MINIATURES

Sometimes, a miniature can be completely repurposed for a different title, without having to make any modifications. There are games out there that are specifically designed with this very goal in mind. The Silver Bayonet series is a classic example, asking players to dig deep into their Napoleonic miniatures and embark on a horror fuelled war game.

Frostgrave allows you to do the same, this time with a fantasy overlay, as the wizarding wargame escalates through the streets of a frozen city. And you guessed it,

Stargrave continues this trend, but instead with a science fiction twist.

The vehicular combat game, Gaslands is built to enable cars from Hot Wheels or Matchbox to be taken into the narrative, in an inventive and entertaining alternative experience. If you’re looking for titles that are completely open to interpretation then Open Combat is another must-have, utilising fantasy and historical miniatures in skirmishes of your own making.

There really are so many options when attempting to repurpose your miniatures, so the next time you look across that collection and fear that they are being wasted, try out some of these methods! In turn, you might discover a different game, hobby or aspect of the community that you hadn’t engaged with before.