Tokens on the map, Part 1
I used to like minis a lot. Back in my early days of D&D, (Basic with Erol Otus cover, and Advanced), I used minis... I have fond memories of painting Grenadier minis from the official boxed sets while listening to The Go-Gos. When I started playing Champions, I switched to using cardboard stand-ups... and when the PDF stand-ups came along, I could print as many as I liked, but I found cutting/folding/gluing annoying, and storing them was really a pain.
When 4E came around and I somehow found myself running D&D again for the first time since about 1986, and I needed monsters to put on the map, and with a budget of zero, I figured I'd make do with the stand-ups I already had. I'd heard other gamers rave about tokens, mostly made from Magic cards (bleh), but I really didn't think I'd like them. Then Fiery Dragon published a free token set specifically aimed at The Keep on the Shadowfell, and I decided to give them a try because there was a unique token for every monster and variant in the adventure.
Knowing that cardstock counters wouldn't fly (or, specifically, that they would fly right off the table), I glued them to wooden discs and off we went.
Now I'm a Token Convert. I'm about to become a Token Evangelist.
Why I like monster tokens in general:
- Variety: If I don't have a monster I want (unlikely with the Fiery Dragon tokens), I can make a token out of just about any art.
- Portability: They're durable, and store easily. I use a pill bottle to hold all of the tokens I need for a single encounter. I can store hundreds of tokens in one little box.
- Cost: The tokens are so cheap that I can print a bajillion of them. A one-shot monster token can have new artwork glued over the old. I've considered double-siding them, but the official D&D cardboard tokens taught me how annoying that can be.
- Clarity: The tokens on the map are clearer than minis or stand-ups. A little circle on the token gives me a clear place to write a number or initial to track my hordes of minions. I can place status markers directly on top of the tokens as a clear indicator.
Now if I can just get the players to use tokens instead of minis for their characters.
Next post, why Fiery Dragon tokens are a huge factor in making tokens work, and then why Litko Aero brings an essential dash of spice.
August 27th, 2009 - 19:07
This is the web site that got me into making my own tokens:
http://www.aleatools.com/Pages/PageRenderer.aspx?id=b07d4509-f510-495e-9c39-2678348f770b
I just wish my group would buy into it. I hate trying to tell the difference between 20 to 30 unpainted figures on the game map.
Mitch
August 27th, 2009 - 20:00
Yeah, a page like that is probably where I first saw the idea, but I didn’t care for the Magic card deal… I got rid of all my Magic cards years ago, and I wasn’t going to buy a bunch of cheap commons to get make-shift art.
The Alea markers are kind of neat, but a little too pricey for me… especially because I’d have to use some kind of magnetic material for my token backing, which would drive the cost up further.
There are at least two more articles coming on this topic… I expect to finish up the Fiery Dragon one tonight.
August 30th, 2009 - 13:23
That site also shows “Fender Washers”. These are cheap metal washers that are 1″ across and only have a 1/4″ hole. They work great.
I have a full set of Star Wars tokens that I got out of the miniatures scenario book “Ultimate Missions: Rebel Storm ” . You can get a used one for less than $5 and it has usable pictures of almost every mini in the set.
Also, if you want to make some special player character tokens, you can invest in some “Clear Plastic Magnify Lens Cabochons”. You glue your PC picture on the bottom with clear glue and they get magnified by the cabochon.
Here is a link to some cabochons:
http://stores.channeladvisor.com/accessoriessusan/Items/o46?&caSKU=o46&caTitle=Clear%20Plastic%20Magnify%20Lens%20Cabochon~25mm~Round~%23O46%20(12
Mitch
August 30th, 2009 - 13:35
You know, magnetic tokens with attach to most ‘white boards’. I picked one up a Sams for around 20 bucks (22″ x 34″). I can draw the terrain and stick on the tokens.
If you print your tokens on “Magnetic Ink Jet Paper” they are already mounted and will stick to the white board. I watch ebay for good deals on packs of magnetic ink jet paper but you can always get it at office supply stores or walmart.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10353057&sourceid=1500000000000003142050&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=10353057
More token resources:
Paizo has some of the token sets that were in Dragon magazine like this:
http://paizo.com/store/sale/bitsAndPiecesClearance/v5748btpy7qi1
You can also use the D&D miniature posters like this one:
http://paizo.com/store/sale/bitsAndPiecesClearance/v5748btpy7q37
Your FLGS probably has some just lying around.
Finally, this thread over on ENWorld has links to 100′s (if not 1000′s) of tokens.
Mitch
August 30th, 2009 - 22:01
Yeah, but you haven’t seen the upcoming parts (or the big chunks I cut out of this post because it was too wordy), which explain why I don’t like any of that stuff. :) Mostly because it’s all too expensive, too heavy and/or too bulky. And art from random sources is too inconsistent and not as clear as I like from across the table.
Actually sat down to finish up part two tonight, so I’ll stop here and get to that.