The Great Speculative Fiction FAQ
Miniatures in Role Playing List of Categories Section Editors: Haruchai
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- Why use miniatures in role playing?
- What are the techniques for painting RPG miniatures?
- What preparation do I need to do before painting?
- Do I need to use a primer before painting?
- Any special kind of primer?
- Is there anything I should do after I am done painting?
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Why use miniatures in role playing?
Miniatures, make the game move much easier and give a definitive model during combat. With move increments, spell area of effects, and a host of other rules that can be used with minis, they seem to really help.
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What are the techniques for painting RPG miniatures?
As far as painting... well, there are several different techniques. None of which, again imo, that are really "better" than another. Each person has their own style of painting.
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What preparation do I need to do before painting?
I always remove any "flash" or excess material, from a miniature.
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Do I need to use a primer before painting?
Primer will help paint stick to the miniature, and will help to relieve the look of the paint being brushed on, as it levels out fine lines and wrinkles.
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Any special kind of primer?
I only use a white primer because, to me, it gives the paint a much brighter vibe. However, in some ways, it is also less forgiving than say, a black primer.
Black primer provides instant shading in small areas, such as chain mail and creases in clothing. But it also mutes colors. Colors painted over black primer end up several shades darker than they look in the bottle, whereas a white primer keeps the paint looking much the same.
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Is there anything I should do after I am done painting?
You should always clear-coat your minis when you are done. This will give further assurance against chipping and wear, especially if you use your minis to play with. Some folks like a matte finish clear-coat, I happen to prefer a gloss. It makes the mini look more vibrant and really makes small color differences stand out.
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