RPG Legos?

We all know that miniatures make gaming easier. Having that visual element while trying to figure out a fire fight is just so helpful. Plus, looking down at the board and seeing your character facing off against a bunch of foes is darned exciting. I think most of us love minis.

However, this is Dusty Dice - we adults don't have time to paint a bunch of pewter and plastic, not to mention the cost. While the new pre-painted figures that are coming out for several games are great, they, too, are pricey and they just don't have the variety of paint'em yourself minis - although they are getting better.

So, what's a time and cash strapped gamer to do?

A few years ago, when my friends and I started playing d20 Star Wars, I had to figure out this very problem. The books were expensive enough! The pre-painted figures were not on the market yet. There were no new metal figures out (because they were about to release the pre-painted figures - but I didn't know this). Finding old metal figures on eBay would have taken forever and would have been super expensive. The d20 Star Wars Core Rule book suggested using Star Wars action figures. At the time, I thought this was a pretty expensive and limited idea.

Now what?

I decided to go with Lego minifigures. Lego had been producing Star Wars sets for years. There was a pretty wide variety of figures, and at the time they had released several sets that widened that variety. No painting involved and for the most part a single figure only runs a few dollars. Plus, we're talking about Legos here. How many times have you rolled dice and knocked over all the minis on the table? Lego makes large grey and green base plates - the figures move around much less. Add to that that you can build walls and scenery with Lego bricks and there are dozens of pre-built bits already out there - it became something of a no brainer.

We stopped playing Star Wars and began a Super Heroes game a few years later. Instantly the Legos came out. With all the Legos that have been produced, you are sure to find minifigures and scenery to fit your game. We recently started a new Star Wars campaign - my character comes from a planet where the men wear turbans. I was able to find a purple turban from the Oriental Adventures sets, a head from the Extreme Sports sets, a black and purple shirt that belonged to Professor Snape in the Harry Potter sets, legs from a figure in the DinoAttack sets and a gun from the new Batman sets! Sure, it cost me a few bucks - but my figure looks awesome!

There are some pitfalls to this and you have to know where to look. Lego sets are not inexpensive, especially if all you wants are the minifigures and a few bricks. Lego does produce sets that are heavy on the figures - these are sometimes called Army Builder sets by those that use them for role playing and war gaming. Currently, Lego has two sets from Star Wars Episode 3, one of battle droids and one of clone troopers. If you are playing Star Wars - these sets, several of these sets!, are must haves. Watching your player's faces as you line up a couple of dozen battle droids is pure Game Master joy!

There are also ways to buy just figures. eBay is the most widely used source. A search for Legos or minifigures will bring up hundreds of hits. I have a few resellers that I like and that I stick with - I'm sure it won't take long for you to develop those relations as well. Then, there is my favorite: Bricklink. Bricklink is a Lego collector's paradise. If Lego ever made it, chances are someone is selling it on Bricklink.

As I said above, a minifig can be had for a few dollars. I use the $2 rule. I feel any Star Wars related mini is over priced if it is above $2, I try not to pay higher than that. I have bought several Star Wars minis for well below $2. I have bought Tusken Raiders for $.75 cents each when they were in an inexpensive set. I have bought battle droids for less than a dollar each even before this new army builder set came out.

There are times when you just don't have an alternative. Lego has a bad habit of putting out rare figures in expensive sets. For example, I have paid less than a dollar for an R2-D2 when there was an inexpensive set newly on the market. Currently, the low price for a domestic R2 (there are cheaper international prices - but that's before shipping) is $4.00. Lego produces a $100.00 set that has a black R2, R2-D5 - its current low price is $10 - that's down from $20 when the set came out. I can buy an R2-D4 (the red one) for about $5. And, Lego has just introduced a set with a green R2, R2-R7, which you can buy for about $30 on Bricklink, which is a third of the $90 price for the whole set!

Will I fork out $20 for a minifigure - Nope! I'll come on here and complain about it, but I won't fork up the cash! Lego often reintroduces popular minifigures in different sets and makes them less expensive. Lego has just released a set called Hoth Rebel Base. The set is $50 and features a white 3PO figure, K-3PO. However, this set also has two Snow Troopers, two Pilot Rebels and two Hoth Rebels. On Bricklink I would have to pay $65 before shipping from several different resellers - and I wouldn't get any of the cool bricks that come with the set.

I could put out $40 for an original Princess Leia, I could buy a rare Princess Leia for $20, I could buy an updated Leia for about $10, or I could scrounge around the site and put together something close for about $3 -it's all up to you.

By combining the strengths of eBay and Bricklink, I have built myself a respectable Lego RPG collection for a couple hundred dollars. It rivals what any pewter and plastic collector would have at that price and I didn't have to paint anything and I have all the advantages of using Legos. Give it a shot!