Miniature (model!) Painting

[iago]

I've been getting back into miniature painting, since it's a fun hobby and now that University is over, I have free time and can resume the hobbies I gave up 5 years ago. 

I took a bunch of pictures of all the models I've painted:
http://www.javaop.com/~ron/ospap/show_category.php?category_id=30

Except where noted in the comments, they're all painted by me. 

The only ones I've painted recently, before the pictures, are the Flamers of Tzeech, a Bat, and half of a wizard.  Since then, I've finished the wizard, done a couple more skeletons, and have been working on a Warhammer 40k group (I don't play 40k, but I got them because they look cool).  More on that later, when they're closer to being done. 

[rabbit]

At first I though you were making really small paintings, not painting your character pieces.  Boy did that confuse me.

[iago]

Haha, the little models are called "miniatures" :P

[CrAz3D]

At first I though you were making really small paintings, not painting your character pieces.  Boy did that confuse me.

same,lol

[Blaze]

Where did you get the snake?

[iago]

Where did you get the snake?

Well, at least you read my comments and all :)

I'm really not sure.  It probably came in a pack with something weird my friend had, and never got used, and I probably found it in a corner of the "broken stuff" box, or something. 

[Sidoh]

At first I though you were making really small paintings, not painting your character pieces.  Boy did that confuse me.

I knew what he was talking aobut right away, but that's because I've heard the term from my boss countless times.  We roleplay on a semi-frequent basis

Cool, iago :)

[CrAz3D]

...I've heard the term from my boss countless times.  We roleplay on a semi-frequent basis

dirty sounding...

[Sidoh]

dirty sounding...

Only to the unfortuante mind who hasn't encountered a RPG. :P

[leet_muffin]

RON! Me and Newby need minis, bad!

Awesome job, by the way.

[Towelie]

That is a neat hobby :) Great job on all of those

[iago]

RON! Me and Newby need minis, bad!

Awesome job, by the way.

No you don't, because you play D&D, and minis should never ever be used for D&D.  RPGs are much more fun with a good DM/GM and no minis. 

[Sidoh]

No you don't, because you play D&D, and minis should never ever be used for D&D.  RPGs are much more fun with a good DM/GM and no minis. 

Minis as in miniatures?  I certainly don't think so.  I think it would suck to play without miniatures.  There are several advantages to using them.  You show the entire group where your character is without having to tell everyone.  You can't cheat and say "Oh no no I was behind the giant trap door!" and the GM can base events on where the characters are located.

[rabbit]

"Painting Miniatures" would have been a lot clearer, at least in my mind.  Anyway, one GM I knew used miniatures sometimes, though he was a bit excessive (he cast one of his characters himself in our school's metalsmithing class...).  Anyway, whenever I played GURPS we used grid maps and glass blobs to to specify location like Sidoh said, but that was about it.

[iago]

When I play RPGs, we try not to focus on combat.  Instead of knowing where every rock is, we can ask the GM "is there a rock somewhere that I can hide behind?" and if he says yes we hide there.

I find that games flow a lot better when we don't have to worry about drawing out maps and preparing encounters.  Just do everything on the fly. 

Generally, when we play, we are sitting on recliners and a couch or whatever, with a clipboard and some dice.  The GM describes stuff, I write down notes as applicable, and we tell him what we're doing.  I've tried playing with minis before, and I find that the game ends up focussed way too strongly on the minis than on the game itself. 

I think that a lot of D&D games are combat-heavy, though, from what I've seen.  I personally don't like that, but eh?