I'm the kind of gamemaster who likes miniatures. Unfortunately, I'm also the kind of gamemaster who won't use unpainted or sloppily painted miniatures. And I'm *also* the kind of gamemaster who takes a week to finish a single model.
The end result, of course, is that I don't use miniatures. Fortunately, Steve Jackson Games has come up with a solution. Well, actually they came up with a solution back in 1980, but I'm behind the times. Thirteen sets of fantasy Cardboard Heroes, originally released in one-page sets, have now been compiled into one large spiral-bound book. In addition you get an extra page of common critters, orcs, goblins and undead.
Cardboard Heroes are cutout, foldup "miniatures" printed on heavy cardstock in approximately 25mm scale. Actually, they're *exactly* 25mm scale, unlike many of the metal miniatures produced today. The paintings by Dennis Loubet are excellent. They were clearly done in a larger size and reduced to fit the stand-ups. The art is very detailed. The page of oriental characters painted by Robert Charrette are not quite as good, but still acceptable.
A terrific selection is provided--not only do you have a wide variety of adventurer-types to choose from, but plenty of monsters are present as well, as well as flat counters for dungeon dressing, traps, corpses, slimes and bugs, and other neat stuff.
Be aware that the pages are not perforated. You'll want to cut them out with a sharp hobby knife and a straightedge, which will produce better results than scissors. This can take some time--there are 868 figures in the entire set. Still, this isn't any longer than it would take me to finish 1 or 2 metal figures.
This is the perfect product for those who've always wanted to use miniatures in their fantasy games, but never had the time or inclination to put a usable set together. At $19.95, it's a very solid deal.
Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)
