Minature buildings have always been a problem with RPG's. Either you kitbash your own from plastic model railroading kits or overpriced Games Workshop models, or make do with scribbling maps on write & wipe grid tables.

Now Microtactix has taken a page from Steve Jackson Game's "Cardboard Heroes" line, and created Vyllage on the Cheep, a set of 30 pages of cardstock buildings for GM's to color, cut out, and assemble.

Approximitely 30 buildings are included, including several taverns and inns, a village smithy, a magic shop, a town gate, short sections of walls, guard towers, an Elven Temple (the most complex piece to assemble) and many 'generic' shops. Also included are 40 cardboard figurines, mostly of ordinary townsfolk (and a rarity among metal minature lines), several horses and carts, and one nobleman's carriage.

Detail on the buildings is quite good, with all of them drawn in balck and white to allow the GM to color as he sees fit. Most of them feature the standard medieval wood and wattle construction, with tiled roofs, and stone guard towers, walls, and gates. But the detail isn't so tight that they can't be colored with watercolors or colored pencils.

The townsfolk are mostly generic humans, with a scattering non humans, most notably the priests of the Elven Temple, and a pair of orcish street musicians (complete with sign that reads "Starving, Gawd Bless").

Currently the set is only availible through the Microtactix website http://microtactix.gamingoutpost.com/ Orders are filled promptly (I ordered my set on a Friday, and received it that Monday), and the $14.95 price includes shipping.

Overall, if you need buildings for your campaign, and you're willing to take the time to do some assembling, Vyllage on the Cheep is a good buy.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)