Why I Switched to 15mm (For RPGs)

Back in 2013 when we started our RPG kick The guys were all excited about painting 25-30mm figures for our games. We had just come out of an eight month long miniatures game kick and we were ready to bring our miniatures gaming into the RPG world.

But then we discovered the truth. No matter where you looked these minis were very expensive. To actually get up to the number of minis needed, it was going to cost some serious time and some serious dough.

Well after more then a year of using them I finally decided to break the mold... so to speak. The guys had just started learning Mongoose Publishing Reprint of the Traveller RPG, which back in the 80's used 15mm miniatures. So I did some looking and found a huge world 15mm sci-fi miniatures giving me more minis then I could ever need!

I found sites like:

RAFM
These guys actually ahve some of the original molds from the officail Traveller minis from 80's!

Critical Mass Games
An Awesome selection of battlesuits.

15mm Co.
A Huge selection of sci-fi, fantasy, and historical miniatures

Khurasan Miniatures
The finest 15mm figures there are! Including sci-fi, fantasy, and historical miniatures!

Brigade Models
Great selection of 15mm Buildings

Blue Moon Manufacturing
Detailed and indepth historical lines for a variety of periods, as well as a small sci-fi section.

Ground Zero Games
Good generic sci-fi figures.

There were so many options! And the best thing was that they were all incredibly cheap! We are talking anywhere from $0.50-$2.00/mini. A fraction of what the 25-20mm scale would cost.

So I can actually build up a collection with tons of different options, and the correct minis for every scenario.

From RAFM and 15mm Co.

If you are interested in 15mm Fantasy then there are a few more options on top of Khurasan Miniatures and 15mm Co:

Magister Militum
Great generic selection. Good for just about any miniature you are looking for.

Essex Miniatures
Fairly low quality but good selection. At least for fantasy stuff. Their historical ranges are great!

Ral Partha Europe
Huge selection of bulk fantasy miniatures, and a table top miniatures game to go along with them if you are interested.

Splintered Light Miniatures
Amazing and huge selection of Miniatures, some specifically designed for 15mm Dungeons and Dragons adventures.

From Khurasan Miniatures

I really love the 15mm size. It is easy to paint; taking no more than an hour for a very detailed figured, and they look good on the field while their size lets you play with a lot of minis in a confined space. They are perfect for those cramped table top RPG Sessions

For all of my RPG games, be them fantasy or sci-fi I am going to start using 15mm miniatures. They are cheap enough to get all the miniatures you need, and detailed enough that you don't lose the cinematic effect that you used minis for in the first place.

I am currently working to expand my painted fantasy minis so I can properly make the switch, just like i did for my sci-fi miniatures. I can tell you i am excited about the potential for awesome scenarios to come!

So do it for yourself! Save the time and the money, and use 15mm figures in table top RPG games you won't regret it!

Written by: Andrew Gregory