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View Full Version : How do you move miniatures?



killem2
2013-03-14, 01:28 PM
I have a rather large table 8'x8' in specs. There are times where it is tough to move the miniatures. We have a dowle with a small metal curve on it to move, but it gets tough when the mini is small or really big.


Anyone have this issue?

Grindle
2013-03-14, 01:33 PM
...That is a rather large table. I play at a more usual-sized table, so I've never had that problem (I just use my hands). Interestingly though, it's actually a air-hockey table covered with wooden boards.

valadil
2013-03-14, 01:46 PM
I've had trouble reaching minis, but I've never been at a table so large that nobody at the table could reach a mini. Usually I just ask a friend. When I'm feeling especially lazy I'll bring a laser pointer to show where I want my mini to end up.

Kornaki
2013-03-14, 01:50 PM
Crazy idea: Put the mini on a small metal shim, attach a magnet to your reaching device and move it around under the table. Should work for small minis, maybe not for large ones. You have to be careful to move slowly also if the mini is not literally attached to the shim, otherwise it will fall off.

I make no promise of this being practical

killem2
2013-03-14, 02:03 PM
Yeah the table is big to accomodate the large number of people we have.

We have had as many as 9 people!

Most of the time it is usually 4-5, but its nice to be comfortable. Its not like it is impossible to reach, but on those large dungeons, that have been drawn out get sketchy.

Magnets, though. Interesting, I didn't think of that. i might work. I'll play around with super glue and circle peices of metal maybe washers ect. :)

Slipperychicken
2013-03-14, 03:32 PM
Here's a thought:

You know how in some movies and such, some generals will be sitting around a massive map-table with pieces on it, then they take out a long/thin stick with a crescent shape (or just a block) on the end, which they use to move pieces around?

So yeah, maybe one of those. Like what people use in shuffleboard, only smaller. No idea what they're called, though.

nedz
2013-03-14, 03:39 PM
You don't need to place the miniatures in the middle of the table, you need to place the miniatures where you can still reach them. If some of the players have to move occasionally it's no big deal, but do choose a corner/edge which everyone can get to easily.

Jeraa
2013-03-14, 03:54 PM
Buy a magnetic Dry-Erase board and some peel and stick magnets. Attach the magnets to the minis, and they'll stick to the board.

You can draw on (and erase) the board to mark important locations (like doors or found traps), and since the figures are magnetically stuck to the board, you can easily pass it around without fear of the figures being knocked off. Just slide the board to whoevers turn it is. (If you use a thin permanent marker and a ruler, you can draw a grid on the board as well.)

Or, if you have some way to hang it (like say an artists easel or similar), put the board vertically next to you. That way, it can still be seen by everyone, and its near enough to you (or someone else, if you don't want to deal with it) to move the miniatures.

magwaaf
2013-03-18, 08:50 PM
with my hand or someone else's

fusilier
2013-03-19, 02:35 AM
The best thing I can think of is getting a new table . . .

I play miniatures games (wargames), and the consensus among that community seems to be that six-feet is the limit. You might have to walk around to the other side of the table to move something, but you should be able to easily reach the middle of the table. While 6'x6' would probably be most convenient, you really only need one dimension to be 6'. Some of the massive wargames I've seen might be played on a 12' x 6' table. The players may have to move themselves around the table to move their miniatures, but everything should be in reach from some point on the board.

If you are playing on a grid you may be able to use a stick like they used on old war maps (watch the Battle of Britain movie), it's a dowel with a flat piece of wood on the end to push markers around -- it could also be used to hook the markers and pull them. [It doesn't seem to have a well defined name, croupier like sticks, maybe "rake" was also used]. However, the surface will have to hard and slick, and you may need to weight the bottom of your miniatures so they don't tip over. You may also want to "up the scale" of the grid, so that the placement of the miniatures doesn't have to be perfect. So if you usually use a 1-inch grid, consider 1.5 - 2 inch grid.