Miniatures – worth the extra money?

A lot of recent game releases have done away with old fashioned, wooden game pieces or cardboard standees and replaced them with miniatures. They are either included as part of the core game, or offered as upgrades – but in most cases these miniatures are highly detailed and add an extra interest to the game, bringing everything to life. These miniatures have attracted new people to tabletop gaming and even created new business for artists who offer to paint miniatures.

Of course, miniatures are nothing new. The Games Workshop has always made miniatures the centre of their games and artists have been painting them for years. However, game designers have now taken miniatures and introduced them to classic strategy board games. One of the first was Scythe, and Rising Sun is the most recent contended taking the use of miniatures in board games to another level, just by the sheer number of figures included.

I think there is no denying that moving a dragon figure around the board is much more satisfying than moving a small, wooden piece or cardboard standee, but the design and manufacture of miniatures is considerable, driving up prices.

So, is the extra cost worth it? How important are miniatures to your game experience? Have you been drawn in by detailed figures? Have miniatures introduced you to tabletop gaming?