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Difference. We cherish it. But just like playing one RPG doesn't make us sufficiently different - we've got to play different RPGs, and play them differently - sometimes garden-variety miniatures just seem too garden-variety, too vanilla, too much of some bland-meaning but inappropriate-sounding food metaphor. Just going ahead and painting the little guys is one good way to set yourself apart. (Remember: a well-painted figure or army is always a moral victory.) But a couple of relatively easy conversions or additions can jazz up a relatively ordinary mini even further.

Basing is the easiest way to start. A lot of figures come with add-on plastic bases (as opposed to integral bases, which are cast along with the mini). These are the easiest to work with; in fact, it's almost necessary to do something with them since they're pretty stark on their own. The typical strategy is to paint them Goblin Green. And maybe add flock.

This usually sucks.

Here's the first rule of thumb: always paint all base elements. Because everything else on the mini is (ideally) painted to scale, items that aren't painted will actually look out-of-scale on the base if they aren't also painted. So if you base a mini on a real rock, you'll probably have to paint it to make it look like a real rock (ironically enough.) Just a little dry brush over flock in an appropriate color can spice it up.

If you're set on plain grass, a better way to handle it is to coat the base in liquid epoxy or white glue and put on a layer of fine-grain sand. Beach sand is quite good for this, as is any well-sifted sand. When the glue is dry, the base can be painted in a layer of thinned dark green paint, then worked up with progressively lighter dry brushes.

This technique also works reasonably well for similar surfaces. Sand can be handled by painting up to a beige or gray from a medium yellow-brown. Snow can be built up to near-white from a beige or off-white for reasonably fresh snow, light gray for dirty or old snow, or very light blue base for a sort of "fantasy snow" effect. Snow and sand are both tough to simulate since the grains need to just about disappear on the base. Extremely fine-grained sand is best for this. Some people have had luck with perishable white substances (baking soda and the like), but I've also heard horror stories. I don't want roaches defeating my white dragon.

But I still think this is too basic. (*rimshot*) Here's my theory: every base should tell a story. It should complement the miniature without distracting too much.

As such, all sorts of terrain possibilities exist. The average wargamer may feel a need to match the generic green flock basing on the generic green flock table, but putting a mini in an appropriate (or inappropriate) setting can look quite good.

The easiest modification is to toss on some rocks for a slightly different terrain feel. Again, this needs to be handled carefully to make it look good. Tacking down kitty litter or gravel after flocking is going to make it look like you've sprinkled some kitty litter or gravel on the base. As I mentioned above, paint is probably going to be necessary to keep the to-scale feel. Another consideration is placement.

As with any other representational artistic endeavor, taking a look at the world is quite helpful. A largish rock is probably going to be sunk into the ground a bit. It'll likely have a little greenery on it if it's in a moist place. Some smaller rocks and detritus will probably litter the out-of-the-way bits and crevices towards the bottom.

So say I've got the WotC Orc Trooper. He looks a bit like a sentry or scout to me, but also like a guard. I'd mount him on a rock to give a sense of height, prominence, and intimidation. And because I think it'd look cool. Because real rocks look good when they're painted, I'd find an appropriate piece of gravel or slate, something chunky enough to pick up paint but smooth enough to stand the figure on without his looking awkward. I'd dry-fit it to the base and set the miniature on top to make sure everything looked good: that he wasn't tipping over or standing in that drunken orc stance I've come to despise. I've actually got a supply of likely-looking rocks, which I'll freely admit on this forum since I'm sure people have done more oddly geekish things. (I'm sure I have.)

On to the assembly: I'd sink the rock into a bit of liquid epoxy on the base. Before the epoxy set, I'd tack on a few very small pieces of the same type of rock around the edges and sprinkle on some rough sand, then some finer sand. After that dried, I'd epoxy the miniature in place, trying to get a firm join without making things too sloppy.

After all the joins were dry, I'd prime the whole thing (see my priming article), paint the mini, then paint up the base in a series of varied browns or greens. Again, looking at real rocks provides a good model for how to paint the ones you've got.

Since I'm envisioning the rock as a usual sentry post, I wouldn't add on any moss. If it were a more out-of-the-way rock, I might glue on some fine-ground foam flock for lichens or moss, making sure to dry brush it a bit to make it look good.

The same technique should be used for any smaller rocks placed on a base, modified as space and time and appropriateness allow. The techniques are more or less the same for the ground cover I've mentioned above, giving you flat or rocky grassland, desert or snow. That's a pretty limited range for your figures, no? Next time we'll take a look at forest bases as well as some more exotic possibilities.