Reaper Miniatures is one of the largest role-playing game miniature manufacturers in the USA. Founded in 1992, this company has built a massive library of spin-cast metal miniatures, and has expanded its products to include large resin monsters, plastic miniatures and paints. Their website features a handy Figure Finder function to help customers narrow their search to find the perfect miniature out of the thousands they offer.
Many different sculptors have contributed to the lines of miniatures offered by Reaper, but the company offers a fairly consistent overall aesthetic nonetheless, leaning toward relatively realistic designs - if such a term can be applied to dwarves, elves, dragons, and other creatures of fantasy, that is. The sheer scale of their product offerings means that there are several options for almost any character class in any game genre, with various armor styles and poses so a gamer can find the perfect piece for his or her character.
My introduction to this company was in my Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS) where I was playing the weekly Dungeons and Dragons Encounters event. I decided I needed a dwarf miniature to represent my character. And so began my interest in the hobby of miniature painting. . .
The first miniature I ever painted
Since then, I have purchased many miniatures from Reaper. Not only do they have a wide range of fantasy miniatures for player characters, NPCs, monsters, and objectives, but they also have miniatures for western, steampunk, sci-fi, modern, WW2, and more. Most are designed for Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Savage Worlds, or other role-playing games using approximately 28mm miniatures.
I have supported the Kickstarter campaigns for the new Bones line, a set of plastic miniatures including versions of models already available in pewter plus many brand-new designs. The detail is not always as crisp as with metal, but the cost is far lower, and the material means they are more resilient should they be dropped or knocked over. I would suggest Bones minis for anyone who plays games with children, or is just starting out in miniature painting, for these reasons.
Most game shops will carry a selection of Reaper products, so I encourage anyone looking for a personal game piece to take a look. Check out your FLGS, buy a mini, and find a public D&D or Pathfinder game. If you don't have a game shop nearby, you can always order direct from Reaper Miniatures or through webstores like Miniature Market.
One final note: Mouslings. Enjoy!
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