A miniature figure (also known as a miniature or just a mini) is a small figurine commonly used in miniature wargames such as Heroclix, Mage Knight, Warmachine, Hordes, Spinespur and Warhammer. Some role-playing games can be played with them, as miniatures can help players to visualize factors that affect combat, such as which way each character is facing, who's fighting whom, line of sight issues, and so on. Some miniatures are superbly sculpted and are collectible in their own right.

The hobby of painting, collecting, and gaming with miniatures is descended from the toy soldier hobby. Traditionally, "toy soldiers" are sold pre-painted, and miniatures are sold "bare" and require painting. This distinction is blurring with the recent introduction of pre-painted plastic figures, such as those used in Clix games.
Materials
Miniatures have most commonly been cast in white metal (an alloy of lead and tin, with a small amount of antimony, which improves the alloy's ability to take fine detail). Because of the high lead content, minis were sometimes called lead figures.

In 1993, the New York legislature nearly passed a bill outlawing lead in miniatures, citing public health concerns. Many miniatures manufacturers, anticipating that other states would follow with more bans, immediately began making miniatures with lead-free alloys, which often resulted in price increases.

After nearly a year of debate (including protests by miniature manufacturers and enthusiasts), Governor Mario Cuomo signed a bill which exempted miniatures from the state's Public Health Law. Still, most American manufacturers continued to use non-lead alloys.[3]

Some manufacturers offer plastic (polyethylene or hard polystyrene) minis; others offer resin (mostly polyurethane) minis.

Some war games use box miniatures, a simple cuboid made from folded card stock. Art work representing a view of each side of the subject is printed on the outside.

Painting
Many role-playing gamers and wargamers will paint their miniature figures to be able to differentiate characters or units on a gaming surface (terrain, battle mat, or unadorned table top).

Although many gamers are indifferent to the quality of the paint job, for some the skillful painting of minis is a hobby in itself, on a par with the "more serious" modelling of historical and military figures. Skillful mini painting is a difficult, exacting, time-consuming process, but the results can be quite amazing.

Fantasy, role-playing, miniatures and wargaming conventions will sometimes feature miniature painting competitions, such as Games Workshop's Golden Demon contest, and there are many painting competitions on the internet.

Professional painting services exist for hobbyist and corporate customers.

Sculpting
Most miniatures are hand sculpted in the same size as the final figure using two component epoxy putties. The components are mixed together to create a sculpting compound which hardens in a period of 1-3 hours. There are many brands of putties and each has its own properties. Some commonly used ones are Polymerics Kneadatite blue\yellow (AKA "green stuff" and "Duro" in Europe), Milliput, A&B and Magic sculp. There is also ProCreate from the Kraftmark company. Polymer clays have been avoided for a long time as they can not withstand the traditional mouldmaking process. Modern techniques using RTV and softer quality rubbers have made it possible to use weaker materials and polymer clay masters are more common now. Fimo is the most popular of these clays though only specific colours are used since each has its own properties.

Masters for plastic miniatures are often made in a larger scale (often 3 times the required size). The master is measured with a probe linked to a pantograph which reduces the measurements to the correct size and drives the cutter that makes the moulds.

A more recent development is the use of digital 3D models made by computer artists. These models can be used to create a physical model for mouldmaking using rapid prototyping techniques or they can be used directly to drive a CNC machine which cuts the steel mould.

Gameplay
Originally, D&D was simply a miniatures game, with the distinction that each player controlled a single figure and a wider variety of moves or plays were possible. As the game grew and changed, miniatures remained a way of visually representing tactical situations.

Dungeons & Dragons did not require miniatures, although it suggested ways of using them, and referred interested players to the official line of AD&D figures. AD&D did assume the use of miniatures. Player's Option: Combat & Tactics introduced a more elaborate grid-based combat system that emphasized the use of miniatures; a streamlined version of some of these concepts made their way into Dungeons & Dragons Third Edition.

Although not strictly necessary, the use of miniatures is assumed in the current version of the game, and many game mechanics refer explicitly to the combat grid. In addition to reducing ambiguity about the size and position of characters, this allows the game rules to define rules such as reach, threatened areas, and movement rates intended to simulate a particular reality. A side benefit, from the standpoint of Hasbro, is driving miniature sales, which are potentially an evergreen market compared to the easily saturated market for more books among customers who already own the core rulebooks.