Still probably breaks the ban k but keep in mind that there is likely some upper limit to each of the main kinds of miniatures you need. I'd start by going through the encounters and seeing which one had the most of each type of miniature (remember that if the players don't fight them you don't really need a miniature - seeing them off in the distance does not count). If you only pick up hat many miniatures and the number is semi-reasonable you might just be able to afford it...if everyone in the group chips in. Prices might be dropping out there on the older mini's as well though I have not checked (I just kind of assumed the bottom fell out of the market) so I'm not sure.
My group should finish this adventure in our next session. The strategy (if you can call it that) that my players employed has resulted in a LOT of bad guys around at once. The map was often covered with every single large, huge and gargantuan mini in my collection (including a half dozen McFarlane toys) to represent the various creatures of the rift. My recommendation is to make flat paper tokens like they used to print in Dungeon.
If you've got cash to blow, I'd say invest in those plastic battle tiers that enable you to place flying / levitating minis at the appropriate height. This adventure definitely tends towards 3 dimensions.
While I considered the black gargantuan "mini" totally worth it, I was constantly using two of my players' minis vast collections for the rest. So I lucked out. Still, if you're short on the right sized mini, you may want to use one that is one-size smaller, and place it on the intersections, letting your players know its the bigger size. On the other hand, you could get creative, get some clay, or even buy toys, as a previous poster mentioned with the McFarlane ones (good suggestion for this adventure).
Of course, you could use the pineapple or rotisserie chicken like the ads had...
You may want your players to "pitch in", if you think minis are the way to go. After all, you can all share them for other campaigns, and keep them wherever you usually game.
Another "poor man's" solution: make counters instead. I've done this before when I either didn't have a mini, or didn't have large enough numbers of them. You can find pics of all the minis online, as well as pics from all the monster manuals. Use a tool like gimp or photoshop to crop and resize as needed. Arrange multiple images like tiles on the page.
Once you print the page, you can buy letter-sized sheets of foam backing material (one side is sticky) in the craft area of stores like Walmart and/or Target. Attach that, then cut apart.
I did this to make an army of lizard folk, and also to make an aboleth.
Of course, back in the day, my group would use m&m candies for monsters, and eat them as they got killed... they actually *complained* when I started buying real minis....
Another "poor man's" solution: make counters instead. I've done this before when I either didn't have a mini, or didn't have large enough numbers of them. You can find pics of all the minis online, as well as pics from all the monster manuals. Use a tool like gimp or photoshop to crop and resize as needed. Arrange multiple images like tiles on the page.
Once you print the page, you can buy letter-sized sheets of foam backing material (one side is sticky) in the craft area of stores like Walmart and/or Target. Attach that, then cut apart.I did this to make an army of lizard folk, and also to make an aboleth.
Of course, back in the day, my group would use m&m candies for monsters, and eat them as they got killed... they actually *complained* when I started buying real minis....
heh gummi bug bears ahh the memories... *grin*
For my counters I used a laminating sheet, and I have also just glued a bunch to cardboard--a Dr. Peppar box is easy enough to cut with scissors for example.EDIT: Oh yeah the laminted versions allow me to use the dry erase pen to add names (in case you have two of the same critters on the board at the same time) I think I even named some red skeleton and blue skeleton once, though 1, 2, 3, work well too. Also i was able to track HP on the counters wich was handy when I had too many critters to keep track of.
One of the best investments I've made as a DM was a laminated foam board, marked out in 1 inch increments. This was then cut into 2x2, 3x3, 4x4 and 6x6 squares. Ta-da! Instant Large, Huge, Gargantuan and Colossal bases, which could be drawn on with dry-erase marker to represent the various giants and dragons.
Any suggestions about how to buy (heck, I will even talk about renting) the necessary miniatures without breaking the bank?
What I like to do is download image files of what ever I need, open them in Word or something similar, adjust the height and width, and print them out on cardstock. Then I take foamcore board and cut out the appropriate sized base. Finally, make a shallow cut accross the middle of the foamcore base and insert the cardstock into the slot.
These are easy to color, add text and little bits of DM flavor, as well as looking pretty cool. And as a bonus they store flat and are easier to transport than regular 3-D minis.I'll try to post some images of mine in-game.