In which Ye Olde Fantasysmith says he helps his friends. Decide for
yourselves, gentle readers, but beware!

One of the factors that distinguishes fantasy games from standard
miniature wargames is the size of the figures used: All fantasy figures are
not the same height. This article will discuss the different sizes of fantasy
miniatures and how to add any sized character to your miniature
gaming set, from tiny sprite to storm giant.

If you purchased your miniature castings at a hobby shop that
doesn’t limit itself to fantasy figures, you noticed standard military
figures on display. These miniatures probably were larger than the
25mm fantasy figures that you purchased. The difference between the
different sizes of standard miniatures is called “scale.” Blueprints, as
well as many maps, models, and museum displays, are produced to
scale. Scale uses a smaller physical size to represent the size, position,
and proportion of a real or imaginary object.

Twenty-five millimeters is generally accepted as the “fantasy
scale.” It is flexible enough to represent all of the various types of figures
likely to be represented in fantasy. In 25mm, a normal man about six
feet tall would be represented by a figure 25mm tall from the bottoms of
his feet to the center of his eyes. When this method of measuring is
used, all guesswork is eliminated as to actual height Even when a
headpiece is worn, the eyes are still visible.

Standard miniature figures are made in different sizes because they
are of different scales. Figures in regimentals, for example, are from
15mm to 30mm when massed for miniature wargames, but might be
ten times larger for use as a decorative piece in a living room. The
same-sized man is represented by the 15mm as the 154mm figure. The
difference in figure size is not supposed to represent a difference in
character height, but is entirely due to differences in scale.

By the way, the most confusing part of all this scale stuff is the “scale
fraction.” However, since fantasy gamers are of the intellectually elite
(with the possible exception of YOU, dear reader), it should be easy to
elucidate. The “scale fraction” is also called the “scale.” Fantasy’s
25mm standard is also 1/72nd scale or 00 gauge; a glance at the
accompanying charts will clear up most of your questions about the
relationships between standard, scale, scale fraction, and model railroad
gauges.

The scale fraction is always expressed in the ancient inch/foot
method even when true figure heights are stated in the elegant metric
system. Thus a 154mm (6.06”) tall figure representing a 6’ man has a
scale fraction of .5/6 = 1/12. Those of you who enjoy mathematical
progression will like this idea because of the smooth, interrelated flow
of the scale fraction.

Now, budding mathematicians, a simple test of your capabilities: If
3mm figures ever become popular (heaven forbid!), they will be in
1/500 scale. Now get out your calculators, space cadets, and try to
prove Ye Olde Fantasysmith wrong. My method is hidden somewhere
in this issue, but I won’t tell you where. You’ll have to search each page
of the magazine so as not to miss it (Echoes of a distant gong accompanied
by mordant laughter. BHWAWAHWAHMERTMERTMERT)

When you get into fantasy miniatures, you find character/“racial”
types that are actually supposed to be of different heights. That is, one
figure may have the same scale as another, yet tower mightily in
comparison. When you look at different manufacturers’ offerings, this
can become downright confusing. I have heard discussions that try to
define miniatures in terms of scale and standard heights. It all sounded
like so much mumbo-jumbo to my untrained ear. A quick survey of
standard miniature literature and magazine advertisements deepened
the confusion. This clearly was a job for the Fantasysmith.

So, in order to help those of you who have read this far, this article
contains two explanatory charts. The first lists fantasy characters/races
and the miniature standard height that most closely fits them. Heights
are as defined in AD&D and the Monster Manual.

The second chart runs through the most common standard figure
heights in millimeters and relates them to AD&D characters/races, This
second chart also lists several manufacturers who produce figures of
each height, but the lists is not meant to be exhaustive. Most of these
manufacturer’s products are not readily available in the U.S. It would
be best to stick to those miniatures that you can obtain locally, and
those who advertise in THE DRAGON.

Manufacturers of fantasy figures do not always adhere to the 25mm
scale. This has advantages for the manufacturer, but alters the appearance
of fantasy figures unnecessarily. The most common error of
manufacturers is to sell 30mm figures but to label them as 25mm
figures. In 25mm standard, a 30mm figure is actually seven feet, two
inches tall, rather than the six-foot-tall person that might be considered
“normal.” Seven-foot-plus heights are so unusual in the real world that
they are freakish. Think of it: If you met a 7’ tall man, would you really
expect him to be passed off as “Mister Average?’

Several manufacturers always ignore this problem of scale. Their
individual character figures seem to loom over the standard 25mm
offerings of other manufacturers. Larger figures cannot easily be mixed
with standard man-sized figures unless some special capabilities are
ascribed to the character represented. The large figures are fine for
monsters and other non-player characters, though.

The point here is not to set up a purist approach which will cramp
eveyone’s style, but to help sort out what’s available. Recently your
busy author ordered skeletons from three manufacturers. They varied
as much as 6mm in height, even though they were all supposedly made
to 25mm standard It will be difficult to use them all as planned.

This is just as valid for gaming. Let’s postulate that you want to get
several Fire Giants to use with AD&D module G3— “Hall of the Fire
Giant King. Buying “Fire Giants” from various manufacturers will get
you a wildly uneven group. If you cared about such things, though, you
could have gotten 54mm Imrie Risley Vikings or Rose Celts and
painted them up as Fire Giants. Then you’d have a group of similarly
sized models that look as if they belong together.

My own questioning has found that most players who use miniatures
in their fantasy gaming don’t really care overmuch whether an
elven character model is actually 20mm or even 35mm tall. But by
ignoring scale height, you lose some of the flavor of fantasy. Using
figures that represent the supposed heights of characters emphasizes
the differences between types. It’s easy to understand why a gnome
moves only 6” rather than 12” per turn when the little figure is only half
as high as the figure of a human. Figures of giants who stand twice as tall
as human figures give a physical impression of the strength and danger
these characters represent It takes guts to attack a giant—especially if
you’re a gnome.

Throughout this article, references have been made to the AD&D
definition of heights for fantasy adventures. These heights are defined
in a reasonable and consistent manner in TSR’s publications. As shown
in the charts, these heights can be translated into existing miniature
sizes. Unless the hobby as a whole decides that this definition is really all
wrong, we may as well stick with it.

Fantasy gaming with miniatures is made interesting, in part, because
of variations of figure height Concepts such as “scale fraction”
and “standard height” can be confusing, however. Hopefully, this
article has cleared up some of the confusion.

CHARACTER HEIGHTS AND AVAILABLE FIGURES

If you want to make this kind of character	You will be making a figure with this scale height	In 25mm std, exact height will be	But you'll have to buy a figure that is this high
STORM GIANT	21 feet	87.5mm	90mm
CLOUD GIANT	18'	75.0mm	77mm
FROST GIANT	15'	62.5mm	60mm
STONE, FIRE GIANT	12'	50.0mm	54mm
HILL GIANT	10.5'	43.8mm	40mm
OGRE, TROLL	9'	37.5mm	35mm
GNOLL	7'	29.2mm	30mm
HOBGOBLIN	6.5'	27.1mm	30mm
MAN OR ORC	6'	25.0mm	25mm
ELF OR DROW	5'	20.8mm	20mm
DWARF, GOBLIN	4'	16.7mm	15mm
GNOME, HOBBIT	3'	12.5mm	13mm
SPRITE OR KOBOLD	3'	12.5mm	13mm
PIXIE	2.5'	10.4mm	6mm

-
FIGURE HEIGHTS RELATED TO CHARACTERS

(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)
ACTUAL FIGURE SIZE (mm)	AVERAGE FIGURE SIZE (in)	SCALE FRACTION	SCALE FOOT EQUIV (mm).	SCALE HEIGHT IN FEET IF USING 25mm STANDARD	TYPE FANTASY FIGURE	OTHER USES OUTSIDE OF FANTASY GAMES	PARTIAL LIST OF MANUFACTURERS  (U.S. & EUROPE)
154	6" (6.06)	1/12	25.8	36.6'	(Too large for use in fantasy games)	(Too large for use in fantasy miniatures)	Airfix, Aurora, HR, SER 77
90	3-1/2# (3.54)	1/20	15.0	21.6'	Large Storm Giant	Display pieces	Eagle, Hinchc1, Lippt, Scruby Poste Militare
80	3-1/6' (3.15) (3.03) (2.99) (2.95)	1/23 1/24 1/24 1/24	13.3 12.8 12.7 12.5	19.2' 18.5' 18.2' 18.0'	Storm Giant Large Cloud Giant Cloud Giant Cloud Giant	Display Pieces Display Pieces Display Pieces Display Pieces	Arnwd & Ball, Stadden, DEK.  Series 77, Old Guard Imrie-Risley Hinchc1, Lasset, Old Gd., Phoenix Scottish Soldier, Scruby Sovrgn
70	2-3/4" (2.75)	1/26	11.7	16.8'	Large Frost Giant	Display pieces	Jac, Elastolin
60	2-1/3" (2.36)	1/32	10.0	14.4'	Frost Giant	Display pieces	Armtec, Deauville, Willie
54	2-1/8"  (2.13)	1/35	9.0	13.0'	Stone, Fire, Giant	Display, "toy soldier"	*****See separate list*****
40	1-1/2" (1.57)	1/48	7.0	9.6'	Hill Giant	Display, "toy soldier"	Elastolin (Japanese makes)
35	1 1/3" (1.38)	1/52	6.0	8.4'	Ogre, Troll	War-game	Armtec (Japanese makes)
30	1-1/6" (1.18)	1/60	5.0	7.2'	Hobgoblin, Gnoll	Wargame	Archive, Brigadier, Dragontooth
25	1" (0.98)	1/72	4.0	6.0'	Man or Orc	Wargame (00 guage)	*****See separate list*****
20	3/4" (0.79)	1/86	4.0	4.8'	Elf or Drow	Wargame (HO guage)	Airfix, Hinchcl, Johannson,  Hunt, K&L, Micromold, Scruby,
15	2/3" (0.59)	1/120	2.5	<?>	Dwarf or Goblin	Wargame (Most popular now)	Minifigs, Liang, Martian Metals
13	1/2" (0.51)	1/148	2.2	3.1	Gnome Kobold	Wargame (N guage)	Scruby, Sentury
6	1/4" (0.24)	1/300	1.0	1.4'	Small Pixie	Wargame, Micro armor	Heroics, Micromold

EXPLANATIONS:
(1) Actual figure size often referred to as “standard size” or simply to “standard.” DO NOT CONFUSE THIS STANDARD with a SCALE.

(2) Figure size in fractional and decimal inches for comparison only.

(3) Scale fraction can be read “One unit of measurement in this scale is equal to “x” units in real life.” Scale fraction is the scale.

(4) Using 60mm std: “If 60mm equals 6 feet, then 10mm equal one foot”

(5) Assuming that a model figure of this height were representing the 25mm standard, this column tells scale height in feet

(6) If a figure of this height were found in a fantasy game session, it could represent the given character types. (AU heights as defined in Advanced D&D and the
Monster Manual by TSR.)


'MIT math'

Dear Editor,
I would like to correct some numbers that
appeared in “How Tall is a Giant?” (TD31). In the
article, 3mm figures were equated with 1/500
scale, and the reader was led to expect that his
rational guess of 1/600 was blatantly wrong. As a
math major at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, I would like to point out that the
article was wrong—3mm figures are actually
1/600 scale (1/609.6 is the exact number).

Since 3mm = 3/25.4 inches = 3/(25.4 x 12)
feet = 3/304.8 feet, the scale is (3/304.8)/6 because
the figure represents a man 6’ tall. This
number is 1/609.6 which can be rounded to
1/600. As any high school student knows, you can 
not continually round numbers in the middle of a
computation and expect to come out with a correct
answer.

I would like to take this opportunity to say that
I am pleased with the direction that The Dragon is
taking and I look forward to its final form Recent
articles are, in general, of higher quality than previous
ones (and they weren’t bad before) and the
artwork on the covers has been quite good. The
greater diversity is well worth the effort!

Robert T. Willis III
(The Dragon #34)
 

Never argue with a man from MIT. Mathematically
speaking, Reader Willis is entirely correct.
(Gales of jerring derision in the direction of
the Fantasysmith: NYAAANYAAA!) But, though
my specialty is neither math nor miniatures, my
calculations show the difference between the calculations
used by the Fantasysmith and Mr. Willis
to be a multiplier of 0.00035958 (1/500 -
1/609.6). Using a 72-inch-tall model, the difference
between the miniatures would be
0.02588976 (72 x 0.00035958). Or, to obtain
the same figure backwards, a 72-inch model
would be 0.144 inches tall at 1/500 scale (72 x
1/500) and 0.11811024 inches tall at 1/609.6
scale. 0.144 - 0.11811024 = 0.02588976
inches. That’s slightly less than the space between
these two lines: Math majors will probably yell
at me about significant figures, but the micrometer
manufacturers will love me. Now your only problem
is deciding where to measure from—is that a
crest on the helmet, or just a piece of flash...?
—Jake
(The Dragon #34)