When we decided to do a Sci-fi game we didn’t really have any miniatures! So, when we also decided that we wanted NPCs involved, then we knew we needed a plan to produce a LOT of stuff QUICKLY so we could get gaming.
This is a quick guide to the miniatures we have used for the NPC types in the game. You can use any miniatures you have or want; this is not some official guide, but it does show how you can cut some corners and get figures on table fast if you want to.
The Vigilant
The main opposition in our game are “The Vigilant”. They are basically the scientifically advanced baddies that every Sci-fi story has. Think Star Wars Empire forces, or similar in other stories (such as Cylons and Klingons).
In your games this list can be used for any “shooty” enemy, including using it for Star Wars.
For the basic troopers and the “Kill Team” tougher troopers, we used the cheap and widely available box of Eisenkern Panzerjager miniatures by Wargames Atlantic.
Costing around £20 for 20 miniatures, one box will be enough for all the viable targets you could ever need!
All we did was construct them, then sprayed them using army painter aerosols (silver and red). Then, we just painted the guns.
After that, a coat of Army Painter dark tone, then AP matt aerosol varnish and it was job done.
Obviously this is really basic. But it got them on table FAST. YOu can spray them any colour you want, pick out more details, go to town as much as you want. They key point is they are cheap and fast to do.
Vigilant Mechs
The Vigilant also have Mechs, as any self-respecting tech baddies should. We wanted small and large ones, to use as light and heavy Mechs.
For the ligh Mechs we used EM4 Miniatures plastic ones. These are CHEAP – just £5 for five! They aren’t top quality, but again, for something that plods on and shoots occasionally, they worked fine for us.
As before, a quick spray of silver, brush on of AP dark tone, and then AP matt varnish, and it was job done.
There are plenty of options out there for Mechs, including a ton on Etsy, but if you’re looking for fast and very affordable, then these work well.
For the larger Mechs we were a bit stuck. If you want to spend £15-20 on one, then you are spoilt for choice.
But our budget was small, as this was a big gamble for us.
Eventually, we found the Copplestone Castings “Future Wars” range, and it contained a pack of two nicely sculpted metal Mechs for just £8.50!
Sprayed green, panels and a few details painted, then Army Painter wash, and matt varnish as before.
They aren’t great, but for £40-ish and one evenings work, we had an entire NPC Vigilant force ready to go!
The Wilderness List
A more generic list was built for games taking place in the wilderness; outside areas of Enderain as yet untouched by war and containing more of the indigenous population alongside nefarious visitors.
For this list we leaned heavily on miniatures from CP Models here in the UK. Outside the UK there are doubtless many companies that also sell good quality generic Sci-fi models.
As an example, we used CP Models “Loor” miniatures for our Dotorans, a non-humanoid species that visits the wilds of Enderain but who mostly stay clear of the citiies and the Vigilant.
CP Models also answered the question for us on what a flying creature would look like. Although they can be any flying creature, our Skyseers are the CP Models “Manoptera jump trooper” miniatures.
And yes, “Skyseer” is also the name of our company for producing the rules, and this is where the name came from.
For our “primitive species”, you guessed it, we also went for a CP Models option.
Our Untolds are the CP Models “Big Eyed Aliens”. Generic, but great in terms of their size and look.
For any of the NPC types you can use anything you want though. There are a TON of options from 3D printed model suppliers through places like Etsy that will provide everything you could dream of to create your own Untolds, Skyseers, and Dotorans.
For Scavengers, literally anything will do. You could use some of the North Star plastics, or even use Frostgrave plastics to create scavenger types.
However, we went for a cheap but effective option from EM4 Miniatures for our scavengers. Not only for price, but the “look” was what we wanted and they stand out against the myriad of Northstar plastics in our core Enderain Teams.
The scavengers are the EM4 plastic “Gangers”, and a couple of sprues was enough to get all we needed. Easy to build and affordable, they are full of character.
Scavengers
For Pirates in both the Wilderness and Urban spawn lists, we used Northstar Sci-fi plastics. Again, you can use anything, but we had a ton of sprues left so it made sense to us and kept costs down.
We just used all the same heads and painted them the same to give them a uniformity and look. In our games the Pirates are an organised force, but in your games they could even be literal Jolly Roger pirates with laser guns!
For Packers, pack animals that hunt and attack in groups, we got ourselves a box of Games Workshop dire wolves. 10 for a bargain price, they allow us to field two packs if needed.
The Urban Spawn List
For the Urban list it was really just more of the same for us. The Urban list is a mix of Vigilant and Wilderness spawn types, all mixed together in the Cities of Enderain.
Kerlaan are the local mobster types. Again, they can be anything but as we had so many, we used Northstar plastics. We just painted them to look more rough and dark than our heroes.
So that’s our brief guide to the miniatures we used for Enderain. It’s figure agnostic though and you can literally use anything you want.
One of our friends uses WH Sisters of Battle for their Team, while another uses their Kill Team miniatures.
Star Wars miniatures, Judge Dredd, it really doesn’t matter. Enderain can be used as the game engine for literally any Sci-fi setting.
