The Science of Stunt Doubles - Proxying Models

“You idiots! You’ve captured their stunt doubles!”

Spaceballs

I’ve always struggled to toe the line in miniatures games. As much as I buy into the narrative fluff, I often find myself needing to break away from the standard range of miniatures. I find a real joy in the self-expression I get from converting a model into something unique, in making my army stand out a little bit.

Of course, self-expression is only one of the reasons why people ‘proxy’ miniatures. For those who might not have heard of this before, it’s essentially the method of using one miniature to stand for another. It usually happens when games designers release a new profile for a unit type without first releasing the corresponding miniature. Players are forced into finding an alternative, although this might just involve a subtle - or not so subtle - conversion.

These Aristeia models got recruited as Infinity troopers, one as a Rudra Gunbot.

We often look within a game’s existing model range for our proxies and some rules sets will stipulate that players do this, especially in tournaments. Tournament organisers may be loathe to enforce this, of course, because they want to keep participants happy and enable them to express themselves. So it’s common to see models from other ranges appearing on tables even at competitive events.

Players don’t just proxy when they can’t get hold of the official miniature, though. It can be a quick and affordable way of trying out a new unit without buying the miniature. Or it becomes a method of self-expression through taking models from other ranges that we love, and that fit the aesthetic and scale of the game we’re playing.

Hasslefree Miniatures is a great source for proxies.

So what makes a good proxy? Well, we’ve already mentioned scale and aesthetic. It’s no good bringing a Space Marine with a powersword and saying it’s a Knight from Infinity. The model will simply be cartoonishly massive, and the base will probably be too big as well. In the friendliest of friendly games, this might not matter, but it certainly bursts the bubble of immersion because that model will obviously not fit in the universe of the game.

Proxying in the grimdark is a little more forgiving, because of the wide range of heroic scale miniatures, and the ease with which fantasy or steampunk-themed miniatures can fit the 40k universe with just a few tweaks. Put a chainsword and bolt pistol in the hands of a Stormcast Eternal and you have a relatively-convincing Primaris Lieutenant in artificer armour - as long as you remember to attach a backpack, too. Take a sword-wielding maniac in rags from any fantasy range and put him next to an Inquisitor and he might look fine as a Death Cult assassin. Run Orks as Goliaths in Necromunda and it works. As soon as Inquisitors land in Kill Team I’m getting out my Malifaux miniatures to run as Daemonhosts, servitors and other assorted nasty pieces of work.

Massive power armour fits pretty much any sci-fi game. 

Companies like Hasslefree provide a range of characterful metal and resin miniatures for modern/sci-fi, fantasy and superhero tabletop games, and you’ll often see one of their minis knocking around, whatever the game. There are many more companies that release models perfect for other systems, and those of you following the industry on social media will regularly spot models from companies you may never have heard of that make you immediately think of how that model will fit in your favourite game.

When choosing a proxy for a model we want to use in a game, the key question of course is what model do I love and want to take with me today? We’ve all got minis we’ve lovingly painted, or have a history with (I have a Slann and some Imperial Guard models I’ve had since I was about 10 years old which I break out at any given opportunity). These would probably be the ones we reach for first. But aside from aesthetic and scale, what else do we need to think about?

This 1988 Imperial Guard has followed me everywhere. 

Well, we need to be considerate of our opponents. This doesn’t just mean judging whether or not a proxy is too wacky. We also need to retain a sense of intuitive recognisability. So a Wild West gunslinger isn’t a good proxy for a unit with a missile launcher. As cool as it is to say, “his sixguns are full of mini-nukes” it’s very possible that our opponent might forget that the model has such a devastating long-range weapon, because the model simply doesn’t suggest that.

This Traktor Mul Kuryer proxy only just fits on the base. Phew!

So matching the model to the profile to a reasonable degree is something we should always consider. Because when the flak starts flying, and we get lost in the battle, we want it to be easy to remember what every model represents.

Which is why running a whole army of proxies can be highly problematic. Short of having scraps of paper next to each miniature to say what it is, remembering what unit each member of an army corresponds too can be difficult even when running official models that both players are familiar with. Keeping track of a horde of proxies - and even worse, expecting the opponent to keep track - isn’t really fair.

But what the heck are all these toy soldiers? What do they MEAN?

So ultimately, it’s a question of taste and etiquette. We want to immerse ourselves in the game, and we want the game to function properly. So a proxy has to fit in both aesthetically and technically (base size, scale, type of weapon, etc). We might also want to consider whether or not images or videos of the game are going to be shared on social media, in which case it can be a little awkward to promote a game you love, whilst also using models from a different range.

Scarface from Infinity would be just as comfortable in the 41st Millenium. 

Games do exist, however, which rely on proxying. Rangers of Shadow Deep (which we looked at more closely here) and Rogue Stars, for example, welcome the use of third party models. Despite having their own models, these systems really are an open invitation to bring your favourite minis to the table.

OK, let’s hand this over to you! What are your favourite proxies, and why?

Thanks for reading, and please do let us know your thoughts. If there are any other topics you want to talk about, or areas of tabletop gaming you’d like us to explore, give us a shout about that, too. This content is for you, after all! Happy gaming, and may you roll just enough sixes to win, but not so many that your friends refuse to play against you!