A roleplaying miniature collection is a different beast from a wargaming army. You don't have 100 identical troopers — you have a party of five distinctive characters, a shifting cast of NPCs, a rogues' gallery of villains, and a growing pile of monsters from the last few campaigns. Compatible with D&D®, Pathfinder®, and other tabletop RPG systems, the display logic has to flex. Here's how to stage a TTRPG collection so each model gets its moment.
The party-first principle
For a D&D collection, the player character party is the heart of the display. They get the spotlight, central placement, and best lighting. Everything else — NPCs, villains, monsters — supports that centrepiece. Think of it like a theatre programme: the leads are top-billed, the supporting cast circles them.
Stage 1: The party display
Most player parties run 4-6 characters. Each is individually painted, individually named, and individually significant. They deserve a dedicated display tier that presents them as a group while preserving each character's identity.
A single WarSplay Classic stand handles a standard 5-character party on a 32mm base format. Most RPG character miniatures are heroic-scale — roughly 28-35mm tall on those bases — so a 32mm-format tier suits the bulk of a party, with a Hero tier slot for any larger members. Arrange the party in a slight semicircle — not a straight rank — so it reads as a fellowship rather than a parade.
Stage 2: NPCs and supporting cast
Recurring NPCs, faction leaders, and named villains build up over a long campaign. They're worth displaying — they represent significant story moments — but they don't deserve equal billing with the party.
Practical setup: a second tier below the party, holding the most significant NPCs. Less-prominent characters can sit further back or on a third tier. The visual hierarchy mirrors their narrative weight.
Stage 3: Monsters and encounters
Monsters break the structure. They're varied in size, sometimes wildly so. A dragon and a goblin do not display well on the same tier. Two practical approaches:
- Themed encounter scenes. Group monsters by encounter or campaign chapter. The owlbear that nearly TPK'd the party goes on its own little tier with a label.
- Size-banded display. Large monsters on one shelf, mid-size on another, small humanoids on a third. Visually balanced.
For very large monsters (dragons, kraken, large constructs), treat them as standalone display pieces. See our larger base display guide for staging logic.
The "campaign archive" approach
Long-running campaigns generate enough painted miniatures to justify their own dedicated display. Three or four tiered shelves can document an entire campaign visually:
- Top shelf: The party, prominent and lit.
- Second shelf: Recurring NPCs and key allies.
- Third shelf: Major antagonists and campaign villains.
- Fourth shelf: Monsters and encounters, grouped thematically.
The result is a visual record of years of play, with the people at the top and the chaos at the bottom — which is approximately how D&D actually works.
For DM displays
Many Dungeon Masters paint extensively for their campaigns and end up with collections that dwarf any player's. The display approach shifts:
- Functional access first. The DM needs to pull models out for sessions. Display setups should make that easy — open tiers, not closed cases.
- Encounter readiness. Some DMs organise their display by encounter difficulty or environment so they can grab the right models quickly.
- "Stealth display." The DM display lives in the game room, visible during sessions but readable to players as "look but don't comment until you encounter it."
See the gifts for D&D players and roleplayers collection for DM-friendly display options.
Players: displaying just your character
Not every roleplayer has a vast collection. Many players paint one character per campaign and call it done. That single model deserves real display treatment — a dedicated tier, lit, on the desk or shelf where you can see it during sessions.
A single Classic stand for a standard PC base, or a Hero tier for a larger character on a 40-50mm base. The point isn't volume; it's that the character has a permanent stage rather than living in a backpack between sessions.
The campaign trophy approach
Some groups treat their painted minis as trophies of completed campaigns. The party from the campaign that ended last year sits on a permanent display tier — retired, framed, remembered. The current campaign's party gets the working display.
Over years, the cabinet fills with retired parties, each one a record of a story. This is unusually rewarding as a long-term display arrangement, and it works because each set of models has clear narrative significance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I display a party with very different base sizes?
Use one tier per "size band" — a Hero stand for the larger bases (often the barbarian or paladin on a 40mm), Classic for the standard 32mm characters. Place them in alternating heights for visual interest.
My monster collection has a dragon. Where does it go?
Dragons (and other very large monsters) work best as standalone display pieces with their own shelf or surface. Don't try to integrate them into a party tier.
I rotate models in and out of campaigns. How do I display that?
Use the display as a working roster, not a permanent fixture. Models swap in and out based on current campaign relevance. Modular stands make this practical — no commitment to a fixed layout.
Should I label my display models?
For named characters and significant villains, small label cards on the tier are a nice touch — particularly for retired campaign parties where the names matter narratively.
What about terrain in a D&D display?
One small terrain feature per encounter scene works well — a treasure chest, a doorway, a piece of dungeon dressing. Avoid full terrain dioramas unless the scene specifically calls for it.
Disclaimer: WarSplay® products are independently manufactured by Blubbercove Ltd. We are not affiliated with, authorised by, or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast, Paizo, or any tabletop publisher. Trademarks such as D&D® and Pathfinder® are used solely to indicate compatibility.