[OT] Counter, Figs, and...? Re: Scale debate

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Yep, apparently they still use terrain but make counters for the units with
all the important information. They can do an entire
army for $2-$3 and no painting.  I understand it but couldn't bring
myself to do it.
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I've played with several intermediate steps, including Cardboard Heroes(tm),
and the like. You can get pretty good in some cases for some uses. For
instance, the old Yaquinto Ironclads is usually preferred over the Excalibur's
in part simply because the counters are top view, not profile. Which is weird,
as most naval I'm thinking of have top view.

I took it a step forward by folding cardstock into triangular pieces with
ships' profiles on both sides. Think name/place cards at a dinner. I've
since seen I wasn't the first.

Macho Women with Guns had some variations on Cardboard Heroes, as one or two
of the females had extra folds in the upper torso that, er, enhanced them. In
the first versions of the books, perhaps all, the standups were black line on
white paper cardstock, so you could use marker pens to 'paint the figs' if you
wished.

Another idea was the previously mentioned Renegade Legion boxes; shifting a
bit, the paper terrain Jeremy has developed to such fine effect qualifies.

This could go for a long OT thread on other variations, but what I hoped to
show was that, to me, at some point, it seemed more like a spectrum that
included later Risk/Axis&Allies/etc., small, rough, unpainted, and also
toys used for gaming, including the occasionally very nice Galoob Micro
Machines.

I've liked the idea of combining counters and figs for keeping info handy on
the fig's base, but, as Mage Knight has taken a 'kiddy game' aura here, it'd
be plain embarrassing to do so now.

Now, Kill Dr.Lucky WOULD be better with my Victorian Adventurers painted,
played in an appropriately laid-out doll house.