Skill Number 9: DIY Standing Tokens

Now we unlock the next skill in your maker journey:
creating your own standing character tokens.

This is one of those skills that looks simple at first…
and then completely changes how you play and collect.

🧩 THE BASE CONCEPT

These standing tokens are incredibly easy to use and perfect for D&D-style games.
You can find them very easily on Amazon.

They usually come in a box with many pieces, fully blank, designed as DIY game board markers.

A typical kit includes:

  • Blank plastic token cards

  • Plastic bases / stands to slot the cards into

  • Multiple base colours: black, yellow, blue, orange, white, red, green

  • Often a marker pen included, so you can write directly on them

Each token works like a mini standing card that you place directly on the table.

🖨️ FROM DIGITAL ART TO REAL GAME PIECE

The workflow is simple and very satisfying:

  1. Print your character illustration at home
    (using adhesive photo paper, as explained in previous lessons)

  2. Cut your illustration to the size you want
    (scissors, cutters, paper cutters — whatever works for you)

  3. Stick it onto the blank plastic token card

  4. Slot it into one of the coloured bases

Boom.
You now have a standing D&D character on the table, made by you.

✍️ WRITE, MODIFY, PLAY

One of the best features of these tokens is that they are writable.

You can write directly on them using the included marker:

  • Character names

  • Hit points

  • Spell effects

  • Conditions (poisoned, stunned, blessed…)

  • Temporary notes during combat

They are perfect for:

  • Player characters

  • Enemies and bosses

  • NPCs

  • Spells and summons

  • Status effects and reminders

🛠️ MAKER FREEDOM: YOU CONTROL THE TOKEN SHAPE

Here’s where the maker mindset really kicks in.

Yes — the kit includes plastic bases.
But you are not limited to them.

You can:

  • Use the bases from the kit

  • Combine them with cardboard bases

  • Create larger or wider bases using thick paper or cartulina

  • Design custom-shaped tokens (taller, wider, more dramatic)

  • Adapt your printed illustrations to any format you want

As long as your token connects to a base or stand, it works.

This means you can:

  • Change the scale of your characters

  • Create big bosses or tiny minions

  • Experiment with different layouts and designs

  • Fully customise how your game looks on the table

✂️ TOOLS YOU CAN EASILY FIND

Everything you need is easy to find on Amazon or AliExpress:

  • Adhesive photo paper

  • Scissors

  • Craft cutters

  • Paper cutters

  • Blank token cards

  • DIY bases and stands

🔍 HOW TO FIND THESE TOKENS (SUPER EASY)

The product you’re looking for is commonly listed as something like:

“Blank Game Board Markers with Game Card Stands, with Marker Pens – Plastic DIY Game Tokens”

But honestly?
You don’t even need to remember the name.

You already know the trick:

👉 Take a screenshot of the product image and share it directly on Amazon


Amazon will instantly show you the exact product and a ton of similar alternatives.

You can choose how many pieces you want, depending on whether you’re making tokens just for one party or building a full collection.

These kits are:

  • Cheap

  • Easy to find

  • Extremely useful

  • Perfect for DIY tabletop projects

Once you have them, you’ll quickly realise how versatile they are for characters, enemies, spells, markers, and custom game elements.

This is one of those tools that quietly becomes essential once it’s on your table.

Simple, powerful, and very, very D&D-friendly 🎲✨

🎲 WHY THIS SKILL IS SO GOOD

These standing tokens are:

  • Extremely DIY-friendly

  • Very cheap and accessible

  • Reusable and customisable

  • Amazing for both playing and collecting

They turn your illustrations into real, physical game pieces.
Not just art.
Not just tokens.