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[Knick]

I am not sure where else to ask this. 

I want to put together a basic table top wargame that would be appropriate for kids--ie not complicated.  Because they are kids, and not the most responsible when it comes to taking care of toys, etc, I am looking for cheap plastic figures in fairly large numbers.  I really need a basic rock-paper-scissors arrangement, with footmen, ranged and cavalry.

Any suggestions on where I can get the inexpensive figures?

[LordBucket]

they are kids, and not the most responsible when it comes to taking care of toys

Any suggestions on where I can get the inexpensive figures?

Google up some pictures of the units you want, paste them into paintbrush and put circles around them. Use a gluestick to glue the printed sheets onto manilla folders, then cut them out using the circles as guidelines. Done this many times for homebrew games. It's fast, cheap and easy, and the result is durable and pleasing. You can do the same for cards or counters or any other kind of gamepieces you want.

[gimlet]

You can also fold them like Cardboard Heroes to self-stand:
http://www.sjgames.com/heroes/

You can buy plastic holders that let the cardboard figure "stand up" for almost no money too.
 They're like $.29 apiece from sjgames, but you can do a lot better
 For example http://www.rolcogames.com/product/universal+game+stand/19
  10 cents apiece if you buy 250, and this was only the first place that came up on a search, I'm sure there are even better sources.

Or print onto round stickers, stick onto plastic poker chips.

Or actual plastic figures, lots of places like
 http://www.classictoysoldiers.com/cgi-bin/ctsc6/rtl/prd_d.cgi?category=Manufacturers%2025mm

[Knick]

Thanks, these are all possible options.

Really, I only need three types (maybe four--artillery?)  I was thinking more along the size of the pieces from Shogun.n  I also need some means of creating a landscape--maybe moulded, so that fortification can be taken apart and put together.

Given that my kids are 6 and 8, simplicity is key.

[Arx]

Thanks, these are all possible options.

Really, I only need three types (maybe four--artillery?)  I was thinking more along the size of the pieces from Shogun.n  I also need some means of creating a landscape--maybe moulded, so that fortification can be taken apart and put together.

Given that my kids are 6 and 8, simplicity is key.

Paper mache is a pretty good option for terrain. Depending on what you use for miniatures, you can also stick things under a tablecloth to make hillocks and valleys and stuff - I've seen this done very effectively for a WWII-era wargame, but it'll be tricky to keep folded cardboard minis upright on.

[gimlet]

Fort wise, I was pretty fine with blocks when I was that young - just boards cut into various shapes, as long as there's some longish ones to use as walls, shorter ones as gates, etc.  Shorter ones for soldiers to stand on behind the wall as battlements/wall walks.   If you want to get fancy, colored cloth or felt over "heavy stuff" underneath - stacks of different sized plates, weightlifting weights, whatever.  If you want to get SUPERR fancy glue bits of grass and stuff to it - although it's more flexible to glue it to cut out shapes of felt/felt glued to cardboard, then you can save them/move them/store them easier.

I had legos, but legos really weren't as good as simple wood.  I didn't use it, but if you MUST have stuff hold together when you build things out of multiple layers of blocks, there's 2 sided scotch tape or temporary tacking adhesives.

Google for stuff like "making miniatures terrain", there's like a billion pages out there, some get pretty elaborate.

For future stuff/more elaborate mechanisms Meccano/Erector sets ftw - get 'em civil engineering at an early age   Get a couple of the generalized ones, not the ones that only build one model of some stupid crap.

[Knick]

Thanks for the advice.

The paper mache is a likely idea.  Plaster of paris might work too, although it is harder to smooth out.  The pieces need to stand up.

Lego is a possibility--when I was a kid, I used to have long involved battles of lego men vs. fischer price.  It usually degenerated into urban warfare, ending with the lego men having to storm the fischer price castle (you know, the big one with the dragon cave, drawbridge, secret room under the stairs, and the trap door to the dungeon.)

I might try blocks then.  Maybe a toy store for cheap soliders.  I really want them less than an inch.

[Bouchart]

See if you have an old Risk boardgame laying around and take the soldiers and artillery.

[Gnoll Fortress]

how cheap is cheap reapermini has the bones range which I found are very durable and cheaper than lego. A man sized would be about $1.50. You can even give em a lesson in mini painting.

Like thus https://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/Bones/latest/77237 they did a ks I got tonnes of the damn things

[gimlet]

So if you want em an inch or less look for "25mm plastic miniatures" or "20mm plastic miniatures", there's a LOT of pretty cheap ones out there.  Try search with "soldiers" or "figures" instead of "miniatures" too.   Also try "1/72 scale" and "1/75 scale", but it's tougher 'cause google doesn't recognize them as tokens.  Also "22mm" - a few companies label their lines as 22mm.

Toy store will have very limited selection and top price, you MIGHT do better in a gaming store for selection, but you said you're looking for low price so again good luck.

Amazon search http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=25mm+toy+soldiers  turns up some interesting looking possibilities:
http://www.amazon.com/Ita039a-English-Knights-Archers-Military/dp/B00HXUD4ZI   8 horses + 16 knights/archers, still almost a buck a figure but horse+rider is always gonna be more
http://www.amazon.com/English-Infantry-XIV-XV-Year-Zvezda/dp/B0013IF51M/  claims 45 figures, interesting for the "also bought" links
http://www.amazon.com/Zvezda-Models-ZV8046-Vikings-Figures/dp/B000SILD46 is one of the few zvezda sets with reviews, which are good - look for links to the other sets, they have knights and infantry

Too bad you're not in the UK, they seem to be a lot more into these kinds of miniatures...

ED: Ha, if you're looking for bigger sets zvezda has a few like this Samurai Battles one, gets really good reviews: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/122913/samurai-battles
Has a few pics of the painted and unpainted figs.  $75 (ow) but comes with 122 figures including a fair number of mounted ones, and you can use other zvezda sets to add to it 'cause they're the same (1/72) scale.  And it comes with different kinds of bases to move some of the figures as units.

From this page: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/1466/zvezda   looks like they have "big games" of Cossacks, Crusaders, some russian middle ages stuff, Alexander...  But if you want multiples of the same figure for ease of identification it's probably better to buy multiples of the smaller packs.   Here's a guy with painted Carthaginians: https://commandbunker2014.wordpress.com/2015/02/21/the-ancients-have-landed-carthaginian-army-so-far/