Why should I buy minis when I can use LEGO or similar toys? Much more customization options and you can actually behead a minifig with a vorpal sword.
I used to have a lot of LEGO pieces lying around, and still have some collecting dust at my parents' house. At some point, I will be using them for my hobby gaming again.
BrickQuest is a particularly clever way of doing so, as even the adventurer's character sheet is elegantly communicated in the form of ABS plastic.
LEGO bricks also hold together a lot better that a lot of miniatures, as a the studs will simply click together. Objects on inclines will be a lot less...inclined to fall over, which is a perennial problem with miniatures at more than a slight angle.
From free brik-focused games like BrickQuest or BrikWars to fan-made accessories like BrickArms (also made of ABS plastic), there are plenty of options for converting a game into equivalent pieces.
Another brik-based game of note is Mechaton, which although not longer available, developed into Mobile Frame Zero, which, like BrickQuest, actually makes use of the studly nature of the playing pieces with little-bitty custom-built doom robots. Sadly, I haven't had the opportunity to play it yet. Maybe when I can actually move with my LEGO collection?
Admittedly, the actual LEGO company isn't selling a huge number of sets that are particularly relevant to my past gaming interests right now. If I were in a Star Wars game, that would naturally be a different story. I suppose it's just as well that I'm too absorbed in homework to worry about LEGO right now, anyway.
