Low budget wargaming encompasses miniature and board wargaming at a significantly lower cost than usually. Sometimes dubbed as 'free' wargaming.
Miniatures[]
The cheapest miniatures will typically be printable paper flats or paper vehicles. While many gamers use these, there appears to be some aversion to field paper and metal or plastic figures on the same table, typically due to aesthetic reasons. Basically, "They don't look right". Train your imagination, is the best advice I can give! ANY figure or model has only the personality YOU put there.So what if "he" is only a front or a back? He's none the less a personality in your imagination! Having said which I have been a MINI gamer for sixty years, so am able to attach a "personality" of sorts to anything, including a D6! - which did justice for a Gelatinous Cube, Ghost and even a Troll in my first Roleplaying games. So long as there is something to represent YOU, and the other elements in whatfver, the Scenario, use ANYTHING, the person to whom it matters is you! Ian
Rules[]
While there is a plethora of commercially available rulesets, there's a large range of wargaming rules which are available for free download. The quality varies from unplaytested to potentially better than many commercial rules. There are a number of websites which make these free rules available.