Welcome!
It's great to see new players to SWMinis!
I heartily agree with the call to freshen up and appeal to newer players of all kinds - especially with those who're learning the game, and go to that extra effort even to learn the game in the same chronological order the other players did (that's dedication!)
However you'd like to play the game, there's a way to play -
VASSAL/SWMPlay's online game (its GREAT as a learning tool, and needs more supports)
Online via GoogleHangouts/facetime/skype etc with distance/correspondence play with existing players,
locally,
vs a bot,
W40K/SWMinis in 40 Mins style,
Dynamic Duos,
there are all kinds of modes to play and explore.
For instant 'figures' - I recommend the customising forum here, especially all the plans shared on the "How to Thread" for the Paper Models/Pepakura paperkraft models,
which contains everything from bystander proxies, to extra trooper tokens, to 2D/3D figures, etc.
You can inexpensively find the minis, and begin on your customising journey if model making is your thing.
"How do VSETs work?"
This depends on your stance, and local meta etc...
if you and your opponent agree to it, you can expand the official WotC miniatures, with unofficial yet maximal fun "bonus cards"
there were limited print runs available intermittently, though you can print or use a virtual card (so long as your opponent can see a copy of the card at any time),
if you want to print them at home, or at office works etc,
you can use 110GSM or 130/140GSM screen print, or you can go the extra mile, and go for the satinprint (because SWMinis cards are the same dimensions as artist swap cards/deluxe business cards), which look great and have a water-resistant sheen finish.
When last I looked at Office Works and Middletons, such a minimum set run of 5 sheets worked out to be 1.45USD per card. 30 Cards per sheet, minimum 5 sheets. It was affordable for a couple of friends to co-purchase... but I recall having to sign a waiver, saying they were for personal use only... psssh.
"What Materials are maps made from?"
Great question! They're made from 90GSM Silk/Satin finish high grade paper, specifically cut down from an A0 sheet to near A3 sized.
Custom maps have to be pre CBYMK'd to be print ready, and usually there's a minimum print run etc... which was why back in the day, the map printoffs were awesome, because they were good value for money, as compared to more recent ones etc.
Of course, although the satin-finish paper is inherently water-resistant, for added playability and longevity,
it is not uncommon for collectors to 'laminate' their favorite maps, either with contact adhesive clear, or via a printers/picture framers, professionally with vellum. While an added cost, the SWRPGers found that a quick and nice alternative, which allowed for non-permanent marker to be used (which GameMasters liked).
Any material would work as a map, provided the squares are 1"grids. Just check with and work an agreement with your opponent pre-game
"Where do I get the miniatures for the VSet cards?"
excellent question, and one I cannot easily fathom myself - as an avid miniatures collector, this also has me scratching my head.
For a long time, the only way was to trade, or customise them yourself (see, "The Lost Twenty" and "The Lost Twenty 2" sets).
Some were released as 'quasi-official' proxies at various 'regionals' and 'gencon' events, but, since 2010, those were "North America Only" predominantly.
Some are available from 3rd parties, such as Shapedways, Hasslefree, Cobblestone, Paizo, or EXMANUS (albeit in other generic forms)
Sadly, this is something that never caught on as much as the virtualset cards did...
though, customising and making your own figures is a fine part of the tradition - maybe, if its not your preferred area of the game, you can commission some local artists to help you achieve your envisaged figures, at an affordable and once-off rate?
I did however have "Oppo Rancisis" and "Yarael Poof" figures specially made, and available as generics -
"SnakeNaga MonkSage" and "Goofy Space-Monk" from Exmanus (upon request, limited set), sans translucent lightswords, they're on a large base, a 2x2 base.
I'll leave this post here,
apologies for a novella,
and, welcome again to the game - its great to see you, and hopefully we see you (and your friends?) on the Custom Minis forum