I don't play Civilization, in fact I don't play any PC or video games at all. That's the reason why I dont have them in my computer. However, I make board games, and for them I make these paper miniatures. I make them by drawing a figure of somesort (say, roman soldier), and then scan it to my computer, and print paper pieces of it and use it as a miniature. Drawing a figure takes lot of time, but here I have seen very beautiful models, perfect for paper miniatures, and I would love to make them myself. However, I have no idea how to make one, or what programs do I need and how to use them. I'm fast learner however, and my real question is, is it possible to create pictures of units without owning the civilization game? If so, what programs do I need and where to download them? And if you would be kind enough, tell some main points how to use them.
Sorry for my bad english, as I guess you guess it's not my native language, and I have learned it only from wikipedia. Hope you understand however what I'm asking.

If you're going to make static 2d images, I'd suggest going to the civ3 side. But, to create any 3d model you need a 3d program. If you're just going to print them, there's no need for anything in between: Create a model, render it, and print it.

But for a good guide on texturing, get Sharick's Guide to Creating Units from the Tutorial section. If you get 3dsmax7, it's got some good tutorials on how to create 3-models. And ofcourse google is full of *insert 3d program name* basic tutorial ;)

You can also dl models from the database and do a printscreen in Nifskope. Then open your paint program and give the final aspect to your card.