Switching Over to the Painting Challenge Blog

Please, let me connect you...

Hey Folks! Now that the ball is rolling, let's officially switch over to the official Painting Challenge blog and we can carry on over there. There is also a link on the top navigation bar, leftmost button (see below).

See you after the jump! 

Curt

The Die is Cast - The Sixth Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge

In 49 BC Julius Caesar halted his XIII legion along the north bank of the Rubicon river in northern Italy. He knew that if he crossed with his army into southern Italy he would be violating Roman law, thereby making the lives of both him and his men forfeit, but Caesar also aware that if he returned to Rome as a regular citizen he would be censored by the government and quite possibly killed. After some deliberation he resolved to cross the Rubicon and risk civil war. Once on the other side of the river Caesar is reported to have said, 'Alea iacta est' - The die is cast. 

This year's Painting Challenge, our sixth, celebrates risk takers, daredevils and gamblers. 

Julius Caesar

The Basic Rules

The Challenge will extend from the beginning of Winter, 12:01 am December 20th , through to the first day of Spring, 12:01 am March 20th, Central Standard Time.

Figures can be prepared and primed prior to the start date, but no colour can be applied until December 20th. In order to be fully scored the figures have to be based and their groundwork completed. The figures have to be painted by you. The Challenge follows the honour system in the completion and entry of figures. Dishonour and public shaming goes (with perhaps the throwing of frozen vegetables) upon anyone who besmirches the venerable craft of painting toy soldiers! 

The figures can be in any scale and in any theme, including pulp-adventure, science-fiction and fantasy.

In order to be scored, photos of all figures/units along with a short descriptive note must be uploaded to the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge blog. Up-to-date scoring will be maintained on the blog's main page. I will send out an email to all Challengers to provide further details regarding participation.

The Judge (me) will participate, but my score will not have any standing in the Challenge (I will continue my struggle to be amongst the middle-of-the-pack).

Since I can't leave well enough alone, I've again tweaked a few aspects of how the Challenge will be administered. I will still be the master of ceremonies, but I've called upon a Happy Few to assist me in keeping this joyous circus on the rails - more on that later. 

Rosa Parks

The Scoring

6mm foot figure = 0.5 point
6mm mounted figure, artillery piece or crew served weapon = 1 pts
6mm vehicle = 2 points

10mm foot figure = 1 point
10mm mounted figure, artillery piece or crew served weapon = 2 points
10mm vehicle = 3 points 

15mm foot figure = 2 pts
15mm mounted figure, artillery piece or crew served weapon = 4 pts
15mm vehicle = 6 pts

20mm foot figure = 4 pts
20mm mounted figure, artillery piece or crew served weapon = 8 pts
20mm vehicle = 12 pts

28mm foot figure = 5 pts
28mm mounted figure, artillery piece or crew served weapon = 10 pts
28mm vehicle = 15 pts

40mm foot figure = 7 pts
40mm mounted figure, artillery piece or crew served weapon = 15 pts
40mm vehicle = 20 pts 

54mm foot figure = 10 pts
54mm mounted figures, artillery piee or crew served weapon = 20 pts
54mm vehicle, limber, etc. = 30 pts 

Other scales, miscellaneous models/figures will be scored on a submission-by-submission basis. 

Amelia Earhart

Challenger Personal Targets and Duels

Similar to previous years, I ask that each Challenger declare his/her points target that they hope to achieve by the March 20th deadline. I encourage Challengers to pick a target that is a bit beyond their comfort zone, but still achievable. Many participants have found this a great incentive to help maintain their pace over the three months of the Challenge. As a benchmark, 400 points is a manageable amount for someone who is new the the event and/or has a busy work/life schedule. Remember, many points can be secured by participating in the Bonus Rounds (more on this below).

Also, many folks have a lot of fun issuing 'duels' to other participants in order to race to meet a declared target, paint the most figures for a specific period, etc. I leave this to the participants to organize, but I'm more than happy to log the duels and keep track of the points.

Vo Nguen Giap

Challenger Target Thresholds & Prizes

There will be six point thresholds set out for the Challenge. Each time a participant reaches a Point Threshold his/her name will be entered for the prize drawn for that level. So, the more points you accumulate the more prizes you will be eligible for. We have many generous prize sponsors who I will introduce in a following post. The Threshold prizes will be drawn at the end of the Challenge.

Threshold I: 500 points

Threshold II: 750 points 

Threshold III: 1000 points 

Threshold IV: 1500 points 

Threshold V: 2000 points 

Threshold VI: 2500 points

Gebhard Lebrecht Blucher

The Fortnight Theme Bonus Rounds

Same as previous years, we will have a series of thematic Bonus Rounds. Each Bonus Round asks Challengers to enter a submission that illustrates a particular theme. The Bonus Rounds are not mandatory, they are just a little bit of fun to pace out the the Challenge and allow people to gain some points and fame through presenting vignettes and specific single figures.

Those Challengers who manage to submit an entry for a 'Fortnight Theme Bonus Round' will receive an extra 50 points on top of the regular entry tally. No scales less than 15mm will be eligible for the Theme Bonus Rounds but they can be of a historical or fictional subject.

The seven Bonus Themes along with their submission deadlines are:

• January 3rd: Nostalgia 

• January 17th: Epic Fail 

• January 31st : Defensive Terrain 

• February 14th: L'amour 

• February 28th: Nautical 

• March 13th: Gambler/Risk-Taker

The theme submissions are to be sent in by 12:01 am (CST) on the specified date (Sundays for all).

For each bonus round I'll post a poll listing all the round's entries so visitors can vote for their favourite. 

Neil Armstrong

Tipping the Croupier

As in previous Challenges, I ask for a small memento from each Challenger. In keeping with this year's theme, the entrance 'fee' for this year's Challenge will be a single 28mm figure characterized as a risk-taker, daredevil or gambler. The figure will be supplied and painted by the entrant. This miniature can be submitted any time up until the end of the Challenge. Again, same as previous years, for each figure I receive I will donate $5 to the Saskatchewan branch of the Regina Humane Society.

Robert E. Lee

The Call

Please don't wait too long if you're interested - drop me a note below to get on the roster. I'll place notification in this space when all the participant slots for the Challenge have been filled.

Let the fun begin!

'Strange Aeons' Halloween Game - 'The Spanish Caverns'

As it was Halloween this past weekend I decided to put on a 'Strange Aeons' game for the boys. Here's the scenario I cooked up for them:

Spring 1937, Spain. 

Your teams have been dispatched to war-torn Spain to investigate reports of a strange atmospheric phenomenon witnessed along the coast of Asturias. This disturbing anomaly, which seems to manifest itself as a type of fog, is causing perfectly good aircraft to crash with no pilots in cockpits and ships found adrift without crew. If this is not perplexing enough, the only ones affected are those sympathetic to Republican Spain...

!No Pasaran! 

!Fhtagn!

The four Agency teams first flew into Portugal where they met a sympathetic priest who served as their guide into Asturias. He ultimately led them to a series of caverns set within a cliff-faced shore. Caverns where the strange fog has been seen to emanate these past few months... 

One member of the team taking a smoke break at the entrance to the caverns.

From all this we spent the evening drinking Spanish wine, having a few laughs, while dispatching rogue Guardia Civil troopers, Cultist Nazis, extra-dimensional tentacles and a wide assortment of creepy-crawly baddies. True to form, the heroes ultimately emerged triumphant, but it must be said that the sanity of a few their number have been severely frayed by the experience. 

The cavern terrain tiles are from a Kickstarter from Dwarven Forge. Both Stacy and I harvested non-essential body parts from local teenagers to get a bunch of the pre-painted sets. They are made of a very high quality plastic/resin material and are ingeniously designed so as to fit together in a bewildering variety of designs. 

Lady Sarah seemed a bit skeptical when I was unpacking the boxes ('You paid HOW MUCH for this?'), but it only took a few minutes of her fiddling around with the pieces and she was hooked, madly putting together her first dungeon. In fact, the cavern layout for this scenario was designed by her the night before. Yes, m'dear, it's a slippery slope. Mwhaahaa!

'...and, see, in here we'll install a jacuzzi and solarium to help hydrate the resident undead. You know, some creature comforts...'

The tabletop with the entrance layer lifts up and fits over the other surface, hiding the final showdown from the players.

Below are a few pics of the caverns along with some artistic re-creations of the evening's action. 

The lower level cavern.

The final showdown in the upper cavern which, in the scenario, overlooks the Atlantic.

'Gee whiz Willickers, what could possibly be down this passage?'

The final battle. A poor team-member (Sylvain) getting drained like a malted milkshake by the Daemonic Mist.
'Schluuurp! Burp! Oh my, pardon me...'

Recognize the villain Nick?

For those who are curious: The nasty pumpkins seen above generated an eldritch shield around the main villains that the heroes had to deal with first. Trick or Treat!!

Thanks for visiting and have a great week!