Last year several of our club's members embarked on a challenge in preparation for the hugely anticipated "Eric Daley Shield", Warhammer 40,000 tournament. The "Tale of X Tournament Painters" followed the trials and tribulations of the gamers as they prepared to overcome the armies of their peers, with brush-stroke and guile, and attempted to cement their status in the records of the Northumbrian Adventurers Guild forever.
As was expected, though, the contenders of the “Tale of X Tournament Painters” failed miserably. The tournament itself, on the other hand, was a huge success and was enjoyed largely by all those who took part – even though the tables were littered with unpainted miniatures.
This year - although no dates have been set for a follow-up tournament as of yet - five more contenders join the fray as they set upon the fickle path of ultimate triumph or complete and utter failure with their chosen armies.
To ensure that the gamers don't stray too far from the course this time round, the players agreed that having a simple target-system would be key to keeping the thread alive and frequently updated. If all goes to plan over the next six months, the five gamers will have (at least) 1500 points of fully painted figures for each of respective their armies. Surly it can't be that difficult - can it?
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Month 1 [deadline 01.07.11]
The first month will see the gamers attempt to have at least 250 points of their armies painted and based before the deadline.
Month 2 [deadline 01.08.11]
The gamers will attempt to have a legal 500 point army painted and based before the deadline.
Month 3 [deadline 01.09.11]
The gamers will attempt to have 750 points worth of models painted and based, and they must play at least one game during that month to reach their target.
Month 4 [deadline 01.10.11]
The gamers will attempt to field 1000 points worth of painted models, and play at least two games to receive maximum points for their efforts.
Month 5 [deadline 01.11.11]
The gamers will attempt to field 1250 points worth of fully painted figures, and play at least two games to receive maximum points for their efforts.
Month 6 [deadline 01.12.11]
The gamers should have by now reached a total of at least 1500 points worth of painted figures. They must play at least 1 game during the final month and bring together their armies for a large multiplayer game.
Point System
3 points will be awarded for fully painted figures.
1 point will be awarded for games played, as well as an additional 1 point for a draw and 2 for a win.
Point Deduction
Players will be deducted 2 points if they fail to paint their models, and will be deducted 1 point if their models are painted but not based.
Players will be deducted 1 point if they fail to play the target amount of games during any given month.
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James: Eldar
JT: "What is it about the Eldar that draws you to them?"
J: "Mostly the fact that I haven't played them for years, but also because there's some interesting stuff you can do with them that other people don't really do at the club."
JT:"Over the years I've known you it seems - from my perspective, anyway – that you've found it difficult to settle with any one army. Do you really think this army could be the one?"
J: "Every army has been the one John, I loved them all equally."
JT: "What are your plans for the first month then, James? Anything interesting?"
J:"First up is going to be the Wraithlord. Changing a few things here and there about it, it'll be posed dynamically instead of the usual way people have them just standing there."
JT: "Sounds great! Best of luck for the coming months."
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Elazar: Chaos Space Marines... with a twist
JT: "Some might say that you've taken on perhaps the most difficult army choice. Have you got a clear idea about how the conversions will look or is it going to be just trial and error as you go?"
E: "To me it seems the easiest army choice, you can get away with just about anything when it comes to chaos! As for the conversions it's going to be a bit of both. I have a rough framework for everything that's in my planned list. I know the kits that I'll be using to make the minis but haven't gone massively into specifics as of yet. I'll just see what goes together well as I go. But there are a few minis that I have a clear plan for, I know which bits I want to use and I have an idea of how I want to pose them etc so they can match how I envision them in my head and in a couple of instances I've doodled little plans in my notebook. This is especially true of the characters in the army."
JT: "It's obvious that your a big fan of Slannesh armies, why is that?"
E: "So many reasons! I love all of the chaos imagery and I the sub-genre within that that Slaanesh fills. The Dark Prince covers a lot of ground with what he represents. There's the pleasure and excess elements and equally the elements of vanity and pride at the expense of all else. This gives so much warped imagery to work with as the servants of Slaanesh could look like anything ranging from angelic beings right the way through to the gribbly terrors that we all know and love like chaos spawn. Also, I really enjoy building the background for my armies and I think that the servants of Slaanesh are the easiest to identify with. It's easy to see that for the most simple of reasons one could end up going down that dark path not realising where it leads but once they're on it they're quickly turned into a cruel egotistical, hedonistic maniac!"
JT: "You've chosen an optimized army list using the Codex: Space Marines. Why did choose to that as opposed to using the Chaos Space Marines book?"
E: "Well, the newer astartes codices allow you to build a lot more of a theme into a force. You can run an all terminator armies or a bike mounted army in a way that the Chaos codex doesn't allow. Seeing as the current chaos book doesn't even allow for cult options outside of Noise Marines, Plague Marines, Thousand Sons and Khorne Berzerkers its not like I'm sacrificing a great many of my options on that front either. If I could still equip my characters, terminators and vehicles with sonic weapons for example then it would be a much harder choice to make! So, I looked for a codex that would allow me to take bikes as a troops choice. This gave me the choice of the Dark Angels Ravenwing or the Space Marine codex with a bike mounted captain (or Kor'sarro Khan mounted on his bike). The Ravenwing option seemed really good (especially since the new errata and faq that fixed the differences in a lot of the options from this edition to last) but it didn't allow a great deal of room to customise the army. The Space Marine codex gave me a lot more options so it seemed the obvious choice. Throw in the fact that with combat tactics they effectively have hit and run and they suddenly sound like they'll play exactly how I'd picture Slaanesh worshipping biker marines would fight in battle. Hit and run tactics trying to spread panic and confusion and just generally enjoy dragging out the suffering of their foes as they pick them off bit by bit!"
JT: "Well, Elazar, it sounds fascinating, and can't wait to see the end result!"
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Lee Hall: Grey Knights
JT: “Lee, you've been a fan of the Grey Knights for quite some time now – you might say they even played a part in getting you back into the hobby. So what is about them that really captures your imagination?
LH: “You're right, it was them that got me back into the hobby. Whilst on exercise with the army I borrowed a Grey Knights novel from a friend – and the rest is history. I've always loved the colour schemes and the overall look and feel of the army, and the fact that no other army, be it good or bad, stands above them. They are the true elites of Space Marine forces.”
JT: “I know your not shy when it comes to playing the odd game (or three), but, the question is, do you think you'll manage to hit the monthly painting targets?”
LH: “I hope so. Yeah, everyone knows I love playing, but when I do get my head into painting I'm normally okay. Doing this project should help with keeping me motivated.”
JT: “Using an elite army like the Grey Knights, how do you think you'll approach the games using a smaller points cap?”
LH: “It's no secret - I love my big games. However, using a smaller points cap is going to be difficult. I've always found the smaller games more restricting, obviously, but on the other hand it's a bigger challenge. I'll just have to prey the dice gods are on my side!”
JT: “I'll look forward to seeing your progress, Lee. Good luck!”
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John Triplow: Raven Guard
JF: “You've always been the bad guys! Death Guard, Daemons, Dark Eldar, Skaven.. What is it that made you jump ship to the forces of good?”
JT: “For some reason I've always opted for the 'evil' armies. I can't say why this is, but I must confess I do find playing the bad guy quite alluring. However, the decision to do a Space Marines force wasn't one I took lightly at all. A while ago I was thinking about whether or not to do a Crimson Fist army, but like the majority of my ideas, it never materialised into anything. The first sign that I was “on the turn” (as they say) was after I clapped eyes on the Captain Korvydae figure on the Forge World website. That model definitely played a part in convincing me that marines can be just as cool as the their Chaos brethren!”
“Do you plan to play marines in a way that will be different from most marine forces?”
JT: “To be honest, I've played marines quite a lot in this edition and I always thought they seemed pretty weak compared to some of the other armies out there. Now that I've actually read the codex, though, I'm actually quite impressed with some of the units. I don't want to give to much away at the moment, but I do plan to have some dirty tricks up my sleeve when I eventually play some games – I just hope (and prey) that they work once I put them into practice.”
JF: “Marines lend themselves well to conversions, can we expect to see some epic work?”
JT: “Maybe. Maybe not. I haven't got anything planed, if that's what you mean. The whole army will benefit from the Raven Guard upgrade kits from Forge World, which unfortunately is going to be mega expensive. But after all it was those models that twisted me into submission to do a Space Marines army, so I can't complain too much.”
JF: What's planned for the first month then, and what will make it epic win?
JT: “I'm currently working on a squad of Assault Marines, and I plan to get some more scouts finished before the first deadline. The way I see it, is if I basically keep myself a month in front in terms of painting I shouldn't loose too many points for not having my models painted on time.”
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Kelly Williams: Dark Eldar
JT: “Kelly you're probably the most inexperienced player taking part, so how do intend to clutch the points away from the others?
KW: “At this moment in time I have no idea! My main focus is to get through the building and painting, because that's likely where I'll get my points from. I know I'm going to have to try and get some small games in prior to month three because my battle tactics are pretty much non existent! The question states that I'm the most inexperienced player - which is the biggest understatement ever. I think I've had my army for about three years now, maybe more, and I've played only a handful of games. I'll probably need loads of advice along the way, and I hope this whole experience makes me want to play more.”
JT: “Some might say the Dark Eldar aren't the easiest army to get to grips with when your just starting out. How are you finding them so far?”
KW: “I'm not finding them too bad really. I guess that's because I don't know any different. I never wanted to go down the normal route of playing Space Marines first, they're just too nice. I was intrigued by the history of the Dark Eldar which brought them to my attention. They live to inflict pain and suffering on anyone and everyone, and wouldn't think twice of turning on their own kind! I must admit when the new rules and codices were coming out for all the other armies it was really disheartening because it took so long for the Dark Eldar to arrive. However, the new codex is filled with nasty weaponry and some very useful additions. The pain tokens are a welcome addition as are the new fast attack and heavy support vehicles.”
JT: “I saw that you were painting some of your figures last night, what can the readers expect to see from you in the early months?”
KW: “It's taken me long enough to get this far but I hope people will like what they see. Because the majority of my army are the 'old' models the poses are very static, and although I decided to have a consistent colour scheme throughout I had to play around with different hair colours and plumes to give them a little bit of individuality. I don't think I'm brave enough to attempt any conversions or anything but you may see a random head or arm thrown in there somewhere.”
JT: “Is there anything in particular you intend on buying from the new range of figures?”
KW: “I already have a few new items, including the new Warriors, Wyches and Hellions. I would really like to expand the Hellion squad, and maybe add a couple of Venoms and a maybe Voidraven Bomber if and when they become available. My army lacks heavy support so I wouldn't mind adding a Ravager, too, to bolster my gun line. On the troop front I wouldn't mind adding a squad of Wracks. I used them in a game of apocalypse and found them quite useful. If the truth be know, though, I would probably have most of the new collection but sometimes the funds just won't stretch that far!”
JT: “Best of luck, Kelly.”
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