brainstorming about my 2018 painting challenge.

[petercooman]

With the end of the year slowly but steadily approaching, i am starting to think about next year's painting challenge.

I am well within reach of my goal of a 1000 models this year, and although for some this is peanuts (looking at you Lemmey!), for me this was a big deal. Only thing i did not like was how i painted a lot, but a little bit of everything. except for some forces i have finished, i mostly just added stuff to my forces without completing them.

So in came this idea:

What if i set my goal at completing forces/boardgame boxes, instead of painting a certain number?

at the time of writing i have a VERY BIG AMOUNT of forces in various states of completion. These are the ones not finished:

1) deadzone orcs warband
2) deadzone plague zombies mob
3) pirates
4) privateers
5) British forces to battle the pirates
6) epic orcs
7) epic space marines
warhammer fantasy dwarf army
9) warhammer fantasy orcs and goblins
10) warhammer fantasy undead
11) LOTR goblins
12) LOTR numenor
13) LOTR high elves
14) 40k imperial guard
15) 40k dark angels (dark vengeance starter set)
16) 40k chaos (dark vengeance starter set)
17) mice and mystics/reaper mouselings
18) D&D legend of drizzt game
19) D&D temple of elemental evil game
20) D&D tomb of annihilation game
21) the great war boardgame (germans + british, one entry because they belong togheter)
22) bolt action USMC
23) bolt action IJA
24) bolt action germans
25) bolt action US airborne
26) pendraken zombies

Now my main goal would be to halve this list in one year, ending 2018 with 13 or less unfinished projects/armies! Some projects are small and should be fairly easy to complete,like the warbands for skirmish games,  others will be a real stinker! (looking at you epic orcs)

The big 3 will be the most work i think (fantasy, 40k and LOTR), as per army these are the most numerous.


This will be a tough one, but it will keep my efforts focused on finishing a project/army instead of cherry-picking from different projects/armies to just make up the numbers.

So, any thoughts on this? Does it look realistic, or will i be in well over my ears?

[fred.]

That looks a lot of stuff to paint - both in number of projects and the size of the projects.

I think that now you know a 1000 figures in a year is achievable, I'd put some figure counts against the projects (doesn't need to be exact, and perhaps should include likely new purchases). Then decide which order you want to do them in. Then you will be able to draw a line at around 1000 models to have a fair idea of what can be done - I think if you aim too high you will get disheartened as the end will seem very far away.

In ordering what to do, I normally think about what needs the least work to be playable, as I often have lots of bits of projects hanging around that with a little effort will provide a big return on playability. Then there are projects that I just feel like doing, which always make themselves the most important to do. You also seem to have a number of opposing forces, so I don't know if you need to provide both sides to be playable, or you just like having options for a game system.

[Leman]

Despite the best of intentions I have never yet stuck to an annual plan. Seems unlikely to ever happen now.

[petercooman]

About the opposing forces:

I play about half of my games solo, so mostly need both for doing that. My main gaming buddy is the same, so he does that as well. However we almost never do double work.
For example, for Napoleonic he has early French and Austrian, I have waterloo armies. For bkc he has Americans, I have British and Russians. We have both got Germans, but a very different 'focus'. I have mechanised, he mainly uses trucks. His artillery is self propelled, mine isn't. So we have lot of stuff but not too much 'doubles'.

When we game, sometimes I provide everything, sometimes he does. Sometimes we mix.

About getting both sides done, I think if I go this way, I'll do both forces back to back. I have done that this year as well. Painting my bolt action forces at the same time, doing my Napoleonic cavalry togheter etc...

About the numbers:

Some of these projects are small 15-20 model forces, some are big affairs. Some are new forces where I have nothing painted, some are old armies that need a few units to finish like my goblins, with about 100 models to do.

I think putting model counts against the projects will be a good idea, I'll look into it this evening. Rough estimates should do, I can always add precise numbers wih them later on when I start painting.

I'm not too worried about getting disheartened though, they are a 'guideline' go keep me on track. Worked well so far this year! And if I don't quite make it , at least I painted a lot more than I would have without providing myself with a challenge.
Thanks for the feedback!

[Norm]

I try to have a yearly project that is based around the jacking up of two armies. They don't need to be huge in the first instance, just core armies and enough to get a game going. As a goal though, it seldom succeeds and usually pushes into the second year.

[petercooman]

I usually have a few things I want to do in a year as well, but never as big as this year.

But as you can see, even after painting 1000 models , there I still A LOT left to do. My butterfly attitude of starting something, and dropping it for something else has left me with a lot of unfinished projects.

It will take time and effort but I will get everything done! I have reduced a lot this year, and If i can keep it up I can reduce a lot more!

[paulr]

A possible addition to Fred's very good suggestions would be to add an estimate of the number of already completed figures to each project
That will help you determine which will give you the most reward for completing the project

I would definitely work on opposing pairs either together or one after the other as that will also assist in getting troops on the table

[petercooman]

Not a bad idea!

[petercooman]

Ok, will have to review this one later on, as black Friday hit me kik a truck 

9 boxes of French infantry, 2 of hanoverians, 2 union brigade boxes, a box of lancers and a box of chasseurs a cheval are on their way, about 350 28mm dudes looking for assembly and to be painted!

Oh, and a mg bunker for my IJA .

I'm already listening to the moans of "where will you be putting that"   

[petercooman]

Ok, i have been thinking about this one for a while now, and i think i will just set the goal at 10 forces painted for 2018.

The ones i'm looking at completing are these:


1) pirates
2) privateers
3) British forces to battle the pirates
4) bolt action USMC
5) bolt action IJA
6) bolt action germans
7) bolt action US airborne
8 ) deadzone marauder warband
9) deadzone plague zombies mob

And the 10th one is not chosen yet. This should be a fairly manageable challenge as the model counts are not that high. I had to take in account that i will not be painting as much as i did this year. I will be going to greece for two weeks this summer, and my summer holidays were pretty productive so i'll miss out on that.
Also,toddler nappy time is slowly but surely going the way of the dodo. Has already diminished by an hour and a half, and with the little one starting school in september i reckon there will be no more sleepy time all togheter. Of course, i could be wrong and end up finishing this years challenge by July  


I thinki will already start my challenge a week before the end of the year though, because i have 20 days off from work since yesterday, so will be getting some painting in as well!


Here's the updated list of forces to be finished:
1) deadzone orcs warband
2) deadzone plague zombies mob
3) pirates
4) privateers
5) British forces to battle the pirates
6) epic orcs
7) epic space marines
8 ) warhammer fantasy dwarf army
9) warhammer fantasy orcs and goblins
10) warhammer fantasy undead
11) LOTR goblins
12) LOTR numenor
13) LOTR high elves
14) 40k imperial guard
15) 40k dark angels (dark vengeance starter set)
16) 40k chaos (dark vengeance starter set)
17) mice and mystics/reaper mouselings
18) D&D legend of drizzt game
19) D&D temple of elemental evil game
20) D&D tomb of annihilation game
21) the great war boardgame (germans + british, one entry because they belong togheter)
22) bolt action USMC
23) bolt action IJA
24) bolt action germans
25) bolt action US airborne
26) pendraken zombies
27) napoleonic french
28) napoleonic british
29) napoleonic prussians

So one of those will be my 10th force to be finished. Knowing myself, the list will be over 30 if i don'tstart ticking stuff off quickly!  

[Womble67]

I have nearly as many projects as you that are in stages of completion and like you I find it extremely hard to stick to one thing

Take

Andy

[petercooman]

Yes, sometimes it's a curse and sometimes it's a blessing!

You have lots of unfinished projects, but a lot of variety in your painting!

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Good list, can't wait for the mouselings

[petercooman]

Ha well, the mouselings are a bit on the backburner. I have enough mice for the first storybook for mice and mystics (sorrow and rememberance storyline), but I can't get through that blasted chapter 4. I fail miserably each time. When I get through that I can start thinking about painting up the rest to play the expansions. The mouselings could get painted a bit earlier if the kids show interest in SOBH though!

[petercooman]

Curse you lemmey! Now 'm thinking about mouseling paint jobs!!!!!