Point-Based Painting

Today I’d like to look directly at one of the core reasons this blog was created: miniature painting. Several of those of us who have sat around the Grim Dark Kitchen have at one time or another dabbled in miniature painting and currently several of us are building up our armies once more. Orks, tau, space marines, elder and tyranids adorn are table in half assembled and half painted states … sitting in the perpetual pipe dream of army completion.

Well the time has come to motivate. Several hobby blogs have various ‘motivation point-based systems’ for miniature painting. Below I’ve listed an example. Five different types of mini’s are listed, and each group has a point value. For each fully completed mini of that category points are awarded.

A goal should be set. I prefer a weekly goal as it accommodates my assembly line painting style best. The objective is to achieve that many points each week until army completion. Be realistic with your goal. If you only paint for 2 hours a week a goal of 20 points is largely unreasonable.

Remember only completed minis count. Ones you’ve varnished, based, spit-polished, photographed, and placed in the army box … waiting to be joined by a remaining fully completed army. If you intend to go back and add detail later, a symbol here, a pupil there … it isn’t finished, so don’t count it.

Here are the points:

1 point Infantry*

2 point Bikes & Large Infantry*
3 point Artillery*

4 point Independent Characters*
5 point Monstrous Creature & Vehicles*

Infantry:
28 mm based units, ie. space marines, eldar guardians, and plaugebearers.

Bikes and Large Infantry:
40 mm and 25x50 mm based units, ie. terminators, jetbikes, ogryn, and broodlords.

Artillery:
multi based heavy support teams, usually a gun and two operators.

Independent Characters:
named infantry and HQ’s, this is for those mini’s you take extra time with because they are meant to stand out in your army, in the case of monstrous HQ’s such as hive tyrants, take the higher value.

Monstrous Creature & Vehicles:
60 mm bases, or no base at all, ie. dreadnaughts, wraithlords, carnifex, and chimeras.

I propose that those of us who are sitting in the Grim Dark Kitchen begin using this point based system with the start of September. I will set myself up with 10 points per week and will hopefully be posting a nice Guardian unit in the next few days. If we’d like to go so far as to keep a communal running tally, I could put together a spreadsheet and keep track … pictures of course could be posted here to show our progress.