Astronomican Tale of Gamers

[Gideon_Not_Ravenor]

Alrighty hello there folks. It's that time of the year where I make a long winded thread that a few people read. :grin:

I rember the first half of 2009 when I participated in Silver's Tale of 8 Gamers competition. It took off but most of the participants didn't get past the first or second month (I remember Hephesto giving it a good go). There was also the 2010 tale of gamers with a fantasy twist that also didn't do too well.

I would like to do another tale of gamers event but I do want it to be better than the last two (and I mean no offence to Silver or The Warsmith).

Now I think I know a few of these problems:

1. Suddenly committing yourself to painting lots of units each month for half a year isn't going to translate well if you don't normally do this when hobbying.
2. Participants had to paint legal units
3. Fiction and battle reports seemed to have a side show.
4. The tales have been organised around one gaming system and this naturally excludes a lot of projects
5. Asking participants to paint the same style of models for a long period of time.
6. You had to paint a given set of models every month.
7. If I had a unit that was legal by painting one model; this is at odds with someone who has to paint 20 for a legal unit.

Now what I would do differently this time around is to:
-Have no limit to one any system
-No demand to stick with one army
-Instead of having the goal as a legal army give bonus points to completion of painted units
-Give individial points for assembling, converting and painting instead of points for starting and finishing the whole process
-Give points for every "batch" of complete models.
-If at the end of the contest people have legal armies they gain bonus points depending on the size of the army
-Have little side challenges.
-No restrictions on what you have to paint; it's your choice. No having to paint a set selection each month.
-There may be compuslory components but these shouldn't be too over the top. (such as making objectives; fiction; incorporating a set theme onto a model etc)

Now this sounds all good to me; but I'd want the astro community to discuss what they would do with such a competition and if such an event is worth having.

[demyse]

I would be interested in this, ive got about 3k points of mantic undead for my KoW army (not using it as a WHFB army, *gasp*. They are only assembled and a few undercoated, this would be a boot up the bum for me to at least get some pointed

[Honsou]

I don't mean this to sound discouraging, but what you are suggesting isn't a tale of gamers; it is little more than the monthly painting challenges.

At the end of the day the purpose of a competition is just that: for people to compete. The system you are suggesting allows people to do whatever they wish, providing they are willing to automatically loose the competition- after all, painting less, painting for things at random, painting a non-legal army, etc will not net you any points. In short; unless you actually do it in the 'old' way (ie the way that the others were run) you loose anyway. What, then, is the point? You might as well do your own thing at your own pace without the extra hassle & complication.

It also strikes me as unnecessarily complicated. To be honest, Im all for stuff like this and you have some interesting ideas but its hardly a tale of gamers. A tale of gamers is what it is for a reason :laugh:

[Gideon_Not_Ravenor]

I think you're right about that Honsou; I suppose we should allow it for every system but have people specify an army they will work on (it wasn't that hard when I did it really). I don't think we need to aim for a legal gaming army but there should be rewards worked around this as I mentioned.

I really don't get how these ideas are complex either. Granted they are a bit more in depth than the lest set but they aren't that hard to understand.

And of course I mentioned I want to discuss if this idea is worth pursuing or not; so don't worry about being discouraging anyone! :laugh:

@ Demyse; same here! ^^

[demyse]

how about something like you compete by doing an army for a system, be it 40k, fantasy, KoW, warmahordes and so on. Have it as you pledge to do a minimum force and go from there, say 500 points for the first 3 and 15 for the PP stuff?

[Marticus]

I do need to paint some fow.... Hmm

[Skringly]

I don't mean this to sound discouraging, but what you are suggesting isn't a tale of gamers; it is little more than the monthly painting challenges.

Yes, it does strike me as one of the few challenges we currently hold