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Time to picl July's theme. As always, 2 days to vote and the runner up gets another go. This time, your options are:

Centre of Attention: Gargantuan war machines, boisterous warriors and vital points on the battlefield capture the attention of any combatant nearby. Your emtry should feature such attention-worth elements, whether that be objective markers, important individuals or that one unit that's scary enough to always get shot off the board in turn one...

Objective Secured: Battles are won by more often than not by holding vital ground, key strategic locations., and it generally falls to the rank and file of an army to take such positions. Your entry should consist of such troops, be they mindless minion, conscripted masses or simply those whose role it os to take and hold the line.

Going Solo: While some fight in rank and file, or hunker down with their brothers in arms, there are those who face the enemy alone, with no support and no allies at their side. These lone wolves are often as deadly as a small force in their own right, either through skill or sheer strength. Your entry should feature models that typically fight alone, rather than in units.

Mastermind: Intellect is a deadly weapon, whether put to work forging a masterful strategy, developing peerless technology or bent towards the study of supernatural and magical forces. Your entry should feature models famed for their mental prowess.

I should be able to muster something for all of these. Voted for ObSec, because I need help getting some troops across the paintbench.

Voted centre of attention so that I have to face the unit of varanguard that's been eluding my brush throughout the lockdown.

Lots of options in my collection for just about any of these. In both Lord of the Rings and Warhammer.

Going Solo. Only have Phoenix Lords left to paint right now.

CB

 Captain Brown wrote:
Going Solo. Only have Phoenix Lords left to paint right now.

CB

They probably fit everything but Objective Secured.

I like all of these. My hardest would likely be Centre of Attention, but I did just get an old Dreadnought which probably fits the bill. Or perhaps the old Crashed Aquila Lander from Battle for Macragge? Dunno if a generic Leman Russ would count. Has a partial coat of base blue on it from the previous owner, but that's probably ok since I would be painting over it. On the fence about attempting to strip it since they glued the guns and turret in place, but I don't know if they used a glue that can be removed...

I think I'll vote for Mastermind. Thanks to USPS shipping being effectively an unguided warp jump, a cool old '80s Citadel Chaos Sorcerer finally arrived from Canada yesterday so that would be a great reason to try painting him. Oddly enough he's had rock basing done, but the model isn't even primed. Hopefully that's not too much head start for these.

My vote was for Center of Attention... I have some shiny gold armor to paint. But if it ends up being Mastermind, there's an Inquisitor in the queue and I have plenty of ObSec troops to paint too. Bring it on!

So, terrain features are considered valid entries in this challenge-- is that correct?

 JoshInJapan wrote:
So, terrain features are considered valid entries in this challenge-- is that correct?

If you can make an argument that they qualify for the subject. It’s been done before. And we are not going to argue hard against you, unless it’s -really- tenuous.

Two of this months topics would lend themself well, for certain pieces. Center of attention could be a statue, monolith, command bunker, summoning circle. Anything that would be the focus of the battlefield. "key strategic locations” is actually called out in the description.

Going solo could be a monument standing alone, statue, some structure on the middle of an open area, etc.

Depending on what you have in mind, you could probably spin in.

Hmm, in case we go for Objective Secured, how about dropping the 5 mini restriction for this round? Especially in regards to the mentioned "conscripted masses"

Kinda hoping for Mastermind, kinda want to do my Master of Words/wizard for the Basti, which kinda works for all but the Objective Secured, but if we do Objective Secured, I've got some more Basti spear ladies to do that I've been wanting but dreading, might give me the kick to get them done (or I might squirrel out and do some random other thing instead),

Have something for every category, voted ObSec, so I can get those pesky Arkanauts out of the way

 MobileSuitRandom wrote:
Hmm, in case we go for Objective Secured, how about dropping the 5 mini restriction for this round? Especially in regards to the mentioned "conscripted masses"

Yeah, I agree. If it goes ObSec it should be temporarily changed to max one 10 man squad as that is the standard basic unit size for most armies. Could even just say "1 Troop choice squad." Then it's up to the painter to decide how many they want to do and everyone is graded by the squad as a whole including unit cohesion rather than individual models. Would make for an interesting change of pace.
I'm not sure how the IG is set up now as my latest book is 6thEd, but ObSec is practically their dictionary definition and in 6thEd their basic squad choices were 10 man normal or 20-50 man conscripts, so painting just five would be a kind of non-starter for me.

Haha this happens roughly two months out of three - I see the options, consider what I'd paint for each of them, and end up having three that I'm excited about and one that makes me go "Urgh, anything but that." I cast my vote, and find that the "Urgh" one is way out in front.

Guys! I'm three-quarters of the way through painting a massive blob of thirty troop choice minis! They're past the point of taking proof photos already so I can't use them! Jeez.

 feltmonkey wrote:
Haha this happens roughly two months out of three - I see the options, consider what I'd paint for each of them, and end up having three that I'm excited about and one that makes me go "Urgh, anything but that." I cast my vote, and find that the "Urgh" one is way out in front.

Guys! I'm three-quarters of the way through painting a massive blob of thirty troop choice minis! They're past the point of taking proof photos already so I can't use them! Jeez.

I voted for Mastermind, so I can't help. Get another squad maybe? xP

 SergentSilver wrote:

 feltmonkey wrote:
Haha this happens roughly two months out of three - I see the options, consider what I'd paint for each of them, and end up having three that I'm excited about and one that makes me go "Urgh, anything but that." I cast my vote, and find that the "Urgh" one is way out in front.

Guys! I'm three-quarters of the way through painting a massive blob of thirty troop choice minis! They're past the point of taking proof photos already so I can't use them! Jeez.

I voted for Mastermind, so I can't help. Get another squad maybe? xP

Yup. Sounds like to need to finish up that squad and start another 30 man blob for next month. You can pick the 5 best from the new lot to enter.

Well, varanguard are battle line in an everchosen list, so could qualify for objective secured. I doubt that's pushing the description beyond the pale?

Oh dear. For someone like me who only really paints characters or single models, people always choose the worst categories... Guess I'll have to do a chaos terminator or something...

All of those work for getting a new army started...

Well, it's looking like I'll be trying to find time to whip up a proper paintjob for my last plastic IG squad that I never did paint. Mostly. I painted three of them in a horrible attempt at winter camo that I will likely just paint right over if I don't find the time to strip them of it.