Usually at this time of the year I am hastily prepping and priming a multitude of miniatures ready for the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC), and as a result subsequently end up with a painting desk brimming over with all manner of unfinished genres, scales and materials three months later. Indeed, due to some of the constraints of the event, most notably only being allowed to submit figures solely pigmented during the challenge, I tend to find myself hastily purchasing all myriad of 'simple to paint' pieces simply so I can attain my annual target of 500 points (approximately 100 x 28mm models).
On this occasion however, I'll be doing something a little bit different, and rather than participate in another AHPC, I'll instead try to reduce my ever-increasing mountain of assorted models by embarking upon my own personal Partially-Painted Pledge. I've actually tried to complete this endeavour a few times before, predominantly alongside the AHPC, and unsurprisingly never managed to attain my goal of completing a hundred figures I've previously started working on within the allotted four months.
Things should work out a little differently this time though as I have already earmarked a number of ill-fated projects for renewal. To begin with I aim to paint both the Witch's warband I've recently assembled using the "Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago" hard plastic Tribals boxed set by "North Star Military Figures" and a number of other long-forgotten "Frostgrave" models I have either prepped, primed, layered or almost finished in the past.
I've yet to actually play a game using Joseph A. McCullough's Second Edition rules, but as a motivator I hope to get in some small test games using the various miniatures I finish over the coming months. In addition, having already assembled a pair of Archers, and now a trio of Infantrymen, it shouldn't be too long before I'm able to field two fully-fit wizard parties, and actually try out a few of the rule-book's numerous scenarios.
I have also started digging out the numerous figures by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" I've never finished in an effort to conclude both my "Blake's Seven" and "Planet Of The Apes" projects. Long-time sufferers of this blog will know I have played quite a few recent games using Servalan's black-suited goons and some homebrew rules, so I have immediately set about 'picking out' all the metal areas on a handful of the company's now OOP Federated Security Troopers.
Lastly, I am planning on slowly ploughing through my collection of "Marvel Crisis Protocol" models by "Atomic Mass Games". The company has just published an insane-looking release schedule for early 2021, which could seriously overwhelm my painting queue if I don't crack on with pigmenting my already unhealthy backlog of super-heroes and villains.