Dark Angels Stand Fast! - ETL Preparations

[Grand Master Belial]

We are soon approaching that wondrous time of year when the forums jump into a frenzied pace of planning, painting and photographing. The ETL for 2015 is just around the corner and I have seen a few other forums start preparing their troops for the upcoming battle. We were denied victory last year and now we need to prepare to emerge victorious once again. 

 

This is a planning thread for those who are interested in participating in the competition. Within this thread we can discuss ideas of what would get us the most points per model, ideas for a new army or expansion of an existing one or a schedule to get some of those unfinished models completed.

 

What say you?

[Guest]

I hope to do I really expensive Vet Squad :) the benefits of building for fun.

 

And quite a few characters plus I have the 12 to do...

[Aradiel]

The last time i painted a 40k model was in the previous ETL, and already a year went by. Time does fly

Lucky me i still have quite a lot of models left, but im running out of high point value things to paint, i will have to check my termi box and see what i can get together. 40k as a game as died for me a long time ago, but i would like to support my unforgiven brothers in this endeavour.

[Epher]

Painting competition?  Challenge accepted!  Now other than painting, what do I have to do?  (since I am new to this) Also final exams will be over in three weeks!!

[Stoic Raptor]

I'm already working on painting up my Dark Angels army.  This month I expect to finish my two tactical squads, Balthasar and maybe Turmiel.

So if the ETL begins in May, I'll still have plenty to paint.  I'm aiming to do about 500 points each month but may accomplish more.

At any rate, I'll still have 12 bikes, an attack bike, Sableclaw, a regular speeder, 5 DW Knights, a 5-man DW Command Squad, a 3-bike RW Command Squad and a Veterans squad to paint up - not sure how much I can do but I'll finish what I can.  Should be at least 1500 points, assuming I don't buy another speeder, a couple boxes of Deathwing and another box of Black Knights (which I will once this is all painted).

 

I have never done the ETL before but I'm looking forward to participating.  I don't expect it will make me work faster than I already am, as my goal is simply to get my army table-ready... but it will help to keep me on track, and if it helps uphold the reputation of the Unforgiven I am glad to be of service.

[Grand Master Belial]

Captain Semper is in charge of the ETL, but now is the time to look through the Codex and plan what you would like to paint and purchase the necessary models/bits. The formal ETL usually runs through the summer of the Northern Hemisphere when a good majority of us are available to paint up a sizable force. Hopefully, we will be able to generate a few Mega Vows to help us. 

 

From within the Codex, it seems like a lot of Terminators and Ravenwing are going to be the big ticket items, but is there anything else that is points heavy and would be valuable in a game? What ForgeWorld models are available to the Unforgiven?

[Guest]

Will we get another PtR at some point I loved that event.

[Grand Master Belial]

The PtR was run by Shadow Guard and ran six months prior to the ETL. He has been silent as of late. Perhaps it'll be resurrected later this year.

[JGeils81]

I'm in, I'll be moving towards the end of July/August but my WH40K will be the last stuff I pack.. Have asmodai, a speeder typhoon, venerable dread, an assault squad primed and ready, working on two terminator squads and a knight squad now, also have a nephilim, predator, drop pod, vet squad, rhino, several tac squads, and a belial conversion I'm working on... Don't want to get ahead of myself though, especially since I don't have an airbrush yet.

[Prot]

this would be a great chance for me to finish my stupid bikes! Well they're not stupid... just the paint is stupid... if paint could be stupid that is.

 

Anyway, yea there is opportunity here to finish some stuff I've had assembled since Caliban still had a Starbucks on it.

[twopounder]

Could those of us who take decade long breaks from the hobby be given a link to information about this ETL thing?

 

Thanks :D

[Grotsmasha]

Here's last year's thread, ETL III, which has links to ETL I and II.

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290369-e-tenebrae-lux-iii/?p=3668877

 

The ETL is an inter-forum, points-based, painting challenge. The points are costed from each forum's Codex. At the end of the 3 months the Forum with the largest collective points are the Champions. Each participant can vow up to 5 times within the event, but but should they fail their last vow, they fail all, scoring no points at all.

 

Cheers,

Jono

[SvenONE]

Good golly me!!! I've been waiting all year for this.  Since going full-gas on my Dark Eldar army I made sure to set aside any DA models that I was intending to paint to hold until ETL 2015! First of all, everyone should do a Librarius Conclave!! I have 3 converts (already have Turmiel and Ezekiel).  Planning on painting another Azrael convert since I sold the last one, Black Knights, Vindiactors, Company Vets.  

 

Oh man I can't wait! I could only assume those heretics over in the warp managed to paint all of their models in the last one so all of their "super vows" should be exhausted!!.

[Grand Master Belial]

The ETL seems to have replaced the Librarium Painting Challenge as it has not run in a couple years now.

[Prot]

Good golly me!!! I've been waiting all year for this.  Since going full-gas on my Dark Eldar army I made sure to set aside any DA models that I was intending to paint to hold until ETL 2015! First of all, everyone should do a Librarius Conclave!! I have 3 converts (already have Turmiel and Ezekiel).  Planning on painting another Azrael convert since I sold the last one, Black Knights, Vindiactors, Company Vets.  

 

Oh man I can't wait! I could only assume those heretics over in the warp managed to paint all of their models in the last one so all of their "super vows" should be exhausted!!.

 

Librarius Conclave... man that is a great idea... only one problem... did anyone figure out how it works? I started a thread on it and the reading I got from it was all Libbys could still use powers but there was debate about it... Maybe I should just revisit that thread rather than clutter this up.

But yes, great idea. I have a bonus Libby, I did Turmiel which  I was very happy with how he turned out, and my bonus libby is the dude with the staff and the baby on his shoulder (I like the model, but not the baby thingy). All I need is Ezekiel himself. (not too fond of that model though hence using Turmiel counts as)

[eurieus]

By the Emperor, i have SOOOO many thing to paint.... I will probably try to paint up my deathwing, i have a LRC, 2 squads of DW and a DW command squad .... But i think i'm being over optimistic here :D

[Prot]

How many weeks will we have. I know summer is bad for me generally but I have some serious backlog on projects. I could launch my own crusade if I really did what I have already. But like you guys are saying, I have to be realistic.

[Grotsmasha]

The ETL seems to have replaced the Librarium Painting Challenge as it has not run in a couple years now.

The LPC was Sigismund Himself's baby, and should be return, perhaps so shall the LPC.

How many weeks will we have. I know summer is bad for me generally but I have some serious backlog on projects. I could launch my own crusade if I really did what I have already. But like you guys are saying, I have to be realistic.

At least 3 weeks for a May 1st launch, potentially 5 weeks for a May 15 start. At this point either is a likely as the other.

[Grand Master Belial]

Off the top of my head, I would say the competition runs for three months. Captain Semper runs it and he would be able to tell you more. Last year it ran from May 1 to August 1.

[Grotsmasha]

Yep, all three have been three months, and this one will be too. 

[Prot]

Okie Dokie. Big decision time: Grey Knights or Dark Angels..... The can be only one!

(PS I have a vote going in the Hall of Honour)

[JGeils81]

Grey Knights are cool and loyal but there's only one correct answer Prot..

[Grand Master Belial]

Getting back on topic. Outside of the Mega Vows! We seem to have a very good strategy in these past few years. Small vows with lots of participants. Then vow again if we have the ability and the time. Some of the WIP threads here have been wondrous! Imagine what they will be able to churn out during the competition. I see a couple are already preparing and waiting for the go order from Captain Semper. We have about a month to get ready and make sure we are up on our supplies and models.

[Captain Semper]

The ETL will run for three months and I'm working with May 1st as a kick-off date. However until the official announcement in mid April this can change...

 

Now the question is: WILL THE FIRST PREVAIL?

[Stoic Raptor]

My approach is going to be a larger initial vow, followed up by progressively smaller vows if time permits.  This will allow me to complete the first vow reliably without overextending myself on following vows.

 

Last month, I painted about 500 points.  This month, I planned to do a little more, and I've discovered that I can do a 200-point Tactical Squad in about a week instead of two.  So 750 points this month is attainable.  What this means for the ETL is that a 1500-point vow, which should be easily attainable in a three-month span, may be done in two - or less, if time permits. 

 

If I get 1500 points done in two months instead of three, I can add another modest vow of 500 points.  If I get that done with a couple weeks to spare, I can make another small pledge - a character or single small model like a speeder.

 

Barring unforeseen tragic circumstances, there's no reason I should be unable to fulfill a 1500-point vow, or comparable cumulative vows.  So I guess now, I just need to crunch the numbers and see what units will comprise my first vow.