++Blood & Zeal 2018++

[Acebaur]

 

 

In what way is it unbalanced? We also receive a fancy new codex every edition and in fact always receive it before BA does.  BA also got no new models released with this codex so I don't think blaming it on that is fair or has anything to do with the event. Honestly, It just feels like we lack the player base we once used to have here on the forum and/or we have a large group of veterans who simply don't need many new models. 

 

 

Well, unbalanced because both armies started in different positions, sorry English is not my mother language and maybe I'm not doing my best. I'm sure there are more BA players than Templars and sure that there are more BA in tournaments or casual games than BT.

 

Blood Angels have their own codex (BA+successor chapters), and they received special boxes (Primaris units and heros) with their heraldic, that is important for selling and increasing a fan base. Because you can buy Vainilla or BA or DA primaris, and then when Space Wolves will be released, I suppose they will receive more primaris boxes SW themed. So BA DA SW are the main SM chapters' ranges, and of course the vainilla range (being the BT and the other chapters "lesser chapters": White Scars, Salamanders, Iron Hands...).

Also they receive new fluff and they have more amount of fluff (in terms of volum/pag number, etc.) and received great amounts of stories like Devastation of Baal that is really important in the new background.

 

Black Templars in the other hand are in the vainilla codex (maybe the most divergent chapter in the codex) and didn't receive its own codex or "family codex" (Sons of Dorn codex), I think the main reason because we will never receive a "Sons of Dorn" codex is that Imperial Fists and Crimson Fists are codex chapters, but BT have similar amount of desviation and special stuff like DA for example, we are less codex compliant than them, and close to SW divergence.

We are in the same group than other chapters that are codex compilant, but it is true that it is a better position than most of them because we have 5 special units that allow us to play really different. We are not receiving new BT minis, but we receive all vainilla's ones so it is ok.

Another weakness is our fluff is really short and each edition is twisted... few days ago I started to read again the BT codex (2005)... there are many differences but our fluff is changing little bit codex after codex but not receiving enough love IMO.

 

I know there are other chapters in a worse position (Iron Hands), but I'm not complaining, I'm only saying that the most balanced competition could be DA vs BA. Another example could be doing a Imperial Guard competition: Cadia or Scions vs  Steel Legion (also first rules in Armageddon codex), there will be less players with steel legion.

 

 

I'm sorry but the fact that there is a "BA" Primaris box doesn't really explain that for me. Those boxes literally have one tiny sprue of stuff with a few shoulder pads and an arm or two. That's it. It's not anywhere near the amount of stuff you used to get in a something like the old DA veterans box or the BT upgrade box.  

 

 

Guys I get it, there are certainly plenty of good reasons why our showing hasn't been as strong, it's just... disappointing is all 

[+Chaplain Matthias+]

Yeah I'm a newbie so I don't know about the glory days of when we had our own codex. But I feel like we get a lot! We get more cool stuff than any other chapter in the C:SM besides Ultramarines. We have more characters, more pages of fluff, more art, our own units, and we get to be special snowflakes who don't follow the codex astartes. Oh and we get our own huge upgrade sprue that I believe is bigger than Ultramarines upgrade. We get lots of love from GW. As for myself, I just don't have anything else to build and I've got no extra cash to put towards the challenge. HqlQ and Elites was all I had. I imagine it's the same for everyone else.

[Firepower]

Tis indeed a touch disappointing, brother.  There are several issues that kept me from contributing.  There are technical issues like spontaneously rebellious basing glue, and how the rules simply don't cooperate with my process for building and painting, as well as other issues eating up my time and attention.  I haven't even been around the BnC in weeks!  Throne knows how many heresies have gone without paddlin's in my absence!  Anyway, I may be one of the Old Guard BT, but I do still have models I need/want to get done.  Life is cruel, as they say. 

 

Nevertheless, there is that old man urge to wax melancholic about 'the good ol days,' our typical competition output years ago versus that of today. 

[Sword Brother Adelard]

I was beginning to wonder where you had been. Where have you been?

[Jolemai]

Summary

Blood & Zeal was one of first build events to appear on the B&C. As an ETL-prequel event, it's goal was a simple one: to get our models build and ready for the ETL, and to have some fun along the way. In this regard, the event was a success with the two Factions amassing just shy of 1700 PL of models ETL ready! However, the event has had a few teething problems, one of which being the lateness of this summary and for that I cannot apologise enough.

Blood & Zeal was split into seven catagories. Each Faction vied to win a category, with the competition winner being the Faction with the most category wins. How did you Faction get on? On to the scores where each category winner is highlighted red:

HQ

Black Templars: 311 - 419 :Blood Angels

Elites

Black Templars: 207 - 344 :Blood Angels

Troops

Black Templars: 133 - 149 :Blood Angels

Fast Attack

Black Templars: 18 - 97 :Blood Angels

Heavy Support

Black Templars: 18 - 48 :Blood Angels

Dedicated Transports

Black Templars: 16 - 15 :Blood Angels

Flyer

Black Templars: 0 - 15 :Blood Angels

The winning Faction for Blood & Zeal 2018 is the Blood Angels!

This was an extremerly hard fought event and as you can see, the Blood Angels were pushed hard for every victory to the point where the Black Templars were finally rewarded with a category win to stop a Blood Angels whitewash.

Total PL score

Black Templars: 703 - 988 :Blood Angels

These numbers are seriously impressive. There was a small core of Frater (on both sides) that kept grinding out models to keep the motivation going for others and this paid off with the sheer amount of models on display. Whilst I haven't got the exact numbers, it was brilliant to see so many of you attempt conversions to grab the bonus points and the stratagems from both sides were amongst the most inspirational of threads I've seen of late.

Award Ceremony

It wasn't just glory and banter the Factions were fighting for, but some snazzy signature bling. For Blood & Zeal, we have opted for the modular badge - first pioneered during ETL III the modular badge is a solution to the cramped space of our signatures.

The idea is simple, it's a badge of two halves (a top and a bottom). On top is the Blood & Zeal banner and is 400x50:

The bottom half is modular and consists of many 50x50 badges that can be used to keep your track record as well as some blank ones that can be used to complete the space and have a proper rectangular shape.

Categories:

Blank:

From here, you build your own banner. Take the banner top and then on the line underneath - with no spaces or pressing enter on the keyboard - add the categories you completed, any special badges, and the blanks to complete the rectangle.

For example, here's mine in BT colours. I only completed the HQ, Troops, and Elites category so I get to use those category badges, the champion badge, and four blanks to make up the banner:

It should look something like this:

[img=http://bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/gallery/album_14467/gallery_62972_14467_11427.jpg]
[img=http://bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/gallery/album_14467/gallery_62972_14467_1801.jpg][img=http://bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/gallery/album_14467/gallery_62972_14467_3297.jpg][img=http://bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/gallery/album_14467/gallery_62972_14467_4194.jpg][img=http://bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/gallery/album_14467/gallery_62972_14467_2662.jpg][img=http://bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/gallery/album_14467/gallery_62972_14467_2662.jpg][img=http://bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/gallery/album_14467/gallery_62972_14467_2662.jpg][img=http://bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/gallery/album_14467/gallery_62972_14467_2662.jpg][img=http://bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/gallery/album_14467/gallery_62972_14467_4611.jpg]

... and with that, Blood & Zeal is brought to a close. I hope you enjoyed the event and thank you all to those who participated and made the event fun. All being well, Blood & Zeal will return new and improved in the future and who knows, will the Black Templars come out on top this time? They have to beat the Blood Angels in the ETL VI first!