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[ETL] As the galaxy splits in twain...


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... the Forces of Chaos reave where they will, and all shall fall before them! That's right folks, it's that time of year again, the return of the ETL, or E Tenebrae Lux!

 

For those of you who are new to the forum, or have just totally missed previous iterations, a quick summary of what the ETL is, stolen from Jolemai because I'm on my phone and typing is hard:

 

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The ETL originated as a painting challenge put forth by the Dark Angels sub-forum. This has since blossomed into a full on, inter-forum painting competition whereby an individual vows a legal unit (or units) for a particular faction and has to paint them to completion (in the owners eyes) within a three month time frame. The faction with the most points painted is crowned the winner earning eternal glory (special signatures, etc) and a year's worth of bragging rights.

  • ETL I can be found here
  • ETL II can be found here
  • ETL III can be found here
  • ETL IV can be found here
  • ETL V can be found here
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Back to me:

 

We don't have a start date for this year yet, but the smart money is on either May 1st or May 15th, giving us 3-5 weeks to prepare. My advice for the next few weeks? Build anything that looks like it might be a legal unit, and start thinking about how you're going to organise your vows.

 

For example, let's say you've got 3000 points worth of stuff. You might be tempted to vow it all in one go, which is totally valid. However, four vows of 750-ish allows you to pace yourself better, and also means that if life happens, you can get two vows done and stop there, rather than having one totally unfinished vow. However, do bear in mind that if you fail your second or subsequent vow, all your points are deducted from our total!

 

There's also the issue of burning out. Regardless of vow size, mix it up a bit. Nobody wants to paint 2k of just infantry. This is especially important if you're going for the full 15000 points. Myself or any of the other Veterans of the Long War will be more than happy to help if you're unsure of how to split things up.

 

Some more general ETL tips:

 

Use the Strategium, which is the thread where we will be posting our vows and completions. However, it's also where all the motivation, banter and general ETL chat goes, as well as some exquisite dancing moves. Lean on your fellow participants when the motivation drops, we'll get you back in the mood.

 

Remember, every little helps! Don't be intimidated by all the people vowing multiple thousand points, if you've only got a Chaos Lord and a squad of guys, slam that vow in and get them painted! Also, doesn't matter if it's the first model you've painted or your thousandth, everyone's welcome!

 

Don't sacrifice your level of quality. Sure, it'd be nice to score the top spot for the fourth time in a row, but not at the expense of people's paint jobs. After all, you've got to look at these models in every game you play.

 

Pace yourself. Ties back to what I said earlier, but it truly is a marathon. Also don't underestimate the motivational power of completions for the rest of us. I cheer inside every time I see the words "vow complete" in a post.

 

On the rules:

 

In previous events, the Realm of Chaos has consisted of Chaos Marines, Daemons, Renegades & Heretics and Knights. Captain Semper has said this year some factions are going to change up, but with any luck we'll stay the same it's always been just with Death Guard and Thousand Sons taking stuff out of their own codexes.

 

Finally, remember to have fun, otherwise what's the point eh?

 

Dragonlover

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Hmmm.... Do I pledge some of my World Eaters, or a group of my (eventual) Slaaneshi marines...

 

Or more Death Guard? This is quite difficult to choose :lol:

All of the above. They're all Chaos faction so they're all legal entries together. No need to hamstring yourself.

 

Hmmm.... Do I pledge some of my World Eaters, or a group of my (eventual) Slaaneshi marines...

 

Or more Death Guard? This is quite difficult to choose :laugh.:

All of the above. They're all Chaos faction so they're all legal entries together. No need to hamstring yourself.

 

I mean, that'd likely work with with my Attention Deficit Painter Disorder :laugh.:. Seriously, I've had a Heldrake that's been primed since January with Warplock Bronze on only the head and main torso :laugh.: (which unfortunately disqualifies it?).

 

Hmmm.... Do I pledge some of my World Eaters, or a group of my (eventual) Slaaneshi marines...

 

Or more Death Guard? This is quite difficult to choose :laugh.:

All of the above. They're all Chaos faction so they're all legal entries together. No need to hamstring yourself.

 

 

Well, we don't actually know that they will be, as yet. 

 

Let's assume, without deciding, that we can't expect a massive push from, say, individual Xeno Factions. One way to balance that would be to group all Xenos together and reduce the size of the big Faction 'groupings' by way of Chapter Tactics, Legion Trait, Chaos God-alignment or Regiment.

 

At this point, we literally know nothing about how Factions will be grouped. It's entirely possible that Salamanders, for example, will compete as Salamanders, not 'vanilla' Space Marines; that instead of CSM and R&H and Daemons (oh my!) the Chaos Factions will be grouped as Khorne, Nurgle, Slaanesh and Tzeentch; or that Cadians and Mordians will go head to head.

 

Obviously I don't know either so I'm not asserting, I'm just saying that, at this moment in time, it seems that only the good Captain knows how it will all shake out.

I think we can assume a level of grouping that means Captain Semper doesn't have to check at least 50 individual Strategiums, and also that ETL Faction continuity is mostly preserved. We know from a post in the "It's been too long" thread that Genestealer Cult are rolled into Tyranids, so a combined Xenos faction of every Xenos board at the same time is probably not happening. I'm also assuming a rolled together IFOR vow system as was briefly discussed post ETL V.

 

My hope is that we keep the same setup we've always had, mainly because I don't think as players any of us really think of Death Guard and Thousand Sons as separate armies in the same way that we consider Blood Angels as separate to Space Marines. Also I'd feel bad for the handful of dedicated Daemon and R&H players.

 

Dragonlover

 

EDIT:

 

I’m doing my Mentor Legion for the ETL this year as I need to get them done for AoP, but you all know I’m rooting for Chaos :)

Clearly you just need to do Chaos Mentors! All that knowledge they have, plus the potential hubris that could set in because of their role? Lot of potential there!

 

 

Hmmm.... Do I pledge some of my World Eaters, or a group of my (eventual) Slaaneshi marines...

 

Or more Death Guard? This is quite difficult to choose :laugh.:

All of the above. They're all Chaos faction so they're all legal entries together. No need to hamstring yourself.

 

 

Well, we don't actually know that they will be, as yet. 

 

Let's assume, without deciding, that we can't expect a massive push from, say, individual Xeno Factions. One way to balance that would be to group all Xenos together and reduce the size of the big Faction 'groupings' by way of Chapter Tactics, Legion Trait, Chaos God-alignment or Regiment.

 

At this point, we literally know nothing about how Factions will be grouped. It's entirely possible that Salamanders, for example, will compete as Salamanders, not 'vanilla' Space Marines; that instead of CSM and R&H and Daemons (oh my!) the Chaos Factions will be grouped as Khorne, Nurgle, Slaanesh and Tzeentch; or that Cadians and Mordians will go head to head.

 

Obviously I don't know either so I'm not asserting, I'm just saying that, at this moment in time, it seems that only the good Captain knows how it will all shake out.

 

 

Good point. Daemons and CSMs must be split, at the very least. If TS and DG get split off is another matter, but they do have their own codex. Renegades are probably on their own. 

Same. I'm just also assuming a base level of efficiency in the setup along with a healthy dollop of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

 

Anyway, how's people's prep looking? I still need to buy a few bits, but I'm looking at just over 3k as a definite contribution, with a possible 1-1.5k extra if I get the initial batch done with time to spare. I'm now working full time which has never happened in previous events, so I'm used to having loads of time to paint.

 

Dragonlover

Same. I'm just also assuming a base level of efficiency in the setup along with a healthy dollop of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

 

Anyway, how's people's prep looking? I still need to buy a few bits, but I'm looking at just over 3k as a definite contribution, with a possible 1-1.5k extra if I get the initial batch done with time to spare. I'm now working full time which has never happened in previous events, so I'm used to having loads of time to paint.

 

Dragonlover

 

We've kinda romped it for the past few years, and 30k isn't exactly what it was. I think it's required. Chaos' star is in the ascendancy.

On the one hand yes, but on the other, ETL V definitely had a couple of moments where it could all have gone wrong. Hell, we nearly got pipped by the basic Marine players!

 

Dragonlover

 

True, but I think you made the point in the teaser thread: BAs, DAs, SWs etc are split off, so it's only fair to split Daemons, Renegades, and TS/DG off from the CSMs. 

I have exactly 875pts of Daemons and 125pts of Renegades on hand, oddly enough.

 

That'll probably be it, for me. Maybe I'll splurge and bash out another couple of Militias and some Support Squads, but that will only add another 228pts.

True, but I think you made the point in the teaser thread: BAs, DAs, SWs etc are split off, so it's only fair to split Daemons, Renegades, and TS/DG off from the CSMs.

 

I think my fundamental disconnect is that to me, Blood Angels/Dark Angels/Space Wolves feel like separate factions due to having been separated for for the last 20 years, whereas the Death Guard and Thousand Sons codexes feel like... essentially glorified supplements? Like, I have to remind myself that they're actually a wholly separate book to the main CSM codex. Maybe that'll change with time.

 

@Res: That is a really satisfying amount to have on hand. I was really annoyed when my initial list of stuff wasn't bang on 3k.

 

@Midnight Runner: Welcome aboard! You should absolutely paint those Terminators!

 

Dragonlover

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