Our "One Thing a Week" Challenge. The fun... and the pitfalls.

BLATANTLY stolen from the Privateer Press forums, myself and Green Feevah! have been participating in a "local" One Thing a Week Challenge with some local gamers on their local forum.

Motivation = painted minis!

It has been quite the effort to a) get your own work done and b) get others to participate and actually follow.   It's been much the same on the PP forums with a decreasing amount of posters by the week.  As a matter of fact, Green Feevah! has been the only person to finish their pledge each week!  Yay him!

Really, is it asking much to get one mini painted a week?  People will go play for endless hours, sometimes just watching games and giving (often unwanted) advice as they hover over the table.  People will go waste time on Warseer or BoLS or Dakka  (guilty party here).   But, as we are discovering, it's QUITE hard for people to say they will paint a single miniature and get it done.

The second problem I am finding is over pledging.  These past couple weeks are the prime indication of such. I pledged to finish 28 gor in one week.  Anyone who knows me knows that one model might be too much.  I am a slow painter, work 12 hours a day and am easily distracted.  I try and put too much detail into table top models.  So, thusly, I failed.  HOWEVER... I pledged the continuation of them the next week and succeeded.  If I am good at anything, it's painting to a deadline.  Plus, with a group involved, it's extra pressure refusing to fail in the view of your gaming compatriots.

Regardless, very few of the locals have succeeded at all.  Melitius has been plowing along fairly well and the newly joined dark21 as well.  Green Feevah! has been destroying getting a ton and more of his WarmaHordes done.  I've used the challenge to get my previously posted 1250 Beastmen list painted up and a few other random models.

I think painting challenges are always a great way to get things done.  We hate failure.  So... we succeed.  Success = painted models so therefore  Motivation = Success!

And... for those wondering of what we've done:

Green Feevah!
Week 1: pStryker Variant, Reinholdt, pHaley, eEiryss
Week 2: Lanyssa Ryssyl, Stone Keeper, Blackclad Wayfarer
Week 3: Druid of Orobos, Overseer
Week 4: Gun Mage Captain Adept, Squire
Week 5: Woldwyrd, Woldwatcher
Week 6: 3 Tharn Wolf Riders (finished 5!)
Week 7: Baldur... and more!

Wallshammer
Week 1: Changeling
Week 2: Bray Shaman and 10 Ungor Raiders
Week 3: 3 Fences (finished 8!), Tuskgor Chariot
Week 4: Harlequin Troupe Master and Herdstone
Week 5: 28 Gors (failed!)
Week 6: Finish the above Gors (done!)
Week 7: Tuskgor Chariot and Razorgor (in progress!)

As you can see we've actually been doing this for a while and getting quite a bit done.  For elite armies and small skirmish games it's an amazing way to get finished!  So, really... what's keeping you from painting a model a week?