The Curse of the Leagues

So that time is upon us again, the Lead Painter`s League and the now running in a similar fasion The Brushslave League have begun.


And I`m rightly so being trashed at the moment in both first rounds... I`ll post entries on the aftermaths of all rounds.




Heaven and earth where moved as you could read in my older post to be able to enter the LPL this year, and even though I know I will never end in the top tiers of that competition, I just love to be part of the `community` that can force itself into presenting 10 new sets during the period.

I lack the raw talent, the patience and the photography skills and equipment, but even all those things would amount to perhaps 5 places of higher ranking, my `level` is, if one would translate it to the Belgium soccer competition, that of a team like Cercle Brugge, Lokeren or Zulte-Waregem. Mainstays in the mid-table with an occasional boost upwards or tumble downwards.

I can live with that.

I have the balls to take on the challenge.

I also lack a social life... or so they say. All lies! I think... I like to believe...

But what is it with that curse thing then? Well, in the weeks previous to the start of the Leagues, you tend to look around on the net and in your lead pile for suitable teams to enter the Leagues, bearing in mind not only the composition but also theme, originality, being able to manage to paint it up inside the time barrier, and that kind of things.

Now there are a few unofficial guidelines you learn over the years, and things you experience. For one, in the LPL models from the Darkest Africa, Pulp and Post Apocalyptic settings tend to do well. This mostly comes from of course the fact that this is the LAF froum`s main area of the majority of it`s members and plays in the subconcious minds. On that same note, GW models tend to have a harder time there, as a lot of wargamers in the world started with those games, but went on to something different once they got tired of *insert GW rant 541 here*.

So you just now that, if your ambitious, just live with that.

And I really should take time during the year between LPL`s to already prepare some scenery to go with possible entries...

But another part of the curse is also that you tend to find a lot of little previously to you unknown gems on the internet, and so I swayed and swooned, and started another period and another scale... namely 15mm sci-fi.

Over at TSA they have recently started this scale and era, but I was reluctant to join in. Still am, but once a few future rounds of LPL`ing have passed, I can show the start of my forces suitable for the game they use, Tomorrow`s War from the Ambush Alley / Osprey series.



No idea how it plays, but I guess it doesn`t do any harm to observe the game once I am back on my feet and rollercoaster-ish self. You do get a lot of figures for your buck though, so my lead painter`s vow got a serious smack in the face the past weeks due to them...

Ciao ciao