But you see
That means that they have to change some of their own practices. They encourage this. I know people who have gone to Games Day Seatle who pay somebody else to paint their army, since they cannot paint to save their lives, and even gloat about it in front of judges.
Now on another thread people are complainging about the price increase. The painted armies that people are ahem, encouraged, heck required to play with, in a Rogue Trader or any other ofifical event, are part of that marketing scheme. You see well painted armies, whether you painted it or somebody else did, really does not matter since the visual apeal is there. Even not that well painted armies, after all the Space Marine schemes are very easy to do, and achieve a four foot standard.
Yesterday we were futzing with Battlefleet Gothic (Epic in Space, many hated epic but they love gothic, I have found a new good distraction game). Now netiher myself or my husband play with unpainted models. When I do demos I never (well with one excpetion teach but it was either running the demo with a half painted army, since I lost the models 72 hours before, or cancelling, the lesser of the two evils was to run it) run a demo with unpainted models. Why? I know that it sells... the visual apeal sells. And the kid watching us manouver well painted Gothic ships around, and later on looking at the box proved it. He was in the store and probably went, those look awesome. Now if he had asked I would have told him that no, they do not come painted but I will gladly teach him how to. Now we were not doing a demo... what we were doing was figuring the rules out, but since we were doing this with painted models, the visual apeal was there, and atracted this young lad\'s attention.
It is the same way when we play CAV, or we used to play BattleTech or we play 40K, or Heavy Gear. Since all units are painted and we use fairly good looking terrain, guess what, the kids want to play.
Now going to the initial, this push for having the best painted army in your area, and we will give you national and international recognition... forces some people\'s hands. Moreover, and it is well known, the GD used to be, and still is t a point a job interview. That is how they have found some of the best painters for the \'eavy Metal team (tm).
Now forcing people to take photos of the before, middle and after model does not quite prevent this. Let me play devil\'s advocate and proceed to get some holes in there.
Lets just say, not that I ever would do it, the closest I have entered is the local store and I know the contest is rigged for other reasons, enter a GT. (unless they move where I can travel feasibly). I can\'t paint right, lets assume that. But I really want that sword or that axe, really want it. I contract a kick ass painter that I know that does not aspire to show his or her work beyond a very limted local area.. I get him the model, he does the conversion... I take photo. the before... then as he gets mid way through the work, I take another photo... and finally I take the final photo. Now I really want this, and I have met all requirements right? Ok... you just saw how I beat the system.
A far better method, which is the way my original example was caught, was when the judges asked him... before he gloated, how he did the kick ass base those Orks were mounted on. He could not answer, since he had no idea.
Now for the record this person has not been banned from any GT held by GW, and in fact runs at his store, Rogue Traders. Oh and I cuold not nor would ever win a painting contest at his store either, since I\'m a woman... but that is a whole different kettle of fish.
Nadin
