Thursday- Barks' strategy guide and how I am failing at it

I'm Barks, and I think this is my seventh AHPC! It is a highlight of my hobby year, both for the camaraderie and for the impetus to get stuff painted. It is an honour to be your Thursday minion.

Today we have a few treats:

• Dave showcases an entire finished army!
• Newcomer Geoff paints the weird and wonderful
• Veteran Nick has a small but exquisite entry
• Blood Bowl!
• A trio from Dux!
• The Snowlord attempts to become the Skull Lord!

I thought I would share my approach to the Challenge. I am cursed with an impressively eclectic Lead Mountain, and try to mine it for as many bonus points as possible. I keep a list on the Notes app of my phone throughout the year of all the little projects I have underway, and the figures to be painted. I may earmark some specifically for the Challenge and ensure they are assembled and primed in advance.

My excitement mounts when the Challenge bonus map is revealed. This is entirely optional, but it gives me a great deal of enjoyment- which is what this hobby should be all about. I pore over the locations and their descriptions, and try to make my entries fit the requirements. It is an exercise in fun lateral thinking, and I enjoy seeing quirky takes on a theme. Then I try to make an efficient route around the map, with as few leaps and backtracks as possible.

This gives me an order of things to paint. I stick to this as much as possible, so that when I face the terrible Snowlord's Challenge I have as much time as possible to get it done. No point getting to the centre just as the Challenge winds up! Then I can luxuriate on the downslope and paint whatever I want during the final stages as the lactate builds up.

But this year I have let things slip. I'm still assembling models I should be painting. Rather than a sleek and efficient single figure per location, my outer rim entries will be averaging over ten figures! I really should get back to it...