Squirrel Duel - The Foregone Conclusion

Greetings fellow Squirrel finding fanatics,

    First of all, my apologies for not getting an update out in early March. Work was busy, life was hectic and putting one of these posts together takes a couple of hours and way more effort than people probably realize. 

    Anyway, I have gone through everything including the theme round entries and put together the final tally of Squirrel Points. Before we go on to the scores, a few quick notes. If you have more points than you expected, it was because I counted some entries that you overlooked. If you have less points than you expected, it is because your claims didn't meet the 25 points minimum to claim a Squirrel Point.

    Let's have a quick look at some of this month's entries, shall we?

A Roman gang by BrianC

Rashaar by CurtC

Some Austrians by KillianF

An undead catapult by TeemuL

Some Saxons by TimP

    This year's Squirrel Duel saw a huge range of minis in terms of periods, scales and genres. I would like to thank everyone who took part, and I would especially like to thank those of you who kept a list of your Squirrel Points in you challenge entries, it made my life a lot easier. In the duel information post I predicted that half of the entries wouldn't include the Squirrel label, and while it was less than half, it was still a fair number. I was pretty lenient and went through every challengers posts one by one, though I probably should have been a lot stricter.

    So, on to this year's winner. In the last Squirrel update, I asked if anyone could catch ChrisW.

...And the answer was.....

A resounding NO!

    ChrisW is this year's winner, with a splendid 36 Squirrel Points, Congratulations to KerryT and TeemuL for coming in joint 3rd place. Well done to all our Squirrel Side Duel challengers. You have proved once again that there is always space for another side project or extra set of minis somewhere in our collections.

    So, that is it for Challenge 16's Squirrel Duel. I hope to see you all again in Challenge 17.

    -The Squirrelfinder General

Squirrel Duel - Fourth Update

Greetings fellow lovers of all things Squirrelly.

    My apologies for the lateness of this update. Work has been really busy recently. I have tried to tell my boss that I need time for Squirrel Finding, but she just makes comments that I don't really understand, such as "...not what we pay you for!" and "Have you been taking the medicine the nice doctor gave you?" Managers eh?

    Anyway, before we get into the details, here are a few of the squirrel related outputs from some of the challengers. 

ChrisW has some heroic divers.

DavidB painted a bunch of Battletech minis.

MartijnN painted some Austrians for Silver Bayonet.

MartinC painted some English Football Fans Ogres for Bloodbowl.

    Now for some admin stuff. Just to remind everyone to tag your posts with the Squirrel label. The plural label Squirrels is not necessary, I do check it, just in case, but you won't be getting double points. Speaking of double points, there are a couple of challengers who use two different handles for posting. (With and without a space), making it necessary to double check everything.

    As a reminder, you get Squirrel Points for painting a unique army. You do not get them for claiming two different parts of the same army, e.g. infantry and tanks. So, DavidB, you didn't get a Squirrel Point for your WW2 German vehicles. However, I think your Battletech models were undervalued, so I counted them for a Squirrel Point instead. (The Squirrelfinder General has the authority to do so under Section 9, Clause 7 of the Squirrelfinder Code).

    And now for the part where we find out who is leading the pack. While there has been a lot of changes to the scores, one challenger in particular has been particularly thorough in their Squirrel-ing. See if you can spot who it is.

    Did you find them? Yes, it's ChrisW, who scored more Squirrel Points since the last update than nearly every other challenger has scored in the challenge so far. Well done!

    There should be one more update before the end of the challenge. Can anybody catch up the ChrisW.?Could anybody catch up to ChrisW? We shall see. (The smart money is on 'no'.)

    As always, questions below. I do keep track of what you have been awarded points for, so if the numbers seem wrong, please do speak up.

    The Squirrelfinder General.

Squirrel Duel - Third Update

    Hello all, this Squirrel Update is coming a little earlier than the previous ones, as my non-Squirrel Finding duties outside the challenge are restricting my time to do the really important stuff, like allocating Squirrel Points. 

   

    We have had a lot of cool entries over the past couple of weeks, so before we get to the scoreboard, here are a few that caught my eye.

PeterD painted some dangerous looking female adventurers.

IanS has produced an army of 10mm ghosts.

JohnB's CMP trucks will be providing logistical support to his forces.

KerryT's magnificent looking French forces are on the march.

    We have had a few new Squirrel Hunters joining the fray this time around, and a LOT of high scoring posts. There isn't much between the top few posts. AndrewG has come from nowhere to rack up 8 points, well done!

    Just to remind people of the rules about Squirrel Points.

- You get 1 Squirrel Point for every 25 points of miniatures you paint of a specific genre/army/scale.

- This applies over the entire challenge, not just individual posts. So, you can score points by spreading your entries across multiple posts if you want to. (Please do make a note for me in your post, so that I know where to look). However, you cannot score points by simply posting the same army twice in different weeks. I keep a record of what everyone is being awarded points for. 

- Squirrel Points are awarded at an army/force/warband level. So you would not get 2 points for posting Russian Cavalry and Russian Infantry, but you would get 2 points for posting Russian Cavalry and Austrian Cavalry.

- All posts should be labelled with 'Squirrel' and/or your user handle. (E.g. mine is StuartL). Ideally both labels will be the best option. If you don't, it becomes much more difficult for me to track things down.

- It is really helpful if you keep a list of all the Squirrels you think you have scored in your posts.

As always, if you have any questions, please post below.

- The Squirrelfinder General.

Squirrel Duel - Second Update

    Hello all, time to check in again with the Squirrel Side Duel.

    I think I found everybody who had included the correct label in their posts and even a few who didn't. Don't forget, you need the label Squirrel in your post. It is also really helpful if you have your name in the label as well, as I also double check against a list of names. If you post goes live today, then it will be included in the next update.

    We have had quite a few new entries in the past couple of weeks. Here are a few that caught my eye.

A gang for Judge Dredd, by MattW

Some Mayans by BillA

A group of Orcs waving around their weapons by MikeW

A horde of Ottomans by AdamW

    And finally, here are the updated standings for the Squirrel Side Duel, with some challengers shooting up the ranks.

    As always, if you have any questions, comments or shouts of "Boo, that's not fair!", please feel free to leave a message below and I will get back to you asap.

    -The Squirrelfinder General.

Squirrel Duel - First Update

    Hello all Squirrellers, and welcome to the first update for the Squirrel Duel.

    It is still early days for the challenge yet, and many members of the family Sciuridae are huddling in their nests for warmth during these cold months, and so are many of our duelists it seems. I have checked through the posts with the Squirrel label and cross-checked with individual posts by everyone who said that they were interested in joining the Squirrel Duel. I know that some of our contestants may have posts in the queue waiting for their posting day/time, so I apologise if you feel that you missed out. I will count your Squirrels the next time I prepare an update. 

    So, without further ado, here is the current scoreboard, with challengers listed in alphabetical order.

    Now, there is one small point that needs to be cleared up. Our illustrious/infamous Snowlord has posted three entries with the Squirrel label so far, but one of those entries wasn't for a full point.

Curt's beautifully painted Raven Guard

    There were only three figures in this entry, which means Curt owes 2 more Raven Guard to earn the full Squirrel. Now, I am sure that he is good for it, (and he even acknowledges it in the post in question), so I have counted the entry for now. However, I will be monitoring his posts carefully to ensure that he follows through. I'm honestly hoping Curt paints more of these figures anyway, because they look fantastic. 

    We have only scratched the surface of the Squirrel Side Duel so far, and already we have had some varied and interesting entries. Here are a handful of the ones we have had so far.

    

Kerry's camel cavalry

MartinC's adorable halflings

Ray's retreat from Moscow

Killian's Zona Alfa explorers

    Thank you for all of the Squirrel entries so far, I look forward to seeing what other fantastic miniatures get painted up to join our side duel. 

    -The Squirrelfinder General

Squirrel Duel

 Hello fellow challengers and tree-dwelling rodent aficionados,

When I asked our most benevolent Snowlord about the status of the annual side duels, I was informed that nothing official was happening this year, but that if I wanted to run a Squirrel Duel, I could.

So, it falls to me, to once again put on the hat and bushy-tailed uniform of the Squirrelfinder General and invite you all to partake in the Squirrel Duel.

What is the Squirrel Duel? What are you blathering about?

For any newcomers, or amnesiacs joining us, the Squirrel Duel is a side challenge to the main AHPC event. During the course of the AHPC, challengers are encouraged to paint models from as many different scales, genres and periods as possible. It is a celebration of diversity and disorganisation over focus and discipline, an opportunity to get those odd models out of the to-do pile, and a way to have fun between batch painting your 1000s of identical figures.

So, if you have a hard time focusing on something for more than 30 seconds, have a pile of shame a mile high, and are just generally a little nuts, feel free to join. Entry is free, there are no minimum targets, but there are also no prizes beyond the envy of your peers and the adoration of the masses.

What do I need to do?

The Squirrel Duel is simple. All you need to do is paint 25 unique points of models (See the Snowlord's post on points scoring), to score 1 Squirrel Point, and make sure you tag your post with 'Squirrel' in addition to any other tags you add. Now, having done this before, I worry that I may not have been clear enough. When I say, tag your post with 'Squirrel', I mean you absolutely must tag your post with 'Squirrel'. If you do not do so, I cannot find your post and you will not accrue points for the duel. Is that clear? Good. (Narrator's voice "But, it was in fact, not clear and many challengers failed to tag their post with 'Squirrel').

At the end of the challenge, the challenger with the most Squirrel Points wins. 

What do you mean 'unique'?

The Squirrel Duel isn't just about painting as many models as possible, it is also about painting different models. So, each Squirrel Point requires you to paint something different.

The guidelines are as follows.

Painting models in different scales. (E.g. 28mm Romans and 6mm Romans) - That's a Squirrel Point.

Painting models in different genres. (E.g. Vikings and Elves) - That's a Squirrel Point.

Painting models in different periods. (E.g. Victorian British and WW2 British) - That's a Squirrel Point.

If two units would normally be considered part of the same army, then they do NOT count as a Squirrel Point, even if they are wearing different uniforms. If you would expect to see them on the same side of the table during a game, they are NOT a Squirrel Point. If you need to be an expert in uniforms from a particular date to understand the difference in the lace on the cuffs marks the unit as being part of a different army, they are NOT a Squirrel Point. 

Terrain will not be counted towards Squirrel Points.

Finally, some models can be difficult to clearly differentiate. You may paint two Pirate crews, one in red and one in yellow, for your own games and hobby, but both would be counted as 'pirates' and therefore are NOT a Squirrel Point.

Sorry for being so strict, but every year there is some confusion as to what is or isn't counted.

Additionally, bonus points awarded by minions are not counted towards the 25 point threshold.

If you split a Squirrel entry over several posts, make sure to include a group shot in the post claiming the point.

So, what do I need to do to enter?

Simply respond to this post below. Let me know your blogger handle (and your posting name if they are different). Then, simply tag any posts you think are applicable for entry with the tag 'Squirrel' and I will have a look at them during the course of the challenge. Anyone can enter at any point in the challenge, and I will be posting periodic updates to keep everyone informed.

It isn't required, but it is helpful if you include a list of your Squirrels at the bottom of each post, so I can see what you think you have scored and can hunt down any rogue rodents that I may have missed. 

Anything else I should know?

Sandbagging (Holding back the majority of your work until the very last post) is heavily frowned upon. While a surge at the end is expected, I'd like to see a steady pace of Squirrels from all entrants please.

I will be joining the duel myself so any claims of cheating or underhanded tactics are probably merited. :)

And don't forget to tag your post with 'Squirrel'.

(Narrator's voice "But in the end, half of the posts were not tagged with 'Squirrel' and the Squirrelfinder General had to spend hours of his free time reading through page after page looking for the missing entries.")

Side Duels Final Results

 I have recalculated the duels standings following a flurry of late entries.  As suspected the Sandbaggers have upended the apple carts on a number of duels.  

First up an updated pie chart of activity.

SD1 (Moose and ) Squirrel Duel

 

No change at all in these standings!  GeoffT held the lead all challenge, despite an early run by Curt and a late charge by Martijn.  All Hail Squirrel-Whisperer Geoff.  

SD1 (Moose and ) Squirrel
GeoffT	15
Curt	10
MartijnN	10
MikeW	8
KerryT	8
Barks	5
RobH	1
PeteF	0

SD2 30K Heresies

Once again these results stand.  Congrats to Greg, who outscored all other challengers combined.  In these crazy and chaotic times it is comforting to know that the right lunatic won tis challenge.  

SD2 30K Heresies
GregB	362
Curt	130
PeterA	84
SanderS	20
DavidB	10

SD3 Skulls


Scoring is pure head count (pun intended). This one will be adjudicated by Barks.

I will leave skull tallies to our resident Post-Mortem Phrenologist.

SD4 Mech Madness

Three for three on results standing up to an audit.  This duel tightened up but Sander prevailed.  Congrats to the MechMaster.

SD4 Mech Madness
SanderS	120
TomL	104
Curt	15
DavidB	8
DaniHG	2

SD5 WW2 Duel

Well I am, umm, going let the results speak for themselves here!   The total points scores increased by 92% after the preliminary results were posted and we have a new champ in MattW.  If I were Matt, I'd be using his sandbags to build himself a dugout for protection!

SD5 WW2 Duel
After		Before
MattW	855	DaveD	438
DaveD	438	DavidB	360
DavidB	360	GeoffT	180
GeoffT	180	MattW	30
Millsy	100	Millsy	0

SD6 Napoleonics

Never let it be said that RayR is unpredictable!  He did exactly what we all knew he was going to do and edged Lee out after the finish.  I'll let Lee reward the winner in an appropriate manner.

SD6 Napoleonics
After		Before
RayR	1312	LeeH	1045
LeeH	1075	RayR	1043
DaveD	412	DaveD	412
MattW	200	MattW	200
EdwardG	0	EdwardG	0
KerryT	0	KerryT	0
PeteF	0	PeteF	0

SD7 Can Opener


I have only one change to report here.  MattW went from 0-647 after time was called to steal another victory in injury time. Kerry had looked a clear winner all challenge long, but it was not to be....Kerry and DaveD could likely form a "Done in at the last minute by MattW" support group.

SD7 Can Opener
After		Before
MattW	647	KerryT	450
KerryT	450	Barks	153
Barks	173	Curt	145
Curt	145	MattW	0
NickY	0	NickY	0
RobH	0	RobH	0

SD8 Retreat from Moscow

Both Lee and Ray increased their totals, but not enough to affect the final result.  Congrats to Ray on a more honest win here!

SD8 Retreat from Moscow
RayR	1272	RayR	1003
LeeH	1075	LeeH	950

SD9 Colonial Wars

Once again, we have a result that stood after recounts.  Zulus, a thousand of 'em!   Congrats to DaveD on this one.

SD9 Colonial Wars
DaveD	1006
RobH	55

Well done to all of the duellists.