Independent Characters Podcast- Rules for 2014 Hobby Progress Challenge (HPC)

For any of you interested in doing this,I will be posting up here and there this hobby progression site is pretty big at getting your army looked at for you hobbyist and painters

http://www.theindependentcharacters.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=77&t=5962

Rules for 2014 Hobby Progress Challenge (HPC)
Rules of the Independent Character’s Hobby Progress Challenge (Now referred to as the HPC): The Third War on Bare Plastic!!

Please DO NOT send PM's to Carl, or ask questions about rules on the Facebook Page or anywhere else. Just ask them in the QUESTION THREAD. We will answer them as quickly as possible and then transfer those answers to the FAQ. This allows multiple people to answer your questions! (Not just Carl - who is really busy anyway!)


Welcome to the 2014 Independent Characters Hobby Progress Challenge. This was a bigger success for us last year than we ever anticipated.

The goal of the challenge is twofold. First you should have a complete Zone Mortalis force by the halfway point of the challenge. Second, you will have a completely painted 2000 point 40k Army by the end of the second part of the challenge!

The 2014 HPC is broken into two sections:.

Part 1 - The first half of the HPC has you building a 1000 point Zone Mortalis force. Familiarize yourself with the units available in a Zone Mortalis game. You can make a standard, attacker or defender list as you desire. This part of the challenge will last from Feb 1, 2014 to June 30, 2014.
Part 2 - The second half of the HPC has you expanding on your Zone Mortalis list to paint another 1000 points. These can be any type of unit you want to build your list up to a fieldable 2000 point Warhammer 40k Army. This part of the challenge will last from July 1, 2014 to Nov 30, 2014.

This years challenge differs in some significant ways from the previous years challenge. It should be even more flexible and allow you to make more changes and gear the challenge to meet your specific needs.

Here are the rules around this years challenge:

Start a thread in the appropriate sub-forum of The IC’s 2014 Hobby Progress Challenge thread in the following format: Name – Army
Post the first 1000 points your list in the thread. Please do not post point values for individual models and their equipment as this could violate GW Copyright), but you can post total points per unit. Note that you don't have to post the second 1000 points of the Challenge until we reach the end of June 2014, but it couldn't hurt to have something in mind already!
Each month you must complete painting at least one unit, vehicle or Independent Character to tournament standards (3 color minmum).
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! You MUST post a "before" picture of the model, with a card or piece of paper showing THE DATE AND YOUR FORUM NAME on it. If you do not do this - you will not get credit for your model!
If you have fewer units than months in the challenge, you just have to complete the painted army.
If at any time you exceed the painting challenge (ie: You complete your entire army prior to the challenge being over) you still qualify for drawing for all prizes.
You must have the entire 1000 Point Zone Mortalis force painted by June 30, 2014 at midnight PST. To qualify for the first round Grand Prize. (We will give out two prizes at this point for people who have succeeded so far!)
You must have the entire 2000 Point force painted by November 30, 2014 at midnight PST. To qualify for the second round Grand Prize. (we will give out another two prizes at this point for people who have succeeded.)
We will accept models that are already primed, basecoated, or stripped. They do not have to be NEW but this should be their starting point, and they should show themselves in this state with the Name/Date Card in order to qualify.
You are allowed to change your army or list at any time, but you MUST have the completed 1000 (fieldable) army, which is painted during the contest, at the end of the first part of the challenge to qualify for the Grand Prize.
Allies can be a part of the 2000 point list (no allies in Zone Mortalis), but it must conform to force org/playable standards.
Even if you DON'T complete the entire challenge at either the June 30th, 2014 deadline OR the November 30th, 2014 deadline. You STILL get 1 entry into the drawing at each stage for EVERY completed commitment. However, you will not qualify for the Grand Prize at each point in the challenge, only for the secondary prizes!

Hobby Progress Challenge FAQ:

Q: Can I include Super Heavy units or Fortifications as part of my army?
You absolutely can include these in your painting list where appropriate (no Super Heavies or Fortifications in Zone Mortalis though!)

Q: What if I complete my whole army ahead of schedule?
A: There is no penalty for completing your army early! If you do, you qualify for all entries into the Grand Prize and Participants Prize drawings.

Q: I have already started painting an army and I am about halfway done. Can I just build on that for my entry into The Hobby Progress Challenge?
A: The purpose of the challenge is to all work together to drive each other to meet our goals from beginning to end. However, we also understand that not everyone wants to run out and buy a brand new army right now while they are in the process of working on one. So we have compromised on this a little bit. Once you have provided a list for your army, you should indicate which units are already painted on the list. You should then come up with an expansion to your army which is equal to the number of points that you have painted already. You can then use these units to supplement your army. These units can even be ally units for your main force.

Q: When do I have to put up my commitment for the month?
A: You MUST put up your commitment picture for the coming month PRIOR to the 1st of the month. Likewise, the completion of your commitment must be BEFORE the 1st of the following month. (So the last day of the month)

Q: When does the challenge start?
A: The challenge officially starts in February 1, 2014. You do NOT have to post list or your first unit choice prior to February. Just publish your list before your first commitment picture.

Q: Can I start the HPC early?
You can start at this time, however you can only achieve a maximum of 5 entries into the drawing in the first 5 months....

Q: What if my models are already primed and/or basecoated?
A: This is fine. Just make sure you paste the picture of them in their primed/basecoated condition along with your Name/Date card. We aren't going to be too stickler about this here. But the idea is that you are working from a clean palette. So models that you have purchased on ebay and then stripped/primed are fine. We don't need to see the models prior to assembly!

Q: Can I use Forge World units or build a Horus Heresy 30k Army?
A: You absolutely can! We love both of these things and really the whole point of the challenge is to help you get painted what YOU want to get painted!

Q: I don't live in the United States. Can I still participate and win prizes?
A: You better believe it! This challenge is open to the global community. We have listeners from around the globe and wouldn't dream of excluding any of you.

Q: I have an army already and I would just like to expand on that army. Can I do that?
A: You sure can. You can work on additional units, even allies, but you will need to complete painting 1000 points of models (only usable in Zone Mortalis games) during the first portion of the HPC and 2000 points of models at the end of the second portion of the HPC to qualify for the Grand Prizes at each section. These units should all be playable with your current army as an expansion or as allies.

Q: What about a Warhammer Fantasy Army? Can I paint that instead of a 40k Army?
A: The Independent Characters is a 40k Specific show and while we hold no grudge against our "square basing" cousins, we really want to limit the scope of our challenge to 40k only.

Q: The Challenge has already started, is it too late for me to join?
A: Nope! You can join at any time. The only drawback to joining later is that you get fewer entries into the Prize Drawings, as you have participated for fewer months. So start painting!

Q: Can I paint a non-Zone Mortalis unit during the first part of the 2014 HPC?
A: You absolutely can. However, you will not qualify for the Grand Prize during the first portion of the challenge.

Q: Where can I find information about Zone Mortalis. Including the Force Organization?
A: Right here! http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Downloads/P ... Update.pdf

Q: Im having problems coming up with exactly 1000 points for my Zone Mortalis build.
It can be tricky. Consider +/-35 points either way to be acceptable. This should give you the flexibility you need and make it easier to expand it as well.

Q: Can I use double force org at 2000 points for the 2014 HPC?
You sure can! See? It gets even MORE flexible still!

Q: What is your ruling for Black Templars ally matrix? Are we using the BT line or the SM line (there's been a ton of arguing about it in my area).
It's a good question. I don't want to create a situation where you cannot play the list in your local area, so I would say go with the prevailing theory.

If it were up to me. I would say use the Black Templar line I think.

Q: I like to wait until the end of a major portion of my army to do the basing. That means that I usually base between 40 and 60 models at a time. Are you ok with me putting off basing my first 1000 points until June?

Sure, this is actually a fairly common practice.

Just note it at the beginning of your thread and each month with your commitment. However, remember that if nothing is based at the end of the mid point, you would get credit for none of it - since they aren't finished.

Q: Can I have 2 entries? I am about to embark on Painting my Daemon/CSM army as well as my Iron Hands army.
Sorry no. Well, you CAN but you only get credit for one entry I'm afraid.

Q: You say at the end we need to have a 2k list completed. What if my list is 1997 and I can find no 3 point upgrades? Do I have to be exactly 2000? If not what is a good over/under? Do I need to make sure I go over?
You have +/- 10 points on your list to play around with. This should solve the problem (NOTE: This is a change from the original response where we said to go slightly over. We think this makes it easier and solves the issue simply.)

Q: What are the rules for using 3rd party minis? I have a female "space elf" mini from Chapter House to use as my farseer.
You may absolutely use third party models, please just explain what they are representing.