Painting Points System - I've decided to accept it and think I've succeeded!

Random picture to illustrate painting & keeping track of it?!

Afternoon #Warhammer Community in 2014 I looked in-depth at painting points systems and went round in circles so much, I decided not to adopt one! Over ten years later I'm reassessing if they may be of benefit to me and I think I've come to accept them. Dale's Realm of Warhammer no longer exists but when I thought of points systems I had no recollection of even making that 2014 post. Instead I had spotted WeeMen's own system on their blog. Siph and Lord Halfpenny have been keeping track of their hobby progress since 2009. They follow a very similar scoring system to what I noted down from Dale's, but simplified without all the extra bonuses. Those bonuses proved somewhat defeating for me when I originally looked at them. Although I felt there was some value in scoring certain extras, the sheer amount of them discouraged me from pursuing them further.

So, 2025 and I'm looking at Siph's painting points:

• 1pt - Troop type mini (25mm/32mm)
• 2pt - Termie/Bike type (40mm/50mm)
• 5pt - Rhino/Terrain/Dread/Armiger/ Flyer/AT Titan
• 10pt - Landraider/Drop Pod/Character
• 20pt - Imp Knight/Superheavy
• 50-75pt - Titan (WH50, R/WB60, WL75)

And I am going to adjust it slightly:

• 1pt - 25mm-32mm
• 2pt - 40mm-50mm
• 5pt - 60-70mm / AT Terrain*
• 10pt - Dread / Armiger / Tank
• 20pt - Imp Knight / 40k Terrain*
• 50-75pt - Titan (WH50, R/WB60, WL75)

With only two bonuses*

• * Every terrain project gets a 5 point bonus
• ** Sculpt & paint = double points

There will be some occasions were points are adjusted to suit the effort, but I'm going to find a happy balance as I think worrying too much about it is what put me off way back when. For instance, in 2014 I cited this example: 

• I completed making and painting my Skyshield Landing Pad, this would be a Terrain Feature worth 20pts +1pt for blood, so 21pts total.
• I painted 20 Termagants for 20pts, +10 for the bases, +4 points for completing 2 units and it's debatable whether the glow effect on the toxin sacs are 5pts for 'extra options' or 10pts for a 'gore/weathering' option I would add under FX, but even so it's a minimum of 34pts total.
• A Tervigon, something I said I would never paint again, 10pts +0.5pts for a base, +0.5pts for extra options +1pt for the glow FX +1pt for the blood and +2pts for completing a unit 15pts total.

But in 2025 it would look like this:

• Skyshield Landing Pad, this would be a 40k Terrain Feature worth 20pts. Sculpt & paint = double points so 40pts +5pt bonus for terrain feature = 45pts total.
• 20 Termagants for 20pts total.
• A Tervigon, interesting, because this is bigger than a dread at 10pts, but smaller than an Imperial Knight at 20pts. So in some respects I might include it in the 10pt slot, but make it worth 1.5 = 15pts total.

Bottom line it's what I think it's worth. If something doesn't feel right, then it's not and I can adjust up and down as I see fit. That's why there is a 5pt bonus for terrain. Ultimately, if I'm painting terrain I'm not painting my own army but models everyone will benefit from. You deserve a bonus for gifting your time for the benefit of others. Having a little more flexibility around my scoring makes it less prescriptive and easier to manage. Throw in a spreadsheet with all these points built in and very quickly I've been able to score every hobby season back to 2013/14 [which is where I discovered my previous attempt to keep track]. I'm sure there's improvements to be made to the spreadsheet formula, but I'm no expert. Anyway, adopting the same WeeMen principle of an 'arbitrary 100pts a year [season] to keep the grey plastic/resin tide at bay' I've discovered I've done that every season! Even years where I felt I'd not been productive I did enough. 

Now, I'm not going to beat myself up, even if I don't meet, or exceed that goal. But, it does help to motivate a little bit. Currently this season is the most productive ever. I still have plenty on my To Do List, and also off list that I'm motivated to get done this season. That will feel so special now I can measure it. It's a more tangible achievement. Back in 2014 I concluded that the To Do List and Hobby Season Review was sufficient, but now I think I'm ready for painting points too. It might be a little bit of extra admin but there's definitely added Serotonin in it for me, so I'm well up for that.