Beasts of War OnTableTop PaintComp February Features Cataphracts and Naffatun

The OnTableTop forums (Beasts of War) opened the February 2026 PaintComp thread on Feb 2, 2026. PaintComp is a monthly community painting challenge: each month the forum sets a theme/keyword and participants post finished or in-progress paints for community voting before the 25th.

The February keyword line posted to the forum reads: “[PaintComp] February 2026. Painting in Tabletop Gaming · Late Roman Cataphracts/Abbasid Naffatun/Alternative to Oil Washing Horses. Historical” — a short list that steers entries toward historical cavalry subjects and even calls out a specific technique prompt. That mix of unit types and technique gives painters clear direction for subjects and tabletop authenticity, and it rewards anyone who wants to test new approaches to painting mounts and barding without relying on standard oil-wash workflows.

Separate event rules and a submission window appear in a Tabletop.Events listing that may be relevant to contests running alongside tabletop shows. Tabletop.Events states: “Submissions will be accepted from 9am -7pm on Friday, February 13th.” It also notes: “All submissions are due no later than 7pm on Friday, February 13th.” The same listing includes entry rules: “Any mini from any manufacturer is allowed.” “Entrants may only submit one entry per category to be judged.” “Entrants may not submit entries in multiple skill levels. All entries need to belong in Guts or in Glory.” “During entry submission, Event Personnel reserve the right to reclassify your entry into another skill level or entry category.” The Tabletop.Events text further requires media consent: “By submitting an entry, you agree to allow the piece to be photographed by Paint-A-Palooza, Cardboard Corner Café, Tabletop Game and Hobby, and Event Sponsors for use in ads, promotions, and galleries.”

The Tabletop.Events listing also supplies detailed judging weightings for common contest categories. For Single Figure - Large/Bust/Monster the breakdown is: Difficulty 5%; Creativity 10%; Workmanship 10%; Painting Skill 70%; Presentation 5%. For Diorama/Duel/Unit the weights are: Difficulty 10%; Creativity 10%; Workmanship 20%; Painting Skill 35%; Presentation 25%. The Unit category shows: Difficulty 10%; Creativity 10%; Workmanship 20%; Painting Skill 35%; Presentation 25%. Vehicle/Warmachine/Ordnance/Terrain is weighted: Difficulty 15%; Creativity 5%; Workmanship 20%; Painting Skill 50%; Presentation 10%.

The important caveat is that the OnTableTop thread explicitly sets the month’s theme and community voting before the 25th, while Tabletop.Events provides submission hours, reclassification rules, media consent, and judging percentages; the two sources do not explicitly state they are the same contest. Verify whether the Feb 13 submission window and the Guts/Glory skill-level rules apply to the OnTableTop PaintComp posting before committing to a delivery schedule.

For painters planning entries, the takeaways are practical. Concentrate on the February prompts if you want votes in the forum thread, prepare strong photos if an event listing applies, and remember the judging emphasis on painting skill for single figures is heavy (70%). Saddle up your brushes for horse anatomy, historical tack, and fabric patterns—then check the thread for final clarifications on deadlines and skill-level rules so your entry lands in the right category.