A flick through the latest issue of MINIATURE WARGAMES on the shelves of the local branch of WHSmith was enough to convince me to buy this month's copy.
The articles included in this issue are:
The articles included in this issue are:
- Welcome (i.e. the editorial) by John Treadaway
- Forward observer
- Send three and fourpence: Daddy is swearing: The Battle of St. Pierre by Conrad Kinch
- The Zanzibar Express: A (moderately) fast painting tutorial by Kevin Dallimore
- Reinventing an old friend: Part One by Jon Sutherland
- Frontier Warfare: Part One - Principles and Tools by Chris Jarvis
- Darker Horizons
- Fantasy Facts
- Now you see me, now you don't!: Painting AvP Colonial marines by Graham Green
- Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum ... I smell blood of an Athenean by Arthur Harman
- Landing Pad: Scenery building using 4Ground models and stuff from the scrap box by Roger Dixon
- Recce
- Something different (this way comes): The continuing tales of a wargames widow by Diane Sutherland
- Club Directory
- Conrad Kinch's scenario for Command & Colors: Napoleonic ... which I hope to use once my Napoleonic figure collection is completed.
- Frontier Warfare by Chris Jarvis ... because I am a sucker for almost anything Colonial, and this looked like it had some good ideas. (It may also mean that I have to buy the next issue so that I can read part two!)
- Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum ... I smell blood of an Athenean by Arthur Harman ... not because I have any great interest in Fantasy gaming but because anything from Arthur is always worth reading.
Is it me being blind or was there no map for Conrad Kinch's scenario?
ReplyDeleteMike,
DeleteYou are right; there isn't a map with the article.
I understand from Conrad Kinch that the editor is aware of the problem, and hopefully the map will be available online very soon.
All the best,
Bob
I noticed the same thing. Makes the scenario a bit useless.
DeletePhil Dutré,
DeleteI suspect that it was an error of omission rather than commission ... and has now been rectified.
All the best,
Bob
Same comment as above, no map or war-game order of battle that I could see, which is a shame as it is a great article and an interesting battle. I found an historic map of the battle on line which helped me to work out what was going on on the ground.
ReplyDeleteBob Kett,
DeleteAs I wrote in reply to Mike, steps are being taken to rectify the problem. If possible, I'll put a link from my blog to the map etc., when it becomes available.
All the best,
Bob
Thanks Bob. If it is a Command and Colors type map that should also give us the orbat for the game as well.
ReplyDeleteBob Kett,
DeleteGlad to have been of help. As soon as I have any news about the map, I'll put a note on my blog.
All the best,
Bob
I take back what I said earlier, I read the article again and the game orbat is given at the end of each Division in the description of forces.
DeleteBob Kett,
DeleteI must admit to missing it as well during my first, cursory read-through of the article.
All the best,
Bob
Bob, I see the map is now in the Downloads section on the website.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words.
Totally agree about the Club Directory - it even seems to be on thicker paper than the articles inside. Perhaps if a large number of subscribers/purchasers contacted the publishers directly something might be done - I suspect it is not John T's sole decision...
Regards, Arthur
Arthur Harman,
DeleteThanks for the information about the map. I'll add a link etc., to my blog later today.
My comments about your work were a true reflection of how much a value what you write. In this occasion it even made me read a Fantasy article ... and that is no mean feat!
One gets the impression that John Treadaway does not have quite the same editorial control that Henry Hyde had, and that coming from a more gaming background, the new owners expect readers to need to know where the nearest clubs are ... every month!
All the best,
Bob
And it's not even a useful directory. No emails, no urls, no telephone numbers, simply an address. As if people are going to write an old-fashioned letter to get more info.
DeleteI consult the directory every month to see if there's a club in the village I live in, here in Belgium, but no luck so far. :-)
Phil Dutré,
DeleteIt is something that could be online with hot links to club emails and/or websites.
Good luck with your search. You might be luck ... some day.
All the best,
Bob
Oh, but I have a gaming group, not to worry. It's just that I can't imagine that in this day and age, people go about looking at a directory to find nearby wargamers, instead of soing a web search.
DeletePhil Dutré,
DeleteFunnily enough, thanks to the Internet I have discovered two wargamers who live less than mile from me ... and neither of them belong to groups in the directory.
All the best,
Bob
Im with you Bob, the directory is okay for one issue. But every month?
ReplyDeleteRobbie Rodiss,
DeletePerhaps the new owners will listen to feedback from readers ... but I won't hold my breath.
All the best,
Bob
John doesn't need defending by me, but I will remind readers that one of the reasons Henry left was because editorial decisions were being made by the publishers that he had no say over. The fact John is now editor doesn't mean the situation has changed, only that John was prepared to take on the job with said issues.
ReplyDeleteAshley,
DeleteIt seems a great pity that the new owners seem so unwilling to let their editor actually do their job without placing so many constraints on them. I wish John Treadaway the best of luck, and hope that he will eventually be allowed to do the job of editor in a way he would want to do it.
All the best,
Bob
I am not buying MW while the continual presence of the 4 page Club Directory exists. A great shame, I always buy it (and the other 2) and it is like cutting my nose off to spite my face, as this month I really liked the look of Conrad's article - but the mag stayed on the shelf in WH Smiths
ReplyDeleteI have e-mailed John about this, so he is aware of one customers frustration and I am now voting with my feet in the hope the 'higher management' are encouraged to re-look at this.
I am certainly not dropping this at the feet of JT, but hopefully I am just another voice that will help John convince the management team that 12 months of the same club directory in every issue, with no end in sight, might be better handled by moving the directory to the website.
Norm,
DeleteI can understand why you have chosen not to buy MW until the Club Directory is removed. I see it as a waste of space, and totally unnecessary.
As I have commented above, I wish John Treadaway the best of luck in getting his employers to change their policy regarding both the inclusion of the monthly Club Durectory and placing constraints on the editor's power to edit the magazine.
Perhaps they will react positively to reader's emails ... and hopefully blog reviews like mine will have some influence as well.
All the best,
Bob