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Wednesday, 26 December 2018

Miniature Wargames Issue 429

Thanks to our latest cruise and then the very busy run-up to Christmas, I had not been able to read the latest copy of this magazine until yesterday, Christmas Day.


The articles included in this issue are:
  • Welcome (i.e. the editorial) by John Treadaway
  • Forward observer
  • Send three and fourpence: Gardening in the Swat valley: A scenario for Black Ops by Conrad Kinch
  • Show Report: Total Fiasco by John Treadaway
  • Corunna: Spain, January 1809 by Jon Sutherland, with photographs by Joe Dever
  • All or nothing: Screwing up a scenario with a lack of granularity by John Treadaway
  • Red Storm: Able Archer 1983 – 1984 by Denis Jackman, with photographs by John Treadaway
  • Darker Horizons
    • Fantasy Facts
    • Norse Quest: A Game of Valour, Danger and Treachery by Chris Swan, with photographs by John Treadaway
  • Show Report: Warfare by John Treadaway
  • Kursk without tears: 1943 and all that ... by Jim Webster, with photographs by John Treadaway
  • Recce
  • Show Wadi Wadi: The continuing tales of a wargames widow by Diane Sutherland
  • Club Directory
I was a little confused by the subheading RUSSIA AT WAR on the cover, and was sort of expecting an issue where most of the articles would have Russian-related topics. I was therefore somewhat surprised that the only two articles that seemed to match my expectations were Denis Jackman's Red Storm and Jim Webster's Kursk without tears. That aside, this seemed to be a reasonable issue, with not too much fantasy/sci-fi content and one article – Jon Sutherland's Corunna – that was about a battlefield I have visited.

This was not the best issue of a wargame magazine I've read during 2018 ... but certainly not the worst I have looked at over the last twelve months by a long chalk!

4 comments:

  1. Which begs the question: what WAS the worst issue of a wargame magazine you have looked at over the last twelve months, Bob?
    Enjoy Boxing Day!
    Best wishes,
    Arthur

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Arthur1815 (Arthur),

      In my opinion the worst was an issue of WARGAMES ILLUSTRATED that I looked through but did not buy. The articles all seemed to be potboilers that were historically light, lacking any signs of innovation, and dominated by pretty pictures of highly over-painted figures. (Yes, I think that it is possible to have far too much painted detail on anotomically-challenged figures that make them look even more like caricatures of human beings in uniform.)

      Have a great day,

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  2. Bob, I can't agree more with your comment re overpainted figures. I've come to really appreciate plainer, neater painting and basing with both my 20mm and 54mm armies. Happy St Stephen's Day!
    Best wishes, Anthony

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anthony Morton (Anthony),

      When seen on the tabletop (rather than in oversize closeup in a magazine) I doubt that many wargamers could really tell the difference between simply but neatly painted figures and the heavily over-painted figures seen in some magazines.

      Keep things plain and simple is my watchword ... as it is yours!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Happy St Stephen's Day to you as well!

      Delete

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