Thanks to our recent cruise, it is only a short time since I reviewed the last edition of this magazine.
The articles included in this issue are:
This issue had all the feeling of being a work of desperation on the part of the editor and publishers as the publication deadline approached. For example, there were three interviews which took up eight pages of the magazine; one with Sean O’Sullivan (of Katsina Miniatures), another with John Stallard (the CEO of Warlord Games), and a final one with David Soper, a professional figure painter. These had the feel of being ‘make weights’ or ‘page fillers’ and I found none of them of any interest. Likewise, a four-page review of the types of carry cases available seemed more like a product placement opportunity than a proper article.
That is not to say that there weren’t some interesting articles. Chris Peer’s contribution about the Shilluk certainly piqued my interest to find out a bit more about these African warriors, and John Treadaway’s show report about Salute 2019 gave me a flavour of what I had missed by not going this year … but in my opinion, these were the best of a rather poor selection. If it hadn’t had the free gift of a couple of 1:300th-scale model PT Boats with it, I would have been more than a little disappointed with this edition of the magazine.
Please can I make a request. If magazines are going to give away freebies, please could they NOT be stuck to the cover with sticky tape. I managed to get mine off without doing any damage to the front cover, but the advert on the back lost some of its text when the top layer of the paper tore off.
The articles included in this issue are:
- Welcome (i.e. the editorial) by John Treadaway
- Forward observer
- Send three and fourpence: Rangers of the Lost Frogs: An interview and scenario for Rangers of Shadow Deep by Conrad Kinch
- Shilluk: African Warriors par excellence by Chris Peers, with photographs of figures produced by North Star and painted by Ron Duffy
- Just William: Hastings 1066 by Jon Sutherland, with photographs by Diane Sutherland
- Show Report: Double Excel: The Editor goes to Salute 2019 with text and photographs by John Treadaway
- Darker Horizons
- Fantasy Facts
- Jaw-Jaw & War-War: Plumbing the depths of Cruel Seas: An interview with John Stallard by James Winspear
- The Spout: Axis and Allied ships clash in an alternate D-Day: Exclusive scenario for Cruel Seas
- Paint a winner: Talking the trade with a pro-painter: An interview with David Soper by James Winspear, with photographs by David Soper
- The Blue & The Grey: A return to the ACW. Why did we leave it so long? by Dave Tuck, with photographs by Malc Johnston
- Ambush: A follow up Skirmish Sangin scenario, that can be adapted for any small combat unit action system with text and photographs by Colin Phillips of Dishdash Games
- On the case: Taking a stroll amongst carry cases by James Winspear, with photographs by various manufacturers
- Recce
- Replacement Windows: The continuing tales of a wargames widow with text and photographs by Diane Sutherland
- Club Directory
This issue had all the feeling of being a work of desperation on the part of the editor and publishers as the publication deadline approached. For example, there were three interviews which took up eight pages of the magazine; one with Sean O’Sullivan (of Katsina Miniatures), another with John Stallard (the CEO of Warlord Games), and a final one with David Soper, a professional figure painter. These had the feel of being ‘make weights’ or ‘page fillers’ and I found none of them of any interest. Likewise, a four-page review of the types of carry cases available seemed more like a product placement opportunity than a proper article.
That is not to say that there weren’t some interesting articles. Chris Peer’s contribution about the Shilluk certainly piqued my interest to find out a bit more about these African warriors, and John Treadaway’s show report about Salute 2019 gave me a flavour of what I had missed by not going this year … but in my opinion, these were the best of a rather poor selection. If it hadn’t had the free gift of a couple of 1:300th-scale model PT Boats with it, I would have been more than a little disappointed with this edition of the magazine.
Please can I make a request. If magazines are going to give away freebies, please could they NOT be stuck to the cover with sticky tape. I managed to get mine off without doing any damage to the front cover, but the advert on the back lost some of its text when the top layer of the paper tore off.
Bob,
ReplyDeleteI always think of a plea written by Donald Featherstone when he produced the Wargamers Newsletter virtually begging people to buy it otherwise it would go out of production. Sadly it went the way of other magazines. As a result I have religiously supported all wargames magazines both good and mediocre. Well that was until the last few months of the Miniature Wargames magazine which to be brutally honest has very little to offer any wargamer. Wargames Illustrated is frankly not much better but at least it looks pretty. Im afraid the MW may go the way of other better quality wargames magazines.
Independetwargamesgroup,
DeleteOver the years, I've done much the same, and religiously bought every wargame magazine I could ... but no longer. For the moment I will continue to buy MW until my next subscription renewal is due, at which point I may well cancel it. I subscribe to the electronic version of WSS and buy WI whenever it covers a topic or topics that might interest me.
The 'amateur' magazines seem to give better value for money (usually they are written by wargamers for wargamers), even if the print quality isn't on a par with the commercial ones.
All the best,
Bob
Sadly I've not renewed my subscription to Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy as frankly I found very little of interest in there. Ditto the other magazines. I much prefer to follow Blogs and Forums (Fora?) for my wargaming fix and spend my hard earnt cash on books.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Cruel Seas freebies of late, I have the feeling that they are trying to keep interest going in a set of rules at has, the last time I looked, 10 pages of errata.
Steve J.,
DeleteMagazines used to be the lifeblood of the hobby, with each new issue of a title being hungrily anticipated. Now they seem to be little more that monthly catalogues for a favoured few manufacturers, infilled with the odd potboiler article and the occasional little gem.
Blogs and Forums (I'm sure that it should be Fora, but I'll leave it up to the language buffs to correct me if I'm wrong!) do seem to be replacing magazines, along with the odd YouTube videocast ... although some of the latter are of dubious quality and often only just a conduit for a manufacturer to sell their wares. Nothing wrong with the latter ... just as long as that is clear from the start and I can avoid them.
I knew that there had been a few teething problems with the CRUEL SEAS rules, but had not heard that they had published a ten-page errata. IF this is true, then someone needs their wrist slapping for releasing the rules too early.
All the best,
Bob
I had exactly the same problem with the sticky tape, but I don’t think the bit of the advert is too much of a loss. The boats themselves are more to my taste then previous freebies and are more likely to be used, or anyway repurposed. Rather than the supplied painting guide I would have preferred some instructions on where the bits go. The images in the painting guide do serve this purpose for one of the models but for the other it’ll be guesswork or hunting down sources.
ReplyDeleteI agree that three interviews is over the top; at least that with John Stallard was about developing a rule set, though it could have done with more depth and detail. The review of carrying cases is in theory something the magazine should do from time to time but none of them appeared to me to be interesting enough to justify four pages, especially as their load carrying capacity generally seemed inadequate; maybe worth one page? I quite enjoyed the ACW article – some of the rule mechanisms sounded interesting – but its value was reduced by being based on rules (“Whipping Bobby Lee”) that have apparently been out of print for 25 years and seem hard to get hold of.
Once again I found the Recce section the most interesting part; it helped that a lot of the books were in my areas of interest and Arthur Harman piqued my interest in the Apache wars, of which I really know nothing. It’s probably a bit much to ask but I’d like his reviews of Peninsular War subjects to tell me whether the book actually adds much to Oman and Fortescue; I’ve previously bought books which don’t. I think it is this section more than anything else that stops me making the effort to cancel my subscription. I did give up on Wargames Illustrated as it felt like it was all product placement and pretty pictures of tanks (though maybe things have since changed?)
Mike Hall,
DeleteLuckily the advert on the back cover was for products that I was not very likely to buy ... but using sticky tape that was difficult to get off could have been avoided without too many problems.
You already know my feelings about the number of interviews in the magazine and the product placement article. I began reading the ACW article because I've always enjoyed wargaming that period, but I felt that it didn't really tell me much.
You are right about the RECCE section; it is probably the most consistently useful part of the magazine, with reviews that seem to have been written by people who have actually read what they are reviewing.
I did buy the most recent issue of WI because it was supposed to be about representing heroes in tabletop games. It was interesting, but many of the ideas were tied to a particular set of rules rather than being applicable to any set of rules. I found this rather limiting and felt that it was a bit of an opportunity missed.
All the best,
Bob
Sadly I haven't bought a wargaming magazine for over twelve months and I can't say I really miss them , I get most of my info from the internet .
ReplyDeleteThe Good Soldier Svjek,
DeleteI suspect that you are not alone in choosing to avoid buying wargame magazines in favour of using online resources.
All the best,
Bob
Hello BOB,
ReplyDeleteMany years ago- around 1990 into the 2010 I religiously bought 'Wargames Illustrated' and also 'White Dwarf'...times and interests have moved on - though I must say, that these days if I do buy a magazine I'm daunted by the price which range from $16 to $23 AUS for a single magazine...if I cannot detect a single possible interesting Article I put the magazine back in the rack. Recently I've traveled back in time to obtain Hobby Magazines from the early 1970s which I once had and enjoyed and have re-enjoyed re-reading these older magazine articles which seemed to have more 'body' in the text and relevant illustrations worthwhile viewing- and these articles seem to say more and are enjoyable and very informative. I've basically given up on recent magazines viewing them as 'glosssy' and 'un-interesting' and sometimes - absolute 'drivel'. Rant over! Have a good Weekend Bob. Regards. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteThe price of wargame magazines outside the area where they are printed can be horrendous, and I'm not surprised that you no longer buy them unless there is something really worthwhile in an issue.
I have a small collection of early wargame MINIATURE WARFARE magazines, written back when there were very few metal figure manufacturers and most wargamers relied on Airfix for their figures. Despite that, the magazines seem to be full of ideas that wargamers wanted to share with each other. There were difference of opinion expressed - sometimes quite vehemently - but the hobby was a lot smaller then, and its members were more of an extended family. It does not seem to be like that nowadays ... except in the world of bloggers and blogging.
All the best,
Bob
PS. Having the occasional rant is good for the soul ... and I hope that you have a great weekend as well!
Agree with your comments and most of those made here by others. I take Mike Hall's point, and may be able to address it, but I have recently received instructions from the publisher, via John Treadaway, to make my reviews shorter...
ReplyDeleteRegards, Arthur
Arthur,
DeleteMaybe I should write to the editor to say that Recce is the best bit of the mag and needs more space? I always look forward to your reviews and find them helpful.
Mike
Arthur1815 (Arthur),
DeleteI'd like to write that I am surprised by your news ... but in truth, I'm not.
Your reviews may be interesting to readers, but unless the book etc., you are reviewing is advertising in the magazine, it could be seen as a revenue-losing exercise by the publishers.
All the best,
Bob
Mike Hall,
DeleteIf I thought that it would do any good, I'd follow your example. I suspect that John Treadaway would agree that the RECCE section is a very worthwhile element of the magazine, but he is the editor and has to do what the publisher tells him to do ... and they are in the business of making money.
All the best,
Bob
What I cannot understand with MW, WI and WSS is the complete absence of battle reports. You get the history of a battle, a scenario and some glossy photos that smack of being posed dioramas rather than from wargames, but no account of the battle being refought.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is, thank goodness for Slingshot.
https://timspanton.blogspot.com/
Tim Spanton,
DeleteI suspect that the thinking amongst editors and publishers is that battle reports don't attract magazine purchasers. As I think that I have shown in my books, a battle report can be used to explain how a set of rules works ... and will attract readers to look at the battle report and even buy the rules.
It's is magazines like SLINGSHOT (the so-called 'amateur' magazines) that - along with blogs and other online media - that are feeding the needs of many wargamers, and it is a pity that the glossy magazines and their publishers have not realised that yet.
All the best,
Bob
This is where people like me should say 'guilty - my fault'. John is the only MW editor I haven't ever sent an article in for (though with Duncan is was his other mag) and if the writers don't send anything there's nothing to publish. Especially as I promised when he took over that I would. Feeling bad.
ReplyDeleteRob Young,
DeleteI used to write for wargame magazines, but got so fed up waiting for months - and sometimes years - before I got paid, that I gave up. I've had several suggestions that I ought to write some PORTABLE WARGAME-related scenarios for one or more of the glossy magazines, but doing so is quite low on my 'to do' list.
Don't feel bad about not writing anything; I'm sure you will when the time - and possibly the inclination - comes.
All the best,
Bob
Actually the ones I gave Duncan were a series of 3 articles he accepted - then spent 2 years postponing publication until I took them back and put them into Slingshot!
DeleteRob Young,
DeleteMy problem was the reverse. Mine were published ... and then I had to wait over two years to get paid!
All the best,
Bob
StuRat,
ReplyDeleteMy recent magazine buying history is very similar to yours, and I'm almost at the stage of jacking in my subscription to MW. Perhaps it will get better, but if the publisher decides to replace John Treadawy with James Winspear, I don't think that I'll bother to renew my subscription.
All the best,
Bob
I now understand what everyone was stalking about wrt the tape on the front cover - urk. Yes, I bought the mag - to be honest for the models, which with the same two I got from WI gives me a squadron of four US PT Boats!
ReplyDeleteThat said the magazine is cheaper than a coffee and a cake at Starbucks but its content wasn't heavy .. I did find useful bits of "news" of products that interest me (GZG New Israeli Figures, The Aleutians Osprey, Macedonian Phalangite v Persian Warrior Osprey, Lace Wars Rules Cavalier Books) but I want Battles jumping out of the page at me .. I want to see "History Come Alive" .. a project I wish to aspire to! Nothing really gained from the interviews I am afraid.
Alas I felt empty (just like after Star Bucks) and unfulfilled .. but I am trying understand the crazy £9.99 postal subscription offer! Really? It seems too good to be true!
Geordie an Exiled FoG,
DeleteBuying the magazine for the models makes sense if the result is that you end up with a squadron of PT Boats.
Has the Starbuck coffee and cake replaced the Big Mac as the measure of something's value? When I looked at the pricing of the paperback and electronic versions of my books, I decided that potential purchasers would consider something about the price of a monthly magazine was not unreasonable; perhaps I should have looked at the price of a coffee and cake as a guide ... although - in the absence of Tim Horton's - I would have chosen Costas and not Starbucks!
The review pages in magazines is often one of the most useful sections, and I have certainly seen things (particularly books) there that I have considered buying.
The '12 issues for £9.99' offer does seem too good to be true as the postage and packing cost alone would absorb most of that. I wonder how and why they are making such a tempting offer?
All the best,
Bob