Today while everyone is focused on this year’s Super Bowl and who will win (I personally don’t care as the Lions and Patriots are not in it) I am focused on hobby stuff. Over the last month or so there had been a lot of talk (rumors and so forth) about the upcoming changes to Games Workshop’s (GW) monthly magazine White Dwarf and what it might entail. Now as a brief background (mostly because I have not followed it from day one in the 80’s, I was a kid after all) I can say that the magazine White Dwarf was released monthly and typically covered whats new in the world of GW product, such as new mini’s and before the change in late 2012 the occasional rules addition. It would also include scenarios, battle reports (batrep’s), painting techniques and the like. In late 2012 GW decided to change the format slightly and remove anything with rule additions and focus purely on the upcoming monthly releases and some various articles. Now I felt that for what you got for $10 (picture is of the last issue of the 2012 redesign book) was pretty good even if they forwent adding in rule updates or special rules for new terrain or characters as it was always cool to see the new releases for the month and get army ideas, in addition to some painting ideas.
What GW has done is go from a monthly release for White Dwarf (see pic below) to a weekly release schedule, so every Saturday one has to go to their local gaming store or Games Workshop store to pick it up. Now having picked up the first issue of the new weekly format I must say I am both pleased and disappointed at the same time. What this new weekly format does (based on just the first issue of course) is revert to the pre-2012 change over, so you are getting rules added back in for characters and such while carrying on with painting ideas and other articles that was in the pre/post 2012 change over. What this will led to (has lead to) is a weekly release schedule for new product from GW. In the past the would release White Dwarf at the end of a month or right at the beginning, hype up whatever the new miniatures are army is and release everything the week after White Dwarf came out. Now that’s all well and good but throughout 2013 GW would release a new army book and 5-7 new kits each month on the 1st/2nd Saturday of each month and for those that play Warhammer (Fantasy/40k) or The Hobbit (Lord of the Rings) games that can be an expensive weekend for those that want the new stuff. With this new format (based on educated guess/internet rumors) it sounds/appears like GW will be spreading out the new releases throughout a given month rather than all at once. Now personally if this is the way they want to do it, I am fine with that it allows the hobbiest the ability to spread purchases out over time, and in my mind remove the gotta have it now factor as you don’t know whats coming (thus saving your money). Now on the flip side to all of this GW is asking for $4.00 (USD) per weekly issue and they are selling it as it’s no more then a pot of paint. I am not a fan, granted I am aware that there are magazines and comic books that release weekly for the same price, but in both of those cases I feel that you are getting more for you money.
The other thing that GW has down in going to a weekly White Dwarf releases is that they have added a second magazine on top of this called Warhammer Visions (smaller magazine below). Now the way I understood this new magazine, it would contain more information and images from the new releases as well as possible tips and tricks. In fact what you get is a $12.00 (USD) picture book with small batrep information. Now its cool that GW is trying new things, as I did like looking at the armies that had been painting up in the old White Dwarf for ideas, but to put together a 200+pg magazine with little more than lots photos, some lite batrep information and paining tips I was a little disappointed.
So with that said, do I agree with GW’s overall choice to split White Dwarf into two magazines? No not really. What was a $10 a month purchase has climbed to a ~$29-$33 a month purchase if you want to have all of the same content you once got for a 1/3 the price. Granted after only the first week it is tough to call this a success or failure, and for all the negatives I do plan to continue buying White Dwarf weekly at the very least for the time being given that it actually adds to the hobby, but Warhammer Visions is a tough sell that I am not sure I will keep buying.
As a side note I have been making progress on the F4U-1 Corsair and should have an update on that soon as well as finished pictures of the Cromwell (if I ever get around to weathering).
On the workbench: Hobby Boss T26E4 Super Pershing Pilot #1, Master Grade Turn A Gundam, Elder Wraith Knight
Rob's Gaming and Hobby Time 