Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

White Dwarf can cause a lot of passionate debate here on the forums, so I thought a poll was in order to see the general overall feeling we have towards it.

I think it's a great magazine that covers a variety of topics pretty well.

I used to buy them all, back when it was $7 an issue. At $9 an issue, I only buy it if there's something I care about on the insides (which usually means, only the 40k and LotR covers).

Me and mine have almost every other issue from 2000 to 2003, then every issue from Nov. 2006 to Aug. 2007, then several after that up to the stompa issue, and if you read the current ones alongside the earlier ones, there's been a huge drop in quality. There are now few hobby tips, no encouragement for innovation, and no interesting articles. Just a catalog with "BUY THIS!!!" on every page. Same with the website: Only half a dozen good articles, the rest is self advertising.

since its started acting as more of an ad for the product, ive stopped buying it, but i have all of them from 2000 till about 5 months ago

I used to buy every copy as I loved looking at the painting articles and the high level of painting. Now there is very little coverage of events (we ran a 2 day indy GT, had great coverage, sent a crap load of photos, and got a page of coverage heh). I agree that now it seems like its more of a catalog. They need to get back to more event coverage, hobby articles, and hire Dirty Steve back to do his mail articles.

I have every issue from about 1994 to 2003 in my attic. Nowadays it's too expensive for what is simply just a battle report. Everything else I can find out online.

I think I stopped buying it monthly when they dedicated half the magazine to LotR. As a purely 40k player, that left porbably about 10 pages worth reading.

Gotten a bit pricey these days.Sometimes I buy it,often times older copies.I loved the 300th mega issue(IIRC),had a comic about the white dwarf and a story.Also had rules for sea combat in the WHFB setting.I like it sometimes it really depends what is in it,if it something I would like to take a look at I pick it up.Most of the time I just read an article or two in store and put it back on the shelf,but now and then I will buy it.

Its a nice tool for inspiration on modeling, but for $9 an issue I would rather steal painting/conversion ideas from my fellow dakkites. I have noticed to many point value errors in some of the scenarios and well I don't care for LOTR stuff at all. Occasionally I will pick up something on one of the armies I play but not to often.

I only have some old ones I got for free. The new ones aren't worth buying but the old ones are good.

I have about 150 of them (146-300) I don't play 40k or WFB anymore

I don't care for it these days. My dad has some copies from the olden days when it was newer and was a magazine on general fantasy and scifi stuff. They did ADnD, modeling, Warhammer FRP, plot ideas, and all sorts of neat little things. I don't like it at all with the GW tag that's tied to it, especially when potentially less than 1/3 of the magazine is on stuff you actually care about (assuming you only play one game by them). The one newer isuue that I found particularly frustrating was the Giants issue(not sure which one it is), but the whole thing was an advertisement for how incredibly badass these new Giants were and, quite frankly, I didn't care. The whole thing came off as being an infomercial in a book. I'd at least like them to be a tad more discreet.

I'd be happiest if they went back to the generic style, but whatever. Like that's going to happen any time soon.

I used to love the variety of stuff dealt with in white dwarf, like terrain to unique armies and new rules. These days they remind me of the old flyers you could pick up at GW that had snapshots of the models they were releasing and the basics of each force. I almost refuse to go to a GW store these days, mostly due to price and the new walmart sales technique of hovering on my shoulder and telling me about each box I look at. Ive been around for long enough I know what makes a terminator squad cool... I love the photos and the backround look into producing minis and codexs but Id call the article work more akin to fluff these days then actual articles.
I am also depressed as a canadian to see that the canuk branch has all but died it seems. I remember the start of our own being a suppliment that at the time bumped the price from 7 to 10 bucks and issue and then when it became a completely seperate magazine the price never dropped. I eventually started to get a subscription cause it really was the best way to save money, In the last year on two seperate occasions it has stopped being delivered to me. One point someone overwrote my account info and my paid for issues for three months went elsewhere..., then recently for 2 months again this spring and the help line said it had to do with the canadian branch probably closing and transfering all accounts to the states headquarters. The fellow found 3 seperate files containing my name and address... weird, and said for no understandable reson I was missing them. He said if I was okay with an american issue he'd have one sent out right away, and did, in less then a week I think it was at my door through fedex in a giant box. I like you White Dwarf but your subcriptions used to give better perks, your insides were better, and your reliablity was better. If your not careful I may replace you with just my online life, web magazines are getting better and better and can do almost anything. Economic crisis makes life difficult for business but usually encourages better product and work. Maybe you guys should look into that rather than giving me a catalog of your inventory, I used to buy the book, why would I want to get it peice meal every month instead.

I honestly enjoyed White Dwarf when I first started to buy it (1999),but over the years it has become much less informitive and entertaining and more of "Hey kids,buy this!!!" publication.
Now I only pick an issue up if I see somthing really interesting in it.

I subscribe - I enjoy the useful modelling articles, the battle reports are well done, and I like to see whats coming out. I understand Im buying a brochure, but its an enjoyable brochure.

White Dwarf and No Quarter seemed like cool mags to me when I was starting out their companies' respective games (40k and WM)... but they both contain a bunch of content that isn't relevant to what I'm doing... if anything they have nice pictures but I don't understand much of the content. I'm not too savvy with rules and tactics; but some of the fluff related stuff is fun... just not worth the price for either.

never read one, started 40k last year and never felt the need, since i have friends and the internet

i'm also not much of a magazine person in general

I like reading them. I don't buy every issue, but the 'Eavy Metal painting articles are really good and I think that the advertising of new products is a good thing. It means that I don't have to go through all the shelves at the FLGS and I won't miss out on anything.

It used to have a lot of good stuff in it but it's becoming increasingly lame.

Subscribed for life

BrookM wrote:Subscribed for life

Ouch. How much did that cost in the first place??

orkishlyorkish wrote:

BrookM wrote:Subscribed for life

Ouch. How much did that cost in the first place??

It was a gift.

First off, price: I agree that $9 an issue is a lot, but I just renewed my subscription and it was 15 issues for $75 or $80. That's like $5 - $5.50 an issue. I'll accept the occasional LOTR dominated issue for that price.

Second, I know that you can get everything online, but for me, nothing beats the feeling of sitting down with a magazine.

Third, I love Jervis standard bearer.

White Dwarf is basically a catalogue, with some interesting articles. I invariably find that I'm painting up whatever's in the latest one, so to me at least it's a source of inspiration to get in there and paint - including stuff that's just been sitting around on my shelf - so I'm happy to part with $5.50 a month for that.

I admit I'd be happier if LOTR moved to specialist and WD became a 40k/WHFB mag again.

I like reading the German White Dwarf from time to time, but if I was going to subscribe to something, it would be Wargames Illustrated.

I buy occasionally if there is an article of interest.

I like White Dwarf, especially if it involves somethig of interest to me. However the newer ones have less and less interesting stuff on the backround.

You use to get awesome stories with the old ones. (Kharn the betrayer was a good article piece in ages past)

My club has heaps of the old ones that people can borrow so I've noticed this stark difference. WHERE IS THE FLUFF?!?

Also, I wish they'd bring back Battlefleet gothic and Inquisitor into the fold. (just a little bit...pleeeez?)

If they actually had Battlefleet: Gothic articles (or any kind of Specialist Games support, really), I might actually buy White Dwarf every once in awhile (and not just the German issues ).

I think I've given up on the WD. Prior to this year I had missed maybe 3 or 4 issues since 2001. The price of the magazine now is too rich for my blood. Any rumors, news, pictures, etc... can be found weeks, even months, before the magazine is released. For the same price I can pick up a piece of 40k or Fantasy universe fiction for less money and I get more enjoyment out of it.

I think WD passed the point of no return when it became more expensive than Playboy. Come on now, for less money I can get just as interesting articles and pictures of boobs.

I love reading them, but don't bother buying them because all of my friends buy them, if i wanted to read it I could just pinch theirs for a few days

If dakka produced a magazine, I would be tempted to buy it.

As it stands, WD is not worth my money.