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2: Battle reports that I can follow. Divide turns up individually and give each turn a map so I can work out what is going on. A 2 page pic of the table with 5 dot points to cover 2 player turns is not sufficient. The standard of reporting on most battle reports on forums these days (as long as there are pics) is much, much better than WDs

This ^^^. My standard for battle reports was the multi-issue Battle for Armagedon batrep with three tables; one big city w/ warehouse, one desert with basilisks firing onto the other table and a battle on a Ork spaceship. I remember Black Templars were on the spaceship, or something like that. Anyhow, it was great.

Idea #2: More fluff that furthers the 40k or Fantasy universe. Maybe short stories that last for 2 or 3 issues.

I say:

1/ Remove the staple

2/ Print onto absorbent paper

3/ Perforate

1) More conversion/scratch building show offs, tutorials and so on.

2) More community outreach - bring in cool models, armies etc and feature them, especially the fully converted armies.

3) Far less blatent advertising. We get that you want to sell us things, but there are better ways of doing it than shoving it down our throats. Use the new models in conversions (see point 1), etc.

I just subscribed, since I'm a masochist. I have read 3 or so previous to this, and had a stack of 15 year old ones. My first mailed subscription issue was 366, which lines up with Warhammer 8. I knew there would be a lot of WHFB stuff in there as soon as I saw the cover. Point in fact, the entire issue was dedicated to Warhammer. There was nary a single page in the magazine for 40k.

I don't play WHFB and am not going to do so, so this month is totally blown.

How would I fix it?

1.) First off, they are attempting to cover too many bases. Between the scenarios of "1/3 of a magazine of stuff I like" and "either an entire magazine I like, or an entire magazine wasted" the former is sort of more desirable. I guess. For the not-inconsiderable cost of the magazine, however, they really should be able to make it twice as big and add some content for everyone.

2.) The issue that made me get a subscription was the one with the IG new plastics launch. In it, they had an interesting scenario - essentially, there were a few squads bunkered down in some ruins, and every turn, the necrons rolled a dice and got X for reinforcements. The IG needed to live until turn X, at which point they rolled for a Valkyrie to evac them out. As the game progressed, the valkyrie arrive roll was easier.

One improvement I'd make is there would be that sort of thing - a gaming scenario - every issue. Something with a little bit of story, as well as a new way to play.

3.) More tutorials. I know they are trying to phase out building your own terrain vs just buying plastic kits like bastions, but this was asking me how I'd like WD to be, not how GWS would like it to be, so... tutorials and kitbashes. In one of 15 year old ones, there were rules for making your own vehicles and assigning them points values and rules. Both making terrain, and DIY vehicles with modular rules would be awesome. Of course, that will never happen unless...

4.) GWS stops being so corporate. It's supposed to be a magazine, not a catalog. Its OK to not be trying to sell you more stuff all the time, every page. As a matter of fact, it's more then OK, it's an improvement.

1) Make WD a magazine again.

2) Publish Fluff, Chapter Approved and Index Astartes articles.

3) Bring back Konversion Klinic or similar scratchbuilt/kitbashing articles.

As a side note, would it be possible for a group of hobbyists to get together and publish their own fanzine somehow? One with proper stuff in it, like tutorials and the like.

Basically just combining all the above ideas into a proper magazine, and not a pile of advertising rags.

Also can the Battle Reports not be so bloody predictable it is always the months new army that wins the only exception I can remember was the SW one were it was a draw (and one of the most ludicrous army lists ever produced).

Osbad wrote:I say:

1/ Remove the staple

2/ Print onto absorbent paper

3/ Perforate

It would still be grotesquely overpriced, but at least then the issues with a massive section of LOTR gibberish in them would not be completely wasted.

Include actual content.

Put on the Internet.

Make it free.

I mean, what the feth is it doing other than promoting and supporting the sales of minis, GW is about the sales of minis.

Make it free, make it available to all, spam the gak out of the internets with it, include things in it people actually want to perpetuate it.

How blindingly simple does it have to be?

@Ed_Bodger: Nids also lost, but that was because the Sphess Mehreenes got a shiny new splash release, and Cruddance didn't know the first thing about playing them.

@MGS: I think that's what they are doing on the Internet with their website.

What drew me to WD when I first started were the painting and conversion articles. The batreps helped me understand the gameplay more, but I still have those old issues with painting articles to use.

Also, drop the price. There obviously is a business model they're using...who knows if it works! I don't know economics other than when I started 5 years ago it was approx $5 an issue and even then that was expensive compared to other magazines. At $9 a pop, forget it! That's almost the cost of 3 paints I can definitely use, not a catalog with other games systems I'm not interested in. I'm not dropping almost $10 for something that isn't at least a paperback novel size! I cannot justify the expense of $9 an issue.

Crazy_Carnifex wrote:
This month, there are:
10 pages advertising new products.
4 pages of more in-depth looks at the new projects
5 pages of advertising for old releases in the theme of this month
10 pages of pretty pictures of tanks with little other content
14 pages of new rules
19 pages of directory-like info
4 page of LotR
6 Pages of Advertising for next months feature product
6 Pages advertising Last months product
6 pages of pictures of a different Last months product
2 Pages of Standard Bearer
20 pages of battle report
1 Page Contents
1 Page Editors introduction
1 Subscription page

so... out of a total of 109 or so pages, 53 or so are advertisements for their products or stores that carry them in a $9 "magazine". my advice would be to have a dozen or so pages on the new upcoming releases (painted pics, bits on sprue pics, conversion ideas, etc) and chuck the rest of the ads. then fill in the rest of the now empty pages with chapter approved fluff articles, conversion ideas, new trial rules, etc... and charge $5. there is no reason a $9 magazine should look and behave like a catalog.

I just recently got a subscription, after I noticed that I was buying individual issues enough to make it cost effective for me to do so.

That being said, the magazine definitely reminds me of Nintendo Power; the thing is a huge advertisement/propaganda rag, and little else. That being said, I still enjoy the battle reports, discussions on new releases, and Jarvis's article (although i'm apparently in the minority there!). Even though the bat reps focus on the New Hotness every time, there is something to be said for the fact that when a new army book/codex comes out or new units for an army comes out all of a sudden you see it on the table more. For me, as an inexperienced player, the WD coverage can actually be helpful in preparing me for games against the featured army when I show up at my FLGS.

1. More previews of upcoming releases
2. Less 'more products in this range' pages (i.e.p50 of new WDUK)
3. More articles with the quality of standard bearer
4. Either better written fluff for batreps or none at all
5. batreps involving races not normally covered (i.e. Inquisition, Dark Eldar, Ogre Kingdoms etc)
6. More P&M tutorials
7. More Specialist Games coverage

Currently, I think Andy Kenrick is doing a fair job as Editor, better than Latham IMO.

#1: I'd showcase not only models painted by the 'eavy metal team but also models painted by customers (photographed in whichever gw they recently visited).

#2: I'd have at least 2 Battle Reports, (I actually remember my first issue have a LotR and necrons vs space marines 40k battle).

#3: If i did both #1 and #2 I'd keep it the same price however if i did neither #1 or #2 I'd lower the price.

#4: I'd remove the 3-page list of gw stockist stores in the back of white dwarf

#5: FAQ's in white dwarf.

#6: Replace the 5-ish pages at the front with a 2-page spread of this moths releases.

#7: SFTW (something for the weekend,something coined by 'beasts of war' on youtube) articles, ranging from alternative play styles (e.g. i move, you move, i shoot,you shoot etc.) to new battle scenarios.

#8: Proof reading!

The way White Dwarf is going, you could improve it by replacing it with a 90 page magazine fullof pictures of faeces.

Just take it back to how it was back in the day.

S_P

1) More conversion/kitbash
2) Hints at whats to come in the future(not single models more MASSIVE revamps of armies)
3) Newbie friendly article like NEWBIE LAND


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh and scrap LOTR

Can I choose to put WD out of its misery by killing it?

CT GAMER wrote:

3. articles (with lots of pis and fluff) on cool themed/converted armies from both GW employees and fans (allow submissions)

No, I don't think they could fit any more piss in it.

Hi all.
I would simply put the 'Monthly Citadel Minatures Cataloge' in LARGE print across the front,Under the title White Dwarf. (Rather than hide it in very small writing under the issue number.)

Then everyone would know they are paying for a company cataloge , the sort other companies give a way for free...

And when the magazine has enough gaming supliment content they can call it a 'Monthly Citadel Minatures cataloge and GW gaming supliment'
like they used to....

TTFN
Lanrak.

MenOfTanith wrote:1) More conversion/kitbash

No bits service makes this a non-starter for anyone who doesn't work in the studio.

Cheaper. And more Apoc stuff. Like what people have made for their Apoc Games.

1. Far less Jervis Johnson (like none) I don't even sure WHY I dislike him and his writing.. I just DO
2. Less Lord of the friggan Rings. Start another magazine for these guys if it's such a viable market. If it's not a viable market, just admit it and move on please.
3. Bring back the conversion sections do whatever format you need.
4. Focus on your community instead of focusing on yourselves (really, I'm sure we all love the official GW employees, but I would rather hear about people that come to this game of their own free will instead of those getting paid by the same freakin' company that makes the game/magazine.) Navel-gazing is only good for your navel.
5. Hire a copy editor. Maybe two. Just sayin'.
6. Actually do some journalism. I'm not saying investigative reporting or anything, but be journalists on occasion instead of just advertisers. Write some stories about players, not employees. Go on the road. Cover events. Look for stories instead of just waiting for them to show up on your doorstep. As it stands, you are all very very lazy folk. I tend to not give lazy folk ANY money. Especially not $10 a month.
7. Keep official game rules to official books. Spearhead was a joke. I will not spend $10 just to get some half-thought out rules.

So it doesn't sound like I'm just bitching, I REALLY like the photography. Seriously, that's some good macro photography.
The designers are also really good. The layout and format are perfect for what this publication is.
Y'all just need an editorial staff that knows what it's doing.

...or, if you can't follow these simple rules, I default to Gwar!'s answer.... just stop trying and focus on what you DO know how to do.

Gwar! wrote:1) Scrap the thing completely.
2) Use the money saved to hire Proofreaders.
3) Use the Internet (yes, it's not 1992 anymore) to errata and fix their bloody games and start acting like a real company who gives two gaks about their players.

Aren't you fond of saying you'd do their proofreading for a few beers?

#1) Use PLAYER ARMIES for the battle reports, and go back to the battle reports of 8+ years ago where each player turn had an individual page, with a detailed map showing exactly what moved where and killed who. Seriously, if everyone on the studio has at least one army that has got to be 2 years worth of INTERESTING battle reports.

#2) Player submissions. Hold a competition for players to write an article of rules/fluff/hobby, say the winners get a regiment box, and everyone is happy!

#3) More even spread of game-system-specific material. If there is a 3 page tactics article for 40k, it would be fair for there to be 3 pages of fantasy and 3 pages of LOTR. Perhaps not 3 battle reports per issue, but roughly 1/5 of the magazine should be devoted to each game system, with the remaining 2/5 for new releases, editorials, battle reports, scenery, all that jazz.

#4) Please remove the retailers listing (at least for Australia, where the only places you can get GW is either at Games Workshop or Games World, and if you've bought the magazine you already know that)

I think one of the major issues with addressing the issues that White Dwarf has is that it would mean that GW would have to actually address their problems as an actual company. The main problem is that WD represents what GW is these days, a bloated dinosaur that's scavenging on old, dying mediums with little actual content.

*sigh* I wish there was an effective way og giving them this feedback. Here's an idea why don't they employ people to go on forums like this and see what people that play the game actually see/want. Of course they need to be intelligent enough to separate good stuff from BS.

Some of the answers have made me lol- pictures of faeces-lol,,

But seriously..

1. Put material in it that makes it almost 'necessary' to purchase. Rules, expantions, etc etc. Yup. Necessary. I said it.

2.Price reduction. GFC anyone? You luxury-market, fascist scum, leeching cash off Plastic/Pewter/resin addicts?? A plague upon your Buttocks!(And yes, as a Tax approved subsidised Advertisement-they get a Tax write-off)

3.A monthly comic strip.

3.

Free minis on the front, like when I started buying the thing. That was the single greatest thing about WD.

Good point well made Tek.

Ok, bare with me here....
Last time I was into the game was back before the mid 90's. Space Wolves just came out and I started collected them (such a fool I was haha). At this time I was getting every white dwarf that popped up. I really liked it for some reason.

I started 40k again in Jan 2010 and started with Eldar. I bought my first white dwarf this month, issue 366. Why? It had ELDAR in it. NEW ELDAR!! NEW RULES!! The last time I bought WD was over 15 years ago!

Will I buy another WD? NO!! I dont think the mag is bad and it gets a lot of grief where I think it shouldnt. But as an Eldar player its just not worth the $$$. Too many armies, not enough pages I guess.

My changes?
Use the mag for new stuff. New, new, new. Including how to paint them. Add player stuff as well.
Make an Internet site for the more useless stuff like battle reports and adds.

I want the obsession with pushing LOTR to stop for one thing. I cancelled my subscription 2 years ago because about half the magazine was dedicated to that game. The lack of anything relevant to me during the LOTR issues made having a subscription useless; I just ended up pitching all the LOTR issues. Was more cost effective for me to buy the few issues that were worthwhile from the stand than to have a subscription anymore.

Give some attention to their specialist games, like epic! There's only so many battlereports you can read, even about 40K and Fantasy before you long for something more...