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I just couldn't take it anymore. I bought the Dark Vengeance release issue, and I'm glad I did, even though most of the content was crap. the blood crusher issue was terrible. The new features are like the bare minimum of effort, and this last issue was just the straw that broke the camel's back. I had to write the editor.

As a longtime fan of White Dwarf is was a bit annoyed to see the painting guide for The Hobbit figures in White Dwarf, as well as the lack of improvements to the magazine under the new White Dwarf team.

I just picked up a copy of the latest White Dwarf today, when I saw your painting guide for painting the figures from The Hobbit starter set. It provides a few token paint chips and says, and I quote:

"It isn't a comprehensive list of paints, but it's certainly enough to get you started."

Clearly I thought I was picking up a well-written hobby magazine with useful information in it. Obviously I was mistaken. How silly of me to expect an in-depth painting guide in the hobby magazine I just paid TEN DOLLARS for. No, I much prefer a few token paint chips and feth-all for painting advice.

Even worse, the painting information for the goblins is flat-out wrong, as it shows the goblins with an Reikland Fleshshade (brown) shading, rather than the purple shading the official studio figures have.

Bad show Jes, bad show.

I expect we'll actually get a full painting guide next month? Or any painting guide at all? The content provided in Paint Splatter is a far cry from the in-depth coverage Inquisitor figures received, back in the day. Although this was from before your time at the mag, now that I think about it, we also never got any painting guides for Grôblog, King of the Deeps, or Ashrak the Spiderkin either.

I thought White Dwarf was supposed to get better with the new staff? The new features seem to be largely comprised of pictures of already-painted figures from office staff and the internet, and some waffling from The Rivals and a token Battle Report. Blanchitsu is a welcome addition to the magazine though.

Your rival No Quarter magazine certainly never seems to be short on in-depth painting and hobby articles, and is light on the "We took a picture of it" photo-articles.

In the meantime, you may want to flip through White Dwarf back issues from when Lord of the Rings was first released, they contain much more in-depth painting guides, covering every portion of the model and proving paint color information for each. You could do worse, for this supposedly new-and-improved White Dwarf.


I've got WD's going back to the 90s (in issue number, not year) and I think this will be the last issue I buy. WD has been so terrible for so long and the new WD team hasn't improved anything. I'm flipping through the store copy from here on out

--Chris
www.chrisvalera.com

Let us know if you get any kind of reply.

Was it just me or was the article on the two gamers trash talking their Nobs and Space Wolves units to one another in last months magazine and this months? Thats something that really annoyed me when I opened up the mag after paying and I think GW might have some explaining to do there aswell or had I missed something? (by the way, the article was word for word, page for page as I recall when I compared them.)

Good idea with the letter, but there might have been too much sarcasm, or atleast thats what came across to me.

Unfortunately, as soon as you swore in that letter, it gave them an excuse to bin it. If you want them to take you seriously, at least act like an adult. There was no need for that at all.

A letter of cursing sarcasm. I'm sure you'll get an immediate response and things will instantly change for the better.

Good Luck.

The painting guide is ideal for newbies and those just getting on the hobbit bandwagon, which is GW's market now.

I stopped buying WD 10 or so years ago when it became obvious who GW's target had become.

I've always wanted to know, since most everyone agree that White Dwarf "has become terrible", when exactly was that "Golden era" when it was good? Because seriously I've read complaints of WD sucking "these days" since at least 1988.

Good idea and all, but the swearing is not going to help your cause at all. I, like a a lot of Dakkaites, stopped buying WD a looooong time ago. I just flick through every copy at my local news agents or borrow my lil bro's copy.

If you really wanted a change, you maybe should have stopped buying WD a few years back. Kudos for sticking with it and all, I bought my first copy in 1993, and have watched it go downhill slowly since around 2000. Shame, but there you go....

As an aside, this is the first ever copy I bought...




Automatically Appended Next Post:

Backfire wrote:
I've always wanted to know, since most everyone agree that White Dwarf "has become terrible", when exactly was that "Golden era" when it was good? Because seriously I've read complaints of WD sucking "these days" since at least 1988.

It was a great source of inspiration and had some genuinely talented writers back in the early to late 90's. People like Andy Chambers, Ian Pickstock, Gav Thorpe and Rick Priestley all made the magazine a great read. They came across in their writing as people who really loved the hobby and the company that employed them. Thats what made it a great magazine....

That's the first one I ever bought too!

@OP : Also worth mentioning that you had the US issue if you're writing an email to the UK - the UK and US issues often have different content.

 chris_valera wrote:
Screw White Dwarf reviews, I just wrote a complaint to White Dwarf Editor Jes Bickham

Pfft! Hater.

If you don't like it just stop playing.

Good to know that I am still not losing out on anything after I stopped buying WD (two years ago?).

I wrote a similar letter of complaint just before the "new and improved" editions and then stopped buying the magazine altogether.

It's not the editors fault, he's being told to put out this bland soulless crap.

To be fair I doubt the editor gets called into a room and told "You must put out bland crap!"

Anyway, WD being bad (or still bad as the case may be) isn't the worst part. It's the people who were sucked in by the flashy new paper and big photos saying the 'new' WD is 'better' that I find disturbing. It's a little too "sheep like" for me.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
To be fair I doubt the editor gets called into a room and told "You must put out bland crap!"

Lol, maybe not, but I suspect he is given some direction over content (or lack thereof) i.e. "Don't put any more detailed painting guides in. We want people to buy the painting guide book and pay for ipad painting guide downloads."

I agree that more detailed painting guides (as well as some comprehensive terrain building articles) would make the magazine better, but - as has already been mentioned - there is a certain target market that GW have been directing their products at for many a year now.

WD is essentially a monthly catalogue of GW's products, with pretty pictures to entice you to purchase their latest offerings. It offers some articles/battle reports beyond this, but that's about it. Blanchitsu for me is certainly a welcome addition, however.

I - like many before me - would love to see more modelling/painting/tactics articles. Come on WD team!

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
To be fair I doubt the editor gets called into a room and told "You must put out bland crap!"

Anyway, WD being bad (or still bad as the case may be) isn't the worst part. It's the people who were sucked in by the flashy new paper and big photos saying the 'new' WD is 'better' that I find disturbing. It's a little too "sheep like" for me.

I do agree with this, the biggest problem that I can see with the 'new look' WD is that it's become an even bigger catalogue of "NEW, SHINY WANT!" than it's ever been.. And that makes me sad
The lack of actual articles is extremely telling, it just smacks of journalistic lazyness to me. I used to read, that's READ, a copy of WD over a nice long cup of tea or three. The chances of me doing that now is almost zero....Damn shame.

 Flashman wrote:


It's not the editors fault, he's being told to put out this bland soulless crap.

Yes right. I've been reading through the latest edition also. Absolutely, absolutely terrible. It's just so awful on so many levels.

I've thought about writing a break-down and analysis of each component of the mag, specifying why it is so appalling. But, ultimately I know it will fall on deaf ears, and it's not going to do anything at all to change the kind of business culture that this attempt at journalism springs from.

Loads of pertinent points, I agree with all of them... But honestly..

Mate, I fething love swearing, but sarcasm and swearing in a letter to an editor?

If he doesn't reply, you lot will crucify him, but have some integrity and be honest, would you send a well thought out reply to that?

If some fether sends me a letter filled with cutting sarcasm and swear words, then he's basically getting fethed off.

And really, can you blame him?

I'd suggest rejigging the wording, cutting the insults and then resending it.

Agree completely, a polite and well thought out approach will usually get you much further and at least your points considered. Although I think in this case the complaints will just be ignored/not understood.

Therefore, why not, you may as well just go the whole 9-yards and send a photo-copy of your arse, with the note 'just returning the compliment'.

 Mr. Burning wrote:
The painting guide is ideal for newbies and those just getting on the hobbit bandwagon, which is GW's market now.

Except it's useless for newbies too. It's just a photo of the figure and an incomplete list of some of the colours used. Nothing that can't be worked out from a glance at the box.

 sarpedons-right-hand wrote:

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
To be fair I doubt the editor gets called into a room and told "You must put out bland crap!"

Anyway, WD being bad (or still bad as the case may be) isn't the worst part. It's the people who were sucked in by the flashy new paper and big photos saying the 'new' WD is 'better' that I find disturbing. It's a little too "sheep like" for me.

I do agree with this, the biggest problem that I can see with the 'new look' WD is that it's become an even bigger catalogue of "NEW, SHINY WANT!" than it's ever been.. And that makes me sad
The lack of actual articles is extremely telling, it just smacks of journalistic lazyness to me. I used to read, that's READ, a copy of WD over a nice long cup of tea or three. The chances of me doing that now is almost zero....Damn shame.

No journalists have ever been hurt in the production of WD.

Hence no exposes of Priestly and Chambers Cocaine addictions. No 'Kirby gaks in each batch of molten finecast' shocks.

Before GW sold walls with skulls on™ It was a hobby mag, there was some relevant content. Now GW is about kids, new entrants and shifting everything with skulls on, the content reflects this.

 Pacific wrote:

Therefore, why not, you may as well just go the whole 9-yards and send a photo-copy of your arse, with the note 'just returning the compliment'.

I may just do that. I'll title it "Your Christmas pressed ham."

Herzlos wrote:

 Mr. Burning wrote:
The painting guide is ideal for newbies and those just getting on the hobbit bandwagon, which is GW's market now.

Except it's useless for newbies too. It's just a photo of the figure and an incomplete list of some of the colours used. Nothing that can't be worked out from a glance at the box.

Shh, the noobs will become aware.

Incidentally, can someone send me Jes' email, I've been meaning to point out what an insult the magazine has become, and mine has long since been binned.

Herzlos wrote:
Incidentally, can someone send me Jes' email, I've been meaning to point out what an insult the magazine has become, and mine has long since been binned.

I think this is it dontcare@games-workshop.com

You have some good points, but your presentation is pretty bad.

You want to go back, and take your notch down a bit on this one, or "File 13" is the only thing that is going to get this one's attention.

A well thought out complaint letter, along with you sending back the White Dwarf would have done better for you.

 Mr. Burning wrote:
Before GW sold walls with skulls on™ It was a hobby mag, there was some relevant content.

Oh, this is the quote of the week, if not month! You, Sir, made my day!

doesnt surprise me.

i watched their how to paint citadel minis DVD and man it was bad.

they do a whole section on "clip models from the sprue". and another on "remove mold lines with the citadel mold line remover"

they talk slow as if the viewer is a total idiot. it's directed towards ten yearolds.

if you want indepth follow the top guys that paint for GD and high level commission-check their websites for tutorials. but maybe that will be too indepth when you see that they glaze a small surface on the mini with 8 different colours lol.

or many of the youtube channels about mini painting are much better.

Someone had to tell 'em!

I really think they have ruint a perfectly good magazine, like I used to get excited at the thought of looking through my new WD. Now it's just: "What's this crap? Did I really just buy this?"

 Mr. Burning wrote:
The painting guide is ideal for newbies and those just getting on the hobbit bandwagon, which is GW's market now.

I stopped buying WD 10 or so years ago when it became obvious who GW's target had become.

GW are just about completely neglecting long time players now, only really caring for newer players. The shops also seem to have also lost the special... "thing" that made them who they were, now.... they are merely a Carphone Warehouse who sell miniatures :(