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Hey guys,

Thought people would be interested to know that a new, quarterly miniature wargaming and board game magazine launched last weekend at the UK Games Expo

https://www.facebook.com/tabletopgamingmagazine/timeline



I got hold of a copy at the event, priced at £5, the first issue is essentially an index/compendium of a lot of the currently available/popular wargame and board games.
Each game has a write-up, usually a couple of paragraphs which detail the content and thoughts about the game, some games have more detailed multi-page information, interviews with the game writers and the like and even a battle report. That's also a directory at the back of the magazine of retailers which is useful.

I had a chat with the editor at the show, he said basically he was compiling a list of games for his club and realised that there was no single source which compiled the info all together, or current magazines that had a broad reach over the wider hobby of wargames/board game crossover. As such, the first mag is very much a compendium of current releases - I assume going forward for future issues the magazine will cover new releases as they arrive.

Blurb from the website

Whether it’s simple card games or complicated strategy titles with hundreds of detailed miniatures, tabletop gaming has been going through a renaissance over the past couple of years. Thanks to crowd funding websites like Kickstarter, dozens of new tabletop games are joining established products like Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne or Ticket to Ride.

Tabletop Gaming: 101 Top Tabletop Games aims to bring the new and the more established games together in a special 164-page guide that’s great for newcomers wanting to get into the hobby or gamers looking for interviews/features on their favourite tabletop games. With detailed listings of 80 titles along with larger in-depth features on 21 top titles, hobby tips and regional guides to club and shops, Tabletop Gaming: 101 Top Tabletop Games will be an indispensible reference for this increasingly popular past-time.

All-in-all I would probably say this is an essential purchase for any wargaming/board game hobbyist - certainly there are quite a few games in here, especially on the board-game side that I didn't know about, and the writing quality and style is solid (I know this is the big concern with Ravage magazine). Overall, would probably rate at about a 9/10 on the toilet-read scaleometer!

Is there an electronic version?

It looks really cool but I don't understand the physical-only magazine angle? Seems like a very strange decision for 2015. I'd take a look but I can't...

Ah, it seems I may have jumped the gun a bit with this as it's not actually on general release yet.

Info from the comments on their FB page:
- Apparently it goes on 'general sale' on June 19th. There will be distribution outside the UK.
- There is a digital version coming also, it doesn't mention a date

How would you rate it against war games illustrated?

Kirasu bingo up a valid point thouh, and with the many blogs and Bow how will they compete?

It's looking awfully lot like a glossy or PC gaming rag

Tyron wrote:
How would you rate it against war games illustrated?

Kirasu bingo up a valid point thouh, and with the many blogs and Bow how will they compete?

It's very different to Wargames Illustrated, other than they are both covering the same industry I guess. Firstly the format (this is quarterly, WGI is monthly), this is more of a compendium of wargames/board games on sale. As there are a hell of a lot more board games than there are miniature wargames being released, the ratio is probably 1:2 or even 1:3 in terms of the coverage. Also this mag covers almost everything within the industry, WGI is almost entirely historical (although I realise they have started to cover more cult sci-fi and steam punk since their ownership changed).

Re. the second point, I think there is room for both. Certainly, I enjoy reading journalism from people who are paid to do it well, photos that are taken in a studio, and a well presented magazine. Not to say that blogs can't be these things (and there have certainly been bad magazines) and blogs have a whole host of advantages, but in this case it's a professional final product and I think definitely worth the £5.

 BrookM wrote:
It's looking awfully lot like a glossy or PC gaming rag

Yarp. I would've preferred they went with a slightly different, more original look. Oh well, you know what they say about judging books by covers. (Even though the cover can sometimes be right on the money. )

 BrookM wrote:
It's looking awfully lot like a glossy or PC gaming rag

Yup, that was my first thought. Although I'd have jumped on the idea of a magazine like that years ago personally, I'm not sure how much success they'll have. I wish them the best and would buy an issue to check it out if I saw it at least once but the model they seem to be basing themselves on (video game print magazines) has been struggling for years with several long term ones going under.

With the resurgence of board games, I think they've got a shot.

Outside of places like Board Game Geek, where can people go regularly to look for board gaming/ war gaming info?

There are nowhere near as many mega sites for table games as there are for electronic ones.

It definitely looks like something I'd pick up at the book store if I'm killing time waiting for my wife to finish shopping.

Seen first issue, definitely a market as long as the variety continues to exist. Sure, there are sites but most places are going for nauseatingly bad video blogs and reviews. I want to read text and see pictures, not listen to mostly rambling speech fishing for hits. Plus this will get more people into the hobby and into more variety of games.

Quality of content is the key, videogame magazines died because the scope of content moves too fast for print, not so for wargaming and board games.

 TwilightSparkles wrote:
Sure, there are sites but most places are going for nauseatingly bad video blogs and reviews. I want to read text and see pictures, not listen to mostly rambling speech fishing for hits. Plus this will get more people into the hobby and into more variety of games.

Agreed, I'd much rather read about than have some gakker smack his gobs all the time, wildly gesturing to get a point across, uhm-ing and ah-ing, getting sidetracked masturbating about how good he is at "product x" or the like.

I'm keeping an eye out for this mag, though seeing as it is a quarterly thing, it makes me wonder just how widespread it will be outside of the UK and maybe the US if they aim that high.

A lot of those quarterly UK specialist magazines do tend to filter in to American bookstore chains- our Barnes & Noble store regularly carries the video game ones, as well as nature ones my son continues to nag me for despite their outrageous (American) price tag.

I am also happy to see I'm not the only one who despises video reviews and would much prefer reading things. Maybe we're a dieing breed?

It always blows my mind how insistent Board Game Geek members are that new Kickstarter games have some sort of video presentation or its not worth looking at.

Preposterous! Give me text and photo examples of gampelay and I'll make up my mind within 5 minutes!

Hope to pick it up... will it be out in W.H. Smiths?

Having a look at their facebook, it looks like both physical and digital versions will be out on the 19th.

That's correct, it's released in the UK today

https://www.facebook.com/tabletopgamingmagazine

Good news everyone! You can now sign up for the Tabletop Gaming e-newsletter to get the latest info about the magazine http://on.fb.me/1Bg37Kk

And don't forgot the first issue will be in stores this Friday! Look out for it in WHSmiths, Forbidden Planet and various other newsagents.

Managed to pick one up today...

Good Points

- There is a lot of written material and most of it is pretty interesting (though some of the info you may well have picked up already via Dakka!)
- 101 games covered in this issue so you really get a feel for what's out there at the moment
- Lots of interviews with game designers (including a few familiar faces) talking about the processes involved in game development

Bad Points

- While the articles are interesting, many of them are either interviewers with the creators (who are pushing the product) or fans (who are pushing the product). I'd like to see different aspects of the games covered in the future.
- The one battle report was a bit amateurish both in terms of presentation and write up.

Availability

- If you want a hard copy, it's bloody hard to find. Eventually found one in Winchester W.H.Smiths having tried 3 other branches previously. Try larger branches and you may find it tucked in amongst the computer games magazines (as opposed to the wargames / hobby section).

Verdict - Potential for a brilliant games mag here. Needs to go into greater depth on some of the games next issue though.

Ah, Forbidden Planet! That'll do.

(No WHSmiths round here no more)

 Flashman wrote:

Verdict - Potential for a brilliant games mag here. Needs to go into greater depth on some of the games next issue though.

That's my feeling as well. First issue is pretty much a compendium of what games are out there, pretty useful - there are a couple of new games I'm going to pick up after reading about them in the mag.

Hopefully second issue onwards is going to be more of a focus on new releases, like you say a bit of a more professional battle report, and some proper bits of journalism (the examination and history of the UK games industry sounds hopeful).

Ahahaha, £5.25 for the mag and £5 for shipping? Chances of this one popping up around here are slim to nil.

It looks like they now have the digital issue available for download, might be a better option !

http://pocketmags.com/viewmagazine.aspx?catid=1039&category=Tech+%26+Gaming&subcatid=241&subcategory=Gaming&title=Tabletop+Gaming&titleid=2786&issueid=99663

Looks interesting, unfortunately I doubt that my local WHSmiths would stock it. :(

My local WHSmiths had plenty in stock although as noted earlier, it was in the Computing section for some reason - I expect the Smiths stockists just saw the 'Gaming' bit and ignored the 'Tabletop' part.

Anyway, a solid effort. The run-down of the pantheon of gaming was of interest although hopefully next issue delves into a bit more detail. It says the next issue is out in November and is quarterly so not sure how well that will help grown a readership though - its an awful long time to wait for the next issue. I will probably have forgotten about it by the time the next issue rolls out.

Yeah that does sound a bit problematic.

Might try and grab it anyway.

Thanks all !

Sounds like I might need to track it down.. wonder if its still available from Menezies.

Pacific has probably doubled their sales for this month I'd never have seen it if he hadn't given it a Dakka promo (and even then, it was an epic quest to find a copy).

I wonder if W.H. Smith's have messed up the launch to be honest. First it is completely absent from some pretty big stores (not a sign of it in the Southampton branch) and where they have put it out, they shoved it in the computing section

Tabletop Gaming magazine issue 1 reviewed by Kilkrazy

Tabletop Gaming is a new magazine just published (mid-July 2015) in the UK, by Warners Group Publications plc.
This is not a company I am familiar with however a quick Google revealed they do a wide range of niche magazines (Motorhome Monthly) as well as third party publishing services, which means in-flight magazines and the like.

This is reassuring as the title is not a self-published triumph of hope over reality. The editor and his team have managed to convince a well-established company that the project is worth investment.

The editor is Rob Burman, whose qualifications for the role are that he is a keen gamer across a number of genres including boardgames and miniature wargames, and helps run a club that supports all these formats. The inspiration for the magazine is to cover the wide variety of games that modern players may indulge in. I myself have historical and SF miniature armies, as well as X-Wing, Super Dungeon Explore and a collection of boardgames ranging from Twilight Imperium III to Carcassone, so I fully understand the concept and I think it will have a lot of resonance with gamers.

The mag is perfect bound with 162 pages plus cover, and contains lots of colour pics. The layout is mostly nice and clean though the MTG pages have been printed on black. The only complaint I have is that the point size of the type is rather small and I find it difficult reading. That said, I am 53 and have an appointment this coming Friday for a new prescription of reading spectacles, so I am sure younger readers will be fine. On the plus side, the small text shows the writers have a lot to say on their topics. Whether that will play against the post-literate style of modern life remains to be seen. At any rate, if you buy this mag there are many hours of reading material in it.

Contents
The 'new games' section contains previews of Guild Wars, Halo Fleet Battles and Terminator Genisys. These get four or five pages each.

The bulk of the issue is reviews of about 75 older games including classics like Carcassone and Descent but also new titles like Star Wars: Imperial Assault. These are half a page each and give you a basic outline of the game. While many of the older titles are perhaps played out with the hardcore audience, I think there is value in introducing them to newcomers. Perhaps future issues will contain expanded reviews and strategy guides for the best titles.

10 games are examined in more depth in this issue; these include Ticket to Ride, a classic family style game, and Super Dungeon Explore, a crossover 3D miniatures boardgame title that is about three years old now and has spawned a series of expansions. SDE is given five pages, allowing a lot more to be covered, and also has a competition to win one of the recent expansions.

To leaven this review based dough there are nine interviews with people involved in various aspects of gaming: Rick Priestley on Gates of Antares; Lorien Green, a documentary maker, on how Settlers of Catan has become a breakthrough 'serious' boardgame in the USA; and Keith Wilson, a champion X-Wing player, are three very different aspects of the hobby and make for interesting reading at five pages each.

There are also short pieces on Salute 2015 and Insomnia 54. The rest of the mag is rounded out with a Hobby Tips article, pictorially based with Andy Deighton from Deathwatch Studios giving advice on painting Deadzone Plague troops, plus a club and shop directory and of course advertising.

If you are principally a miniature gamer or modeller/painter, there is not very much here to interest you. The interview on Planetfall (Spartan Games) is good, and the preview of Halo Fleet Battles introduces a pre-painted game similar to Star Wars Armada. However you will of course find several hardcore miniature games magazines already on the market, and the editor is well advised not to compete head to head with those. I hope, though, that future issues will continue ot have figure gaming pieces to attract the attention of people who might not otherwise have been interested in them.

There is even less for traditional hex map wargamers, a category that has been undergoing a minor renaissance in recent years. I would admit it is a very specialist area, though.

This issue admirably succeeds in presenting a wide view of the hobby overall, and especially the lighter type of boxed games that require less assembly, painting and rule-learning than the classical miniature wargame. These are the so-called 'gateway' games that attract people away from Monopoly and ease them on to much more substantial stuff that eventually can lead to involvement in the more time-consuming areas of figure based games.

I picked up my copy from Forbidden Planet in central London, for £5.25.

Good Review, thanks! I reckon I'll pick it up.

 TwilightSparkles wrote:
Seen first issue, definitely a market as long as the variety continues to exist. Sure, there are sites but most places are going for nauseatingly bad video blogs and reviews. I want to read text and see pictures, not listen to mostly rambling speech fishing for hits. Plus this will get more people into the hobby and into more variety of games.

Quality of content is the key, videogame magazines died because the scope of content moves too fast for print, not so for wargaming and board games.

Mean Machines should never have cut Mean Yob. That was the start of the end.

Well the digital version is also a fiver, though you need to download the Pocket Mags app to get to it. The magazine does look very nice, though the pages flicker horribly when you scroll through, so they have some work to do there.

Yes, that's the best thing I could say about it really - it's worth a fiver!

Flashman wrote:Pacific has probably doubled their sales for this month I'd never have seen it if he hadn't given it a Dakka promo (and even then, it was an epic quest to find a copy).

Haha, well I just thought it would be something a lot of people here would be interested in.

(I'm also a big fan of professional journalism and quality publications in general, in this field and others, think they could benefit from any support!)

 monders wrote:
Good Review, thanks! I reckon I'll pick it up.

 TwilightSparkles wrote:
Seen first issue, definitely a market as long as the variety continues to exist. Sure, there are sites but most places are going for nauseatingly bad video blogs and reviews. I want to read text and see pictures, not listen to mostly rambling speech fishing for hits. Plus this will get more people into the hobby and into more variety of games.

Quality of content is the key, videogame magazines died because the scope of content moves too fast for print, not so for wargaming and board games.

Mean Machines should never have cut Mean Yob. That was the start of the end.

Great to meet another fan of that awesome magazine