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Welcome to this Orcs in the Webbe magazine review in which we look at a current generally available gaming magazine and provide for your perusal a mini review of each of the articles in said magazine with a general leaning towards it’s usefulness for Flintloque and other Blackpowder fantasy wargame players. Today we cast our glance at the big D, the September issue (#357) of Games Workshop's White Dwarf (WD). Now WD is not a magazine I usually pick up anymore having left most things GW behind long ago but tempted by the looming presence of Space Hulk 3rd Edition and the main feature in this month's issue I picked up a copy and thought I may as well review it for Written Matters. So the question is, is there anything in the big D for blackpowder wargamers. Well, yes there is, but not that much.... * Disclaimer - Everything below is my opinion and my opinion only. It does not represent anyone else at all, no companies, no corporations just me. I do not intend to start any flame wars here and I am not intending to insult anyone or thier gaming habits. The main thing to bear in mind is that this review is for Blackpowder fantasy wargamers. I also have credited article authors where it was clear but WD does not have 'bylines' as such. *
The new releases section at the front of the magazine details the new releases from GW's sculpting people. This months selection does have a few lovely miniatures but I can't help thinking they're somewhat overpriced. This month there's nothing that leaps off the page as being of specific use in Blackpowder wargames. One thing which did catch my eye though was GW's new basing kit. I think this is a splendid idea for the novice wargamer but at £12 it seems a bit expensive, however I'll reserve full judgement until I see one. Now, on to the articles... Space Hulk Feature The reason I bought the magazine. Being the first in house magazine after the release of Space Hulk 3rd Edition it's expected to get a lot of coverage and at nearly forty pages it gets it. The article itself has design notes on the new version of the game, design notes on the extremely nice new miniatures, a full mission report of the first scenario in the mission book and a very detailed painting article (using 32 different Citadel paints) featuring one of the marines. However apart from bits of the painting article and maybe scenario ideas from some of the background fluff there is little of use here for the Blackpowder fantasy gamer. Between a Rok and a Hard Place This ten page feature is the second part of a series of articles on a GW studio campaign using the splendid looking Planetary Empires campaign tile system. The tile product itself is well reviewed elsewhere on the web but in this article you can really see how it could be used for a Blackpowder Winter campaign (Deadloque / Flintloque: Death in the Snow anyone?). The plot blurb and follow up session report are littered with little tidbits to inspire gamers of all systems including Blackpowder fantasy gamers. Double Trouble A nice article about the concept of 'doubles' games in the GW world, that is battles with two players per side. Now whilst I doubt the idea of multiple player scenarios or battles is new to any Blackpowder wargamer it's a nice reminder of what's possible. Sadly after such a good concept there is very little meat on the bones of this six page article. However this may be because it's a follow up to the introduction of GW doubles back in a previous issue of WD. Heroes of Catachan by Robin Cruddace A background fluff piece on two Warhammer 40'000 (WH40K) miniatures released last month. As always with GW it's a nicely written bit of fluff which could easily be adapted to a Blackpowder skirmish character or battlefield commander especially if the roleplaying side of wargaming is your thing (which it is very much for me). Also contained within the fluff is inspiration for many skirmish scenarios. Whilst reading it I came up with a quick idea of a battle hardened veteran Ryfleorc carrying a wounded comrade across a tabletop swarming with Ferach enemies and natural hazards, and that idea came from just one sentence in the original article. Waaagh! Azhag A three page background piece on what I think is an over priced miniature that's not all that great. Once again there's a little inspiration in the fluff but not much. Clash of the Champions A twenty page Warhammer Fantasy Battle report which being all mechanics and system specific tactics offers little for the Blackpowder gamer.
Standard Bearer - Battlefield Challenges by Jervis Johnson A brilliant article on the virtues of using scenarios in wargaming. It has some excellent tips on how to create a scenario. This article is of great use to any wargamer and even has a point or two for those who already use scenarios in thier wargames. Battlefield Challenges - Forced March by Jervis Johnson Following on from the introduction of battlefield challenges comes a two page scenario with a clever new mechanism that can be used for any system in any period. I'm going to give it a go with a small Albion Orc force against a Ferach patrol.
James Karch's Ultramarines And rounding off this months issue is a two page spotlight on a very well painted WH40K army which is very nice indeed but there's nothing here for Blackpowder wargamers. In Conclusion So WD this month is not really a must buy for Blackpowder gamers but that is mostly due to the feature article being on Space Hulk. The Jervis Johnson articles are really really good but at £1.12 a page I'm not sure if that would swing it for me had I not been interested in the Space Hulk article.
Craig Andrews
September 2009 |
