Sunday, February 2, 2014

Review: White Dwarf Weekly

Yesterday morning I trotted into Games Workshop Wellington, leaving my Doomwheel in a nearby carpark, and picked up a copy of the new White Dwarf Weekly.


The cost of this little beauty is $7.00 (or the price of a Paint Pot) which equates to GBP3.50 or USD5.75 for overseas reader. In effect against the monthly White Dwarf price of $14.50, the new monthly outlay equates to a 100% price rise for the same number of pages.

That said, I want to like this magazine. It is 36 pages long (including heavier card cover) in the same size as the re-launched old "new" White Dwarf. The layout is very similar to the previous magazine covering upcoming releases - in this case next week's Dwarfs. You get the normal puff pieces spruiking the new models with close ups of painted versions. Entirely what you'd expect. Plaint Splatter articles on how to paint the new kits plus Designer Notes (I always like them).There are also some rules; this issue you hear about some stunty who is trying (vainly it seems) to turn around milleniums' losses to Skaven and Goblins.

Last month's Tyranids are pushed - funny they try to tell you that they are a new gaming powerhouse terrorising the tables. The internet has it wrong apparently. This follows a bizarre column from Jervois Johnson where he provides pre-game scouting rules that look like they suffer from a sub-editor's need to cut word count. Finally, and I kid you not, there is a two page article - with higher wordcount than the entire issue of Warhammer Visions - on how to use plastic glue.

So not a wonderful issue in terms of depth of content. I'd estimate that it provided a 30-40 minute read all up. However I really like the concept. I think it has legs and am prepared to give it 6-7 issues to see how it develops before I finalise my opinion on it. If the Jervois article, glueing tips and the "tactics" discussion improve then I'll see a regular purchase as worthwhile.

And no, it didn't provide GW with any add on sales.

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