Official April 2012 White Dwarf (USA 387, UK 388 etc) Feedback Thread

[Wintermute]

Its time for yet another White Dwarf Feedback thread, this time for the April 2012 issue (US 387, UK 388 etc).

If any of you wish to make more general comments about WD, please will you make them in the General White Dwarf Feedback Thread.

I would like to make a couple of other requests. If you post the score you have given to the current WD on the thread, would you please explain why especially if you have voted 1 or 10. I think this is useful (and interesting) for other WarSeer members reading the thread, it also provides useful feedback for others who read the thread which may include GW Staffers.

The other request is related to the previous one. Do not criticise people for posting their score and views about WD, I believe we are all entitled to voice our opinions without the the fear of them being criticised.

As always, all off-topic posts and spam will be deleted without notice.

Wintermute
The WarSeer Inquisition

[Autumn Leaves]

I havent purchased a white dwarf since 2006.
It is currently nothing more than a flimsy advertising rag compared to it's heydays of old when it gave the customer so much more than a bunch of ads and poorly written copy that is spread too thin across the pages.
It's lazy and dull.

[Chaos and Evil]

It consistently surprises me how many adults come on warseer each month to complain about the quality of a magazine aimed squarely at children.

[IAMNOTHERE]

This month I found WD quite informative on all their new paints; particularly liked the death world rules - cool and fun.

[shelfunit.]

It consistently surprises me how many adults come on warseer each month to complain about the quality of a magazine aimed squarely at children.

It also suprises me that so many of these adults also gush about how great this catalogue is, especially considering any and all pictures of new releases (1/3 of the catalogue) can be found either on this site, or the GW site for free and a further 1/4 of the catalogue is telling you where you can buy said catalogue. Is it really so amazing to see "real" armies in WD? Can these things not be seen a hundred fold on sites like this? For children unable to gain access to the internet it may be useful, for adults it is only useful if caught short in the loo. Without a subscription it is a £54 a year Argos catalogue (with a £40/76 Argos catalogue). What "inspiration" can be gleaned from it that cannot be found on the internet?

[eldargal]

It sadly never surprises me how judgemental some people can be when someone actually enjoys a product they don't.

[Styles]

I was disapointed as I was keen to find out about the Empire new rules and what changes we could see in the army and why. All I got instead was tonnes of photos of models screaming buy this! Seeing the new paints was interesting but a bit over the top, also disapointed none of the new paints have the same name if they are the same colour as the old ones. The Tyranid vs Space Wolf battle was a bit rubbish, but good to see people getting to use their own armies (even though I am sure they only got to use them as they are in the how to paint book GW are pushing), shame the Tyranids were not a made up colour scheme. I did not see the point of new rules for 40K if we know a new 40K is just a few months away. Overall poor 2/10

[shelfunit.]

It sadly never surprises me how judgemental some people can be when someone actually enjoys a product they don't.

What is enjoyable about it? You can see the paints - great, you can do that online. You can see rigged/fake annotated battle photographs (they are no longer reports) - you get real accounts and moderately sane troop choices on countless pages of the internet. You see pages and pages and pages of new releases - again on the internet both here, and their own website. You get a quarter of the entire catalogue dedicated to how to find a GW wherever you are in the world - a truely spectacular waste of space.
On a serious note - do we know what the Worldwide circulation of WD is?

[Spider-pope]

What is enjoyable about it? You can see the paints - great, you can do that online. You can see rigged/fake annotated battle photographs (they are no longer reports) - you get real accounts and moderately sane troop choices on countless pages of the internet. You see pages and pages and pages of new releases - again on the internet both here, and their own website. You get a quarter of the entire catalogue dedicated to how to find a GW wherever you are in the world - a truely spectacular waste of space.
On a serious note - do we know what the Worldwide circulation of WD is?

5 pages is a quarter of a 120 page magazine? Read battle reports online, sure, but for every decent one there is an illegible rant about nothing. Great painting online, sure, but for every great project log theres a terrible one like my own (:P). And sometimes it's nice to see glossy pictures of new releases, sans endless commentary about how every new thing is terrible and the end of western civilisation as we know it.

I buy it still for a number of reasons. Sometimes you'll get a cracking masterclass. Sometimes you'll get an amusing article or a nifty set of rules. I also have borderline OCD when it comes to collecting things, so if i stopped buying it i'd have to never buy a copy again as a gap in my collection would drive me crazy.

And finally, most importantly: I can't take the internet and read it on the toilet. White Dwarf may not be as great as it once was, but its still entertaining enough to flick through on the loo.

[eldargal]

Some issues are qutie enjoyable, others are terrible. This months issue was average, in my opinion. I enjoyed the Empire section mildly, I enjoyed the paint section a lot mroe than I expected. I liked the Civil War and Death world supplement things. What I really enjoyed was seeing ten hobbyists in my club who previously lacked confidence in painting and were relatively uninterested in it as a result poring over three issues between them talking excitedly about the new paints and the four step painting guides. I'm not sure why but seeing those guides with the brush size, base and layer paints and whatnot all laid out before them seemed to strike a chord. That enthusiasm for painting alone warrants five points for the issue, to me.

Your opinion may differ, and that is, of course, fine. What I object to is the feigned consternation and bewilderment over the idea that anyone could like WD just because someone else doesn't, or the implication that there is some element of immaturity because it is aimed at 'kiddies'.

What is enjoyable about it? You can see the paints - great, you can do that online. You can see rigged/fake annotated battle photographs (they are no longer reports) - you get real accounts and moderately sane troop choices on countless pages of the internet. You see pages and pages and pages of new releases - again on the internet both here, and their own website. You get a quarter of the entire catalogue dedicated to how to find a GW wherever you are in the world - a truely spectacular waste of space.
On a serious note - do we know what the Worldwide circulation of WD is?

[Coasty]

Well, the paint job on those Empire wagony-things made me want to hurl, but WHFB is my wife's area and she loathes the Empire (seriously, it's a bit scary how much), so I was able to bypass that without too many lasting health effects.

The Deathworld rules are fun. Add in some rules and modelling ideas for murderous local fauna and you could have a rare old time with that.


I'll say a 6 (5 in general, +2 for new rules, -1 for robbing me of a perfectly good lunch that I'd only just finished).

[shelfunit.]

5 pages is a quarter of a 120 page magazine?

With all the other gumph at the end of the mag, yes a quarter.

Read battle reports online, sure, but for every decent one there is an illegible rant about nothing.

So a chance at getting a good one, or, buy the WD and get the other guarenteed. Tough choice.

Great painting online, sure, but for every great project log theres a terrible one like my own (:P).

I wasn't really referring to the guides - they are one of the few things that are not utter cack left. Just the bizzare gushing about having a vast swathe of pages dedicated to showing you some pots of paint. Having just popped onto your blog, your painting is pretty decent - the recent pics of beastmen and fimir need better lighting. I tell you now, if I had the choice between paying £4.50 to read WD, or the same to read your blog, WD would be left on the shelf.

And sometimes it's nice to see glossy pictures of new releases, sans endless commentary about how every new thing is terrible and the end of western civilisation as we know it.

All of which (as I already said) can be seen on the GW website, often in far greater (and 360 degree) detail, also "sans commentary".

I buy it still for a number of reasons. Sometimes you'll get a cracking masterclass. Sometimes you'll get an amusing article or a nifty set of rules. I also have borderline OCD when it comes to collecting things, so if i stopped buying it i'd have to never buy a copy again as a gap in my collection would drive me crazy.

Sometimes? you are paying £4.50 on the off chance you might get something worth reading? The boldened bit is one of the main reasons people collect it, like a lot of bad habits it is best to kick it though.

And finally, most importantly: I can't take the internet and read it on the toilet. White Dwarf may not be as great as it once was, but its still entertaining enough to flick through on the loo.

You can get a cheap net book for barely £100 nowadays - the (current) cost of IOB and an army book.

Some issues are qutie enjoyable, others are terrible. This months issue was average, in my opinion. I enjoyed the Empire section mildly, I enjoyed the paint section a lot mroe than I expected. I liked the Civil War and Death world supplement things. What I really enjoyed was seeing ten hobbyists in my club who previously lacked confidence in painting and were relatively uninterested in it as a result poring over three issues between them talking excitedly about the new paints and the four step painting guides. I'm not sure why but seeing those guides with the brush size, base and layer paints and whatnot all laid out before them seemed to strike a chord. That enthusiasm for painting alone warrants five points for the issue, to me.

Are you really trying to tell me that this WD was the only possible way these poor (what I can only assume to be) kids could get motivated to paint? Exactly how different was it to all the other dozens of previous WDs that had painting guides for all the new releases in them? A four step painting guide is fine and good, but how difficult is it to write on a bit of paper 1) Undercoat/base coat 2) Add colours 3) Add highlights 4) Add detail? This is tremendously basic stuff.

Your opinion may differ, and that is, of course, fine. What I object to is the feigned consternation and bewilderment over the idea that anyone could like WD just because someone else doesn't, or the implication that there is some element of immaturity because it is aimed at 'kiddies'.

It really isn't feigned. It's not a disbelief that someone could like, nay, in somecases fawn over WD as the greatest thing in print because I don't, it's because it is absolute trash on essentially every level. And you are paying for it.

[eldargal]

I don't know why they were so enthusiastic, something about the set-up just seemed to to thrill them. I thought it was interesting enough, but they loved it. Had I not seen it I probably woudl have given the issue a 3-4 but seeing how excited it made these boys to paint I gave it a six.

I don't see many people fawning over WD, to be honest. A lot of people just say they liked a particular issue then other people react in condescending disbelief. The statement that it is absolute trash is also false, some issues are, some issues are quite decent. They certainly aren't as good as they used to be, but I'm going to continue to rate the issues based on what they provide, not in comparison to some mythic apotheosis of White Dwarfiness.

[paddyalexander]

Without a subscription it is a £54 a year Argos catalogue (with a £40/76 Argos catalogue).

Please don't compare the steaming pile of <censored for those with week-medium constitutions> to the laminated book of dreams. Why is it laminated? To catch the tears of joy.

White Dwarfs' content used to be aimed at young adults. As a kid I would read it and not felt talked down to. As an adult I could read it & still enjoy the contents. I read two that were left in the restroom of a gaming store a few days ago while using the facilities. Both magazines together didn't have enough content to last 1 bowal movement. You speak of the content being poor but seriously if those two issues where anything to go by I seriously have to ask what content are you complaining about? Because there was none.

[Coasty]

some mythic apotheosis of White Dwarfiness.

Wasn't that the first issue where they did Space Wolves v. Tyranids?

[shelfunit.]

I'm going to continue to rate the issues based on what they provide, not in comparison to some mythic apotheosis of White Dwarfiness.

Go back further than a decade and you would realise there is no "myth" or looking back with "rose-tinted" anythings. You can read (yes, read, not skim) WDs from the 80's/90's and it takes several days to get through the content - despite being 33% smaller than todays offering. Now, a 30 minute flick through is all it takes to acquire whatever is printed there.

Please don't compare the steaming pile of <censored for those with week-medium constitutions> to the laminated book of dreams. Why is it laminated? To catch the tears of joy.

White Dwarfs' content used to be aimed at young adults. As a kid I would read it and not felt talked down to. As an adult I could read it & still enjoy the contents. I read two that were left in the restroom of a gaming store a few days ago while using the facilities. Both magazines together didn't have enough content to last 1 bowal movement. You speak of the content being poor but seriously if those two issues where anything to go by I seriously have to ask what content are you complaining about? Because there was none.

I can only appologise for comparing something as wordy and content filled as an Argos catalog to the spare roll that is current WD. Also I appologise for ridiculing the "content" of recent WDs - but I assure you the use of the term "content" is purely for a forum friendly word.

[lbecks]

My breakdown of the issue:

Big Empire picture spread on the inside cover. I like pictures that have different models standing next to each other.

Editorial/Table of contents. Editorial isn't very informative.

Citadel Paint Pictures! I like that they put the pictures of the pots in the magazine. They should probably evolve to pictures on white/black card. Those are the most useful.

3 pages of other paint related products like the book and paint sets.

Empire pictures! 4 pages for the Griffon alone. That's too much since Franz is on a whole lot of other pages on this magazine. Same thing for the other kits. There're a whole lot of pictures in the magazine so having double spreads of a lot of stuff isn't necessary.

2 more pages for SM transfers. 1 page for Black Library. Followed by a GW facebook ad. This thing should be in the back with the rest of the "GW store/community" stuff.

Big section showcasing the different paints. This section is pretty good. The hobby section is the type of hobby section I like. Very quick and to the point. Past magazines have somehow extended hobby articles into 6-8 pages with 8 steps showing something. Save that for the superior (and somehow nonexistent) EM Masterclass. The Marauder and Fire Dragon examples look very nice. 2 page ad for painting stuff.

Big Empire section filled with intro type fluff. Lots of nice pictures. What ever happened to talking to the sculptors and designers?

Games rules for both WFB and 40k.

Wolf and Tyranid battle report! This feels overdue and should have been in last month's issue. Followed by another 2 page ad.

Army painting guide. Return of the way too long hobby level section! So we got an entire hobby section last month devoted to the Wolves and they're rehashing a lot of the same content to push the new paints. Poor planning GW. This area could have been devoted to an EM Masterclass.

Tale of 4 games LotR.

Golden Demon North America winners. Some captions or interviews with the winners would have been nice. PP does a better job in No Quarter with their painting winners.

GW retail stuff.

Paint conversion chart. Why is this back here? It should be in the painting section about 100 pages back.

Overall, Kenrick's reign of terror continues. Overal 4/10. Points for the nice paper quality and clear pictures. Points for the first section hobby guide which is quick and to the point.

[Damien 1427]

For what it's worth, I quite liked it this month. We got some actual content in the form of Civil War and Death Worlds, and an early glance at Karl Franz. I also enjoyed a lot of the painting articles. I find it encouraging more than anything.

I will say it needed another pass with an editor in some places. But I enjoyed it as a way of passing the time with a coffee.

[Tarax]

A couple of weeks ago I started to go back in my WD collection and read some stuuf. However, I already had removed all the advertising and other irrelevant (at the time) pages, so some weren't complete, to say the least.
Some say that older WDs were much and much better, but reading these old copies didn't make me look back with happier thoughts. I noticed that some issue didn't have any contents in them, probably because there wasn't much of interest in the first place.

In short, looking back isn't always rose-tinted.

On another note, I looked up the prices for WD on the site. A single WD costs € 7,50 , a year-subscription € 70 and a 2-year-subscription € 125. If you take a 2-years, it will break down to a little over € 5 per issue. Given that each WD will contain a little of something that is interesting, is it really a high price to pay? If I don't have a subscription, I will have to go to the store each month and peruse that months copy to see if it is worth buying. Maybe missing some interesting bits. And if I have bought 4 or 5 issue in a row, wouldn't it have been better to just have a subscription?
€ 125 is a lot, but other glossy magazine are of a similar price.

[Sunshine and Night]

What page is Standard Bearer i cant find it? Answer by PM please!