White Dwarf

[Lord Anubis]

Just curious where everyone stands on White Dwarf. I thought I was a bit alone in thinking it had slipped downhill, yet as of late I've noticed several comments along those lines here.

I used to love it for the alternate rules, short stories, modeling tips and such. Then it started to change. When my subscription ran out, I said I'd renew it when my girlfriend and I got our new place. We moved and I noticed I wasn't really missing it.

In fact, I think the only thing I feel sad for missing was the Black Reach issue that came with a free Terminator and Nob.

Anyone else?

[j-orge-287]

Nah, I won't miss it. The magazine is great if a little pricey at £4.50 a month without a subscription

[Snarf]

£4.50 a month is nothing. I pay R90.00 each month... i have to hide them away from my wife for a month or two or she will kill me.

[Exitus Acta Probat]

I keep getting to the point where I want to stop buying it,
but I compulsively fill that next 'slot' on my bookshelf each month.

It has become such an ad rag, with rare content at best, I just don't know if they can ever recover their credibility without a TOTAL revamp.

[Drunkencorgimaster]

It is a lot of money for a lot of advertising.

[Aldramelech]

I go through stages of buying it. I then get bored with it. Too much advertising. The painting articles bore the pants off me, if I painted the way they do Id never get anything finished. First so and so started with a this + this bascoat and then did this + this 3:1 highlighted with this + this glazed with that AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH! SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!! YOUR MAKING MY EYES BLEED!!!!!!!!! They seem to use 20 colors when 5 will do and thats got to be about paint sales.
The whole LOTR's thing gets on my nerves, I don't think Ive ever read a single article, just skip straight past it.

In fact why do I buy it?

[Duke]

I really want to read it... I want to have a great article to read, or a juicy piece of news/ modeling article/ etc. Heck, I would really love to see a Battle Report that wasn't just a big Ad! When was the last time you saw a battle report that didn't have something to do with a new release. I remember a battle report that had 30,000 points on each side for a WHFB game. Not because they were releasing a mega supplement, but because it was FUN!

Look, I have a business degree, I know they need to make money and such but don't sell yourself just for another two pages of advertising, take care of your clients and they will return the favor.

And stop dedicating so many pages to LOTR!!!

In the end, I don't subscribe and I generally don't buy them at all ($9.00 each! WTF). What WD should do is take a hint from BoLS and feed the players... or better yet, let the Fly Lords do White Dwarf!

DUKE

[Gotthammer]

Not saying WD's perfect - I buy one or two a year, only if they have something like the LotR Galadhirm list or the kustom stompa rules - but when compared to the amount of advertising in a comparible magazine, such as for model trains or RC vehicles, there's not really that much advertising.

Of course most of the articles are often bland and uniformative, and the painting guides never venture past 'the eavy metal way', so there is just little that interests me in them most months. I can flick through it, look at the new pics, read the release dates and prices, skim standard bearer and be done.

I think in a way WD needs to lower its standards - by this I mean not have every photo a studio army piece or Golden Demon winner. Include more 'fan' armies and profiles etc. I see the marketing perspective on it, but having eveything painted exactly the same makes the whole thing seem dull. There is seldom little imagination or wacky creativity in WD anymore.

The daily update on the website provides a good fix for that though.

[bob]

Oh for the wonderful care free days of fat bloke

[Culven]

I have gone through stages of buying the odd issue, buying them regularly, subscribing, letting the sub lapse, and am currently in the "buy it each month in the hopes of there being something worthwhile" phase. I really just need to accept the fact that I don't find it a worthwhile purchase and stop. But I still hope.

In my opinion, the magazine started going downhill when GW purchased rights to LotR and had to dedicate some magazine space to it. I have yet to read any of the LotR/WotR articles, and I think that the removal of the background and alternate rules (Index Astartes, Index Xenos, and so on) has really hurt the perception of the magazine.