White Dwarf Breakdown – Nov 2016
We are breaking down the November White Dwarf’s content for you non-subscribers. For me, it has been money well spent.
After the disappointment of the weekly White Dwarf, I was frankly pretty hesitant to consider a subscription to the new monthly version of the magazine. I was thinking “how much can the content really change?” The answer is A LOT! I have been very satisfied with my purchase. I takes me a good week to get through this thing, and even then, I am going back to reread articles, check out the art work, etc. For about $7.50 an issue (the subscription price), I think a quality mag with 150 pages of content is a very good deal. In terms of these breakdowns, I will try to be an inclusive as possible without being too verbose. My hope is that by the time you get done reading, you will seriously consider picking up a copy if you have not already done so.
First off, let’s talk the ads. Yes, there are pages that are pure advertising. That being said, from my count, it is only about 10 pages out of the 150. There is a 2 pager on Blood Bowl, a 2 pager for holiday gifts, a Black Library 2 pager, a 2 pager from Forge World, 1 page of Warhammer Digital, a local store ad page (basically where to go to find your local store), then the back page about next month’s issue. That’s really it. This White Dwarf is packed full of content, not unending pages of store listings…you know of what I speak.
Now here’s the November Breakdown…(please note: the sections marked with a ** will only appear in this first breakdown).
Planet Warhammer**: This opener is about 14-15 pages of everything that is new in the world of Warhammer. I DO NOT consider it an ad section; I consider a service to the reader. Many people do not listen to podcasts or read the interwebs. This is a great way for folks who just want a quick glance at what is new in the hobby, whether you 40K, 30K or AoS. Even includes hobby supplies, games (board, computer and video), terrain and Black Library. If you read this part of the White Dwarf, you will be just about as well informed as any interweb surfer or podcast groupie.
Contact Pages**: Reader letters and responses.
Total War Warhammer: This month we get a look at a 4-way battle between Total War creators and the White Dwarf staff. Also, a 2 pager focus on the White Dwarf himself, Grombrindal. This issue includes a free code for the game to be able to download him.
Golden Daemon: a 6-page look at a Genestealer Cult Magus (amazing!) and then models from four other factions.
Collecting: This month we have a “Tale of Four Warlords,” with beautiful models from each of the four Alliances inn AoS: Destruction, Order, Death and Chaos. This includes a Maw-krusha, a Mutalith Vortex Beast, a Treelord Ancient and a Terrorgeist. They finish with in-battle pics from Order vs. Death.
Temporal Distort**: A couple of pages of Warhammer nostalgic flashbacks. Interesting for us veterans, probably not so much for those more recent to the hobby.
Hall of Fame: 4 pages of focus on a particular model. This month it is the venerable Land Raider. In October, it was that insane Smaug model, with commentary from both the sculptor and the painter.
Designers’ Notes: This section is an excellent introduction to The Burning of Prospero. It discusses specific units, game design, some back story tie-in, and even discussion regarding the use of non-cuboid randomizers (that was fun to write, but it just means anything that’s not a 6-sided die). This last item is of particular interest considering the extensive use of 8, 10 and 12 sided dice in the game.
The Ultimate Guide To…Commorragh: This was a great surprise to see…totally unexpected. A detailed discussion of the Dark Kin…they gave this 8 pages of print. Even if you are not a Dark Eldar fan, this article of very informative and interesting.
Army of the Month: Wow and wow! This month is Rik Turner’s Blood Angels. This is a 14 page (including a massive foldout) eye candy festival of Rik’s incredicle army. The Army of the Month also features a few pages that spotlight the particular Chapter or faction that is being featured. If you are a Blood Angels fan, you HAVE to see this (last month was Space Wolves).
Gaming: This month we get the feature known as The General’s Almanack, which focuses on gaming in the Age of Sigmar.
Battle Report: I have fond memories of the quality Battle Reports of days gone by. Well, no longer do I have to rely on my fading memory banks. Battle Reports are back, and they are a real treat to read through. In October, it was Genestealer Cults vs. Deathwatch. In November, we have Ironjawz vs. Stormcast Eternals. Plenty of setup, detailed army lists, lots of great diagrams and pics. As you would expect, the terrain is excellent and the models a joy to look at. I won’t spoil it for you. Take a look for yourself.
Collecting (Armies on Parade): Featured this month are mixed Army of Order, Grey Knights, a recreation of Goblin Town from The Hobbit (freakin’ amazing), and a psychedelic Nid/Cult army. Your eyes will water if you look at it for too long!
Illuminations: The artwork from the AoS feature last month was insanely beautiful. This month they focus on Prospero timed with the release of the game. The epic confrontation between Wolf and Son at the Battle of the Fang is particularly stunning.
Battleground: This model is insanity itself! A Chaos fortress of skulls, bronze and stone (lots of skulls by the way). 4 pages of amazing pics.
New Rules: This section is in direct support of The Burning of Prospero (with a single page of a new AoS character the exception). Actually Forge World rules for the Custodes, rules for including Contemptor Dreads in the game, and a new scenario using the Dreads as well.
Modelling and Painting: This is 16 (that right, count ’em, 16) pages devoted to hobby. I really commend GW for focusing on this. Commentary on sprues, glue, basing, applying textures, washes, dry brushing, dry brush paint combinations (my favorite), more basing talk and using tint sets. They finish it off with tips on painting cloaks, coats and robes. This section of the magazine alone is worth the price.
One last comment. The focus on major new product was done without an overt sales pitch. Both for Genestealer Cults last month and Burning of Prospero in November, the information, designer notes, art and new rules really give someone looking at these products a great overview of what they are in for.
That’s it for November. Hope that was helpful and got you a bit more interested in the new White Dwarf.
What do you think of the new White Dwarf?
