On Chaos and White Dwarf

[Collin O'Brien]

I'll readily admit that this is highly opinionated, but I'd like to see at least a little discussion on this.

Does anyone else feel strange that in the latest WD there is no 40k Chaos Space Marine content whatsoever? You would think with a codex just released they would be showcasing models and tactics throughout at least one article. I get that they had new things to showcase, but as I'm having difficulty making Chaos work lately I would have really appreciated some new ideas or at least a little inspiration, maybe a battle report where the Chaos player went in with victory, rather than testing new models, in mind.

Also, while I always appreciate new models, I don't really like the way they've been adding new things or changing others via supplements lately, first turning Slaaneshi chariots into vehicles (which on paper look ridiculously easy to kill or mishap upon deepstrike), then making screamers and flamers extraordinarily powerful (no complaints to boosting chaos' power, but I honestly think flamers were fine as is, did they really need an extra wound PLUS being cheaper?), then adding in a couple of cavalry units for Chaos Warriors (which feel, based on reading their book, relatively more powerful compared to other fantasy armies than CSM is compared to other 40k armies)....

I do like that they're releasing models for things that have needed them. Props to GW for that.

Any thoughts on any of this?

[Regnir]

Last months issue(when the codex came out) was pretty much "All Chaos Space Marine, all the time", so it stands to reason that this months issue would revolve around whatever is coming out this month.

[inquisitorsog]

Which is why I don't buy WD anymore. It's just marketing glossies you pay for most of the time.

[magickbk]

The mix does seem a little odd these days, to us old schoolers. Back in the day every issue would have a little for each system, and it would stretch across a few issues. There would be a big splash the month that the Codex came out, and then the next month might see release wave 2 with some armies represented, and then the month after there might be a gallery with some people's conversions. There would also typically be two battle reports over the few issues, one with the studio army, and a second with someone on staff and their army.

We're only two issues into the new format, so I imagine things will change a lot month-to-month until they settle into a format that seems to work for them. They also look like they are trying to include WD Daily as part of the mix, but I'd guess that the print magazine will probably focus mostly on the new stuff.

[Collin O'Brien]

Thanks for the input!

I guess it didn't strike me that they have a new format for the magazine. I have been collecting as many White Dwarfs as I can for several years, the older the better, so I guess I still had the old format in mind and was expecting at least a little of Warhammer 40k CSM, as Magickbk stated.

God I love reading through older White Dwarfs.

[Wildeybeast]

I don't see anything wrong with this. With the exception of the 'new' regular articles, everything was CSM last month, makes sense that everything this month would be Chaos Warriors. The 'regular' articles take up quite a bit of the magazine and are devoted to the hobby at large rather than this month's latest thing. I would expect them to revisit CSM in at least one of these when the buzz has died down a bit and people have got used to their armies.

[pauljc]

I actually quite like the new format, and so do my customers. It now looks like a grown-up, adult-quality magazine, with readable, useful articles (like design concept stuff).

[Collin O'Brien]

There's certainly nothing wrong with it, just wasn't what I was expecting is all.

I definitely prefer the new magazine format to the way it was just before the changeover, where nearly every single magazine was nothing but pictures of the latest models.

There has actually been quite a bit of good content in the previous few magazines, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next one.