Friday 13 April 2012

Vintage White Dwarf 207. March 1997.

I think my brother had this one when we were younger, or it could just be that he bought a Vyper and they'd just been released. Oh well on with the show...

News - A fair bit of cool kit for 40k this month. As I just mentioned the brand new Eldar Vyper came out along with the Space Marine Attack Bike (which I have never been fond of, it just reminds me of old couples in motorbikes). There's also the lovely looking Greater Daemon of Nurgle and some Nurglings. I've never been drawn to Chaos but something about the pestilent one is drawing me in at the minute.

There's a note about the cost of WD going up to £3.50 but that they're increasing the page count to 144!

For fantasy there's tons of stuff, Bretonnians, Goblins, Orcs, Dwarf Slayers and the Idol of Gork expansion with some tasty looking card buildings (have I mentioned I love card buildings before?!)

Aerial Supremacy - A whole article dedicated to the Vyper. As usual with these old articles it's not part of a major release, just a cool model they wanted to put out. All the rules are included, along with some tactics, designers notes and schemes for different Craftworlds. Because it's one model and not a whole range we get a lot more insight into the model unlike the modern massive releases with little to no content.

Forging Alliances - Tuomas Pirinen talks about allies in Warhammer. Gives some history behind some possible matches and goes into detail about a particular Wood Elf/Bretonnian mash up.

'Eavy Metal - The team showcase some of their work. Stand outs for me are Jonas Ekestam's Eldar Jetbikes which look fantastic even by todays standards.

Dark Conspiracy - Jervis wraps up the mega reader campaign a bit more, adding some story to the proceedings but not a lot else.

...And That'll Be Corkin'! - An amazing four page article all about Matthew Currier and his incredible Necromunda gaming board. It's a huge tower in the shape of a cross with hundreds of layers (well maybe not hundreds) that looks like it would be great fun to play on. I might even have a go at building something like this if my dreams of a Necro campaign ever come together.

To Waagh! Or Not to Waagh! - This is a closer look at the Orc and Goblin releases this month with plenty of photos and an example army list.

Space Marine Attack Bike - This months other 40k release gets its moment in the spotlight with Mark Brendon spilling the beans about its stats etc.

Great Unclean One - This is a fantastic article about my favourite Daemon. There's rules for both fantasy and 40k along with a blurb from Trish Morrison who sculpted it. There's tons of pages from Wayne England's sketch book, and a painting guide from Dave Perry. A top notch read.

Frontline News - They visit Harrogate this month and announce the new Hong Kong store. There's also the expansion of the army collecting cards which were fantastic. Basically giving you free stuff fore making a few purchases for a specific army.

Epic 40,000 - Andy Chambers previews the re-release of Space Marine. This was a huge leap forward from the old game and as such the design team went overboard with new scenery and tables, massively streamlined rules and some beautifully painted armies. There's even a competition to win a 1500 point Imperial army!

'Eavy Metal - Mike McVey chats about his lovely looking Lustrian Diorama. It's full of old school charm with lots of details you only find after looking a couple of times. Luckily these old dioramas are still on display at HQ.

Top Terrain Tips - Loads of scenery tips from readers writing in. Jake picks his favourites and some of them are things I'd never have thought of.

'Eavy Metal - For the third time this month! This one is showcasing the rest of this months new releases so plenty of Bretonnians, a dude called Skaw the Falconer and the Dwarf Slayer Command group.

A Clash of Patrols - A 40k battle report inspired by the two fast attack releases. Eldar v Ultramarines in a high speed flying base fest. One exciting point is that they're using the Imperial Firebase as scenery. Yet more amazing cardboard scenery. I wonder if my brothers old one is still in the loft?

So there we have it. Another great classic issue. It managed to cover 4 different systems. Had 3 major releases for 3 different armies, all with full rules and points. They also managed to squeeze in releases for 2 other forces too. Doing these reviews each week, and especially this weeks, it really drives home just how creative the company used to be. Yes they create wonderful miniatures now, but that's about all they do. Just from this issue you can see the amount of passion and community spirit the WD team are allowed to show us. Maybe all the current ranting is misplaced, I think Andrew and team do a great job, and I feel that they have their hands tied rather tightly by higher management. Maybe if more people took the time to write in then we could see more user created content being introduced. A worthy 9/10 for 207.

5 comments:

  1. I don't have much to add, but I want to just say how I much I'm enjoying your series of WD classics. Whilst back in Nottingham last week I found a copy of issue 141, my first ever WD. So glad to have it again I'm going to copy your format for a one off.

    Thanks, keep it up :)

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  2. Wow the necromunda terrain !
    Any chances that you could post an better picture ? Thanks a lot for posting this one!

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    1. Yeah sure thing! Just become a follower and let me know and I'd be happy to put up what you want

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  3. I love this spot, I think I actually have that WD somewhere in the pile. Classic stuff, thanks for sharing!

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    1. No worries mate. I've let the reviews slip for ages now, but I'm planning on rattling out a load more really soon. Cheers for reading!

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