[Jacobite]

This topic was sparked in part by a comment Kelvin made and in part by the 300th Aniversary of White Dwarf. So without further ado...

When Was The Golden Age Of White Dwarf?

Explanation!? I hear you cry. Ok in your opinion when do you think White Dwarf was at its height, in terms of how 'meaty' and helpfull the contents was.

For me it would have to be the era of 2000- 2005. At that point I feel that the basic game mechanics and fluff had been sorted out and White Dwarf was begining explore the world it had created, you know with things like Chapter Approved and Warhammer Chronicles. At this time the miniature sculpting were begining to get quite amazing and WD was really show casing this along with nice chunks of fluff so as to provide those funny bits of plastic or metal with some character. The magazine was also still geared at the older demographic which ment that there were more than 50 words in size 14 print to a page.

Oh those days I'm getting misty eyed just thinking about it .

So your thoughts?

 

[uberschveinen]

Chapter Approved killed third edition. Dramatic, but true. The golden glow of nostalgia seems to be doing a marvellous job of knocking that out of everybody's collective memory.

 

[Skcuzzlebumm]

I'd say the "fat Dwarfs" that where between 95 at 2000, the ones with the card inserts where the best. The WD was full of rules, fluff, modelling at proper batreps. The only reason i still get WD is the fact i bought a sub at staff discount before i left and then havce just renewed it to the special 30th anniversay deal (so piad £60 for basically 3 years of WD's).

 

[cccp]

iv only been buying MD for a year or so, i cant really comment. however looking through some older issues i got hold of the other day (from 2003/4) there is definately a change between then and now.

 

[mattjgilbert]

When I started really collecting them. 1988 (ish) I guess. So much content, so much material...

 

[kelvingreen]

Yeah, for me it's around #130-190. I'd count the pre-100 WD as a different entity altogether, but I loved it too.

 

[MarzM]

I say around about the time Jake Thornton was in charge. Perhaps a little bit before, but i'd say of recent they have been fucking appalling! Ok so yes i know that a grizzly old bugger like me is not their target audience, but for fuck sake?

What i'd like to see (though it will never happen) is a mag for vets again. Like journal, only organised and better run. Perhaps an online mag that you have to download a bit like firebase was on Warseer.


MarzM :mrgreen:

 

[Greyskullscrusade]

Ive only had the last 12 issues or so, but the old old issues ive bought seem too outdated to be interesting to me. I just like the battle reports.

 

[Flam]

The era that produced free Warhammer Quest treasure card inserts was my favorite, by far.

 

[jigplums]

The thing is the first 10 or so issues you buy are always going to be the best ones. They will contain more stuff youv'e never seen before and everything is new to you. Once you've been in the hobby for X years theres no longer so much new stuff for you.

 

[Severian]

When the "Fat Bloke" was in charge. Granted that is when I started reading it but that was the best for me.

 

[Red Orc]

The thing is the first 10 or so issues you buy are always going to be the best ones. They will contain more stuff youv'e never seen before and everything is new to you. Once you've been in the hobby for X years theres no longer so much new stuff for you.

I reckon jigplums has the rights of it. For me it's gotta be the first 15 or 16 issues I bought, which fall over 2 time periods so I can't vote; then kept getting it for another 2 years or so before giving up because it had gone 'all Games Workshop' (I was playing D&D, Runequest, Traveller and Star Frontiers in those days!).

Then started again at issue 300 and got a few back issues - thought the first year or so of that was really interesting, then, not so much over the last 18 months (and sometimes there's been SHOCKINGLY LITTLE real content recently, IMHO).

(Is there a shorthand for 'In My Humble Opinion, only, actually, It's Not All That Humble Really, I'm Quite Proud Of It'?)

 

[Jacobite]

This is my opinion deal with it?

 

[torealis]

my glory days were when i started out too, the Robin Dews era. I did think it got a little shitter when whoever took over for fat dwarf around 190 (jake thornton?).

164 was my first dwarf, and still the best (IMHO,O,A,INATHR,IQPOI)

 

[Red Orc]

This is my opinion deal with it?

Yeah, that's more or less it mate!

Though this....

(IMHO,O,A,INATHR,IQPOI)

...might just catch on.

Oh, and in answer to the original question, approx '84-'86 (48-63).

 

[kelvingreen]

Yeah, the original roleplaying WD was a fantastic magazine, once it got into its stride (the really early issues were a bit shaky). Some of my favourite rping experiences have come from those pages.

 

[The Wraithlord]

When the "Fat Bloke" was in charge. Granted that is when I started reading it but that was the best for me.

Agreed. The mag was nowhere near the huge advertisement it is today when he was running things.

 

[torealis]

it was in his era that Tale of 4 Gamers was around wasnt it? those were good times

 

[Jacobite]

Correct, plus he did a stand alone version of that called mar of chaos I think, great seris of articles especially if you are doing a chaos army.

 

[black chaplain]

ive only been playing for about a year so i guess i cant really have an opinion, but my friends step dad has a white dwarf collection that streches back to about issue 30 and ide have to say it was about 2000-2005 when it was really good. hehehehe movie marines!