How many of you buy wargaming magazines, and which ones?  What makes you buy them, the articles, the game reports, the news features?  And do you spend any time looking through the various adverts?  Do you feel that they are worth the subscription?

I just flick through them in Smiths. Over priced, WI used as a selling tool for FOW. Rarely find anything of interest. Best left on the shelf. I do subscribe to Ancient Warfare which I think is money well spent.

I agree with Martyn; I sometimes flick through in Smiths and very, very rarely buy. In recent years I've tended to muy Military Modelling vehicles specials if there is anything of interest, which generally there is. As for adverts, never consciously read them.

Battlegames by subscription - the best wargaming magazine in the last 3 decades. Every issue is a cracker with a wide range of interest gaming related articles every time - very little 3rd rate cod history as you tend to get in other publications.

WI and MW i browse in Smiths and occasionally buy if there is an article that interests me - probably once or twice a year at most.

I always read the adverts but i really pick up my information on new ranges etc from the web

oh and if you are into Ancients then, as Martyn says, Ancient Warfare is superb (tends to focus on Greek/Roman periods)

Very much impulse purchase as and when there is something of interest to me.

They don't much show up on the shelves here.  I buy PDFs of battlegames when it has content of interest.

Not much interest it seems.  Now is that because I'm asking on an internet forum, where members are more likely to check the web for their wargaming info?  I wonder how many people without as much 'net access are buying the mags?

Infrequent buys for me - usually when I'm near a town rather than round here...it is nice to have a hard copy to read, but I do get the vast majority of my info online. I do read the adverts though...actually, if I've forked out £4+ for a magazine, I'll read everything 

Buy...

White Dwarf.

Ahem.  I am ashamed.

Why?  Well, because i've bought pretty much every one since issue 30...i'm like Pavlov's Dog...

Wierd since i don't play any of the GW core games really (although i do go for their specialist games), and very rarely buy any of their massively overpriced models...


Used to buy Wargames Illustrated but stopped buying it after the second issue past the buy up and transmutation into a FOW catalogue.  (FOW being the 'worst rules ever' - cue Comicbook Guy impersonation...).

Do i look at ads.  Yep, i did.  Always interested to find new suppliers...

Now though, what with this new fangled tinterweb thingy, frankly paper rags are a bit superfluous really...everything i need is online, and its olny a few short clicks from searching to placing that all important purchase order...

Subscribe to WI, really is not as bad as others make out. Adverts are read, content is varied - basically a good mag. Most others picked up as and when something interests me. I prefer hard copy to internet, tough i do spend far too much time on the net :-)

Are you thinking of branching out into written word??

We used to advertise in WI, but stopped some time ago.  Now we have a regular slot in MW, and we've also got an ad in the new Wargames Recon mag, who are featured on our website.

We've got no intention of ever starting a magazine, it's a very difficult market to break into, and make money from.  We might consider an electronic newsletter one day, but I've got enough on my 'To Do' list at the moment!   

The main reason was pure curiosity.  We get them delivered to Pendraken HQ whenever we have an advert in, and I tend to flick through them from time to time.  Also, regular magazine adverts can require quite a hefty budget, and I was interested in how much attention people paid to them

And effective website is a far better option for you guys i'd say.  

Get pictures of all your products online is the no.1 priority i'd say, and then get links to your website spread out as far and wide as possible through the mass of gamer websites, blogs, etc..

At 10mm you're riding on the back of some great rulesets so you don't need to waste resources creating your own...so looking good Leon!!  

As for magiazine, just in general really, i'm astonished that there is still such a proliferation of expendable printed media out there.  Most of them are filled with absolute drivel (including many gamer mags...).

Something i see as a niche option is an 'online magazine' that concentrates on 'user generated content', perhaps a central 'wargames hosting site' that allows for contributors to post up hobby-based articles, scenarios, rules, etc.

Something akin to what Dark Reign has done for the Warhammer 40k roleplaying game.

It'd be a labour of love though as i guess there won't be much money in it aside from selling advertising space...

I buy Wargames Illustrated and Miniature Wargames and I subscribe to Battlegames. Unfortunately WI has more FOW content than I want (none would be preferable) and MW appears to be allocating more space than I want to Sci-Fi gaming (none would be preferable). At the end of the day it looks like Battlegames is the only viable magazine for me. I do read the ads too!

Not since t'internet started showing all kinds of gaming goodies

Anyone want to buy a load of old MW & WI mags?

Quote from: Luddite on 27 May 2010, 11:59:00 AM
Get pictures of all your products online is the no.1 priority i'd say, and then get links to your website spread out as far and wide as possible through the mass of gamer websites, blogs, etc..

I've got all the ECW range on the side to be photographed, and we'll also need to get the June releases done over the weekend as well.  After that it'll be the Marlburian's and the Jacobite's.

Quote from: Luddite on 27 May 2010, 11:59:00 AM
Something i see as a niche option is an 'online magazine' that concentrates on 'user generated content', perhaps a central 'wargames hosting site' that allows for contributors to post up hobby-based articles, scenarios, rules, etc.

Interesting idea.  I'd like the Forum to be something like that, I'd love to have a section for people to write their own articles and things.  If people are willing to do them, we'll definitely create the space.  Things like that are all part of getting people to see this place as more than just an extension of the Pendraken site.