Den Teerling issue 17

 Every once in a while I remember to take along the free "gazette" our club produces, a great work by Arno with the help of guest writers.

 

And this time, we are having a quick look at the 10 page logn issue 17, which was released recently in May.

 

The main story is the third part of the life of Napoleon, inspired to rectify the fairy tale the Napoleon movie turned out to be.  It takes a look specifically this time at Eylan and his divorce.  The next article is a game review of the Battle of Hagerstown, a massive ACW game held at the club premises a while ago.

 

The Silver Bayonet then gets some attention, with an article that takes a look at this most excellent Frostgrave inspired Napoleonics game.  The final big article is a look at the Andor series, which recently got it's fantastic second season as well.  Rounding out with a puzzle contest and a comic, this was a fun little read once again, and some intresting topics for yours truly.

 

Keep up the good work blokes! 

The Brazen Bulletin volume 1 - march 2021

 Time for another fanzine review, and this time it is the spiritual follow up to the Word of Hashut fanzine (whom will also pass the revue here at some point).

This 42 page magazine, made by the Chaos Dwarfs Online community, does of course just that: focus on the beloved Dawi'Zharr.

It starts with a word from the Editor, introducing the new magazine and how it became a follower for WoH that ran from 2008 to 2012.  

And then we go to the first army, the Ironclad Fleet by Reaver, full of character and lovely conversions.  We then get an interview with Fabelzel, who made the awesome STL's for Chaos Dwarfs in the old style, many of which are in my army as well.  Heck, the blunderbuss unit you can see in my weekly paint update hails from his files.

The result of the 30th Artizan Contest is then shared, before taking a look at the 15mm scale "Tjublings" (which I have somewhere here as well).  Planet Oldhammer is a user who makes his force with the really old models, from before the big hats arrival, and then we get the Golden Hat 34 results.

A painting guide is included to make grimdark style white armour, for those that want to have their army stand out.  A look is then cast at the Dvergr from the then new Kickstarter for Ragnarok, and their suitability to our venerable forces.  More Golden Hat eye candy then follows this article.

An article on 3D printing your Chaos Dwarf army is next on the menu, and how the entire army turned out, as well as (some still working) links to models.  More Artizan Contest artwork leads us to an interview with user Zanko and a look at his army.

Rules are teased for an upcoming HeroQuest expansion for the Chaos Dwarfs, and then we round of this issue with the necessary information and credits.

A fine fanzine for sure, and yes, I am of course biased, but it is of outstanding quality and has great content.  Go check it out, it is still downloadable at the CDO website!

Bexim's Bazaar issue 6

 In this magazine review, we are having a look at the 6th issue of Bexim's Bazaar, labelled "the Gaming Crafter's Magazine" it can be found on DriveThru RPG.

Published back in june 2019, this magazine focusses on creating adventures and ideas for your roleplaying games, and check out Realmsmith on YouTube for more content.

It starts with the editorial, which looks back on the first half year of the magazine since it's creation.  It's writer, the TabletopEngineer on YouTube, also creates some awesome content for Frostgrave and such there, and is one of the channels I follow with great intrest.  It has a section enxt of letters to the editor, as well as what sort of submissions they are looking for to include in the game.

In Gorwder's tent, some new cards for universal use are presented for easy print and use in games, while Treana's Tent offers a table of fun items for your adventurers to roll on, containing for example a scribbled notebook with gibberish.  Some more in character adds and store advertisements are then included for those "getting the feel" moments of the magazine.

In Show us your craft, people are sharing pictures of their work in progress projects to up their roleplaying tables.  Kev's lounge presents you with some paper miniatures for those not skilled in building and painting actual models, and they look good I must say.  Next is a tutorial on how to build block walls yourself using XPS foam.

Next is something I really like, the Legend of the Grimoire Principalia is a 10 part solo campaign for Frostgrave, and this issue contains the fourth instalment in the series, The Forgotten.  It takes place on a cemetery, and digging up stuff is the thing to do.  Though not everyone is happy with your efforts, least those trying to sleep under the soil...

We then get some more hobby related articles, like how to order paints on your desk in the Garret's Table of Tinkering article.  Nothing new for veteran wargamers, but handy for those just dabbling into the hobby.  

The Arcane Vault is a mini-adventure, a quick quest for that little bit of time you might have in between, and A Swift Survey is another short stand-alone scenario in which you ascend up a tower.  More fun stand alone games come in the Chase game of urchins chasing their quarry like a thief that stole their toy rock.  

Next we have a review of the paper terrain by Fat Dragon, the second part of the The Docks set, and with all the templates included so you can build it yourself out of the magazine.  Great addition if you ask me for sure.

The Gnoblogg wandering monster is included as a freebie as a new addition to your games, before we turn to a short story of the Magical Menagerie.  A review of the skirmish wargame Last Days: Zombie Apocalypse is next up, as well as an article on how to attract new players for your games.

And those are the contents of this mighty 100 page magazine, definitly worth checking out!

Warning Order issue 1 - Summer 2000

 The first magazine published by Wasatch Front Gaming Society, it is a fanzine that will be published quarterly featuring the games and era's the historical group played at that time.

It features a lot of short articles, and then some beefier ones, for this first edition.

 

It doesn't really features a cover or such, diving straight into the action as a sort of newsletter / club magazine style that was prelevalent during the period.  If your curiosity is tickled, a quick google will bring you to the club page where you can download those older issues.

Splattered amongst it are short reviews of movies, both in theatre and on DVD like Galdiator, Patton and the likes.  But it opens up with an article on Warfare in the age of Discovery, which features four "semi periods" in the rule set.  It also has list for source material and of course figures to be obtained.

After a mixture of short reviews on books, miniatures and more, the biggest article is a battle report for Command Decision 3: Berlin - Seelowe Highway.  This comes with descriptions of the action in the various phases, as well as with coloured maps of the unit movements.

We then get a bit more of the short reviews as well as a few links and guides for the games they play and enjoy.

So that was it for the first Warning Order issue, intresting for sure but sometimes the articles where a tat to short to my liking, looking more like a gathering of announcements from an old TV guide.  But I have many more and so we can see how this magazine evolves over time hopefully.

See you back soon for issue 2!

Den Teerling 12 - march 2024

 One of this year's goals is to read up on 50+ fanzines, clubmagazines, etc etc just because I love that sort of thing.

And this instalment, I'm looking over the march edition of the Tin Soldiers of Antwerp clubmagazine, Den teerling (which is flemish dialect for The Die).

 

This little gazette has a page count of 6 pages, and can be picked up at the clubhouse during gaming moments.  The main article in this issue is a satirical look at Napoleon Bonaparte, spurred by the, let's be polite here, not-so-great-or-accurate Ridley Scott movie.

 

The whole article fills up three pages of the gazette, and you are certainly in for some gniffling as the writer has a very light hearted style.

 

 

The second main article is a boardgame review.  Starship Captains is based on the adventures of the lower decks crew of the USS Cerritos, from the animated Star Trek series Lower Decks.  But the subtitle of the game, Don't Mention the Franchise, does of course betray the fact it is heavily based but not officially licensed.

 

The final thingies in this issue is an advertisement for the club BBQ in august, a puzzle and a comic.  

 

A nice little instalment of the gazette, and I had some good sniggers reading through it.

Gridiron Gazette issue 27: Chaos Dwarfs & Khorne

 Another fanzine to enjoy, and albeit a bit of a short one this time round at only 9 pages, Gridiron Gazette is a nice series of Blood Bowl related stuff.

And of course, dealing with Chaos Dwarfs, this meant it immediatly got picked out to have a read.

Published by the NAF fansite for the game of fantasy football by Games Workshop, all issues are still available for download, just click the link above.

The first article deals about Hobgoblin teams, a fluffy article about one of the most incompetent teams around, before moving on to the Zharr-Naggrund Ziggurats.  In this background piece, they tackle amongst other the mysterious bans Chaos Dwarf teams suffered at playing Blood Bowl at one time.

It moves on to the crazed Khorne teams after that, and the star players like Scylla, before going into a who's who of the players and teams mentioned in this issue.

So if you fancy a bit of (fanmade) fiction for both teams, this little gazette is worth the download.

Warmonger issue 2

 Fanzines, they are a lovely thing!

Just like the old GW magazines that came to a specific game system, or the unofficial rules magazine they produced, Citadel Journal, this is always fun to read stuff.

Over the years, I collected quit a lot of them, and these days they can also be found often online as the days of the printed medium has been switched for digital PDF's.  And I`ll be reviewing some of them occassionally over the coming months.  Bear in mind though, it are usually Chaos Dwarf suited magazines, because that is my boat, but not always.

And today we will have a look at the second volume of the Warmonger fanzine.  It can be found online, or if you like, contact me and I can pass the PDF on.  I obtained this issue myself that way, by someone I follow on Instagram (Tom Evans) and contributed the Dawi'Zharr article in the fanzine.  Sharing is caring!

 

And his Big Hats article is not only the cover story, but also the first article in this issue, talking about their origins all the way back in 1994 and how the Dawi'Zharr are a niche within a niche. Now, if you are a Chaos Dwarf afficionado like me and still own a lot of the old metals this is nostalgia, but if you want to start collecting a force of the typical big hat style, prepare to shelf out an arm and a leg for them in the aftermarket.  Never the less, this is one article that can be certainly enjoyed.

There are some follow up articles, like Steam and Steel, that give great alternate model ideas to build a force, and rules to use these in friendly games as such.  The models and stats are for the Modhidius Games models for The Elder Scrolls.

But there is also an article on the fantastic range of 3D printed miniatures from Lost Kingdom Miniatures, especially their monimental scenery pieces.

Rules Creep is an article about that well known fact in Games Workshop and other game system manufacturers: the new kid on the block always has the upper hand (except if you are a Space Marine), exemplified with the back then new High Elf book.  Because that means people would start and buy the new range of an army that will beat all comers.

So a nice little fanzine, and apart from 2 pages totally Chaos Dwarf-centric, so if you love the coolest of armies ever to have graced the Old World, this is a totally must have to download!

 

SBG issue 9 - Summer 2019

The most recent issue released so far from the awesome fanzine, this issue takes us to the forest of Mirkwood for some daring adventures.

A great and slick looking issue once more, let's have a look at what we can actually find inside the 48 page magazine.

It starts of with the regular trinity of features, namely the editorial, SBG Towers and Hobby Blog columns to show us what goes on at the production team.

 

Now, making use of an awesomely made Mirkwood board, this issue features no less then 2 battle reports, and the first, Attack on Rhosgobel, puts Radagast under attack from Mirkwood Spiders.

A new series also starts this issue, namely My Favorite Character, in which every issue someone will look at their star from the franchise, so not only based on in-game performances.

But the next article does that though, as they take a look at which characters from The Hobbit trilogy brings the most to the table for their points... had the movies been one big game of MESBG.

In this issues Tactica, it is only fitting that a look is taken at the Halls of Thranduil army.

 

The second battle report of the issue, Mirkwood Ambush, sees the elves of Mirkwood being ambushed by Bolg and his forces while escorting Thorin and his company through the forest.

Rick's River takes a look at how the beautiful enchanted river seen throughout this issue has been created, giving pointers to those that want to make their own waterways.

In Converting Mirkwood, there isn't only a Mirkwood showcase, but also a guide on how to convert Bolg in order to have him wield a bow.  Talking Bolg, he is also the centerpoint of the final article, a painting guide for the spawn of Azog.

And there we have it, another great issue of SBG with a lovely theme centered around an awesome gametable.  I have no idea when issue 10 will appear, Covid and all having some serious influence on the schedule of up and about everyone in the world, but rest assured I look forward to it!

2.11.0.0

2.11.0.0

SBG Issue 8 - Spring 2019

My all time favorite fanzine has arrived in the current edition of the game with the Spring 2019 issue, so of course all is focussed on the edition of the game we love playing these days.

But as always, that isn`t the only thing in the magazine, as there are some great columns in this issue, including one on... how to lose your games!

The magazine starts as usual with the Editorial as well as the SBG Towers, giving a look at what goes on in the community, followed by the Hobby Blog to show what the team is up to.

The first column, Dawn of a New Age, takes a look at how the various iterations of MESBG have been impacting the gaming life of himself and his longest standing opponent, including the impact of real life issues like "work" and "growing up".

In the Dr's Corner, Damien muses about how Matched Play games and tournaments at one time became his focus, but also on how that didn`t have the required feel good he thought it would have had.

The Art of the Wooden Spoon is an article that tries to help you mitigate the bad feeling one can have for losing, and how to take it in style and with great fun instead.

Build Me An Army on the other hand takes a totally different approach, namely thoughts on building the most effective armies for the Tournament Scene, focussing around the heroes only type force.

The battle report this month is themed around the Fields of the Pelennor (of course, how more fitting could it be!) and uses the Fog of War scenario.  To keep the reader guessing, the secret objectives and why they where chosen before the game are detailed a few pages beyond the report.

The final article this issue is a Painting Masterclass on Theoden, the awesome model that comes in the newest edition starter box.

Another superb issue, and I quite liked the columns this month, preferring casual and narrative play myself for the rulesystem.

Because in the end, don`t we all want a good story to tell?

Warmuster issue 1 - Summer 2009

In a bit of flashback reviewing, I'm tackling Warmuster issue 1 today.

Now, this magazine is over 11 years old, but it can be freely downloaded from the internet.  I came across it by accident earlier this week while looking for fanzines of all sorts to read, as I didn't know about it before.

Co-created by Lex van Rooy, a dutchman I had the pleasure of meeting over a decade ago in the convention circuit, this was a fun thing to see.  I knew he worked back then on the "Warmaster Trial Armies" volume of unofficial forces for the game, but never knew there was an accompanying fanzine.

So let's jump in and see what we had missed out on!

The theme of the magazine is "modelling Fantasy armies", and it is basically one glorious showcase for tiny 10mm forces, created for the Trial Armies book.  This means a lot of full colour eye candy, but also some in progress shots of models being sculpted especially for that goal.

The first force we encounter is a fantastic Dogs of War force, including pikemen, birdmen, Voland's Venators... truly a magnificent sight to behold.

But here are so many more eye candy articles and armies in the 17 page publication, like the Ogre Kingdoms, Albion, Goblins, Daemon Hosts, Wood Elves, Bretonnia,...

It certainly is a good magazine to get from the Warmaster community website, where the game (like epic on NetEpic) is held alive...