Remember when White Dwarf didn't suck?

Yeah, I do too.  Now I've been out of the hobby for a few years but when I left the last time in late 2010, WD was still the monthly $8 an issue tome of all that was awesome in the world of GeeDubs.

The nerd equivalent of a Tricia Helfer centerfold in Playboy, back when it didn't suck too.

The first issue I ever bought was in early 2001 right around the time they released the updated for 3rd Edition Tyranid lineup.  It featured a 4 or 5 page story, modeling and painting tips and a battle report between the new 'Nids and the Crimson Fists. It was worth reading.

Apparently long gone are the days of the WD editorial staff publishing and promoting the idea of scratch building your own vehicles and giving yout a template for its rules so that you could play it in a legit game of 40K.  What happened to all the step-by-step articles on how to convert a mini into a cooler and more badass mini?  This same thing goes for their website as well.  I used to check their website every day for new painting and modeling articles.  I used to love White Dwarf.

I just got back into the hobby about a year ago thanks to all the YouTube battle reports from MiniWarGaming. I picked up a few issues around the launch of Age of Sigmar and was horrified as what they'd done to my beloved WD. It was now worthless.  The thing they call "Paint Splatter" was a far cry from the painting tutorials they used to publish.  Where were the battle reports? The interviews with the designers and artists? Where was the content worth shelling out money for?

An apt analogy of the new White Dwarf

Ok, I'll admit, some of the AOS war scrolls were kind of nice, but $4 for 3 pages of unit stats that are supposed to be part of a "free" rules game? I guess it makes sense from GeeDubs stand point but I'm not even going anywhere near that can of worms.  At least they started posting the painting tutorials on their YouTube channel.  I do actually like those videos.  Or I did.  Until they had the Emma lady do every other one during the "WarhammerTV Advent Calender".  It was a great idea and I hope they do it again next year but I can't stand that lady.

But I digress.  Like all things we love they are not meant to last.  I only wish I hadn't thrown out all my old issues from back in the day.  Somebody queue up Sarah Maclaughlin...