Friday 2 September 2016

Miniature Wargames, new editor to be appointed.

So I can now officially announce that the rumours I heard about a week or so ago is correct and Henry Hyde will stand down as Editor of Miniature Wargames/Battlegames.

This is the official announcement;

I have received numerous queries relating to the magazine in recent days and since many of these issues relate to matters over which I have no control, such as the digital edition and the new 16pp fantasy & sci-fi section announced in an ad in Tabletop Gaming today, it seems best to let you know about developments as they relate to me.
Issue 402 will be my final issue of MWBG. The publishers want to try some new ideas to take the magazine forward, as is of course their right, so I have decided that it would be best if someone with a fresh perspective shouldered that responsibility, and my resignation, which was accepted last week, takes effect once this issue goes to press.
Warners are in the process of appointing my successor who will take over from issue 403. No appointment has yet been made as far as I am aware, but of course I am sure that whoever takes over will do a great job.
I shall be saying my formal farewells in my final Briefing of issue 402 which goes to press at the end of next week, and of course you'll also read my final Forward Observer, World Wide Wargaming and the last instalment of the Wars of the Faltenian Succession. Lots to do!
Therefore, I would be grateful if you would allow me to complete my task as best I can over the next ten days or so, in order that this issue is up to the same standard as all the previous ones. Whilst I shall do my best to keep track of online comments, I must concentrate on doing a professional job right to the end, and the fact is that there will be many questions to which I simply cannot provide answers, and it is the team at Warners to whom queries should be addressed (contact details are all on page 3 of the magazine). I shall therefore refrain from commenting until my task is complete.
In addition, I must ask you to stop sending me submissions – until a successor is appointed, I can only pass them on to Warners for the next Editor to assess. Moreover, those of you who have already sent me submissions must let me know whether, for any reason, you do not wish your article(s) to be passed on to Warners. I shall assume that, unless I hear from you, you are happy for your article(s) to remain in the content armoury for the magazine going forward and the new editor will be in touch in due course.
It has been a pleasure and an honour to have steered the merger of Battlegames with Miniature Wargames, and I cannot express how grateful I am for all the support I have received over my ten years in wargame magazine production from all of you, but it is time for me to leave my baby behind and move on to pastures new, and of course you all know where to find me online.
I am sure that the team at Warners will keep you apprised of future developments and I wish them, and the magazine, every success for the future.
Henry

I must admit that I have suspected for a while that things were changing at the longest running wargames magazine, especially after it was announced that Henry was losing some of his responsibilities. There isn't much point second guessing what will happen to the MW, but I think the joint title of Battlegames will be quietly dropped, and as Henry has alluded to there will be a large increase in the amount of Fantasy/ sci fi/ Steam Punk etc. 
 No doubt at the expense of 'historical features'.
 Again and this is supposition, I think the publishers sense there is a gap in the market since the demise of White Dwarf, which they perhaps consider they can cater for, will it work? frankly I dont think so, but I've often been wrong before.

 What is certain is that I will be reading the next couple of issues with interest to judge if there is any point buying the magazine, considering I have next to no interest in Fantasy/sci fi etc. 







14 comments:

  1. If they were thinking of cashing in on the 'White Dwarf' market they have missed the boat - 'White Dwarf' has returned today in it's old monthly format , sadly I haven't bought a wargaming magazine in the last nine month and don't really miss them . Tony

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The trouble with the 'new' White Dwarf' is that it only talks about Games Workshop products which are only a very small part of the genre now.

      Delete
  2. The editor can only publish what has been submitted. But i do fear for the future where the editor HAS to find a proportion of material for a section of the hobby regardless of the quality or content. I have six months worth of subscription left to make my mind up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paul,
      If one compares the first MW's and the quality of the articles to the majority of the articles in the current magazines, it is very telling.

      Delete
  3. I fear that I'll let my own subscription to MWBG go at the end of the year when it runs out. I have enjoyed both Battlegames and, under Henry's wing, Miniature Wargames for the last ten years, but before 2006, I had not subscribed to a wargaming hobby mag since the early 90s. They just kind of lost something for me at that point. Sadly, I think I have again come to the same conclusion. The last few issues of MWBG just have not felt quite "right", so this latest development was actually not surprising. When Warner's took over from Atlantic, I wondered what was up and have been waiting for the shoe to drop ever since.

    Best Regards,

    Stokes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stokes,
      Try Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy, if you can. I would describe it as the nearest thing to a proper wargames magazine nowadays.

      Delete
  4. I haven't bought a wargaming magazine in a couple of years, apart from a Crimean 'special'; but I do wish Henry will put his Faltenian series into book form soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perhaps there is a need for a 'Battlegames' type of quarterly magazine?

      Delete
  5. I did have a subscription to Battlegames ,which I dropped a few issues into MWBG , it was too diluted. Can't see things improving .

    Good luck to Henry , he at least tried ..

    I do enjoy WSS though at the moment.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I will probably let my subscription lapse, if it hasn't done so already. Without Henry's involvement, meh.

    Oh well, at least I don't have to write those two articles that I was working on.

    Jim

    ReplyDelete
  7. Like any above I will most probably let the subscription lapse but as a magazine looking for a new niche then they may just hit the market. As I've said before when I speak to Gavin who runs my local gaming store it's the sci fi - Infinity, X wing, WildWest exodus and so on together with fantasy ( Frostgrave) etc that keeps the store going. Best selling historical! - Bolt Action so a magazine that pulls some of these threads together may just find itself a new market.
    Looks like WSS will be the only independent magazine left.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Graham,
      Check my latest post for a view on the way things are going.

      Delete

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