Vintage White Dwarf 315. March 2005.

Another Friday and another vintage White Dwarf review. This one was again a purchase from ebay, this time when I was starting my Tau army. Y'all know the drill by now so let's get the breakdown started!

Editorial - This issue was edited by Owen Rees and he seems like a nice enough chap. Unlike last weeks issue there are no photos of the other contributors, and since this was from a period when I wasn't playing I have no idea who might be writing this.

New Releases - It kicks off with two pages of LotR Khandish models are there's actually money off offers such as 10% savings! This segways into the release of Thorgrim Grudgebearer for fantasy and then onto the Tallarn Desert Raiders. There's a page of Orks for Epic and a couple of Inquisitor models. Specialist games get more support with two pages for Mordheim, including a lovely looking set of card buildings called Blood on the Streets (I'm really digging card scenery at the mo!). The section is capped off with a two page Tau spread for the massively discounted army deal including a limited edition figure and some early releases. So that's 27 releases spanning 6 game systems.

News - A brief introduction to the Fall of Medusa V and details of what's coming up in future WDs. Then a few shots of various greens that the studio are working on. A page of Cities of Death saying it'll be coming in June (remember it's March so that's 3 months warning!). There's then some Forge World, Black Library and Golden Daemon news along with something for a company called Black Industries who I've never heard of.

Tau Empire - This covers the designers notes for the new Tau Empire codex. From what I've read of the previous codex this was a massive leap forward, pretty much a brand new army the amount it was expanded. The article contains a nice interview with the designers, some stats such as weapon profiles, different paint schemes, a bit about the history of the race and a couple of sample army lists including a breakdown of points. What is of special note is the box-out containing the release schedule for all the models going right up to the summer.

Death on Kol'n - A battle report for Tau v Dark Eldar. Again, full army lists with points detailed, more explanations of some of the unique rules, great home made scenery, and at the end of it all the new army won!

Tau Colour Schemes - A quick look at assembly, converting and using green stuff, paint guides and what squad markings to use.

Fists of Dorn - This is a showcase of Glyn James' Crimson Fists. From what I can tell Glyn is just a hobbyist and they've dedicated 4 pages to his lovely looking army. We're lucky if Armies on Parade even gets a look in these days.

Standard Bearer - Two pages going over the re-labelling of all the published material into easy to understand categories such as codexes and expansions. Not really needed in my opinion.

Mordheim: The Soul to Keep - I've never really paid much attention to Mordheim so I can't make a fair call on the content of this. It's the second part of what appears to be a massive campaign with new scenarios and special rules. There's even a third part next month, massive!

Lord of the Rings - This is quite a large chunk of the magazine, and I'm afraid I'm going to gloss over most of it! There's a bit about how to introduce friends to the game, quite a few army lists, a painting guide, iconography, a tear out playsheet, a new campaign, and finally how to collect model and paint a themed army. Tons of very useful information if you're interested.

Battle under the earth - This is a recreation of a famous battle between the Dwarfs and the Night Goblins. They created the board out of tiles from a DIY store and mixed in some really atmospheric pieces of scenery they'd created especially. There are special rules and victory conditions, fantastic army lists, a mini battle report and a look at some Dwarf heroes which include full Army Book entries with stats and points values.

The Way of the Necrarch - This is a Warhammer Tactica article all about how to get the best from your undead.

The Art of Warhammer - Another fantasy tactics article, this time about how to effectively use heavy cavalry in your games. There's diagrams, rules are referenced, overall much sense is made.

The Astronomican - This is what we know now as the Augury. Except this one contains interviews with guys working in the stores, showcasing what they've painted and what they get up to. A really nice insight into what a hobby centre should be about.

Fuel for the Furnace - A letters page! And yes, while I'm sure the ones chosen are from the most enthusiastic gamers (the ones who yell Waargh!) it's still great to see that they once listened.

White Dwarf Paint Station - To round out the issue there's a page dedicated to the Dwarfers personal projects. This to me was one of the best things about the magazine. It really showed me that the people writing about the hobby were into it on a personal level.

Unlike with my last review I don't have the same rose tinted glasses of nostalgia on when I read this issue however this is still a really great read showcasing some really interesting aspects of the hobby. Most of the articles piqued my interest and gave me plenty of ideas for adding flavour to my games rather than just having a flick through looking at the shiny new pictures. A solid 8/10 for this one.