Last weekend, The Best of White Dwarf Magazine hit the shelves, bringing with it a collection of classic Middle-earth articles from the pages of that illustrious magazine. With that in mind, we caught up with Rob Alderman and Jay Clare, the team behind the publication, to find out how it all came together…
Warhammer Community: What was the inspiration behind The Best of White Dwarf Magazine?
Rob: Since the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game was released back in 2001, there have been simply loads of awesome articles that have graced the pages of White Dwarf. What we wanted to do was collect the very best of those together in one supplement to show how the Middle-earth hobby has evolved over the past 19 years.
For me personally, there is a lot of nostalgia associated with those classic White Dwarf articles. I’ve many fond memories poring over the pages and reading the fantastic hobby content. This was an opportunity to provide that same nostalgic feeling to other seasoned hobbyists, as well as introducing all of this great material to players who may have joined in more recent years.
WarCom: With so many Battle Reports over the years, how did you choose which ones to include?
Rob: What we wanted to do was have a Battle Report for each of the previous editions of the Strategy Battle Game to demonstrate how the game itself has progressed and developed. There’s the very first Battle Report from the first edition of the game, one from when The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey™ was released, plus a few more recent ones pitting the armies of the Iron Hills and Gundabad against one another, as well as recreating the epic Battle of Pelennor Fields.
It’s also interesting to see how the style of Battle Report has changed. The first was written very much as telling the story of the battle from the perspective of the characters taking part, whereas the more recent Battle Reports are written from the point of view of the players, giving their thoughts and tactical insights.
Jay: We also included an article that followed four hobbyists as they played a series of games of Battle Companies. This really highlights how much fun Battle Companies is, showing four fledgeling companies progressing through multiple games, forming rivalries, and growing in strength. It has some truly excellent moments – even if my own company may not have done as well as I’d hoped!
WarCom: There are a number of Narrative Play Scenarios in the book – what made you include these particular examples?
Rob: The Narrative Play Scenarios are usually smaller and more niche, representing the more esoteric and unique scenes from the films and books. Traditionally, these have been included within the pages of White Dwarf, providing players with Scenarios and mini-games that don’t necessarily fit within one of the supplements. The likes of Gandalf’s duel with the Balrog, Fatty Bolger trying to escape from the Nazgûl, Aragorn hunting for Gollum, and Radagast attempting to fend off the spiders of Mirkwood from his home, have all had Scenarios in White Dwarf and are included in this supplement. Fans of Narrative gaming will love all these extra Scenarios to play through!
We also wanted to add in the campaign for Evil Battle Companies. The campaign in the
supplement focuses on the Good factions in Middle-earth, although Evil factions could still be used. This article was originally included in White Dwarf to provide an alternative campaign for the forces of Evil, and having it back in print provides an extra chance for newer players to have even more Battle Companies content.
WarCom: It’s not all gaming content, though – there are also numerous hobby-related articles. How did you pick which ones to include?
Rob: I loved these articles growing up. They really highlighted just what could be achieved with a bit of creativity, imagination, and patience. The articles we chose were just so good that we had to include them – they show all aspects of the hobby, at a variety of skill levels. The Mordor Terrain article helps players to create their own board for playing games within the black lands, and Nick Bayton’s Nazgûl conversion article was unlike anything we’d ever seen before. The recent painting guides for Théoden and Gandalf the White are also excellent for helping hobbyists improve their painting skills.
WarCom: So, finally, which are your favourite articles?
Rob: For me, it is probably the Mordor Terrain article. Not only is it a fantastic hobby guide showing off some stunning scratch-built terrain, but it also has a selection of rules for playing games in Mordor – it truly is an article that has everything! I also love the River Assault rules article – the detailed rules for boats and rivers really allow for a very different style of gameplay. In fact, it was the first article I decided I wanted to include in this supplement!
Jay: War on the Long Lake holds a special place in my heart, as it was the first article I wrote for White Dwarf, fulfilling a dream I’d had since I was 11 to feature within the magazine’s hallowed pages. I’m also a huge fan of the smaller Narrative Scenarios that are featured – particularly Fatty Bolger’s Great Escape that I remember playing repeatedly when it first came out!
Cheers, guys! The Best of White Dwarf Magazine is out now, in hardback or as an ePub. What’s your favourite classic White Dwarf Middle-earth article? Let us know on the Warhammer Official Facebook page. On a separate note, be sure not to miss our painting guide on Éomer on the 18th of September – it’s the same day that you can get your hands on the heroic Marshal of the Riddermark again, as he’s due to be back in stock!