The December issue of Wargames Illustrated landed on my doormat this morning. This months issue is a Vietnam special and coincides with the release of a limited range of Flames of War Vietnam figures.
- The opening article is The Battle of Ia Drang and is inspired by the book and subsequent film of the 7th cavalry action in this valley, We Were Soldiers.
- Further articles in this issue provide FOW army lists for both the 7th Cavalry and the Tieu Doan Bo Binh infantry Batalion of the Peoples Army of Vietnam.
- Hot L.Z. Mission is a a scenario for recreating an assault landing in a contested landing Zone.
- The second scenario on offer is Indian Country Mission in which the troops on the ground need to hold out until their air support arrives.
- The Ia Drang Battlefield focuses on the scenery and topography for replaying the battle.
- AWI Unit Tactics is an follow on article from last months Special.
- There are two painting articles in this months issue focusing on Painting Helicopters and Painting Uniforms for FOW Vietnam.
- The Italians can Rob my Country when I am dead! is the first of a two part article about the Ital0-Ethiopian war of 1935-36
- Colours 2009 a review of the show in Reading
- Warning! This Hobby may contain nuts is a very funny look at the people and pitfalls of this strange hobby of ours.
- The US FOW Nationals is a look at the event in Pennsylvania.
- An Introduction to Dipping is, well, self explanatory.
This is probably the most FOW dedicated issue of the magazine since its relaunch under the ownership of Battlefront. However the quality and variety of the articles in this Special caught my interest. Focusing on one core theme each month does have its drawbacks but this issues focus on Vietnam definetly hit the mark for me.
So what is WI like on a monthly basis? Since I've just gotten into FoW I've been considering it, especially this latest Vietnam centered issue. It looks like it's well worth the money, unlike White Dwarf.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you said that the Vietnam stuff is a limited release. Do you mean that it's only going to be available for a limited period, or that they're limiting how much they're releasing for it?
My understanding (from their website) is that Vietnam isn't going to be fully supported with a range of Battlefront miniatures. They have produced some helicopters but beyond that they recommend other mini manufacturers.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed the re-launched WI even though I don't play most of the periods that they have done 'specials' on. This has to be the most Battlefront/FoW heavy issue since the re-launch but I personally don't have a problem with that.
WI is not (IMHO) a glorified catalogue like White Dwarf because other companies do get space to advertise their products. Plus the magazine is huge, running to over 110 glossy picture filled pages. I enjoy a range of Wargame and Roleplaying magazines (in both paper & electronic formats) but WI wins hands down as a good read and a source of news and reviews.
Yep, I will have to pick up this issue when I see it at my local WHS in Ealing. I tend to only buy magazines that having something of interest to me in them, so I don't subscribe to any of them. However, I've bought three issues of WI this year, and this will make it number four, which means I've bought twice as many WIs as any other magazine. They must be doing something right, especially since I don't play FoW.
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