Modern War Magazine-

Cancelled?

Why? Do you ask? Do you care? Is the demise of the wargame hobby written word nigh?

Was it unoriginal writing?

Horrible Games?

Poorly developed Games?

Dare I say repetitive nonsense?

I’d need to really look at ME titles [update: Iraq (3), Iran-related (5) and Arab-Israeli historical (2) and hypo (3).] And I would be curious as to who thought what was great? Are there gems in there? Interestingly the majority were published in the first half of the magazine’s history.

The author below rightly calls out the ‘what if’ pick system A or B [Breshnev system or Putin system the What If 1936-1956,57,58..to 1985 and onwards systems], map with or without roads and 1d6 air system for WW3 rightly as more of the same. Let’s call it what it is banal.

Sometimes its not the designer fault though. Did the Publisher really think 11 cold war games with about 98% commonality in map, counters, and rules would cut it? Especially when the designer is also publishing the same dross different name in other publishing houses and magazines? So I lay the blame at the publisher, for not caring enough about its readers to DEMAND BETTER. There are designers, and writers and developers publishing games every month. Where were you screening, developing NEW FRESH talent versus shoving the same tired old shit down out throats quarter after quarter? – STOP…. Oh good you did. Good fricken riddance. So many missed opportunities were wasted for expedience and profit. Profits that never materialized.

Did the ME games garner the original readers into the fold? Did they create the ground swell of interest, but not enough due to lack of polish? Or were the games flat out awesome?

Several great games float around here. Ukraine is problematic but has potential. North Korea a shit show avoid…. The Afghan titles are somewhat unique. IP looks interesting and Chechnya too.

What specific ME titles did you like? what of the other categories EXCLUDING cold war Soviet did you like….. Why? Who designed them and did you play?

CONFLICTMAGAZINE BGG USER post-” I agree that diversity is the spice of wargaming but after doing a quick count of the topics covered (which with the two double games issues come to I believe 58) the breakdown is interesting:

SOUTH CHINA SEA = 1

MIDDLE EAST = 13

AFRICA = 3

KOREA = 1

VIETNAM = 7

KOSOVO = 1

GREECE = 1

RUSSO-CHINA = 2

COLD WAR-SOVIET = 11

RUSSIA = 5

AFGHANISTAN = 4

UKRAINE = 2

INDO-PAKISTAN = 1

CHECHNYA = 1

CHINA = 3

ABSTRACT = 1

NAGORNO-KARABAHK = 1

(this was a quick count if I missed something or categorized it wrong please feel free to chime in)

The Middle East is the single largest category, followed by the Cold War – Soviet category.

I own most of those issues of S&T you mentioned (and talk about some hot messes…the Chad title is a literal lesson in how not to make a wargame – thank god for the work done by the community on the rules – and with Nicaragua you had to make and print more counters for the game – imagine doing that in ’92 ) and don’t forget the Cold War double game issues from S&T.

I joked once with Kevin (hipshot) one time that DG made dev kits and sold them to make your own game with and his response was ‘I’m not paying for a damn dev kit! 🙂

But that has been my approach to the MW issues, especially those issues where you could make your own scenarios (I cataloged my issues parts so I could grab parts and insert them if I needed a particular item) and since 2016 have been working on putting my own system together that is a ‘minis on map’ approach (really glad I did that now) and am seriously considering dropping paper wargaming altogether with this news and just concentrating on my own system. With life changes that have occurred over the last year I just don’t have the space, time or money to continue with both approaches and my own system can now get 100% of the resources that I might have available.

At the end of the day this just makes me wonder if the writing is on the wall for wargame magazines…I have truly enjoyed the Renaissance but they seem to be starting to slip (ATO going for long stretches without issues or Annuals, Counter Fact being ‘suspended’, Battles issues getting further apart, etc).

Time will tell I suppose.”