Disclaimer: I’m talking mainly from the point-of-view of a Fantasy Battle player as I have no experience with 40K or the LotR-games.
Since I just recently got back in the game with the miniature painting the “news” about the end of White Dwarf Magazine (by Games Workshop) were quite interesting. I say it’s still “news” as no official status has been given on this. While speculation is usually on Aki’s field at this blog I decided to give it a crack this time.
The White Dwarf magazine started out as a roleplaying magazine with adventures, monsters etc. Over the years it changed until it reached its “final form” and became solely the magazine for Games Workshop’s miniature games. (For further information on the background check for example the wikipage).
Over the years I have read a lot of critical comments on the magazine. A lot of people are blaming it to be only a fancy catalog of models with no real gaming value. I think I still have some old issues with expanded rules for Mordheim stashed somewhere but I can concure that the most recent years it has been just that.
Now what I have noticed is that Games Workshop has actually but a lot of effort on the miniature games it produces. Though I personally dislike the idea of constantly evolving rulesets that mean new editions of the game I do like the fact that GW has published a number of expansion for Fantasy Battle. This is something they did no do while I was still playing.
I have also noticed a certain drift towards digital publications. This seems to be only a reasonable direction. At least when you think of it from GW’s point of view. They seem to ask almost as much money from a digital book than a printed one. Though I do not like this kind of thing I can understand why they do it. And on the other hand if I were still playing FaBa actively I would have liked to have my books on an iPad, bookmarked naturally.
As the “news” go this “end of White Dwarf” seems in this light to be something that could very well happen. The rumor says there will be a weekly issue of “White Dwarf Visions” and I have no reason to doubt they could not publish something like that – as a digital paper. It would only make sense to publish regular updates on the rules as it would mean that active players would most likely buy them to get everything out of their armies. The “Warhammer Visions” of this rumor will most likely (in my opinion) be a honest catalog of new products and showcase miniatures. Even with the internet I still think there could be a certain demand on this kind of physical magazine.
Now this might just be me wishing this. I seriously doubt that any market or grocery store would add a weekly White Dwarf magazine on their magazine stand. You can find White Dwarf from certain places (and by that I mean other than hobby stores) but a weekly magazine? I seriously doubt that.