Well it's been a while since we've done a White Dwarf review, but we actually got the issue a few days early here instead of a few days late, so we can take you through the April 2018 White Dwarf.
The current White Dwarf format is a bit of an odd one - where previously in the weekly version we were always guaranteed to only see new releases, now White Dwarf has this odd crossover where we get new releases and some previews. April's issue is a prime example.of this where we have most of April's releases, but only up until the 21st which means we only get to see part of the Idoneth Deepkin and no minis. So by the time the next White Dwarf comes out in May, we will have already seen the minis on the shelf before we see them in the magazine. It's all to do with pre-production etc etc, but really they should take a leap and if there's a major release that spans a month (say it goes into early May) then include those miniatures - they only need to do it once and then everything will line up from then on. Just a thought...

Well ho ho ho! Merry Christmas and welcome to 2018, but it's not Father Christmas paying a visit from Games Workshop - it's the Urfather; the Plague Lord, the Plague God, the Lord of Decay, Grandfather Nurgle!, bringing joyous pestilence to the Age of $igmar universe with some new characters and.... Gods save us - some rather nice minis! I KNOW... bloody Nurgle has even impressed the old Beardy behind the keyboard... sigh!
Look, you may have heard our whinging for some time that Nurgle gets way too much love (as did Khorne) and Slaanesh gets zero, but its true - from Skaven, to Death Guard, Blight Kings to the never ending 40K releases, Nurgle has had a fair run of it over the past two years. Yes, Tzeentch and Khorne also got some love - Tzeentch with some amazing releases and Khorne with some pretty poor ones - but what about Slaanesh?
Anyway, suffice to say that we have a look inside month's special Nurgle Edition of White Dwarf below! But before we do - have you seen the first episode of Malign Portents?

Well well well - look what's here; it's White Dwarf and it's early... WHAAAA?!
As you may have noticed, we haven't done a White Dwarf review for some time, basically because it comes out in the shops before our subscription gets here.
Games Workshop have pretty much put the blame on Australia Post, until a conversation last month where we pointed out to them that it takes more than a week to get from them to a house if you're using the cheapest postage rate. Well it looks like them posting it when they should have has worked and we now have a White Dwarf, a full 24 hours before shelf date - the excitement is palpable, if the word "excitement" is appropriate...
With Chapter Approved on the horizon for this week, plus the imminent release of 8th Edition Codex for two fo the founding Space Marine Chapters of Warhammer 40K, one would think that these would be the focus of this issue, well Padwan, we were both wrong!
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It seems like just the other week we were talking about White Dwarf - and in fact it was - that was the delayed June issue of White Dwarf, and this time we are looking at the July issue!
The July issue sports the same image that has been floating around for a number of the new 8th Edition releases - the valiant Ultramarine Captain (love the personal heraldry on the pauldron BTW) going toe to toe with some Plague Marines.
The image itself is probably a bit misleading, because even though last issue was packed to the brim with Warhammer 40K stuff, this issue does have some more general content for the hobbyist also - but don't be too fooled, 40K is the undoubted cash cow right now!
Sadly there is no Blood Bowl supplement this month, nor are there too many exclusive rules. The format that the White Dwarf Monthly launched with of having the exclusive rules all together has gone now, and if you're looking for them then it's a scouting job to find them.
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This month's White Dwarf is late - in fact two weeks late - "and why" I hear you ask? Well fellow travellers on this roller coaster they call "life", it was so the release of Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition wouldn't be spoiled, so we would all gather together around the fireplace as one, like a Tyranid Hive Mind, and enjoy the great unveiling. Now in the days before the internet this would work marvelously - but Games Workshop have managed to saturate the internet so fully with their 8th Edition gushing that there is absolutely nothing new in this issue. We have literally seen it all, read it all, even tasted it all because I know you secretly want to put one of those new Primaris Space Marines in your mouth!
Oh sure there is some new-ish stuff outside of 40k, but if you're getting this issue for 40k, well wait until tomorrow and just pick up the new game! SO... why did Games Workshop hold this off? We're pretty sure it was the game play walk through, that or because they're mean!
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​Last week we gave you (to use a peculiar Australian-ism) "the good oil" on the pre-orders for this week. With a two week pre-order window, this week was never going to be huge.... unless of course they brought out the tank or maybe the individual boxes of Death Guard and Primaris Marines... which would be smart to keep the buzz alive, but alas they did not! Instead they give us a Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition special issue of White Dwarf.
The last "special issue" of White Dwarf was for Gathering Storm and was boring as bat-shit, so lets see what this issue delivers for readers and especially subscribers, who lets be honest have now waited an extra two weeks to get a White Dwarf they have already paid for!
And this leads us to this thought; do Games Workshop care about their subscribers?
Subscribers pre-pay for an issue hoping it will be good, blindly paying for the issue despite quality-sporadic production - especially in the last few issues.
The new White Dwarf started strongly and was very very good, but recently it has been less so, naff on occasion!
So what does the subscriber get as a reward? The answer - nothing special! Sure you might get the issue a few days early, but if it's crappy then you just get the kick in the goolies a few days early and you can't put it back on the shelf and save the money for some minis or something in real life.
With the advent of WH40K 8th Edition this would seem like the perfect opportunity to reward subscribers. How about giving subscribers a Primaris Marine taped to the front of their issue? They're being given away in some stores, so it's not like it's a crazy idea PLUS it would encourage future sales.
Being a subscriber, and therefore loyal, to Games Workshop seems to gain us as subscribers absolutely nothing. So why do it? The answer is, we won't be again.
Having bought White Dwarf since 1989, been a subscriber on and off in that time, it again comes down to not being treated well by Games Workshop. Why show loyalty when that is not returned?

This issue marks the 40th anniversary of the White Dwarf magazine - the monthly (and sometimes weekly) hobby magazine from Games Workshop.
It also marks the first issue of this incarnation of White Dwarf that we're not recommending you buy!
I know that's kind of a big statement for the opening of a review, so let me give you a bit of context.
As we may have told you, White Dwarf in the Beardy Hammer dungeon first appeared in 1989 with issue 120.
Since that time subscriptions have come and gone and then many years without any bought at all. I give you that piece of history so you know that we are actually quite invested in White Dwarf - and still this issue is a bore!
If Games Workshop really wanted to celebrate the 40th anniversary, then maybe an Apocrypha White Dwarf where they could have actually paid homage to the publication with a real insight from the creators and maybe some samples of the amazing articles that have influenced us for so many years, not a collection of tiny pictures and self congratulation. I know we would have bought an Apocrypha White Dwarf as it's a bit of nostalgia - like all the Apocrypha - but White Dwarf magazine is a hobby magazine for the hobbyist and gamer not the forum for whatever this was. Sure there is a Battle Report,. some cool minis, an interview with John Blanche, some new rules and a neat Illuminations - but there is absolutely nothing new in the way of miniature releases, a rehash of the Kharadrons, and a look at an old diorama at Warhammer World. 
Overall pretty disappointing for something we've been waiting a month for!
This whole issue reminds me of the White Dwarf of old when it went bad and FFS - print something of substance in the letters section not this navel gazing!
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April 2017's White Dwarf has probably been the most comprehensively leaked issue so far - maybe that's because of the content - but I wouldn't be surprised to see Games Workshop now delay delivery to subscribers because of it.
This issue has a few surprises, and Games Workshop seem to be a bit better at keeping them for longer. The Kharadron release came out of nowhere - the video appeared on the official online portals and then everyone followed. Now a similar thing has happened with this issue - without a hint we're getting 3 new Mechanicus-themed terrain sets. Granted these are the ones from Shadow War: Armageddon, but to have them released so close to the boxed game is interesting. Even with the high price of Shadow War: Armageddon, it's still a good buy, you effectively get the terrain kits at retail and the troops are free.
Away from those releases - the big miniature releases for this month - this issue has quite a bit of content, swinging away from the hobby angle a little and adding gaming parts.

White Dwarf - back in our hands early, like Slaanesh designed it. Praise be!
This month sees the start of Gathering Storm II, which sees the Biel-Tan Eldar Craftworld take the place of Cadia on the chopping block of the Gridmark! As this is a review of the White Dwarf, not a spoiler-fest, suffice to say that some things are revealed, and others are left. To out mind the balance between backstory of the characters is good, not overloading and making you want more. Tell you what though, the Eldar have so much angst it could be a teen anime. The Dark Eldar have always been a bit emo, but the Eldar themselves are all drama drama drama, and the level of infighting is really interesting and logical considering the way their civilization was torn asunder.
Apart from Gathering Storm, there's also new terrain for Eldar themed boards, more on the Tzeentch minis, A Tale of Four Warlords draws to a close with four great looking armies, plus multiple painting a modelling tutorials and more.
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If you're reading this now, then this review was actually written on the 26th of January, not the 7th of January when the issue was released. Games Workshop are still stuffing up the subscription, so I'm getting these quite late. here's hoping they'll have it sorted by February. On with the review...
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When this first hit the shelves, Cadia was a well fleshed out rumour, but none of us really knew what was going to happen.
**SPOILER ALERT**
Cadia dies! Yes the War World is no more... so this issue was the beginning of all that. Released the week before Gathering Storm: Fall of Cadia here we get to see the  Triumvirate for the first time. It's also the preview of some of the Tzeentch releases, Gangs of Commorragh, the iron Hill Dwarves from The Hobbit plus more on Blood Bowl, which since it's release has gone a bit quiet, as is the Games Workshop way! Want to see more?
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As the cover suggests, this issue launches the new Blood Bowl game with a thumping rush pass!
(I made a sporting reference - please write down this time and date for later generations).

So without further ado, here is the first issue of White Dwarf Monthly, delivered to some subscribers today.
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More After The Jump
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