Editorial: GW Giveth and GW Taketh Away!
Word is spreading online very quickly that Games Workshop has announced that as of July 15, 2003 it will no longer allow miniature retailers to sell its products on the internet.

According to Games Workshop this is being in done in an attempt to protect its intellectual property (IP) rights which it feels are being infringed upon by retailers who use GW images with their products.

Over the years GW has done a lot to earn a reputation of being an "evil empire" type of corporation that seeks its own profits over the good of the industry in general and its retailers in particular. However, with this recent policy GW may have tipped the pendulum over and down. By depriving miniature retailers of valuable internet sales GW will inevitably deprive itself of sales from those retailers. There are a lot of internet only retailers - probably far more than brick & mortar hobby shops - who will no doubt go out of business as a result of this policy if it enforced. Some believe GW has anticipated this and still feels it will benefit in the end with more online consumers coming directly to their website. I fear they are wrong. Most if not all of these retailers got their business simply because of the 20% or greater discounts they offered on GW products. A discount that is not available at the GW website. Without that discount most consumers will either buy from their local hobby shop, or else not buy at all. And in the end it is the local hobby shop, and not GW, that will probably be the big winner in all of this.

And just maybe that is what GW is up to after all... a little back scratching.


Deano C. Ware

Pulp Figures and Rugged Adventures!
For those looking for a change from the usual miniature vignettes of WWII, Fantasy and Medieval then you have got to check out sculptor Bob Murch's "Pulp Figures!"


According to Bob: Pulp Figures and Rugged Adventures are primarily designed for a fictionalized historical setting we call the 'Pulp Era'. The pulps were entertainment magazines of the early 20th century and reached their peak of popularity in the period between the first and second world wars. The pulp magazine venue introduced tough guy detective stories with famed characters like Sam Spade and Philip Marlow, occult action/adventure stories from authors such as Robert E. Howard, the creator of Conan or Sax Rohmer of Dr. Fu Manchu fame. They also introduced the jungle fantasy adventures of Tarzan of the Apes. Within the pages of the pulps you might join an expedition into distant lands in search of a lost city. You might sail an airship through a polar gateway to a pre-historic world at the center of the earth. It was an action packed world of brave heroes standing alone against sinister villains plotting world conquest, tough dames, spies and even the occasional brilliant scientist with a newly invented rocket ship. It was a brightly coloured world of action packed, spine tingling adventure.



In addition to the miniatures you can also download a free copy of the draft rules for his miniature game, "Rugged Adventures".

em4miniatures Now Has Plastic!
Many of you may know that em-4 miniatures carries a range of pre-painted metal miniatures, but many of you may not know that they also now carry a range of unpainted "plastic" miniatures.



Pictured above is an orc and dwarf, from their plastic fantasy range and some converted command troopers from their plastic sci-fi range. Remember these come unpainted!

Reaper "Greens"!
Reaper Miniatures has posted their latest "greens" on their website. Pictured below is a male druid by the irrepressible Sandra Garrity!

Ares! Miniature Wargaming System!
ARES: Miniatures Wargaming System is a complete skirmish-level fantasy game published by Majestic Twelve Games. I have heard many good things about Ares. The flexibility of the system allows players to use any wargaming miniatures in their collection. Over two dozen sample figures are detailed in this book, but the real strength of ARES is its figure creation system, that encourages players to use their imaginations -- which is the way it should be!



Also included is a fully-customizable magic system, providing players with the opportunity to design their own spells for their troops. Best of all you can download a demonstration version of the rules at the Ares site.

Check Out Our Links!
Most every article that we post on The Miniature Gaming News has a link to the manufacturer or publisher included in our links section on the far right column. Some articles, such as the Battle Cards, are not germaine to the hobby so the only link you will find for those is the link embedded in the article itself.

Also be sure to check out the "Archives" listed by date in the far right section. This site is updated often so it is possible that an item may have been posted and archived since the last time you visited.

Please feel free to email me with any comments, suggestions or queries!

The Perfect Captain Presents "Cousin Jonathan"
If you haven't heard of The Perfect Captain then you don't browse the web enough. Anyway that's what the Miniature Gaming News is here for. Today we present The Perfect Captain's latest endeavor, Cousin Jonathan, being rules for the War of 1812.

Hackmaster Previews of Upcoming Character Miniatures!
Check out previews of Hackmaster's upcoming new character models. Pictured below is "Hireling Pack 2" sculpted by the talented Jim Johnson of Reaper fame.



These ain't your daddy's hirelings! Includes the Scroll Caddy and (sacrificial) Torchbearer. The Torchbearer's shield is removable (click to enlarge to see this). Let your character live in the luxury he always deserved with someone to carry his items and go first into unknown rooms!
Reference: Player's Handbook

Accessory of the Week!
I just had to show you this cool miniature accessory from Kenzer & Co...Flying Fireballs! These would be great for a magical attack that actually has a duration to it; or even a possible "misdirection".
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If you know of any cool miniature gaming accessories be sure to post a comment and let us know.

Savage Worlds Released This Week!
Pinnacle Entertainment has announced the release of its Savage World roleplaying/miniature game. Welcome to a revolution in gaming--Savage Worlds--a merger of the best ideas in roleplaying and miniature games!



What's so revolutionary? We're glad you asked!

* It's Fast! Savage Worlds is the fastest and easiest fully-detailed roleplaying game you'll ever play! You can fight out massive battles quickly and easily--with your heroes' allies and minions--in one simple, fast-playing system!

* It's Furious! Characters gain awesome new abilities quickly, raising their attributes and skills and gaining powerful and exciting new Edges!

* It's Fun! Savage Worlds was designed to be a Game Master's dream! GMs can write adventures, create new villains and monsters, and run epic tales, all without lots of bookkeeping. And you won't need computer programs, three rule books, and a half-dozen setting books to do it. You'll find everything you need right here and in the Savage Setting of your choice!

* It's also a Miniatures Game! Savage Worlds works as a miniatures battle game as well as an RPG. That means you can fight out your heroes' epic battles to save the world right on the table-top! Or you can play a competitive battle with troops of your own design!

* It's Complete! Savage Worlds was designed to be used with any genre--from swashbuckling pirates to superheroes and sci-fi. Inside you'll find complete and simple rules for epic heroes, vehicles, chases, magic, superpowers, mass battles, skirmishes, and even guidelines for designing your own races and worlds!