No Quarter, that is.  The magazine.  What else could I possibly mean?

I wanted to launch our review series of articles with a product I feel rather privileged to read and receive regularly; Privateer Press’ No Quarter bi-monthly magazine.  As a subscriber and collector of the magazine I feel I am uniquely qualified to write a review of the product that goes beyond an overview of the current issue and talks about the magazine in terms of it’s value as a regular supplemental product for the company’s Warmachine, Hordes, IKRPG, Level 7 [Escape] and Bodgers line of products.  Because really what we have is a high quality product that can be used to enhance your knowledge and experience with the games mentioned.

Oh and brace yourselves, this is the longest article to date here on the blog.  I hope you find it of value and not too painful of a read.

Before we dive right into it, I wanted to establish my “credentials” when it comes to this particular product.  I have every issue published, from # 1 to the current # 48 and have read them all at least once, and in some cases many times.  Several issues have the dog-eared pages to prove it, and many bear the coloured post-it tags I use to denote particular painting guides or topics that are relevant to my interests.  To compare and contrast, I have been or am a subscriber or purchasing consumer of the following other periodicals: Star Wars Insider, White Dwarf Magazine, Maxim Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Toyfare and Men’s Health magazines.  I like to think I am open to reading a good magazine and will subscribe to a periodical if it meets my standards of quality and delivers content that keeps me coming back for more.  Now when I say it keeps me coming back for more, I mean that my nature as a pack rat or hoarder will be justified in pulling that old copy out and re-reading it or referencing it occasionally when the mood or need strikes me, sometimes years after it has been first published.

 

No review would be complete without some form of information as to what a reader can expect in any given issue, so I want to break down some of the regular content from the magazine into broader categories.  These categories are simply my way of organizing where I think the content best fits in the broader sense of what Privateer Press has to offer me as a customer, and it needs to be said that many of the articles I talk about can be included in multiple categories as crossover does happen a fair bit.

 

HOBBY

What I consider to be Hobby content in No Quarter magazine are the articles that provide insight or instructions on how to paint, create or customize pieces used in the tabletop miniatures games of Warmachine and Hordes, though there has been some great tutorials on how to make custom IKRPG characters as well.

The Modeling & Painting article series provides easy-to-follow steps for painting or building models, just as the title suggests.  Usually linked to a theme or tied to another article in the magazine, this article series often covers the basics of cleaning and priming a model through to the various stages of painting and basing the final product.  I have at times been critical of confusing steps or overly simplified paint schemes, as well as the writer’s assumption that all painters are created equal and inherently know how to mix a glaze, ink wash, or particular colour.  Recently though I find that a very good balance has been struck between explaining the steps in stages and being very deliberate about the paints used, the rations mixed to achieve certain effects, and the actual method used to apply the paint to the model.  The most recent authors of this article series, Rob Hawkins and Ted Burgess in  particular have taken it back to the very basics and delivered M&P articles that allow even a novice painter such as myself to spread my wings a little bit and try some new techniques in order to improve.

The Terrain Building series of articles have been a fantastic visual piece when they appear in the pages of No Quarter magazine, and I am always thrilled to read about how some of the fantastic terrain that appears in battle reports and at special events gets made.  I honestly feel these are at a level beyond my skill set, however I am often inspired to dig out my old copy of No Quarter issue # 15 for their “Staging the Battle Part 1: Building and painting a basic gaming table” article and try my hand at a small table for personal use.  I do enjoy how the materials used, steps involved, and even painting guides are offered and I like that the writer usually offers encouragement for the reader to not be afraid to take risks, but I find I will need a little motivation and some buddies before I go about any project like this, and may attempt it later this Summer.

The magazine also features a regular Modelling & Painting Challenge for readers to participate in.  Also linked to a theme, the readers are encouraged to customize or create a model within the guidelines of the challenge and submit their completed entries to Privateer Press for judging and inclusion in a future issue, usually the following release.  Again I am not a customizer myself, but having had the dubious honour of getting to know the infamous Captain Spud of Lost Hemisphere fame, I have seen and enjoyed playing against my fair share of custom models.  Spud even submitted an entry or two to No Quarter magazine I believe, and can be found in the pages of an older issue.  Usually a one-page offering, the challenge is often fun and funny, allowing a lot of room for creative expression and inspiring the consumers of the games ample opportunity to interpret the challenge and see their vision through to fruition.  Simply put, gamers make some pretty cool stuff, and it’s nice to see them being inspired by the challenge.

 

 

 

WARMACHINE AND HORDES CONTENT

No magazine published by a miniature gaming company would be complete without the Previews section of the magazine.  Now I say Previews rather than releases because there is a difference.  With the recent and aggressive release schedule from Privateer Press, most issues have involved a handful of model previews from anthology books that have not yet released, so the previews include a portion of the model entry from the anthology book as well as some artwork.  The excitement I feel when I open up a new issue of No Quarter magazine and know I am one of a handful of people who is able to see the models and get the spoilers on their stats and special abilities is one of the primary reasons I subscribe to the magazine.  Being able to deny rumours and serve up juicy information to my fellow gamers at Heroes World is a personal treat for me as I like being the guy with “insider” information that I am actually allowed to share.  It’s great in that it helps create excitement for releases as well as confirming speculation about how great something is going to be, or even just straight out adding confusion when we don’t know what all the releases for an anthology book are going to be and we get a preview of what may be a critical part of our faction.  I like that the Previews are kept to a handful of pages, just enough to get me excited but not enough to take away from the other articles I am expecting to get and enjoy every issue.  My only complaint with the previews is when the editors fail to catch something and players hopes get raised, it would be better if the little mistakes were caught during the editing process and all the information was correct before it went to the press, but I allow that not everyone is perfect, and that mistakes happen.  Though for the very briefest of moments in time, Arcane Tempest Blazers had Range 12 Magelock pistols, and I was giddy with the possibilities.  *SNIFF*

Of course the early pages of the magazine are devoted to the Releases of the current and next month, as one would expect from the pages of a marketing tool like this.  I really like how this section is not too long, it shows pictures of the models releasing and includes details on the sculptors, product codes for retailers, suggested retail pricing, what game or system it is from as well as what faction it belongs to and the month that it is expected to release.  The only criticism I have of this section is that it infuriates me when no picture is available, I really like to see the pictures of the models in the magazine before they are slated to release, it makes it more real to me as a player when I can see what is just a month or two away.  Not much special here, it is exactly enough to pique interest of the releases and remind you of what is coming out soon for your factions, but not too busy or taking up valuable content pages.

The article series Guts & Gears and The Gavyn Kyle Files are a nice complement to the Warmachine and Hordes games as they often provide further insight and tactics into how to use a specific part of an army.  Guts & Gears will often discuss the “fluff” or contain some prose about the model(s) in the article, followed by a tactics piece about how a particular author uses the model(s), how to support the model(s) or use them to support your army, an alternate painting scheme or themes and some details of what that model or unit’s role is in the setting.  The Gavyn Kyle files deal specifically with the espionage reports of the Cygnaran Reconnaissance Service’s premiere spy, Gavyn Kyle.  Most often a collection of notes, interview transcripts, Gavyn’s thoughts in the margins and some historical records on the subject, this is a section of the magazine geared towards the person interested in the back story, history, and character of the people of importance in the Iron Kingdoms setting.  As I mentioned earlier, there is great crossover potential in the Gavyn Kyle files, as the reports often identify events or battles where a particular person of importance may have appeared, and clever Gamemasters will use these little seeds as launching points for great adventures or campaigns, including the “canon” reports as part of a broader and richer IKRPG game.  If you have a particular favourite model, character or unit, likely they will make an appearance in the Gavyn Kyle Files at some point, if they haven’t already.

There are pages dedicated to Tournaments and National Events that Privateer Press has attended, and the submissions for the News From the Front section are from players and organizers much like you and I, dear reader, detailing the events and awards handed out at any given event.  We usually get details on conventions like Templecon, Gen*Con, Lock & Load, Adepticon, etc etc as well as coverage on events from all over the world.  It’s interesting reading seeing what other event organizers and players are experiencing, but I totally understand why some people may be more locally-focused and gloss over these pages.

The Forces of Distinction series is something new to the magazine since the release of Mark II, detailing new and unique Theme Forces that are presented only in the pages of No Quarter magazine.  They are legal for use in Steamroller events and anything run by a Privateer Press volunteer (with approval) when published, and frequently take a unique look at the Warcasters or Warlocks for a faction and the army composition for them.  Certainly criticism has been levelled against Privateer Press for the quality of their original theme force offerings; the Retribution of Scyrah and Cygnar books are often just a formulaic “take X number of unit A to achieve theme force”.  Not only boring, but they did seem to be an attempt to sell more models by a company that has always had good sales volume from what I can gather.  I think it was a case of inexperience and trying something new, and as with any new attempt there are bound to be some hurdles.  The benefit of releasing new theme forces in the pages of No Quarter magazine is that it allows previously “bad” or unloved theme forces a chance to be reinvigorated by the addition of new models, different themes, and exciting new benefits.  Some of the better Forces of Distinction offerings have allowed the use of non-faction options into a theme force, making the list a totally different experience rather than a vanilla faction list with some restrictions and a few benefits.  Almost every player I know has asked about or expressed interest in the Forces of Distinction articles when a new issue lands, so I have to believe Privateer is starting to get it right and make theme forces the exciting and challenging option they were meant to be for players.

As required or when applicable we get articles on the official Leagues which include model cards for season models, league rules, an overview of the league and any pertinent information relating to a league, even though the information is also available online at Privateer Press’ web site.  Tournament information and format for the Lock & Load Game Fest is often included, so it is nice to see the big events covered in the premiere magazine for the games.  Battle Reports also feature in the magazine when applicable, and not only are they often interesting but they never seem to be staged or contrived like some other battle reports are.  Staff are given the opportunity to build a list and play a game that is chronicled by the Editor in Chief of the magazine or the players themselves, and we get some interesting insight into the personalities and players from the head office.  My only criticism of the battle reports is that some of the choices of models or lists seem to be less than ideal, and even though I myself am a casual and non-competitive player I feel that the staff should be giving their best to show their own capabilities and savvy with the factions they have chosen.  I will add, though, that I don’t expect it to be all powerful, all the time, however not taking the under-powered things might make for a more interesting read.  I do like that the Battle Reports are allowed to play out; if there is an agenda or “script” to them I for one have never felt it or thought I had been deceived.  Any player/faction can win, and any model can be used effectively in the report, and I often find that I will learn something new about the faction or an interaction that I wasn’t aware of previously, and for that reason I enjoy reading the battle reports when I have the time to give it the attention it’s due.

 

 

IKRPG

Since the launch of the new Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game, No Quarter has begun to support the game with multiple articles to add content to this amazing setting of theirs.  Foundry, Forge & Crucible, Monsternomicon & Beyond, IK Gazetteer and The Armory are all articles that provide additional support and content for the roleplaying game crowd out there.  Considering the original game comprised two HUGE source books that weighed in around 900 pages, it’s no surprise that the content was there and coming hard and fast after the new game released.  Now that’s not to say that they are re-hashing all the old product, far from it, but what they have done is find a wonderful way to continually support the roleplaying game through a regular publication.  Like many, at first I wondered at the impact the new IKRPG content would have on the regular offerings I was used to in the pages of No Quarter, but thankfully the magazine expanded slightly to accommodate more IKRPG content and retain all that I already enjoyed about it.  Whether you are looking for new items and gear, details on becoming a mad scientist or Alchemist, a new monster or plot hook to get the adventurers off and running, or even if you just need the details of a small mining town where the player characters are going to be based out of, I have found the content released in the pages of No Quarter magazine to surpass my expectations in almost every issue.  I like how each and every issue since # 42 has been different and offering a taste of many different options, for both players and GM’s.  I am almost ready to start my own campaign, and hope to be able to run a monthly game for my friends and keep the story fresh and interesting for all, and having new content every other month in the pages of No Quarter magazine reassures me that I will have something to draw from and keep me on my toes even though I may get tired of being the GM.  Also worth repeating here if you have skipped ahead to the header that appeals to you most, articles such as the Gavyn Kyle Files and Guts & Gears also frequently have morsels of information there that can be used as adventure hooks, background setting information or even just historical information for what is going on in the setting at any given time frame.  Well worth exploring articles where there is fiction or prose to find what information is revealed that will support your game or campaign.

 

 

Unlike many other products out on the market today, I have found that Privateer Press’ No Quarter magazine is a structured supplement that gives me information relevant to my interest in the hobby, game play, and creative side of their properties on a regular basis.  My very first criticism of the magazine was that it comes out far too infrequently for my tastes, and would be even more popular if it came out monthly rather than bi-monthly.  I suspect that the needs of the company to produce “Forces of” books, anthology books for both of their tabletop miniatures games as well as designing and developing more products for their properties is why they keep it to bi-monthly, however my desire for a monthly magazine still stands.

If ever you have asked yourself if a magazine can be effectively used to supplement a roleplaying game, two tabletop miniatures games, board games, cards games and an entire community of players and fans then I would strongly urge you to set aside $7.50 and buy the next issue of No Quarter Magazine.  I am convinced that it is not just a magazine, but an essential part of the Privateer Press product line with a regular release schedule.  Like me, you will find that not only is it a fun read every issue, but the ongoing development and improvements to the magazine are reflections of the company who publishes it, and indicates how strongly they support and stand by a product bearing their name.  No Quarter magazine is a STEAL at only $7.50 every two months, and you shouldn’t even need a Kickstarter to save the $ 0.13 cents a day required to buy the new issue when it lands in your local hobby store.

I appreciate you taking the time to read this review, and I hope I have convinced you to try the supplement that is No Quarter Magazine from Privateer Press.  Much more than a magazine, this product should be in every player’s toolbox.

– Northblade