anybody got harbinger 25 yet?

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by finn17
I subscribe, and will continue to subscribe, because it is the only alternative to White Dwarf.

I look on their distribution issues as homely \'quirks\'.

God Bless \'em and long may they continue...

If we let Harbinger die...then we all thoroughly deserve the alternative...

I agree, unreservedly.

Since there are some criticisms about Harbingers \'Quality/Layout\' being aired on here I\'d like to ask a question:-
Has anyone bothered themselves to point out to the editor what it is that they are unhappy about?

I have my criticisms as well, but I know that the editor is not a graphic designer and having tried to put together a Branch Union magazine I know just how damn hard it is to get articles of any sort.
If you want to improve the content submit something, as so far I\'ve seen a huge amount being provided buy a small core of providers. (Ok I must ad a proviso here one of their recent articles really hacked me off as patronising to women and pinter/players partners.)

If you have some suggestions send them to Mark I\'m sure he\'d be glad to have some suggestions to help maintain or improve the publication.

I\'m pretty damn sure that Harbinger would love to provide quality to rival \"Cry Havoc\" but until they get the submissions to match or a huge financial influx (Euro Lottery anyone?) then it isn\'t going to happen overnight.

 

[paintingploddy]

I\'m not after Cry havoc. I am after a product that shows improvement after being in operation two years. In every aspect the magazine has moved backwards in that time. From editing to distribution and content it has got worse. This is subjective of course and others may love the direction it is going.

I agree that if we are to have choice you have to give Harbinger a chance to grow. I gave it that and in return their distribution has deteriorated markedly since issue 12. The editing remains sub standard, with whole blocks of text being lost, and a regular appearance of the words (insert picture here).

Having a choice only matters when the choice is worth exercising. It no longer is. I am not going to use $180.00 to ensure there is choice in 3 years when it is likely to be the same magazine that now sits unread on my bedside table. I\'ll pick up harbinger to leaf through when I get the chance. If they improve they will see my money again, but sadly my expectations aren\'t high. I think they have spent a lot of good will over the last year and a half through not dealing with these basic issues.

 

[Legacy Account]

Originally posted by Dragonsreach
I have my criticisms as well, but I know that the editor is not a graphic designer....

Errr, that should have been the first person they employed! What is the point of producing a full colour magazine on quality paper if you don\'t exploit that potential to the maximum? I just wish I could read French, because Ravage looks so much better!

As for the submission of articles thing, again they are the ones producing the mag! Surely it\'s up to them to sort out their content? If they really want more reader submissions, perhaps they should blanket-bomb a few forums or do an article about it in the mag.

The constant stream of typos are just unproffessional though

I think what most people are saying here is that they want to love Harbinger, but they are doing a pretty good job of putting people off. It\'s up to them to sort it out, not us.

 

[freakinacage]

Originally posted by Spacemunkie
The constant stream of typos are just unproffessional though

I think what most people are saying here is that they want to love Harbinger, but they are doing a pretty good job of putting people off. It\'s up to them to sort it out, not us.

i agree. the typos are unjustifiable - don\'t they have a spell check? i don\'t want to stop buying just yet but i think if they don\'t start to improve, them may loose even my custom

 

[Ebonbuddha]

Everyone here knows I would be the first angry villager with a pitch fork if I didn’t believe in the product. Maybe we should just give them a little more time. The year is young.

*turns to finish making a noose.*

 

[LavronYor]

I too have the complete set, mostly because I am a completist. But, I see several points that they seem to miss. They are capable of looking here and seeing what people want. Or posting here to ask what people want. Second, as to typos, doesn\'t everyone have access in the publishing industry to spell checks. Third, if they recruited quality tutorials, like Darkson Designs, they might have more to choose from.

Fourth, you mean that they are not Rouge Troopers. I thought they were the enemies of the Bleu Troopers.

I guess that I am lucky that Privateer Press is stepping up to the plate, with not only excellent painting articles, but a new balanced fun to play game. If only I could subscribe to No Quarter, since I had to drive 60 miles after several local shops sold out.

 

[Ebonbuddha]

It starting to sound like PP are becoming the new saviors for gaming.

 

[Medved]

nearly feb and still no harbinger..........getting pissed as you folks in the U.S.A would say .

 

[Mosch]

Same in Germany. I have to say I am kind of sad. I was enthusiastic about Harbinger at first, but my enthusiasm deteriorated and now the truth is that I am not too fond of it anymore. Take the Great Games Giveaway - I could not participate because I even only got the coupons several weeks after the closing date! I sent several mails to them that were not even answered - so much for sending my suggestions. The only thing that was ever answered was when I asked how I could subscribe without a credit card, and then the answer basically was \"Send money in the mail\". Paypal has become an absolute standard and should be supported. Well, it\'s not my job to make the magazine. I\'m not going to send in any tutorials (which, by the way, are often missing one part or another) or pictures or whatever just for the heck of it. Feedback, why not. But I don\'t feel taken seriously when my basic question are being ignored. Also, I don\'t feel like giving feedback then.

That being said, I will buy the next issue when it becomes available here. But I am not sure if I want to continue buying after that. I base my decision on the quality of the next issue. Sorry - the last one.

 

[tooshy]

Looking back over the thread (my own initial comments included), there are lots of repeat complaints about the magazine.

When the idea for Harbinger was first mentioned on the forum, I like many were keen to support an independant magazine and I put my money where my mouth was and subscribed. I also subscribed for their second year, but as has been mentioned here, the quality wheel is running backwards.

The spelling, grammatical errors and omissions grate on me. Surely someone must check the damn thing first before it goes to print ???

As for contacting Harbinger about these complaints, doesn\'t the main guy have his own account on CMON which he uses to advertise the latest issue? I know that the problems mentioned here are not new and I put the ball firmly in Harbingers court to look at the feedback they receive.

I have no wish to see the magazine fail at all, but feel that two years of my subscription money doesn\'t appear to have helped at all. I will still pick up a copy of the magazine as and when I see it and like someone else has already said, if it looks like its improving, then I would be more than happy to renew my subscription.

In the meantime, if anyone from Harbinger happens to read this thread, I hope the comments are taken as constructive criticism and something they will endeavour to take onboard. Why not post up a \'Readers Review\' questionnaire to ask people what they like/dislike about the mag - they were sensible enough to do this kind of research before the magazine started and I feel it would be a very positive step to take now.

 

[Medved]

i would welcome aresponse from the harbinger guys to this thread. i am tired of sending them a \"when is my harbinger going to arrive email\" i proposed doing an article for them (email to the editor) but still no response. I\'d like to see th hasslefree ad that i supposedly had 3 minis in, but still my magazine has not turned up. i notice ther is no pics of the minis up in their showcase vote gallery for issue 25.


@Harbinger dudes: there are so many of us on these forums that want you to succeed. please just let us know how we can help!

 

[kittykat23uk]

Originally posted by tooshy
I\'m not renewing my subscription. There is nothing in the mag that holds my attention. Most of the articles are for gamers and not painters - so I end up just scanning quickly through and then I\'m done until the next copy.

I have to agree with Freak - the choice of backgrounds for displaying reader minis, is appaling. They can make even a decent paintjob look crap - I realise people submit pictures with a variety of backgrounds and qualities, but even that has to be better than photoshopping around the pic doesn\'t it ???

Plus what is it with all those lurid colours? I find it very distracting (and difficult to read sometimes) and together with all the typos, printing mistakes etc, it just isn\'t up to scratch. It always seems like a rush-job - I\'d rather have a quarterly mag of better quality. (See Cry Havoc for how to produce a quality mag!)

I also think the quality of the minis aren\'t great - by that I mean the sculpts, not the casting.

To end on a positive note - I do like the smell of the paper though lol

PS Sorry if this post seems a bit harsh

Tooshy has basically covered most of what I\'ve been feeling about the magazine. I posted this over on the FOD:

I can\'t grumble about the delivery side of things, although I\'ve not had issue 25 so I wonder if my subscription has run out. I\'ve not received a reminder if it has. Until now, I\'ve been regularly receiving Harbinger through the mail.

However, I\'m also in two minds about renewing. Whilst I was initially excited about the opportunity to submit my own work to the magazine, I have been somewhat disappointed with the continued lack of quality. I was prepared to give it a chance, but I honestly haven\'t seen much of an improvement over the past two years, despite the early promises to improve the page count and layout.

Overall, I enjoy the painting/sculpting articles, reviews and news sections and some of the confrontation background stuff, but I often find that there are only two or three articles of interest to me in each issue. I\'m a painter, not a gamer, and the majority of the magazine is dedicated to gaming systems of which I have no interest.

The showcase should be a major selling point and yet I am often disappointed with the quality of the images and the often bright background colours do not help the pics in the slightest. The images are often too dark and/or too small to see the detail.

The minis were a good selling point to boost the appeal of the mag, but once they put in the two-tier system of subscriptions, that bonus was gone. My subscription is due for renewal soon and I\'m leaning towards not bothering with it now. I\'m not sure if I\'ve ever directly told the editor my concerns, but I have posted about the issues on here when the mag first started and when Mark regularly posted on here, as have others in the past and I would have expected to have seen some improvement by now.

Regards

Kat

 

[Dragonsreach]

27 days after it was released Harbinger issue 25 arrived at my door this morning.

After a cursory glance I\'ve spotted at least 3 mistakes.


BUT my biggest gripe is the Bl***y Competition. Closing date 31st January.
I feel totaly justified in saying W.T.F.

As you may expect an Email will be on it\'s way!

 

[tidoco2222]

I ordered mine as a single order as it had not appeared in the shops, I was going to subscribe but after still not recieving the magazine I eventually bought it from my local WH Smiths (first time they had ever stocked it here).
I have spoken on the phone to the guy at Griffin and he said he would send me issue 25 and put in a couple of minis as an apology for the delay which I thought ok fair enough I\'ll have two copies of the same magazine but hey free minis can\'t be bad.
That was last Tuesday and Guess what STILL NO F*****G MAGAZINE.
Hence one p****d customer
:flame:

 

[kittykat23uk]

Got my copy this morning.

 

[tentoone]

Just got my copy today and my reaction was the same as Dragonsreach. Having been to the website however, i see the competition deadline is extended until tomorrow, 12th Feb.
What peeves me is that i have been waiting for the last \'Great Games Giveaway\' voucher and now find its done and dusted! WTF happened there? You shouldnt have to check the website to find this sort of thing out and not everyone has a computer anyway.
Suscriptions nearly up and i\'m having second thoughts on renewing it. As much as i would like to see the magazine go from strength to strength it just isn\'t delivering. I will maybe just pick up the odd copy as i see it, because theyre treating subscribers badly and have had long enough to get their act together.

 

[Mosch]

Ah, so you guys got number 25... nice.... good. Well, I just received number 24 this week. Contest? Geez, I don\'t know, but maybe now I can send in my GGG coupons. Oh, wait a second, that contest ended 3 MONTHS AGO.

No further comment. I\'m losing my faith in Harbinger.

 

[freakinacage]

i thought i had mine, but it arrived today. bear in mind it is put together in cardiff, 5miles down the road... ok so it is published in middlesex, but they could have walked over and handed it to me by now

 

[tidoco2222]

I still do not have mine and no return to my phone enquiries either, I will not be buying the magazine again I will not support a publication where they treat the customer like they do not matter.

 

[Modderrhu]

I cannot say that they\'ve treated me like I don\'t matter. Danielle has been more than helpful when two back-orders didn\'t arrive. She was brilliant. But that doesn\'t mean that delivery is reliable.