Wargames Illustrated Finds A New Home with Wyld Holdings

One of Britain’s longest running tabletop magazines is entering another chapter in its hostory, with Wyld Holdings acquiring Wargames Illustrated almost four decades after Duncan Macfarlane launched the magazine.

The deal brings Wargames Illustrated into the same ownership group as Wayland Games, Warcradle Studios, Occam Distribution, Kraken Wargames, Battle FoamandOnTableTop. Wyld says it intends to use its commercial, retail and distribution infrastructure to expand the magazine’s audience and develop its digital subscription offering.

This is the third acquisition Wyld Holdings has made this year, after buying Kraken Wargames in March and US based Battle Foamthis summer.

It is the third change of ownership for the magazine in a history stretching back to the 1980s.

From Miniature Wargames to Wargames Illustrated

Wargames Illustrated was created by Duncan Macfarlane, already an important figure in the British miniature wargaming scene through his earlier editorship of Miniature Wargames magazine.

The first issue was produced in the summer of 1987, with a cover date of September 1987, with Macfarlane also taking on editorial duties of the magazine he also owned. The combination of range and substance of articles and often ambitious photography quickly became part of the magazines identity, with the opening issue including everything from Anglo-Zulu War material and Renaissance fortifications to American War of Independence rules.

Macfarlane placed particular emphasis on showing miniature wargames at its best. he photographed collections and games using professional lighting and large-format cameras at a time when getting high-quality colour phographs of tabletop miniatures into print was considerably harder than it is today.

Macfarlane was not only owner, editor, and photographer of the magazine but frequently delivered the magazine to many stores by hand. He was a regular sight at Leisure Games, where I was working at the time, coming in with a stack of the latest issue while he was doing the rounds of London-based game and hobby stores.

Battlefront takes ownership

Macfarlane remained in charged for more than two decades before selling Wargames Illustrated to New Zeland-based Battlefront Miniatures, publisher of Flames of War, in January 2009.

Macfarlane’s connection with the magazine remained, as he continued contributing photography, and later proofreading, while Dan Faulconbridge (who had joined Wargames Illustarted around issue 200) became increasingly more central to running the publication.

On 1st April 2015, ownership changed again when Faulconbridge took sole control of Wargames Illustrated Ltd. Whilst the magazine initially still remained closely conected with Battlefront, with the magazine renting space in Battlefront’s UK office and Battlefront continuing to distribute the magazine, Wargames Illustrated was once again independently owned.

The death of Duncan Macfarlane

Macfarlane remained involved even after the second change of ownership, regularly proofreading the magazine he had founded three decades before. Sadly he died suddenly, but peacefully, on 28th May 2021 aged 73.

Writing shortly afterwards, Faulconbridge described Macfarlane as the magazine’s “founding father”. By that point Wargames Illustrated had reached more than 400 issuees and had survived enormous changes in both wargaming and publishing, from an era dominated by print magazines, mail order and physical shows to one of YouTube, social media, PDFs and online retail.

Enter Wyld Holdings

Wyld CEO Richard Lawford said…

By bringing the iconic Wargames Illustrated into our group, we are committed to broadening its appeal to an even larger global audience, pushing the boundaries of both content and the digital subscription service.

Faulconbridge described joining the group as allowing the magazine team to concentrate mroe heavily on creating the publication while making use of Wyld’s retail and distribution operation.

There is also an editorial change accompanying the acquisition. Industry veteran Lyle Lowery, whose previous credits include White Dwarf at Games Workshop and No Quarter at Privateer Press, has been named incoming Editor-in-Chief.