GW had become more professional in its approach, but still had that zany sense of humour and a willingness to dip its toe into the darkness. And it is this wealth of released material that makes issue 107 a really important issue for me.
In future issues we would discover the model ranges, rules and background for Space Marine, Adeptus Mechanicus, Heroquest, Advanced Heroquest, Advanced Space Crusade, The Troll Games, Space Fleet, Space Hulk. These are, of course, the very same models that we here in the Oldhammer Community, and beyond, collect and paint. Issue 107 gave you articles that you could just use to expand your games (if, of course you bought the miniatures released that month too). And each of these games (Warhammer, Rogue Trader, Bloodbowl and Dark Future) had lots of scope for development and new models. It also focused on, almost entirely, GW wargames or WFRP. There was a letters page at the back of the magazine, something that was doomed to disappear entirely from WD around 107 alongside external advertising, though the odd piece did slip through later on. Roleplaying games were supported with Judge Dredd, Runequest and the Heart of Dust, but these were of course, published by GW. Its true that GW games dominate, with WFRP's Bar Room Brawl, expansions for Warhammer and Rogue Trader. Issue 97 also still had Thrud the Barbarian the comic strip, who would depart with his creator, Carl Crithlow when he left to join 2000AD. By 107, this was refined to lovely colour adverts in a more formal, professional style. Mail order still pushed, largely, roleplaying games with the miniature releases presented in lovely colour pages (see here and here from the releases from issue 96). This was a vehicle in which the editors of White Dwarf were able to review 'roleplaying' materials, though to be honest by this point in the 1980s Games Workshop were dominating the market in the UK and were, essentially, reviewing their own new releases, though in a less blatant, more wordy way then they do today. Marginalia, the review column, still existed in issue 96.
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