BGiMe Magazine - The free gifts

Alongside the miniatures that came with the magazine, there were the occasional free gifts to entice readers into either buying more magazines or taking out a subscription. Often there would also be card inserts of miniatures within the magazine to help with playing scenarios that the reader might not have enough figures for at the time.

I will run through the main free gifts in order first and then do a follow up of the inserts and extras.

 

Battle Games in Middle-earth - First issue gaming pack

I managed to purchase two of the boarded issue one sets, and once the collection had completed I contacted the back-issue department to grab some more issues that included miniatures of the forces I wanted to build (hence why I have goodly-sized collections of Rohan, Gondor and Mordor Orc plastic miniatures).

Anyway, onto the free gifts and specials lists...

These are the free gifts if you just bought the magazine normally from the local shop:

Issue 1: Backing Board (which I no longer have as it was very large and easily damaged), a large A2 poster of Gandalf vs. the Balrog in Moria, 4 pots of paint and a paint brush, and a single six-sided die.

Issue 2: 4 pots of paint

Issue 3: 1 pot of paint

Issue 19: 3 pots of paint

These are the subscriber free gifts:

Package 1 (Issues 2 & 3 - 31/03/03): Magnifying Glass

Package 2 (Issues 4 & 5 - 24/04/03): Tool kit

Package 3 (Issues 6 & 7 - 13/05/03): Balin's Tomb

Binders for the magazine were given away free with packages released 29/09/03 (issues 16 & 17), 20/04/04 (issues 30 & 31), 05/08/04 (issues 38 & 39) and 15/02/05 (issues 52 & 53) - further binders could be bought on the web site.

The Two Towers Special Edition magazine was released 15/09/03

The Return of the King Special Edition magazine was released 06/12/04

The Fellowship of the Ring Special Edition was released 09/12/05

And the magazine inserts (a cardboard sheet of stand-up "counters" unless otherwise stated)...

Issue 1:    The Fellowship, Elrond, Gamling, Eowyn

Issue 3:    Saruman, Lurtz, 2 Uruk Hai, 2 Mordor Orcs, Goblin Captain, Witch King, 4 Ringwraiths

Issue 7:    Mordor Orc Captain, 3 Uruk Hai

Issue 17:    12 Mordor Orcs

Issue 19:    8 Watcher's tentacles

Issue 21:    Balrog and Cave Troll

Issue 26:    12 Rangers of Gondor

Issue 32:    Treebeard, Ent

Issue 35:    8 Wood Elves, 8 Elves

Issue 37:    6 Mounted Ringwraiths

Issue 40:    6 Warg Riders and a sheet of self-adhesive Rohan banners

Issue 42:    Mordor Troll Chieftain, 2 Mordor Trolls

Issue 44:    16 2nd Age Men of Gondor

Issue 46:    Sauron, Gwaihir

Issue 55:    3 Knights of Minas Tirith

Issue 56:    The War of the Ring Campaign booklet

Issue 63:    Shelob, Mouth of sauron (on foot and mounted), Gothmog

Issue 66:    The Battle for Middle-earth Campaign Map

Issue 67:    16 Wild Men of Dunland

Issue 70:    Mounted Theoden, Eowyn & Gamling with Royal Standard, 2 Mounted Royal Guard

Issue 71:    16 Warriors of the Dead

Issue 72:    Witch King & Ringwraith on Fell Beast

Issue 77:    Easterling Banner Bearer, 12 Easterling Warriors, Arwen, Dwarf Adventurer

Issue 80:    8 Khazad Guards, 4 Barrow Wights, Elladan, Elrohir, Gildor, Goldberry

Issue 83:    13 Dwarf warriors, 2 Goblin Drummers & Drum

Issue 88:    Prince Imrahil (mounted), 5 Mounted Knights of Dol Amroth

Issue 90:    9 Ruffians, Worm, 6 Hobbit Militia

Issue 91:    8 Hobbit Militia, 4 Hobbit Shirriffs, 4 Ruffians

Looking back at this list shows that there were, in fact, quite a few little extras included in the monthly packs. I had completely forgotten about the Rohan banner stickers and campaign map - these might come in useful for games of Battle Companies in the future.

Next post, I will begin to summarise what was in each issue - I will not go into any great depth, but just a brief one-liner for each section of each magazine. I have found it difficult to track down images for  all of the front pages of the magazine, and do not have the time at the moment to scan them all in, so will just use random issue number pictures to accentuate my posts going forward.

Flicking through these magazines again after so long has really got my creative juices flowing - let's hope it can lead to something gaming orientated in the next few weeks to get ths blog ticking over again with useful painting and modelling articles that display my completed miniatures as I finish them.