The Strategy & Tactics magazine

I have bought and read Strategy & Tactics on a regular basis for some years. When Borders first brought them in in the mid-nineties, it was a godsend. It became easily available. Previously, only the now defunct Leisurecraft at Orchard Point carried it.

Strategy & Tactics is a magazine dealing in military history and military affairs, often seen from the perspective of conflict modellers, and wargamers. It has its roots in commercial wargaming in the seventies. The magazine existed in two forms. The newsstand edition is the normal edition sold in bookstores while the hobbyist edition includes a wargame or conflict simulation which modelled an aspect of a battle or war featured. The hobbyist edition is three times the price of a newsstand edition.

The magazine brings back a lot of memories.

I recall eyeing them over twenty years ago. At that time, the price of an individual issue (hobbyist edition) was unaffordable for a teenager.

Of late, in my opinion, the writing has been inadequate and there are glaring mistakes. The topics covered have been rather uninteresting in my eyes, for instance, the First World War, American Civil War, American Revolution, the Wild West, etc.

The depth is basically alright for for most laypeople. Somehow, I have been reading far too much. As such, the material in the magazine has become redundant. I think I have bought my last issue. S&T is no longer adequate. The orders of battle is not detailed enough though it is interesting to an extent. The tables of organisation are also not enough.

Over the years, I have dropped 'Military History', 'Military History Quarterly' (MHQ) and 'Command'. I do pick up the occasional issue of World Air Power Journal or Warship.

It's too bad that industry magazines and journals such as Janes Defence Weekly, Aviation Week & Space Technology and the Franco-German Military Techology are not easily available and accessible. Pity.

I do heavily recommend the informative Strategy & Tactics to people with an interest in military affairs and history though I will be ceasing my purchase of them.