"Duncan Macfarlane" Topic

I hear with great distress that he has passed.

martin

That is very sad news indeed.

One of the good ones.
I am sorry to hear the news.

Very saddened to hear this. He has been a great contributor to the hobby for many years. Will be missed.

That is terrible news!

Goodness! No – I didn't know. Are there details somewhere?

He recently reminded me that I bought my first Hinchliffe ancients from him when he was helping out on Peter Gilder's stand at a Society of Ancients AGM in the mid 1970s. We were both youngsters, of course.

I took a break from 'fully engaged' wargaming as a student, but what prompted my return was seeing the first issue of Miniature Wargames. I got to know him through UK shows, Partizan in particular. He was always very supportive. We disagreed over one or two topics, but it never got in the way. Good bloke. I'm shocked and sad to hear this.

Phil

Best magazine editor/photographer combi in the business.

I am very saddened by this news, which I thank you for sharing. I have enjoyed so much his contributions to the hobby over the decades. There are many warm thoughts to be had.

A great loss, one of the true gentlemen of the hobby. He did so much to further wargaming, founding 2 magazines.

Very knowledgeable, friendly, was always happily prepared to chat with you. I always liked meeting him at the shows.

So terrible. Duncan was a true gentleman and a good soul.
I so enjoyed my many visits with him and I am sorry there will be no more.
He was a true voice in the hobby and an innovator in print.
He was truly a "who's who" in the hobby.
Truly saddens me.

Russ Dunawa

Today a double blow befalls the wargaming world. Both Duncan McFarlane and Guiseppe from Legio Heroica have passed away. A sad day indeed.

Condolences – thoughts and prayers to friends and family

Very sad news.

Very sad to hear this.

Damn….Another good one gone…
Prayers for friends and family for him.

A sad loss, he was without peer when it came to magazines for our hobby.

Giuseppe's announcement is here: link

Did he do "News from Bree" in the '70's?

What sad news. Condolences to both families.

I only knew Duncan from his work, a loss.
I knew Giuseppe as a customer of LH,and he was always a pleasure to deal with. His ranges were for me the finest you could get for each period they covered, and while this sounds greedy I regret not being able to see all the new stuff he was passionate about bringing to market.

Two losses, terrible day.

Indeed very sad.
I have no further detail but maybe someone who knew Duncan better, can give a better and proper obituary?
I am still stunned.

martin

Truly sad news – back in the pre-internet days, Wargames Illustrated was, for me, a must-grab the day it appeared on the newsagents shelf.

Browsing his stall at shows was always a joy – he invariably seemed to turn up with the most amazing laundry basket of books and rules.

Hi folks

both the Newark Irregulars and Wargames Illustrated will be producing proper obituaries over the next week or so. Like Martin we are all in shock at the moment. I knew Duncan for more than 40 years and kind of thought he would always be there. Right now the priority is trying to find if there are any next of kin and make sure they are informed. As those of you who knew Duncan will know he was never the most organised of people and was also very private about many things so this may prove difficult.

But we will make sure he gets a proper send off when the time comes.

RIP old friend.

That is sad – he gave a lot to the hobby.

parskool – News From Bree was by Hartley Patterson…

Mike

Horrible news ,shared many a libation at Historicon..Good man..

Very sad to hear of this. I quite liked talking to Duncan at shows. RIP

A very sad and difficult week. The link to the Wargames Illustrated announcement is here:

link

Duncan was part of our daily lives, a truly lovely man. We will miss him.

Very sad news.

Sad news for the hobby indeed. He was always kind and willing to discuss the hobby whenever I spoke to him at the trade shows. With his vision and knack for taking photos of miniatures and games, Wargames Illustrated got me into the hobby. I took my first issue, flipped through it with wide eyes took a look at all of the ads that were in the WI at the time, and planned what I wanted to do. Because of his WI, I met many people I still call friends and family today. Thank you Duncan for what you gave us. My thoughts are with his family and friends on this sad day.

Jay

Duncan was the first person, apart from Don Featherstone in the old Wargamer's Newsletter, to publish my articles. For that I am forever indebted to him.
May he rest in peace.

First man who ever paid me for anything I wrote. Those early days of MW were great. Mostly ideas driven, written by a wide range of contributors. Always a joy to meet up with him at shows.

Sad loss.

A sad loss. His magazines entertained and inspired me.

Very sad news. I enjoyed his magazines a lot, found some of them quite inspiring: a decent legacy for a gamer. I met him a couple of times and he seemed a good man.

Duncan had the "common touch" in that he spent time listening.

He also had the ability to speak to women "sensibly".

The hobby was fortunate to have this man in a prominent position where his good influence helped the hobby widen.

martin

For many years, and a day before almost every HMGS East convention, Duncan would fly into Baltimore. Steve McHenry (former Wally's basement manager) would pick Duncan up and deposit him at his favorite Fell's Point Hotel. I would arrive in Baltimore from Omaha and head to the Fells Point pub, The Cat's Eye, and find Duncan enjoying a Ying Ling on the same stool that he always occupied when in residence. Shortly, Steve would arrive with fellow Baltimorean Bob Coggins (long time HistoriCon manager) and we would spend a wonderful evening as targets of Duncan's wit. Tragically, Bob passed several years ago, and is dearly missed. I'm thankful for the all too short of time that I last spent with Duncan at 2018 Salute in London. I will eternally think of Duncan with a smile and hear his offer…Ken, care for another Ying Ling!

A nice memory Ken

Thanks for telling it.
Your story adds to the worth of the man.
He left the world abetter place than when he entered it.

martin

Never met Duncan but he was a uniquely talented person. His magazine layouts were indeed inspirational. If it is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, Duncan showed us that one great photo is worth a 1000 ordinary ones.

This is very hard and sad news.

It was back in the mid-'80s that I discovered wargaming, and at that time there was a wargaming store, the Armadillo Soldier Shop, located in Dallas. Not only did I purchase a few packs of miniatures, I also purchased my first two copies of Miniature Wargames magazine, issues number 14 and 17. Those two issues cemented the full concept of what this grand hobby of ours was all about.

For the next year, I was able to purchase more copies of MW from the wargames store before it closed permanently, but what I collected whetted my appetite and fueled my imagination for our hobby. The articles were very informative about the particular subjects, and the photos, well, "eye candy" was probably the most basic of descriptions for it! Duncan Macfarlane released the proverbial "motherlode" from our hobby through Miniature Wargames magazine, and he repeated it with Wargames Illustrated. His efforts and love for our hobby are a lasting legacy that we can and will enjoy and share with whomever shows an interest.

Godspeed, Duncan, and thank you VERY much for your immense contribution to our hobby.

I'm in Nebraska, but having travelled to Dallas quite a bit, The Armadillo was quite the wargame toy soldier shop!

Duncan was a great guy, one of the best.