Well, the re-release of Space Hulk has came and went but if you missed out on it there still are some copies to be found here and there. I thought I’d take a moment to share a few comments that I have on the game. This is to supplement the original First Edition Space Hulk review that I did a while back and since a good portion of the game stayed the same I won’t be rehashing what I have already said, but will instead focus on the changes the game made and some of my thoughts.

First off the simplistic gameplay of the original game that I have come to love has stayed the same. Some aspects from the Deathwing and Genestealer expansions have been included like psychic powers as well as different Terminator weapons. My personal experience with the first edition expansions is nil but from what I’ve heard, a lot of cool aspects were introduced in those, but in execution they moved away from the easy to play and understand gameplay the original game had and made the game more complex than perhaps it should have been. With Space Hulk 3rd Edition, aspects like psychic powers and unique Terminator weapons have been included and mixed in pretty seamlessly into the rule system.

Many of the rule changes deal with the Terminator side with the Genestealers remaining pretty much unchanged. Some of these changes made a few of the missions a bit too easy on the Terminators. One change which I am not as big of a fan of is how jams are cleared when in Overwatch. In 1st Ed if you were on Overwatch and had to clear a jam you had to spend one Command Point to clear the jam and then two more CP’s to go back onto Overwatch. In 3rd Ed you still have to spend one CP to clear the jam, but then you automatically go back into Overwatch. Another change from 1st Ed to 3rd Ed is how you draw your command points. In 1st Ed you drew your CP and whatever number you drew you were stuck with while in 3rd Ed as long as your Sergent is still alive you are able to discard the token back into the CP pool and redraw. The last major change is the addition of Guard which is a status your Terminators are able to enter into which helps them in close assault. Guard allows the Terminator to re-roll one of their dice in close assault.

The negative change that happened to the Terminators is the way that Sustained Fire works. In 1st Ed, the more you shot at a target the better chance you had of hitting them. For example first shot attempt required a 6, second attempt a 5+, third attempt a 4+…etc. The 3rd Ed rules work the same way, but now they just allow you to go down to 5+.  Overall though a minor negative compared to the other bonuses that the Terminators were given. Some other things the game introduces this time around is the powerful Librarian character for the Terminators and the massive Broodlord for the Genestealer player. Both of which can be game-changers for one side or the other depending on how they are used.

Overall I’m a little mixed on the rule changes but overall I think they are for the better. Since many of the missions from the 1st Ed core set are included, the changes mess with the balance since these missions were not adjusted for the rule changes. But when playing with the changes it is a new experience playing the old scenarios again. Some I just think work better under the old system - the second scenario for example, where the Terminator’s goal is to kill a set number of Genestealers. Unjamming a bolter on overwatch used to take 3 AP, now a Terminator is able to jam and reset three times for the same amount of CP’s. With the long corridors in the second scenario, this means the Genestealer has to potentially run down the same corridor for three turns while a well placed Terminator unloading on him with Overwatch the entire time. Before the Genestealer’s tactic was to throw some cannon fodder out there in hope the Terminator jammed and then swarm in the rest of the troops behind him hopefully defeating him in close assault and causing a hole to form in the Terminator’s line. Now, that doesn’t work as well because jams typically don’t stay around for long.

I do think this is the definitive edition of the game. The additions they included like the Librarian, Broodlord and additional Terminator weapons provides the players with more variety than the base set of 1st Ed offered. The models are amazing looking but their usefulness is a little questionable. When I first saw all the different poses that the Genestealers had, the first words through my head were “F’ing Awesome!” But as I started to play as the Genestealers they became a pain in the ass. With the one uniform pose from the 1st Ed, they lined up very nicely down those 1″ wide corridor sections even though they took up a lot more room than 1″ square. Now with the different poses and limbs jutting out at different angles, they just do no line up as nicely. This is a rare instance where I actually wish they kept the uniformity to allow for easier use during gameplay. The other gripe I have is the high-gloss boards. I just don’t like looking down and seeing glare coming back at me from the boards. To me it kind of takes away the dark and gloomy aspect the narrative portrays. But the quality of the board pieces and just about every other component in the game is amazing and some of the best I’ve seen from any boardgame.

Overall this is a game that any self-respecting Space Hulk fan should have in their collection and is also a game that anyone who enjoys thematic and tense games should own. Compared to my original rating of 1st Edition which, upon reflection, was a little under-rated, this one scores some pretty high marks. The quality is the best I’ve seen in any game, the variety was upped quite a bit with additional scenarios and weapon types as well as the introduction of the Librarian and Broodlord and these additions address a few of my original gripes with the game.

Updated Rating: 4.5 out of 5

‘Til Next Time - Happy Gaming
LvT

Filed under: Games - Board Games, Space Hulk by LordVonTush
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Ah Space Hulk…You wonderful overpriced bastard! Space Hulk is one of the few “self-contained” games put out by Games Workshop. Coming up on its 20th anniversary, Space Hulk has a dedicated core fanbase online which keeps the game going strong with house rules, custom missions, as well as original rule compilations. A series of computer and home console games came out based on this game since its first release back in 1989 and has reached almost “cult” status in the miniature gaming world.

Space Hulk is set in GW’s 40k backdrop where derelict spaceships and space stations are drifting in the void of space. Contained within these hulks the alien threat known as the Genestealers lurk, spreading their geneseed throughout the galaxy. One player plays as the Space Marine Terminators sent to explore these wrecks and eliminate the other player who plays as the Genestealers.

Contained within the box is everything that is needed to play which is rare (actually non- existent) for a current GW release. Overall the components are adequate for what they need to do. The graphics are pretty good for the technology available for mass production at the time. They would be sub-par by today’s standards but for me the slightly simplistic look adds a level of charm and character to the game that no re-release would ever capture (no I don’t know about any re-release rumors so don’t ask me).

I’m going to bypass the typical rules rundown because GW has produced two expansions for the first edition of the game and the second edition of the game had a rule overhaul. When combined with the player created mods and rules and other information you find online this is a game you really can pick apart and tailor it to your gaming groups needs.

For now though I’m going to talk about the magic which is contained in the first edition box. First edition Space Hulk is a game that in reality had a short shelf life. The first edition rules came with six missions which were based on either “Move from Point X to Point Y” and “Destroy Point X and/or Y” and “Survive X number of turns”.  So overall they are pretty cut and dry and basic. Each mission is set up in a way to create a puzzle for the Space Marine player. The first few times attempting a mission the odds are usually stacked in the Genestealer’s favor.  After some time though the Marine player will learn where and how to position their troops to maximize their potency.  Once those tricks are learned on a mission the going usually gets much better for the Marines.

This is where the game has problems. The replay value really is not there when looking at the components right out of the base box. Once the tricks are learned for a particular mission the game starts to lose the replay value for that mission because the game play becomes very mechanical where the same things happen just about every time for the Marine player.  There just isn’t enough variety in the base game to constantly keep the game fresh.  There is enough there to keep going for a long time though - with the online community there is more than enough rule additions via new unit types, weapon types, races even…

There is enough to keep people coming back for more, but the game, as printed, contained within the box - falls just short of perfection.  As it stands, this game and its ability to be tailored to fit the game group’s needs could easily reach the level of group favorite.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

‘Til Next Time - Happy Gaming
LvT

Filed under: Games - Board Games, Space Hulk by LordVonTush
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