We Shall Remember!

[bob48]

The chant by Space Marines for a lost brother, but in this case, for the board game, Space Hulk.

Specifically, I refer to the First Edition version (and not the poor dumbed down later ones), which I would argue was maybe the best boxed boardgame ever produced by Games Workshop with its amazingly dynamic game play and and huge replayability. This was further enhanced with the addition of two expansions; Deathwing and Genestealer, adding new forces and rules to the game and even more board sections. On top of this, the wonderful Campaign Book added so much more, including rules for marines in power armour, Genestealer hybrids, Orks (orcs?) and Eldar.

Grey Knights, Inquisitors plus a few other exotic types and other Tyranids were also covered in the rules, with the Genestealer Partiarch figure being a particular favourite of mine.

Two aspects of the First Edition, which were 'simplified' in later versions, were the timer for the Marines (we used a chess type clock) and hidden command points. The method we used here was for the marine player to roll a D6 and then cover it with a cup, and placing a command chit when such was used. At the end of a turn the dice was revealed so that the 'stealer player could verify it against the chits. 'Four rolled, four used' being a typical marine chant.

We played it a lot, and the only other GW game that came close in terms of playing time was Bloodbowl, but that's another story.

The other aspect about it was that all figures used were drawn from our WH40k armies ( I had 100+ space marines, amongst other stuff).

Lots of nostalgia, and, although I have the PC games, somehow, they just do not generate the same tension and excitement as did the board game (1stEd!).

[Undercovergeek]

does this predate 40k rogue trader?

[bob48]

No, it doesn't. I remember having the 'Rogue Trader' book when it was the original 40k rule book, complete with home-made scenery. This was the early days of GW.

I think from memory, Rogue Trader came out in 1986 and SH 1989(ish).

[Undercovergeek]

Gotcha

So is this 40k on a board as opposed to a table top?

[bob48]

No, its obviously set in the same 'universe' but plays quite differently from 40k. So a very basic scenario (there are campaigns as well) would pit a 5 man Terminator squad against a variable number of Genestealers where the marine player has specific mission goals to achieve.

You can actually find the 1st Ed rules as a pdf file.

[Undercovergeek]

Ahhh more space hulky then

[bob48]

Yes, Space Hulk - the Board Game :-)

[Undercovergeek]

I should probably have re read your first line again - I read ‘Space Marine’ not ‘Hulk’

Getting old

[bob48]

 

[bayonetbrant]

I can remember seeing these on the shelves at the stores, but honestly don't ever remember playing the original, much less any of the expansions

[Tolstoi]

About a week late and better late than never, right? I thought I'd share how my friend and I painted the Terminator figures from the original game and then I'll share some photos of a game of SH I played last August. We used someone else's much fancier Terminators Space Marines for the majority of the force and used the original figures to fill out the squads.

Originally the plastic Terminator Marines were blue. We thought they were boring, so we created our own chapter designs. The picture showing all five were painted by my friend and the two pics showing two and three figures are the ones I painted. My friend, who is much more creative/talented that I am, added some of the detailed touches, like the words on the weapons.







Here are some photos from last August's game:

As the Terminators make their way down a passage, the Genestealers rush to greet them with open arms.


One of the original Terminators, being supported by one of the newer Terminators, steps over a fallen comrade while a Genestealer eyes them for a chance to attack.


There's Zillions of 'em Rico!


Lightening Claws vs Genestealers

[bob48]

Excellent stuff 

The chapter I had was based on the Ultramarines codex. wore black armour, and were called 'The Vindicators'. Sadly, I never bothered to take any pictures.

[Undercovergeek]

There’s some nicely painted marines there - lovely stuff

I think this week 10th edition 40k rolls out

[bob48]

Is that the wonderful sound of coins clinking and the rapid deployment of credit cards, I can hear? Almost drowned out by the sounds of GW rubbing their corporate hand together.

I was reading about them, and their estimated global worth as of 2022 was £415m, with a profit of not less than £88m.

[Undercovergeek]

Yeah sucks to be jackson, priestly et al

I wonder what the rights and copyrights are - I think rick is seen as the creator of the game but I wonder if working for GW it’s their game and not his