-
Nick Avtges
United States
Bridgewater
Massachusetts
CONCEALED -3
Brrrrrr!!!
-
Space Hulk is awesome.
When the newest edition originally came out, I did not order a copy and it was sold out long before I even tried the game. A friend brought it over one evening and we played it with my sons...and it was awesome. I regretted not getting a copy when I could, but then Games Workshop announced they had a few copies left. I knew this was likely a returned copy, but it didn't matter. This game was fun and the big box so jam packed full of goodness that it was well worth the $99. I ordered one.
When it arrived, I opened the box and inspected the contents. Lots of awesomeness there, but also, unfortunately, one mini was broken. I emailed GW with a photo of the damage and hoped for the best.
Now when I ordered the game, I intended for it to be a gift for my sons at some point. So, as I waited for the replacement piece to arrive, it was stashed away in my hiding place for such things (shhh!!). There it sat. A few months later, I did receive a small package containing a replacement for the broken piece...sweet!
My intent now was to assemble and paint the minis to make the gift that much more awesome. Of course my painting skills were basically non-existent, and so I scoured BGG for helpful information, and found plenty, but it wasn't until I listened to the How to Play podcast's episode on painting miniatures that I decided to dive in.
But I didn't want to have my first painting experience be with Space Hulk. I needed something else to cut my teeth on. Browsing through my game collection I thought that HeroQuest would be just the thing. I intended to use the "dip method" and thought that starting with the skeletons and mummies would be an easy way to get started.
It was! The results were better than I expected:
Happy with my progress, I moved on to the goblins. There was much more painting involved with them and it took me a while longer to paint them. The results were good, but a bit too much "dip" had settled in some places, so I wasn't as happy with them.
Still, Space Hulk sat patiently.
I eventually began work on the orcs, and that was when I hit a road block. Painting had ceased to be fun and had become work. So, I put them away, half-painted, for a while. Several months. Recently, I pulled them out, and did some more painting. It was fun, but still tedious at times. My orcs are nearly done now, but what I learned painting them was that I was not going to have the Space Hulk minis painted anytime soon.
So, on to plan B. I'll at least assemble the minis. I even bought some Plano boxes to hold them in. Then, my oldest son's birthday arrived, and the minis were still on their sprues. Oh, well! I wrapped it up anyway.
He and his younger brother were both thrilled to see Space Hulk under the wrapping paper. The had both been clamoring for me to somehow get my hands on a copy...little did they know one had been hidden away for them for quite some time! We got to work on the minis. It took a few days, but we got them assembled and set up the first scenario.
We had played this scenario before, but it didn't matter. The game is just that much fun. My oldest took command of the Space Marines, while my youngest and I played the part of the ravenous Genestealers. Initially, the marines were having great success, rolling 6's and 5's and wiping out every Genestealer they saw. But soon, as they approached the large cross corridor leading to the room that needed to be flamed, things bogged down. It takes a good deal of courage to charge forward into that corridor knowing that the Genestealers will soon be upon you. If you don't charge in while you have the chance, you'll soon find yourself overwhelmed by slavering aliens. And that's what happened here.
It was awesome and I'm sure we'll be playing again tonight.
There are so many things that make Space Hulk a great game. Of course the components are absolutely fantastic. The minis are fabulously detailed and truly beautiful. The art on the map tiles is also excellent and very evocative. They would have been awesome without the glossy embossed finish, but that puts them over the top into very special territory. The game play itself, while very simple, is just tons of fun and full of tense and exciting moments. Genestealers charge in from every angle while Space Marines guns are blazing. There is also strategy there, and the Space Marines are going to need a good plan to have a chance to succeed.
There are other more subtle things that make Space Hulk awesome. I know...subtleties in Space Hulk? Well, they are there. For instance, my youngest is still grappling with having inappropriate emotional responses to things going on in games. But playing as the Genestealers (his favorite side to play) you have to deal with bad things happening to you nearly every turn. You are throwing units at the Space Marines constantly, and most of the time they are going to die. He got a bit frustrated in the middle of our game, as his brother was having fantastic luck early on. But I told him to just hold on and keep fighting...it just takes one lucky break and things can come crashing down very fast for the Space Marines. And of course, that is just what happened. So, Space Hulk forces him to deal with small losses constantly...something which I think will help him keep himself under control in other situations.
Now the bad news...after playing my oldest says, "We HAVE to paint these pieces, daddy!" Well...looks like I'll be painting minis for a long time to come!
|
|
