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Tom B
Spain
Naperville
ILLINOIS
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First, I want to thank Brandon and Tom and Black Sun Games in Chicago Illinois for access to their store copy so I could write up this review. I don't work there but I do frequent the place and occasionally run games for them. They are my favorite game store with three 4x6 and one 4x8 tables (two of the 4x6 tables link together) plus plenty of space for boardgaming and RPGs. I will be demoing the game for them in the store tomorrow Saturday August 22nd starting around noon. Stop by if you are in the neighborhood and interested.
I got a call from Brandon around 11:30am asking me to stop by the store. I walked in and there was the new Space Hulk. Because I had been bugging him about the game for the last few days Brandon asked me if I wanted to do a write up and also demo it at the store.
I have to say first and foremost I was an RPG player, then a boardgamer and then a minis guy but boardgaming is my primary passion and this review reflects this. I don’t write many reviews because other people either beat me to it or do a better job. However, for this game I have so many friends on the fence I figured it would be a good time to do a review.
I don’t want to go into too much detail about the rules because A) I do not claim to be a Space Hulk vet like many of the people on BGG so if you have a rules specific question ask and I will try to find the answer in the manual. B) I am still in the process of reading it the rules and will play several games tonight and do an update on this review around 1:00am. C) I am not sure the rules are as important as the components are to many people (although I am sure there will be those that disagree). I just want to do a report of the game to help people decide whether to pre-order.
Black Sun sell a large amount of Warhammer product so this is why they were able to get an early copy in the store.
First of all let me say the models are amazing looking. There were several 40k players and a couple of award winning painters in the store and they were floored at the figs. One guy on his work break spent the better part of two hours watching me put the figs together saying he was going to enter the Golden Demon contest with one of the figs. The players were calling their friends about the game and putting money down to pre-order the game. I have seen 40k people get excited but these guys were acting like it was Christmas.
Unpacking and Assembly
This box is hefty in weight, and they packed the game to the brim. My first response is these tiles are thick! The tiles are sort of raised and embossed and they just look amazing but it is hard to show them off via a picture. The token are the same thickness and punched out easy especially given the thickness. These are some of the best tiles and token I have seen. Both the tiles and tokens are very glossy which may put some people off but they look great.
I have put together a 40k army before as well as 15mm ancients, 28mm Artizan cowboys, and various other minis and I have to say these were the easiest minis to put together. The first mini was put together by an old seasoned veteran and he clipped off all the “flash” before assembly. Unfortunately, that was not flash, these models have a form of built in plastic pinning with matching holes. For the remainder of the models I didn’t have to use any glue, the figs fit snug together and looked great. So a word of warning, be careful not to clip the pinning pegs, and understand every model is unique. Yes I said it, every model is unique so the parts are not really interchangeable unless you want to use glue and force it. The models are made for boardgames so they are not on the typical round 40k bases. I think they could easily be made to fit a base or will fit with just a tad bit of glue. These figs are the two or three piece molds so there is not a large amount of flexibility in the pose which again may make some people sad. You don't have to use glue but I think when I put my figs together I will use just a little tiny dab. As it is I cannot get the figs to come apart so I will leave them alone.
The rule book is amazing, with lots of back story and some very clear thorough examples with step by step instructions on how to play a game. There seems to be a well diagrammed example for most every question a person might have (although I am sure like every game there might be an FAQ, however this game has been played for years). The mission book has 12 missions all well laid out and clearly explained.
I have only played Space Hulk two or three times several years ago and have wanted to own it for a long time. I decided to play the first mission “Suicide Mission” which where the Space Marine player wins by firing the flamer at any square in the Launch Control Room. The genestealers win the moment he kills the Space Marine armed with the heavy flamer, or if the flamer runs out of ammo before firing into the Launch Control room. The Space Marine layer has one squad consisting of a Sergeant armed with a storm bolter and a power sword, one Space Marine armed with heavy flamer and power fist, and three Space Marines armed with storm bolters and power fists. The Genestealer player begins the mission with two blips and receives two reinforcement blips per turn. I played the Marines and my wife played the Genestealers. To be brief I was able to get to the outside door of the Launch Control Room when my wife swarmed me with genestealers from behind and my right side and I never had a chance. The game was as smooth as I remembered and moved rather quick because we were using the timer.
Again I will update this part of the review when I get a chance to play the game several times tonight. Brandon loaned me the copy to learn so I can properly demo it in the store tomorrow. I feel kind of lucky.
Rating 1-10 based on the BGG system.
Bang for buck: 8.75 I feel like it is worth it but to be fair with today’s economy I do see how spending $100 bucks can put a major dent in people’s wallets. I think it is a fair price but it is just that fair. To be a 10 the game would be priced at say $69.99
Quality of Components: 10 No questions asked on my part. My only major gripe is once the figs are assembled I don’t recommend storing them in the box. It would have been cool but too expensive if they would have had plastic modeling shells to fit the figs in their own separate component box but that would have added at least ten dollars to the price.
Quality of Figs: 10 (but will vary based on people’s opinion) Each fig has it’s own unique pose although there are several that are very similar. I really like them but I understand why some people balk at over exaggerated sculptures coming out of the ship. There are 12 marine figures, 22 genestealers, a broodlord, a dead Space Marine, an Artifact and a C.A.T. that all look amazing. They were easy to clip off the spurs with a minimal amount of sanding needed. I strongly suggest when people assemble the minis they take care because the pinning system is a bit fragile (none broke for me but I have a light touch). What I like is on the side of the box there are pictures for each figure, with painting instructions and suggests. This is a nice little touch to help out people who may not be an avid painter.
Time to assemble: 9 I was able to punch out all the bits and assemble everything in under two hours and that was talking to people who were asking me a million questions like I worked for GW. It was really fun sharing the enthusiasm for the game and it was kind of weird because there were several people who came to the store that were my age and didn’t know about the re-release and couldn’t believe that GW was going to re-release Space Hulk.
Rules: 9 Very well laid out, clearly explained, and laced with several photo game example explanations. I wish more boardgames were like this. There is a large amount of fluff but for the most part the fluff is off in it’s own section so if people are not interested they can skip it. I don’t remember one occasion where the rulebook had “see page 13 for more a better explanation”. Every step of the game had it’s own section that was clearly separate and outlined step by step. There was the right amount of re-caps for people to put the rules together from previous explanations. This is a well done manual. There is also a separate mission manual with 12 missions. I don’t know if these are the same missions with expansions added but I am sure someone on BGG will know. There is a ton of fluff for the game universe in the back of the mission manual.
Fun Factor: 7.5-9 Right now my rating is a nine but if I am honest I will say eventually it will lower to 7.5. I am very glad I preorder the game and have no plans on selling it. However, after the shine wears off I don’t see this coming out on the table as much as say Dominion, Imperial, or Race for The Galaxy does. In fairness, this is not that kind of boardgame. On the other hand, I can see my minis friends being into playing this game as a gateway to playing more boardgames so I guess the rating depends on the individual. I am having a blast playing the game right now but I can see how only 12 scenarios can get boring. However, I am sure there are free scenarios online created by fans, and it seems easy enough to create random scenarios on your own. However, I can see me playing this game maybe once a month as it really is only a two player game, and I have so many games that have tremendous replayability.
Final Rating: 9.2
All I have to say is this is a Hulk of a release and I think if anyone is sitting on the fence they need to put their money on the table and pre-order. I will add pics as they become approved.
For some good discussion about comparison of the rules to various editions specifically focusing on 3rd edition check out this post:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/3825576#3825576
Update
Well my friend Spencer came over and we played two times. The rules were a breeze and I learned taught the game in a matter of ten minutes. We went over a few rule points, and then rarely looked back into the manual. The only rule we slightly questioned was where the manual says a Marine in over watch mode gets to fire during every genestealer action. We wondered if that met every time the genestealer moves one square does the Marine get to fire once. We ended up saying yes because this was the most logical conclusion and I am fairly sure we were correct (I am sure someone will correct us. This was one of te easiest games to play and the timer made the game very tense although there was only once were Spencer was close to running out of time. I never had a problem with the timer but I often move before I think too much (which is not always a good thing since one mission I played with my wife lasted less than fifteen minutes).
I know someone asked if a Marine could use command points during the genestealers turn and the answer is yes. Spencer was amazed by the production quality and thought for $99 the game was a bargain for what came in the box.
After playing it five times I must give this a "must buy" for fans of Space Hulk or other small boardgame skirmish games. I am so glad I pre-ordered my copy and can't wait to paint. More tomorrow but I must get some sleep.
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Tom B
Spain
Naperville
ILLINOIS
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Assembly pictures
check out the pinning
Dead Marine
The Head of The Brood
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Tom B
Spain
Naperville
ILLINOIS
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Hopefully this will clear up the librarian questions.
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Tom B
Spain
Naperville
ILLINOIS
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The table filled with goodies:
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David Knepper
United States
Huntsville
Alabama
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Quote: Bang for buck: 8.75 I feel like it is worth it but to be fair with today’s economy I do see how spending $100 bucks can put a major dent in people’s wallets. I think it is a fair price but it is just that fair. To be a 10 the game would be priced at say $69.99
I find this to be an inane rating point. When the second edition was released, its MSRP price point was in the $70-$75. To argue that the third edition, released 13 years after the the second edition, and clearly a much better game, should cost less than the second edition, certainly defies my understanding of the time value of money. 
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Tom B
Spain
Naperville
ILLINOIS
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Please read my review again.... I personally think it is more than a fair price. I think $100 that someone way over paid for the new BSG Pegasus expansion is crazy not $100 dollars for this game. I was simply trying to address the comments that have already appeared on BGG about the price. I myself agree with you 100%.
There are some games I have bought recently however, where I didn't know how they made money with the game. For example Masters of Venice. Still perhaps I weighed too heavily on trying to understand the people who are complaining about the price.
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Justus Pendleton
Australia
Sydney
NSW
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Aging One wrote: To argue that the third edition, released 13 years after the the second edition, and clearly a much better game, should cost less than the second edition, certainly defies my understanding of the time value of money.
That's because the time value of money applies only to money, not to products 
The most wide spread example are computers, which are both cheaper and better today than they were 13 years ago.
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Jason Gong
United States
New York
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time value of products can work both ways. It really depends on the product. A can of coffee 40 years ago cost as much as a video game these days. Would you spend 75 bucks on a copy of Space Hulk second edition if it was the one to come out today?
I would have to agree that you do get your bang for buck in Space Hulk. Compared to Middle Earth Quest, The board is nicer, the units are twice as nice with 10 times more units. If your talking about value for a game I think your getting more than most games you pay for.
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Tom B
Spain
Naperville
ILLINOIS
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Some more excerpts from the manual:
Mission 12
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Milvus
Ireland
Wicklow Town
Co. Wicklow
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You jammy git Nice review. I'm really looking forward to getting my copy of it, I think it looks absolutely amazing and have no problem with the price of €78 here in Ireland. I recently dug out my first edition copy to brush up on the rules and was struck with how well the rule book was laid out. Glad to hear that GW still get that right. I haven't bought a GW product in years, but had lots of the old early nineties games. Never had a problem with a rule book, not something I say about many of todays games. Looking forward to seeing more of their old products both from GW and FFG.
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Tom B
Spain
Naperville
ILLINOIS
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Heroes that are painted (from the book)
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Get Funkadelic
United States
West Allis
Wisconsin
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Aging One wrote: Quote: Bang for buck: 8.75 I feel like it is worth it but to be fair with today’s economy I do see how spending $100 bucks can put a major dent in people’s wallets. I think it is a fair price but it is just that fair. To be a 10 the game would be priced at say $69.99 I find this to be an inane rating point. When the second edition was released, its MSRP price point was in the $70-$75. To argue that the third edition, released 13 years after the the second edition, and clearly a much better game, should cost less than the second edition, certainly defies my understanding of the time value of money. ;)
I'm going to have to agree here. I found the price of the first edition of Space Hulk (with no expansion) from a discount retailer back in 1990 and it was $70+ (without shipping) in inflation adjusted dollars.
Considering this version has more than the first edition and that nearly each and every component is of higher quality and quantity than the first edition and that it has rules found in one of the expansions thrown in... how can $99 shipped be some sort of crazy insane price? That plus the fact that you could not hope to get a mint condition Space Hulk first edition for anything less (unless very lucky or very very patient) and for usually a lot more and you have a more than fair price point.
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Get Funkadelic
United States
West Allis
Wisconsin
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Tom, thanks for the review!
Can you show the new counters and explain what each one of them are? I don't think I've seen what the new overwatch or jam or some of the other counters look like.
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Carc >> BSG
United States
Topeka
Kansas
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For me, Price Uber Alles. $100 is too high for my pocketbook, and stopped the impulse buy purchase that surely would've resulted from a $69.99 price tag. I don't begrudge them their set price, though... I'm certain GW believe it's priced appropriately for both the component costs and for what the market will bear. .
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Accipe gaudium ex vestri victorias. Accipe lectiones ex vestri damnis.
United States
38.978164N 76.486881W
Maryland
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The game's page here says two players only. Is that correct? The original played up to four.
Sag.
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RJD
United States
Quad-Cities
Illinois
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No. 2 player is accurate for the original first edition as well. It scales up easily enough, but, technically, it's always been a 2 player game.
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Accipe gaudium ex vestri victorias. Accipe lectiones ex vestri damnis.
United States
38.978164N 76.486881W
Maryland
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I'm interested in opinions of how the game plays with more than two. I have a pile of wargames that I can't get to because two-player sessions aren't frequent for me.
Sag.
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Freelance Police
United States
Palo Alto
California
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The game plays as well as any other miniatures game multiplayer. If you don't mind playing an "unofficial" game, you can have divide up the models within a squad, play two squads vs. one genestealer brood, etc.
As for price, see you a year from now on eBay...
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Tom B
Spain
Naperville
ILLINOIS
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It was strange because we just finished a secenario where it said each player takes turns placing a marine. This could mean as a genestealer I get to place one then the Marine does. However, I think each person could easily play one Marine (or split the Marines in half) and two people could control the genestealers with one player playing one entrance and one new control blip reserve each turn. It would be kind of like Last Night on earth. Frequently, during Last Night on Earth I control all the Zombies and have three or four people (on occasion more) control the heroes.
I think it could be fun. The game moves extremely fast and the combat does not bog down like 40k. I find 40k fine but sometimes each side will roll as much as three or more times to check whether something is a hit, whether it did damage, terrain or armor checks, etc. This game is simple, for some weapons roll a 6, for others a five or six. Continuous fire means you get a plus 1. Close assault whomever has the highest die wins, which means if you are the defender and are facing the attacker and roll the highest die, the attacker dies dies. If you are not facing the attacker as the defender and you roll the highest die the defender wins and gets to rotate to face the attacker. The first mission lasted four rounds (I got slaughtered as the Marine player), while the second mission my friend Spencer was able to keep his Marines going killing all but four of my genestealers before he died (which I think he killed at least 35 or 40...didn't keep track of the kills).
I will update more as we get closer to finishing. Just taking a break for now. However, both of us agree this game is two thumbs way up.
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yawn...
New Zealand
Christchurch
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Play missions with two squads. Then you can have three people playing. One controls the stealers and the others take a squad each. You just have to share command points or if the stealer player agrees, roll a D3 each rather that sharing the usual D6.
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Dan B
United States
SF Bay Area
California
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Can anyone say whether the 3rd Edition rules are
a) Like 1st Edition
b) Like 2nd Edition
c) Completely new?
I'd love to know how this ruleset compares to the previous versions.
(Edited) And then I see your link above... Thanks for including it. I'll check it out.
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Donald Acker
China
Suzhou
Jiangsu
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The librarian seems like an obvious choice for a third Marine player, since mechanically he has many abilities, and since thematically, he might be slightly aloof from the squads.
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I think the rules is a combination between the 1st edition + expansion rules and maybe with some new ones as well.
It's not the same as the 2nd ed though, since there was no librarian, assault cannon, lightning claws or brood warriors in the 2nd ed, only spacemarines with bolters, the heavy flamer with lots of flamer templates and a sergent with a sword vs. genstealers and nothing else.
Even though I have played the 1st ed. I never tried the expansion rules but as far as I recall the basic rules for the 1st ed and the 2nd ed are basically the same except for the rules for using the heavy flamer.
One new rule however I can figure out must be that like other Games Workshop skirmish games, the sustained fire dice are no longer used like they were both of the older editions.
Please keep in mind that I have not had a chance to read the new rulebook yet, so my assumptions are based on the pictures found on the net and the review above.
But I have played the 1st and second ed quite alot and still has the 2nd ed, so like many of you I am now saving every penny so that hopefully when I can afford the 3rd ed its still availble.
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B. B.
Germany
Unspecified
Unspecified
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Who came up with such crackbrained victory conditions for Mission 12?
If the player of the Marines gets one or more Marines off the board via escaping, both players roll a dice to see who wins.
So, when the player of the Marines gets every of the four Marines off the board and rolls a 1 and the player of the Stealers rolls a 6, then the player of the Stealers wins the game, because he has a result of 6 and the other player has a result of only 5 (1 + 4 Marines escaped).
So, even though every Marine escaped from the hulk the Stealers win. Totally crap, I would say.
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Slev Sleddeddan
United Kingdom
Victoria Park
Manchester
What part of "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn" don't you understand?
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hoostus wrote: Aging One wrote: To argue that the third edition, released 13 years after the the second edition, and clearly a much better game, should cost less than the second edition, certainly defies my understanding of the time value of money. That's because the time value of money applies only to money, not to products The most wide spread example are computers, which are both cheaper and better today than they were 13 years ago.
Now I will agree that technical innovation may lower the cost of the production of certain products to varying degrees. However, you are then (and quite rightly) calling into account two different matters when looking at the price adjustment.
So, the value of money has fallen due to inflation, the costs of production may have fallen due to technical innovation. However, GW uses such technical innovation these days to provide a better product for the same money.
Based on historic inflation averages alone, 1st edition would have cost around £80 adjusted, second edition around £75 adjusted. Here we see that in adjusted monetary costs the new edition at £60 is the cheapest ever edition and has the best pieces.
People tend to ignore inflation in valuing products. "Back in my day..."
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Posted Fri Aug 21, 2009 10:34 pm
