I think for many war-gamers of my age, the first introduction to Games Workshop was via Argos, Index or Woolworths and the Space Crusade or Heroquest boxes – they were just about everywhere.

I don’t think I ever really played HQ/SC or even any of the other big-box games I pleaded with my parents to buy – whether it was Epic 40,000 or Necromunda, Gorkamorka or Blood Bowl. It was simply enough to immerse myself in that world, even if I had no clue how to play or even any opponents!

I did feel however that it was worthwhile to grab those boxed sets before they came completely unavailable, and so I grabbed both HeroQuest and… Space Hulk. Now, I’m not sure why SH over SC – but I always wanted to have Space Hulk as a kid – and so here it is:

We played two missions on the first day, swapping roles : Exterminate and Suicide – and both were fairly close with the winner only being determined within the last turn or two.

It will surprise nobody to find that I think it’s worth playing and continuing with. There were certain aspects which felt a little clunky, but nothing which materially affected the enjoyment of the game.

One of the only completely arbitrary black marks against it IMO is how it is not at all considerate/respectful of the space the game takes up. I appreciate that GW/Citadel are miniature manufacturers first and gaming companies second, but the game would work perfectly in 10 or 15mm.

The Next set of missions

Second time around, we played ‘Rescue’, which was a very long winded mission – almost two and half or three hours.

This mission ended with a final turn success by the Marine player – which despite the length and complexity again highlighted the pleasing balance in the game.

Final missions

The final missions were variations on a theme – all of them were fairly close except the last – where the Marines could set up hugely long lines of sight and camp on overwatch – particularly deadly because it was impossible for the Genestealers to reach from a hiding place into combat in a single round.

This meant that any time there was an area where pressure could be applied, the ‘stealers were typically subject to overwatch fire (with some very good rolls) and then a full round of sustained fire plus command point usage, and then another round of overwatch fire. Very frustrating!

Onto: Deathwing!

I have found a bunch of WD articles and my opponent has a copy of Deathwing, so we are both interested in playing through these and seeing how it goes.