Balancing Space Hulk

So I know Space Hulk is old news, but I've brought it with me on vacation and I'm remembering how difficult the first mission is. To win, the Genestealer player needs to flood in as many stealers as possible in the northeast corner, since there's a big LOS block at the corner. The Marine player has to survive either a lot of close range shooting or brutal close combat.

What I've discovered to make the mission easier for first-time players is to simply remove the starting two blips. That gives the Marine player a bit of an edge getting into position at the corner, and though the mission still isn't easy it's more balanced.

Space Hulk: Brother Claudio

Here it is, I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves. This was my entry for the Jawaballs painting contest. The hardest part was probably the heraldry.

Space Hulk- Second Printing

I heard from my FLGS owner last night that there is going to be a second run of Space Hulk because the first went so well. He said that he had already ordered 4 copies. So if you missed out, now's your chance.

I ordered at 6:00 AM Monday morning, the day it was announced. I know some people will be upset because they ordered one now only because they thought it would be limited. But on the other hand, people who were short on cash or whatever will be able to get it. I really don't care, I have my copy and enjoy it.

I have submitted this to BOLS.

Got My Space Hulk!

And thus marks the day that I begin playing Blood Angels. Sort of. I don't plan on buying any models for them until I see where the new codex takes them, but these guys should keep me busy for a while.

The box weighs 9 lbs according to my scale. It's jam packed full of stuff and the plastic feels like it's much higher quality than other sprues. Every square inch is packed with detail. I'm excited to put it all together.

I'll try to get a few games in this weekend and see how they go!

So It Looks Like I'm Going To Have To Play Blood Angels

As I said earlier, I went ahead and ordered Space Hulk. I really look forward to it now, seeing the new sculpts and the paint jobs look fantastic. I especially love how the Terminators have plenty of battle damage. Showing the sprues allayed my fears that the minis would be the flexible plastic ones like Descent. Also from what I heard, the minis are indeed 40k size, so with some magnetic bases looks like I have a new army started.

I have been thinking for about a year now, which chapter should I start? I was thinking about either Blood Angels, Space Wolves, or Iron Hands. I was also considering doing a pre-heresy Traitor legion (and I may still do it later), but it looks like my mind has been made up for me. I have the feeling we'll be seeing lots of Blood Angels players in the next year...

Should I Get Space Hulk?

So if all the rumors are true and the mystery box is Space Hulk, should I get it? Rumors say that it will be priced at £80, which is about $120. I (as any married man) am on a limited spending budget. I have enough in my budget to get it, but right now I want more terrain. If it were any normal advance order, I would simply just wait and get it later, but all the rumors say that this will be a short run only.

I never played it growing up, though a friend had it. Oddly enough, I played Warhammer by that point and he didn't, so it helped introduce him to the game. I had never heard of it, and when I was showing him how to play 40k, he said that it reminded him of another game he had.

So is the game worth it, or is everyone looking at it through the rose-colored goggles of their long-forgotten halcyon days of youth?

*Edit: I have indeed pre-ordered it. I have one main concern, one that hit me after I ordered it. Are the minis going to be full size and usable in 40k? If so, then I have made a very wise purchase. If not, I shall have to judge the game on its merits alone.

**Second Edit: Man, what's with all the people whining about "Waaahhhh they lied, they said it was something they've never done before!" Can anyone verify that a GW higher-up said this? It was one of the rumors floating around, but no one can seem to produce any solid evidence.