Space Hulk

The lights of the spacemarines´ suites cut through the darkness of the vast hulk that drifts through space. Its corridors are so narrow, the members of your unit can only walk behind eachother. The ship seems deserted, all that´s left from the crew are some bloodsplatters on the floors and the walls. But you know better. You can see the blips of the Tyranid groups on your radar. And they are coming closer. Before you see anything, you can hear the Bolters of your comrades, spitting their bullets into the darkness. It´s time to add the sound of your gatling gun to this wonderful symphony of death….

Space Hulk is a real classic of Games Workshop. It´s a two player game, settled in the Warhammer 40k universe: One player controls a troop of Space Marines, the other the Tyranids. The game is scenario based. The interesting point is the asymetric gameplay. Space Marines are few and slow. They come with a lot of firepower, but are extremely vulnerable if it comes to close combat. The Tyranids are the opposite: fast, no ranged combat ability but really deadly in close combat. So both players will have to use different strategies and tactics if they wanna succeed.

The components of the 3rd edition are absolutely fabulous. Minis look great, the tyranids come in all kinds of dynamic poses. The tiles are thick and even embossed! I´ve never seen map tiles of this quality again! The art is also fantastic: dark but with many little details.

The gamesplay is fast and fun. It gets a little repetitive sometimes, because the Space Marines will often slaughter the Tyranids by the dozens. This might also become a little frustrating for the Tyranid player. Very often, the only thing she can do is hoping for a weapon jam. Still, with the right people, this is a lot of fun. I´ve came up with some solo rules and you´ll see a playthrough here.

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