One of the things that make SPACE HULK such an incredible piece of design is how the imbalance of force is handled with expert care. The Space Marine player has to deal with the fact that the Terminator armor is slow, cumbersome, and difficult to maneuver in. The variety of weapons offers plenty of ways to mow down hordes of Genestealers at a distance, but should even one Genestealer close to melee range then suddenly that balance changes. The Genestealers have a huge advantage in hand-to-hand, not to mention their sheer numbers and preternatural mobility. This is also a game about one-hit kills so there are no hit points, armor values, or anything like that. Stakes are always high, and as such drama and suspense are practically built directly into how the game plays.

It is principally an action point system. The Terminators get a set number of action points to move, fire, open doors, and accomplish tasks but they can also save some for use during the Genestealer player’s turn…that creates a nice sense of simultaneity while also providing a lot of opportunities for tactical and situational decision making. The Genestealers operate on similar terms, but one of the really neat ideas is that those nasty aliens are represented by “blip” counters until such a counter falls into a Terminator’s line of sight and between one and three Genestealers are revealed. The mechanic works almost exactly like how the motion trackers in the classic film ALIENS function (That’s a big f****** signal! – ed), and it creates a sense of dread, uncertainty, and fear that is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in any other game. When I first played the game, my impression of it was that it was more or less ALIENS in a 40K setting. This is a very, very high compliment.

ALIENS is a tense, exciting picture with a lot of action and surprise and SPACE HULK brings that to the table in a tremendously fun way. There is a real feeling of excitement when you’ve put a Terminator in Overwatch (meaning that he’s prepped and ready to fire at anything that moves) and a veritable stream of Genestealers is barreling down the hall toward him. You fire and fire again, gaining a sustained fire bonus and you’re wiping them out left and right. But they’re edging closer. And then…you roll doubles and your Storm Bolter jams. Will you survive hand to hand with that slobbering razor taloned monster? How about the three behind it? Can you outflank them with your Autocannon-toting Terminator in time to save your Brother Blood Angel?

The game is extremely visceral like that, and I think it reaches a level of atmosphere that is sorely missing from a lot of other tactical miniatures games. The funny thing is that even with the emphasis on traditional Ameritrash values: dice-based combat, for example- SPACE HULK is actually quite a bit deeper than most games in the genre as well. It’s all about setting up fire lanes, covering zones, budgeting movement, and coordinating a team. There is something to the game that feels almost as if it would appeal to abstract gamers if the awesome miniatures were replaced with black and white pieces. But that being said, as strategically challenging and compelling the game is, it’s also about taking risks, getting that lucky shot, and beating the odds.

Additionally, it’s easy to learn and play with very little overhead or administration required. The design is razor sharp, streamlined, and precision tuned to deliver a thrilling experience that could appeal to everyone from diehard console videogamers to fans of more complex wargames. I could even see fans of the ALIENS pictures that have never played a board game before finding themselves interested in the gameplay since it is so conceptually bound to similar ideas. But, however, there is a huge problem that is keeping the game from putting the brakes on the Eurogamer love-train once and for all and emerging as one of the top games of our time.

SPACE HULK is a limited edition reprint. Games Workshop has stated that the 20th anniversary edition is a one-time-only deal, and that copies that were distributed and have now sold out since it went on sale in early September are the end of the run. It’s unclear how many copies were in circulation, but reports were that some Games Workshop stores were stocking 50, 75, and even 100 copies. I thought those numbers were ludicrous for any hobby game, but the quick sell-out of the title has defied all logic. That a $100 retail hobby game would sell out so quickly and in what are apparently large numbers should send a message to the competition that very high quality productions supporting top-shelf quality gameplay yields market success beyond that enjoyed by many hobby games publishers.

Part of its success is invariably connected to its affiliation with the WARHAMMER 40K line as well as the eagerness of a couple of generations’ worth of board gamers to get their hands on a legendary, bona fide classic title. A lot folks were buying the game for the miniatures, which can be used in the tabletop 40K game. And some were buying multiple copies either to build larger scenarios or to hawk on eBay at aftermarket prices. A quick peek at the auction site reveals copies selling for $50-100 over the $100 retail as well as sellers piecing out components for individual sale. SPACE HULK has become an “event” in the hobby game world, a rare phenomenon. It’s just too bad that it’s already gone.

So the lesson learned here should be that if you see a copy of SPACE HULK—buy it. If it’s $200, buy it anyway and just skip buying the next three or four inferior games that you were considering. It’s one of the best investments in the hobby you can make in terms of fun and pure gameplay- not because the game will likely fetch $500 or more in a few years time if GW sticks to their guns and doesn’t reprint it again. It’s one of the few “perfect 10” games out there, and if ever there were an official Cracked LCD Seal of Awesomeness signifying games that I personally guarantee—this is one of them.

Questions or comments for Michael? Send them along to wabner@gameshark.com .

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