Space Hulk revisited - Terminator Marines and price-creep

I got the original Space Hulk (£20, currently £150+ second hand) when it first came out, along with the expansions Deathwing (currently £100+ second hand) and Genestealer (£140+ second hand) which followed over the next couple of years. I also picked up a copy of the second edition as remaindered stock from The Works for £5 (currently £130+ second hand).  It's probably the game I played most in the late '80s and early '90s, and it's always been a good one to pull out for our Scout games days.  I also have all the various extra rules that were published in White Dwarf, and in the picture below, you can see at least a couple of additional room tiles from White Dwarf that I glued to thick card and cut out.  Back in those days, WD would regularly have extra rules (Pitfall special rules and psychic abilities for Space Hulk both appeared in WD before getting incorporated into the later expansion boxed sets) and often counters/map pieces (often drawn by the original game artist) that you could glue to sturdy card stock and cut out to add to your game.

Space Hulk

There are a couple of Cyclone Terminators and a couple of Grey Knights there, but I couldn't find most of my Terminator marines when I got the game out for the kids to try.  A rummage in the loft while they were getting ready for bed allowed me to find the little box containing them.  They were packed up ready for stripping and repainting.

Terminators

The plastic Terminators from the 2nd edition game were far better than those from the original game.  Proper multi-part poseable models with distinct weapons (though the clip-on flamers for the 1st edition were a neat idea).  These just need gluing and painting, maybe a bit of cleanup on the mould lines.

Plastic Terminators from 2nd edition

My first metal Terminator (bottom, centre) was packaged as a free gift with my copy of Space Hulk in 1989.  He came equipped with a Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield, but it was several months before the rules for these new weapons appeared in either Space Hulk or normal 40K.  Flanking him are 2 Terminators with Lightning Claws to round out my close combat specialists, these are from when they were £2.99 for a blister pack of 2.  The one on the left is the only Terminator I ever completely finished painting. The top row includes a couple of Terminators with Chainfists, bought from the fantastic but long-vanished games shop Games Inc. in Plymouth, which used to split blister packs and boxed sets and sell the individual models. They were lined up in a glass-fronted cabinet under the counter, blu-tacked together so you could choose the individual figures you wanted.  These two were something like £1.35 each, being split from the Terminator Squad boxed set (8 Terminators for £9.99: Captain, Librarian, 2 with Storm Bolter & Power Fist, 2 with Storm Bolter & Chainfist, Assault canon & Powerfist, Heavy flamer & Powerfist).  As you can tell, I'm fairly astounded how much these games/models are going for now!  I see that the new Terminator squad is advertised at £35 for 5, inflation calculator reckons that the original metal Terminators would work out £3.50-4 each at today's prices but current plastic ones are about £7 each!  I have my old "beaky" marines from the original RTB01 boxed set that were £9.99 for 30 marines (inflation calculator says £26 today), but the current offering from GW is £37 for 10 marines.  Yes, today's are more detailed and higher quality, but are they really worth 7 times as much as the earlier ones?  I recall GW stating that they were trying to switch to plastic to reduce costs and make the models "more affordable".  It may have reduced their costs for bulk production, but they still charged the same or more for the models, so it was very rare that and of that saving made it to the end user.  Anyway, enough of my grumbles about GW's current pricing policy and back to the models...

Metal terminators

The bottom row has the most recent additions to my force.  I'd forgotten I even had these, I can't remember when/where I got them.  There's the original Librarian with Force Axe, an original Terminator body with a newer set of arms (Assault Cannon and Chainfist) and an original Assault Cannon and Powerfist.  Somewhere I have a Terminator Captain, but he remains elusive at present.

Metal terminators

Several of these marines were partly painted by me some 20-30 years ago.  I've disassembled all of them, a few will need a soak in paint stripper, some will need a bit of cleaning/sanding, then I can re-assemble and paint.

I also have 50 Genestealers ready for painting, for those I am planning a black undercoat, white highlight, then painting with blue and purple Army Painter Speedpaints and/or Vallejo Xpress to get them finished quickly.

Kore LARC2 Future Flyer Kickstarter

I got the files for Kore's Low Altitude Rotor Craft a few years back and they're great little models, reminiscent of the Samson aircraft in Avatar.  Kore are currently running their LARC2 Future Flyer campaign which includes a whole load of new bodies, rotor types, cockpits and side panels/doors.  Models are available in 15mm and 28mm.  AT the time of writing, there is just over a week left in the Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/retrocars/larc2-future-flyer?ref=discovery&term=kore&total_hits=686&category_id=34

 Here are a few pictures of my 15mm LARCs in various stages of completion...

Robots vs Tanks

The last couple of months have been incredibly busy, trying to get things completed at work, the kids moving to the end of their respective school years (teachers' presents to be arranged), Scout camps to organise.  With the arrival of the summer holidays, it's time to break out the Mecha for another battle with the kids, hopefully heralding a return to more regular posting on the blog.

This time, the baddy Mecha (Number 2 son) are battling the tanks (me).  Mecha are supported by Free Cal Tex infantry, the tanks by Japanese Corporate Troops, both from GZG.

Mecha have the normal rules: walk 5" and shoot or run 12" with no shooting, D10 damage from missiles, D8 from big guns, D6 from small guns, infantry suffer -2 penalty shooting at mecha/vehicles. Mecha weapons are either missile pods (4D10 shooting), guns/missiles (1D10+2D8), guns (2D6). Mecha can take 4 damage before being destroyed. Tanks fire 1D8 for the main gun, move 5"/12" same as the mecha, but can take only 2 hits before being destroyed.

 Captions in the photographs below... 

Tanks advance, watched by Japanese troops.

More tanks move down the main street.

Free Cal Tex infantry.

Overview of the tank advance.

 

Tank traps visible at the head of the column.

Mecha move down the flank.

Transport for the infantry.

Tanks peel off to counter the mecha.

Infantry move up with the tanks.

Mecha take light damage from tank fire.

Lead tank destroyed!

Massed tank fire starts to tell against the mecha.

Will swarm tactics work in the tanks' favour?

First mecha down.  Tanks & mecha exchange fire.

More damage to both sides on the other flank.

Another tank destroyed...

... and yet another tank brews up!

Free Cal Tex infantry filter forward through the jungle.

Transport (up-armoured GI Joe Stinger transport)

Free Cal Tex spotters in the ruins.

Overview of the fighting.

Baddie command mecha falls.

Another mecha is destroyed on the rocks.

Tanks squeeze past the wreckage.

Lots of tanks!

As so often happens, so much time was spent setting up the scenery that we were unable to finish the game, but it was good fun all the same. 

I retrieved my old games mats which were packed away at my parents-in-law's house while we had building work going on.  These have lasted very well over the years.  Scenery is my 3D printed Flatline City along with lots of items from my 2020 Summer of Scenery. I also excavated a box of tanks from under the bed.  These were purchased several years ago, bought in bulk from one of several sellers on eBay for less than £1 each.  I have about 30 of them.  They have a vague resemblance to the French Leclerc MBT and have the added bonus of a pull-back motor inside!  I need to add stowage (lots of Jerry cans, ammo boxes etc have been 3D printed in readiness) and give them a repaint, but their native camouflage scheme works pretty well.

Evacuation!

 Number 2 son was after another game yesterday, so we set up a battlefield for an evacuation mission.  He took command of the Mecha force (assisted by some Alternative Armies' Ion Age Muster troops), moving to attack "the village", which consists of some of my Dragon's Rest 3D printed scenery.  Number 1 son took control of the defenders (Alternative Armies' Ion Age Retained Knights), tasked with evacuating the civilians (red pawns).  Evacuation is via ISSCV, an Inter Solar System Cargo Vehicle from the Space: Above And Beyond TV series (well worth a look for sci-fi fun and scenario ideas if you haven't seen it!) which needs to be fuelled.

The robots approach.  They start from within a rocky outcrop.  The Muster infantry are already approaching the cliff wall in single file, heading for an access ladder near the industrial plant.  You can see the range ruler to the right, it has marks at 5" and 12".  Basic to hit roll for shooting is 4+ but +1 is added to the target number for each additional range band.

One of the Retained Knights wonders if there is time to stop at the snack bar?

Retained Knights prepare to defend the entrance.  The attacking mecha will try and breach the cliff wall here.

The ISSCV awaits fuelling.  A D6 is rolled each turn.  When the cumulative total reaches 15, there is enough fuel to escape.

Civilians are all in the buildings at the start.  They need to make their way to the ISSCV to escape.  The Retained Knights need to delay the mecha and Muster long enough for the ISSCV to finish fuelling and loading the civilians.   Retained Knights move 5" per turn.  They roll a D6 for small arms with 5" range bands, D8 for grenade launcher with 5" range bands, D10 for missile launcher with 12" range bands.  Humans are eliminated on the first wound taken.  When firing small arms at mecha or buildings, +2 is added to the target number, meaning that they are ineffective over 5" (needing basic 4+, +2 difficulty against mecha/buildings, +1 per range band over 5" = minimum of 7+ to hit on a D6).

The Muster soldiers troop towards the ladder.  They will be climbing up to get a good view of the village from the top of the cliffs. As with the Retained Knights, they move 5" per turn.  They roll a D6 for small arms with 5" range bands, D8 for grenade launcher with 5" range bands, D10 for missile launcher with 12" range bands.  Humans are eliminated on the first wound taken.

The mecha set off towards the cliffs.  They can move 5" and shoot (in either order) or move 12" with no shooting.  They are armed with a mixture of missiles (D10 and 12" range bands) and autocannon/particle cannon (D8 and 12" range bands).  Each mecha can take 4 damage.

A grav pickup is in the garage, the furthest point from the ISSCV.  There are a couple of civilians in here who need to get away.

The command centre houses a number of civilians and Retained Knights.

Retained Knights have a commanding view of the area from the control tower.  One readies his missile launcher.

The civilians in the garage hop into the grav pickup to speed them on their way to the ISSCV.  The pickup moves only 5" on the turn they climb aboard, but will be able to move a full 12" next turn.

The mecha begin bombarding the cliff face.  They need to achieve 16 damage to destroy the section blocking the entrance.

A couple of hits against the command centre. The first civilian, with Retained Knight escort, bursts out of the doors.

The control tower also takes a hit.

 Retained Knights pull back into cover behind the cliffs to either side.  They don't want to be caught in the open when the entrance barrier rocks collapse!

The ISSCV receives 4 fuel on the first turn.  Turn 2, it only receives 1 point of fuel, though at least some of the civilians have arrived and are ready to board.

 The mecha continue to bombard the entrance area, and the blocking outcrop crumbles under the barrage.

 Muster troops have reached the top of the cliff!  The creep forward and spot the evacuation in progress.  Opening fire, their attack is mostly ineffective, but the rearmost civilian falls to their shots, and a single shot inflicts additional damage on the command centre.

 The Retained Knights need to do something to eliminate this threat, otherwise very few civilians will make it to the evac point.

 Fuelling continues, a better result this time with a 6!  Only 4 more fuel points needed for the ISSCV's tanks.

 The lift has reached the top floor and the last civilian from the control tower climbs into the lift, ready to be escorted to the ground by 2 Retained Knights.  The others will remain in the control tower to observe the enemy movements.

 With the blocking cliff outcrop gone, the way is clear for the mecha.

Retained Knights sally forth in a delaying action, peppering the lead mecha with missile and grenade fire.

The mecha crashes to the ground, flames billowing from the torn armour plate.

Elsewhere, covering fire from the Retained Knights has caused only a single casualty on the Muster.  Their return fire is more effective, the last two civilians from the command centre crumple to the ground, almost within touching distance of the ISSCV.

Spurred on by the cries of their fallen colleagues, the other civilians try to pick up the pace.

 More gunfire spatters harmlessly across the nose of the ISSCV... before chewing significantly less harmlessly into the bodies of two more unlucky civilians.

Avenging their fallen leader, the mecha concentrate their fire, shredding the defending Retained Knights and leaving the way into the village wide open.

 5 more fuel is pumped into the tank and the ISSCV is ready to launch.  They risk waiting another turn for the last civilians to pile in.

The Retained Knights open fire on the Muster on the cliff top and several fall casualty. 

From the roof of the command centre, more Retained Knights pour fire onto the Muster, eliminating several more.

 

 The Retained Knights prepare to sell their lives as dearly as possible to give the ISSCV a chance to finish loading and launch.

Attempting to flank the Retained Knights, one of the mecha slips and falls whilst trying to step across from the cliffs to the garage roof.

The mecha takes only a single point of damage and will be able to stand up again next turn, but a delay at this moment may be critical!

Return fire from the cliff top wipes out most of the Retained Knights on the command centre roof, but their delaying action has been crucial.  Their sacrifice has not been in vain!

Enemy mecha have breached the defences and stride into the village, but are they too late?

The lead and following mecha target several buildings, inflicting damage but failing to destroy any.  The control tower takes a number of hits, but remains standing.

The command centre and some of the smaller huts also take hits, but nothing too serious.

Loaded and fuelled, the ISSCV slowly lifts, accelerating as it shifts into forward flight mode.

 ... and VROOOSH! They're away!

The end result. 5 civilians dead, but 15 survivors have been successfully evacuated, along with 3 Retained Knights.

Something I added mid-game was a 5-minute timer.  This was reasonably successful in focussing the children's attention on moving units and deciding on what/where to fire.  They were allowed to finish rolling dice after the 5 minutes had elapsed, but all action decisions had to be made before the timer ran out.

A fun game was had by all, this time with no storming off because things got destroyed.

Scenery is my Lidl "outdoor carpet" games mat, insulation foam rocky outcrops and 3D printed "Dragon's Rest" scenery and ISSCV. Figures are the old Exosquad RoboTech Destroids and Alternative Armies Ion Age Muster & retained Knights. Plastic pawns and counters came from eM4 (they have a vast stock of excellently prices bits and pieces), skull casualty markers from the now sadly defunct Figures in Comfort.