Running a simple pallette along with various sized cheap plastic models for troops could be a real winner.

Building up a stockpile of cheap robot toys could be a way to get the best option for each unit AND if all else fails the toys could be cast up to fill units in larger mobs for apocalypse scale battles.

It would also allow for necron models being used for parts (like weapons and heads) plus it could be used as a counts as force to stand in for necrons.

Additionally they could be used to stand in for the genestealers in Space Hulk to give it a different feel for a couple of games.

Here’s hoping that they decide to run a set of the plastic miniatures as a special mail order piece.

http://spedr.com/pqpc

Enjoy!

Below is the proper box art, and if you haven’t seen the quality of the miniatures from the game I have added an example below as well.

The highlight for me is the quality of the objective counter. (a dead marine slumped in a chair) This I am thinking will be making a big appearance in the golden demons this year.

Don’t you agree the quality of this box is well worth picking it up?

Just don’t refer to them as twilight marines.

Rumours out of GD Germany are saying that the NEW version of Space Hulk is coming, and is due this year!

Above is the rumored cover art, but I am pretty sure it is not going to look like this. (the terminator flamer is wrong, it is first edition space hulk in design)

I have actually seen the prototype of the new version. They are testing it out here because it’s a niche market and they hope the information wouldn’t leak.. well, too bad they ran into a BGG’er.

Anyway, the new version involves the following:

– Plastic hallway pieces that stand on small legs so you can reach underneath with magnet sticks (explained beneath).

– Each miniature has a small magnet on its base. Addionally, genestealers are fitted with a small battery which makes them move their arms

– To reinforce the “realistic experience” (as stated in the manual), you are not allowed to touch the pieces directly but have to use magnetic sticks which you stick under the boards and use them to move the figures “remotely”. This sounds ridicilous but actually works just fine. GW stated that if this catches on, they think about including “magnet sticks” in the Warhammer series.

– SH has a new ruleset that does away with those pesky ” 4 action points” and “command points” and uses a much more elegant system: you throw a little 6-sided cube with numbers 1 to 6 on it; the number you see on the top when it stops rolling is the number of “action points” you have on the turn. Genious!

Anyway I would post some pics but I don’t want to breach the signed “prototype test” contract too much.

Cheers!

Stuff that was sent to me that does tie in somewhat to the above info:

* Terminators will have 40mm scenic bases included, quite possible that they will be square. (the scenic bases rumor matches what we have seen regarding the Librarian’s ‘descending stairs’ rumor)
* The scale for the board spaces will likewise increase in size from the 30mm that Space Hulk has had for the past 2 editions to 40mm or 45mm square.
* The card tiles are said to be ‘embossed’.

I have no idea who sent me this, so take these rumors with the grain of salt that merits such anonymous info. If you have any info regarding the above please do not hesitate to comment and either confirm or dispute such rumors.

But if these do turn out to be true, then there are many things that these minor rumors do bring to light.

1. The rules are seeming to be based more on 1st ed than it is on 2nd ed. This is deduced by the inclusion of the Captain and Librarian. The rules are also changing because we see the Captain can now be armed with a Thunder Hammer/Storm shield. This option was not previously possible in 1st ed in any of its expansions. So we have at least a very vague glimpse into what the rules may look like.
2. The increase in base size for the Terminators and the possibility that they will be square makes sense if GW are to include scenic bases. Scenic bases for Terminators does not seem likely on a 25mm base, especially since the newer style of terminators do not exactly fit on 25mm bases to begin with. Also it makes sense because this is a standalone boardgame and square bases should have been included in the game originally anyways since facing is so important to the Space Hulk game mechanic.
3. Genestealers may likely share this new basing scheme. This is important because Genestealers will no longer topple over because of their high center of gravity versus their comparatively small bases they previously had.
4. The embossed card tiles may be a lackluster attempt at making the game marketable towards both the hobbyist and the boardgamer alike. Rumors about what the tiles are made of are so conflicting that it might be possible that the base game will include card tiles, but that there are plastic tiles made available through hobby shops or direct order for the hobbyists who play this game (which are GW’s main bread and butter nowadays. GW makes games to sell models, not models to sell games. This is GW’s frst attempt at an actual stand alone board game in over 15 years. I find it unlikely that GW will actually not try to make as much money off of this release as they possibly can. And that means making as much stuff for the hobbyists as they can).
5. The ‘embossed’ tiles also might possibly mean that they are vacuformed plastic tiles, much like what we saw with the 40K ‘moon crater’ set.

• Space Hulk down for September release
• The box set should contain 5 unique, character style plastic terminators
• It’ll have clip together plastic floor pieces

Okay, the 5 terminators seems cool, even if there is only 5 in the box, that is still good to see some individual models coming out. Perfect for conversions!(as we will all get more than one box…)

Fingers crossed, holding breath to see if these are correct!

More whispers regarding the best Warhammer 40k boardgame ever made, Space Hulk.

Talk about the tubes is that when Games Workshop sets their mind on something they go all the way. Space Hulk is being described as a full bore rework with all the bells and whistles you could ever want.

Sources say to expect it in Q3 2009, and we have heard tales of modular plastic boards, an extensive set of large scale sprues with all the termys and genestealers you can shake a stick it, and all new fancy elements such as sliding doors and the like. There might even be a need for batteries (perhaps). Expect a full sized boxed game that will make all you cry with tears of joy.

My ears have heard September 2009 as the specific release date. We shall see.

There was talk of bringing back the timer, and also doing the plastic treatment of the corridor tiles.

The previous cost of the box was mostly in the punched coloured card sections, the plastics were really cheap and easy to produce.

IF they get rid of the cardstock stuff and do plastic instead, then they can sell sprue’s of the corridors individually so people can build them into cities of death terrain.

The only sticking point I see is that the new terminators are on a 40mm base, and the genestealers are on a 25mm base.
Which makes converting the rules of one square of movement for each action point a bit hard, as the genestealers are going to zoom across boards on a table.

Or maybe that will add to the stress levels of anyone playing as the terminators.

Looks like I did the right thing in keeping all my genestealers and terminators packed safely away.

At least this way I have 70-odd genestealers, plus hybrids, magus and patriarch all painted and ready to go.

The question is, will it be one squad of terminators with a heavy flamer, two squads of terminators with storm bolters (straight from the new 40k starter set) or something more?

I just have this feeling it may be a case of:
sprue 1 has 2 terminators, 4 genestealers and 2 corridor sections.
sprue 2 has 2 corridors and 2 rooms
sprue three has 2 corridors and 2 genestealers
sprue 4 has terminator sarge and doors
sprue 5 has 4 genestealers and bulkheads, end pieces and assorted markers for the game.

That way you could get 2x sprue 1, 2x sprue 2, 2x sprue 3, 1x sprue 4 and 1x sprue 5.

Of course there may be more corridor and room sprues, but that is just an example of the breakdown.

This is also assuming the corridors and rooms are flat. They may be done with half height walls, or walls only on one side or perhaps even full height walls, just to help with the feeling of the hulk…