A C Virus Variety Pack of STUFF

  Yes it has been a while but I have been busy and lazy.  However at this point in March 2020 a certain illness is going around forcing most of us to stay home, generally without pay in order to slow the spread of this virus illness thing so that more people can survive it.

  Thus I find some time to share a number of things from the last 6-12 months I have meant to post about but haven't.  So let's get on with it!

(As always click for larger images.)

We start with a well over a year old game of Tyranid Attack.  Have I mentioned this game in more than passing?  I dunno.  Too bad though I am doing it again if I have.

 Its another one of those dungeon crawling sorts of boardgames, in this case an early 90s Games Workshop one.  Some of the parts are shared with Advanced Space Crusade but it doesn't do much other than share the basic concept of invading a Tyranid Hive Ship to BREAK STUFF.

 The geomorphic map tiles are assembled randomly based on stuff and its more or less a Marines vs Tyranids game.  One that I only had the loose parts for but none of the models.  Over the years I have more or less gotten a full replacement set of figures and generally nicer ones than those early plastics.

 The random card draw bits can make for a more dice heavy game but it does mean a less experienced player can pull an upset or not just get permanently curbstomped.  However the randomness can also just make things WORSE too. 

My opponent playing the Marines managed to pull a win out although it was REALLY close and tense.  Its a fun game!  And with the odd old White Dwarf issue and the extra rules in the back of the book it has a little bit of expandability in it.

 However I do not think Marmalade the Psycho Kitty is part of the game even if she thinks she is.  

 Last Summer I also had a major terrain find on Target clearance.

 This lovely modular sci fi scenery.

 It was built to work with these little Hex Bug vibrating things but for me its TERRAIN TERRAIN TERRAIN.  Modular plastic terrain.  

 How much did I buy?  Lots.  

 I have a huge storage tub now filled with this stuff plus a few extra expansion bits Five Below had the previous Christmas season.  I couldn't pass that sort of deal up!

 And I even got in a few sessions of Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress over the Summer as well.  Not my copy that is still not completely assembled, but another fellow's.  One who did a fantastic job on painting up all his models.  Like A+.

 Its a decent enough fun game.  I would say Core Space does the Sci Fi RPG Boardgame thing better and with more flexibility.  While the game says Warhammer Quest it is NOTHING like the old 90s title sadly.  Not as flexible either.  Because they want to sell you expansions.  Very expensive ones.  But hot damn if the models aren't excellent.  

 And a Core Space expansion to finish up this Social Distancing thing.  Or not.  Will it ever end?  Will I look back at this time and laugh?  Will anyone?  

 Mmm... more yummy terrain.  Cardboard yes but more terrain.

 And new robo critters to fight!

 Not a ton but more critters is more critters!

 All the terrain popped out, ready to be used.  I particularly like the med table with flippable bloody top and the cool creepy green tank.  Very Prince of Darkness for anyone who remembers that old Carpenter film.

 A reminder of what a Core Space game looks in action.

 And speaking of minis stuff gotten cheap that I haven't done anything with, Starship Troopers!

 I have quite a bit of it, all shamefully unassembled.  Although Something Awful goons in Wisconsin totally want to play it.

 With the flexibility and expansion DIY options in Core Space all these bugs might have use!

 Its visually based on the 90s movie and the CGI Roughnecks TV show.  So sadly no kickin rad armor designs from the 80s anime.  Which apparently sucks in every other way but those godly MI suits.

 It even comes with lots of light cardboard terrain and templates plus whatever the ships do.  I got this in like 06-07 and I still haven't read the bloody rulebook.

    But one never knows what one can do with extra goodies bought when money was spent less wisely and time was in generally higher supply.  (And more options to actually play games with people willing to play them...)   

  Part of the fun in minis gaming is seeing what you can come up with.  At least for me.  For others it is more a tournament thing which is totally not my bag.  But that's cool.  We all gotta follow our own path!

A quick bit of info on some of the Warhammer 40K boardgames.

My little current project to read and discuss 40K 2nd edition is also leading me to make a Something Awful Oldhammer 40K thread and of course the board games are going to come up.  So why not share some pictures and a little bit of info on three of them?

  The games I own are Space Crusade, Advanced Space Crusade, and Tyranid Attack.

  Space Crusade was my board game "holy grail" for many years until Ebay and a bit of money finally netted me a mostly complete and in decent condition copy of it.  I first learned of the game in Dragon Magazine when it and its' sister game (Hero Quest) were reviewed.  I am not sure I really even knew anything about 40K at that point but all the bits and gubbins in the box plus what the game was about sounded SO AWESOME OH SO AWESOME.  Sadly it never got released in the US nor did the two expansions bringing Eldar and Space Marine Heavy Weapons Platforms into it.  Which is honestly a tragedy because this game is great.  Not too complicated but with a lot of atmosphere and tension as your squad of Space Marines have to complete a mission and the Sergeant can level up and advance while doing so.  Unlike Hero Quest you control one of three squads of Space Marines.  The Ultramarines, Blood Angels, or Imperial Fists get to get stuck in and you can outfit your unit with various weapons that can be easily plugged into the models to fit your play style.  

  And of course another player takes control of the aliens on board the derelict space ship.  (A Space Hulk for you story nerds.)  And unlike that more famous board game, this one gives you Orks, Chaos Marines, Genestealers, and Necron units to fight against including a Dreadnought.  With more units to help and hinder in a couple issues of White Dwarf of course!  (And thanks to the Internet these rules are relatively easy to find now.  The expansions not so much.  Kind of like my efforts to get to play this game more than once every other year or so.)

(Click for bigger and apologies for the flash glare.  Detail over a bright spot.)

 One of the two English language box covers.  It had a couple of different names depending on where it was released with of course Germany being a killjoy and taking out the killing somehow kind of like an anime edited for US TV in the 70-90s.  (HFIL anyone?)

 LOOK AT THIS PILE OF RADNESS.  A massive board with doors and the like to make the ship variable in layout!  3d elements like bulkheads and said doors!  Hidden blip counters to keep you guessing!  Control tablets to record damage and battle honors!

One day I really do plan on giving this game a full review.  It is just so good!

And much like Hero Quest it got an Advanced cousin from GW themselves that used D12s and was a LOT more complicated of a game.  I passed this one up back in the day because it didn't have the toy value of what Space Crusade was.  The same with 1st edition Space Hulk.  Because I am stupid.

 Rogue Trader Tyranids and those silly poofy sleeve mohawked Marine Scouts!  

 More of that Oldhammer 40K art and the box back.  It has a simpler and funner game called Tyranid Attack which actually had a better variety of models in the box but both games have the same basic concept:  Squads of Space Marines (usually Scouts but both have rules for other forces.  GW gotta make that paper!  Except in a way where you want to give them money to make your game more fun and varied as opposed to obvious money grabs.  Also this is the kind of thing that got people playing the proper 40K game.  I mean you already have some models, why not go all the way?) enter a Tyranid ship in space and try to blow up critical elements of the ship that will break it so it is effectively crippled.  Both ASC and TA share map boards and some component pieces.  I have both games in the box as my TA was just the non minis components I got off someone in the mid 90s which means I could make mega hive layouts if I wanted to.

 On the left of each group of three scouts is the ones that came with these two games.  The middle metal guys are the late 90s metal scout models with the fellows on the right being the current plastics.  I think the metals are the coolest ones personally.  Sure they don't have the weapons loadout flexibility of the modern guys but they just look nicer to me.  I even modded two of them to carry the Heavy Bolters from their poofy sleeved ancestors so my set will be better looking.  (I am more than happy with the classic Tyranid Warriors though.  I love those models.)

 Using the same jigsaw styled lock on board connectors as Space Hulk (as far as I can tell my second and third edition copies of the game work with them.  Again, I don't have first ed SH.  Yet.) the board sections are generally geomorphic and can attach in a number of different ways to make different layouts.  The board art on the six layouts (with a 7th you could get from White Dwarf and glue to cardboard) are honestly a bit garish but it makes for some nice ooky corridors and rooms.  Sadly the designs can only be attached on correct side to side formations but a little finagling could maybe even split them into double corridors.  You just need to make a 1" or so connecting piece to fill in a gap.  There is quite a bit of flexibility though!  

 Even some info and paint advice on the sides of the box bottom.  

And a glamour shot of some of the other models available at the time, some of which I have never seen before like the Ancestor Lord and the Arbite with Power Maul!  I am loving that Chaos Squat in Power Armor too!

  I even have some of their electronic ports because my first experience with Space Crusade was a demo disk on a 1992 Amiga games magazine from the UK at a store that imported such things.  It is why I chose that issue!  Yet again it never got a US release but I did eventually get the PC DOS version imported on CDROM with Hero Quest's translation.  Have both of the PC Space Hulk ports of the old days though!

Not a bad game in the bunch here!  A couple that weren't perfect mind you but not a single bad title!

If you would like to see the Amiga port and maybe learn more about Space Crusade in a manner you can more easily play it well just go here and you can even see the other ports of the game:

http://www.lemonamiga.com/games/details.php?id=980

(It doesn't seem as if the PC port got the expansion pack either.  Poopie!)

Here is an emulator screenshot of the Atari ST port.  The 68000 machine with normally 16 colors to the Amiga's 32 to the Genesis' 64 to the PC VGA's 256.  But ST emulation is generally easier than Amiga.  Also I wouldn't want to blind you all with the rather bright colors much of the DOS version I own uses.

Isometric view is mostly just for the limited animations in combat resolution.  Normally it plays top down.

  Now these are just some of the 40K boardgames made in the classic era.  I haven't shown 2nd edition Space Hulk here and sadly I don't own the hex and chit wargames they made, Space Fleet, Ultra Marines, or Lost Patrol even though I would love to own them.  I have the remake of Horus Heresy but I really don't count that as a classic era game even if it is a remake.  Much like 3rd edition Space Hulk even if it is an amazing game.

35 bucks for a 100 dollar game?  YES.

The back of the box.  Sexy!

  If you would like to see the same mission played in both of the editions of Space Hulk I own however, I have you covered:

http://wargamedork.blogspot.com/2009/08/space-hulk-mission-1-1-comic-report.html

http://wargamedork.blogspot.com/2010/06/space-hulk-v3-comic-report.html

Operation Game Collection Special: White Dwarf Through the Ages 1:Issue 159

It is less than a year before I get into Warhammer 40K properly.  (Ish.  My earliest games were.. kind of stupid with really badly built armies that I hang my head in shame about.  Even if nobody else cared because I still really didn't cheese while everyone else was running around with nothing but Land Raiders, Terminator Squads, and every hero character possible and more proxied weapons than any sane person could keep track of.)  The Fourth Edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battle was less than a year old.  That is where this issue of White Dwarf , Games Workshop's long running gaming magazine who had by this point effectively become a house organ since the issues numbered around the 90s.  (40K Rogue Trader was famously covered around issues 93 and 94.)

In between my fanzine coverage and other projects I will sometimes review an issue of White Dwarf from random eras based on my ownership of them, and which ones I buy to support existing games I own.

(As always I am an overly goody goody wiener.  While I have very little issue with looking for and printing up articles from online and scans I ALWAYS prefer and try to own the legit thing.  To me its the right thing to do.  STUPID, but the right thing.)

This issue I purchased recently for the article on Eldar in Tyranid Attack, a game I own the components for, but not the box or miniatures.  About a year ago for a fair price I got a mostly complete boxed copy of its mostly same componented sister game Advanced Space Crusade so they can be stored together and I am slowly collecting what pieces I want to replace from the sets for whatever reason.  (Like the Space Marine Scouts which are the ugliest and goofiest things ever.  The early 3rd edition era metal scouts, or the plastic ones out nowadays are MUCH nicer in every way.)

While sadly this glorious bit of quality and value is no longer in production and if it was GW would charge an easy 100 dollars plus for it, I can now and then get deals and replace or complete both TA and ASC, and possibly find people interested in playing it where they might not want to play 40K of any edition.  (Mainly because its expensive and most editions suck in some way.)

(As usual Click for Bigger Images)

I think about getting this set for around 40 dollars and I am immediately sent to my happy place.  This place also includes tons of 80s robot toys and old computer games.  

The Five out of Six Tyranid Warriors that came with my copy of Advanced Space Crusade, with my old Tyranid army one in the back left so I can get their paint scheme as close as possible.  As of when I am doing most of this post, a first coat of orange touch up paint has been applied where I made mistakes with the blue paint pen or even the "properly" painted yellow bits.  I need another "Bucktooth" Warrior to complete the set for both games and then the fellow in the back there can go back with his proper 40K army in not being used as the 5th and 6th edition codexes really really suck unless I want to spend a lot of money.  Guess what I don't wish to do?

As always, click the images for larger.  Unlike the previous Inquisitor review, I have gone back to my digital camera with a flash.  Sadly White Dwarf uses shiny paper so sometimes I have to either turn the flash off, or deal with it.  Anyhow, it is supposed to be a review not a form of piracy.  Given how GW is infamous for their litigiousness even fair use is something they hate.  So images with a flash or mostly just whatever lighting is nearby makes it not scans, but photographs for REVIEW AND DISCUSSION.  

So there!  IT IS MARCH 1993.  IT IS TIME FOR KLAX.

The back cover on the left showing the studio Blood Angels up against pretty much all of the available Tyranid models of the time.  Ok.. no Patriarch or Hybrids or Zoats but..  A lot.  The right is the cover, which I think was the 4th edition Dwarf army book cover.

Another of the lovely bright color painted minis in a game play type scene.  Interesting to note at this point 75000 copies of WD were printed.  So if we presume around 10% of the active player base was buying the magazine we have 750k players or so in 93.  I would say that is pretty good.  Funny to see things listed as ads that isn't just the whole magazine as it mostly has been since 2005 or so.

And the news.  GW takes advantage of a bit of US legislation banning lead figurines to go to pewter/white metal type formulas as the entire games industry does.  And everyone shoots prices up on our little metal mans.  On the upside lead is very bad for you and the few lead minis I get I handle with rubber gloves on until they are primed.  GW mentions some independent retailers in the days they planned on hosing the US game shop markets the way they did the Uk.  A little game called Magic basically saved many stores and killed many companies and thus prevented this.  An add for the first half of the 4th ed WHFB Magic expansion is shown.  Buy a 50 dollar game.  Drop another 35-40 for the practically required expansion box.  This was the GW sales design back then.  40k would do the same with Dark Millenium.  Blood Bowl had one.  Gorkamorka and Necromunda had em.  

Man o War.  A well regarded game I never got to play.  GW made a game inspired by it recently that was loathed.  And Spartan Games had Uncharted Seas that is great but they dropped it because reasons.

Next up on the docket is Jervis Johnson's article allowing Eldar to be used in Tyranid Attack.  He has some basic Eldar fluff for people who might not know of the Space Elves, then a force list allowing for Avatars, Guardians of all types, Fire Dragons, Dire Avengers, Howling Banshees, Striking Scorpions, Swooping Hawks, Dark Reapers, Aspect Exarchs, Warlocks, and Farseers to go have some quick n fun fighting in a Tyranid Hive Ship.  

There is a set of item and power cards to cut out and glue together with a bit of user supplied cardboard in between.  And the editors helpfully put a lovely ad for the game in between so it wouldn't cause an article to get ripped up while doing so!

See?  And what VALUE.  6 Tyranid Warriors.  8 Genestealers.  1 Terminator Librarian, 4 Terminators.  10 Scouts including Sergeants and Heavy Weapons.  I got just the game bits from this set for like 5 bucks back in 1995 or so.  I am slowly getting replacement figures so I don't have to raid my army boxes when I hope to play this game.  Getting it's sister game (Advanced Space Crusade) helped with this.

Hopefully I can one day do a full review of Tyrand Attack and test out the two rules expansions from White Dwarf.  (The other one has Dreadnought rules.)

A proper ad page for a Space Wolf Blood Claws squad box is next. 

Then Andy Chambers gives us rules to use Marine and Eldar Scouts in Rogue Trader!

It seems pretty solid.  The Eldar Longrifle isn't as amazing as it is nowadays but it isn't BAD.  S3 when Marines were still T3 (unless you had all the rulesbooks or appropriate WD articles), -1 Armor Save (when Power Armor was usually 4+), and no Save if you roll a 6 to hit.  They would make nice Terminator hunters I think.  10 of em for 170 points means you can wipe out a Termie a turn.  Or 4 squads and basically for the same cost as 5 Terminators you can eliminate them as a genuine threat in a couple of turns.  Even if they have a Cyclone Launcher.  450 points for a Termie Squad without any upgrades.  Versus TWENTY FIVE ELDAR SCOUTS FOR 425!

(Playing MATH HAMMER for a moment: At normal range, 12 Scouts are going to hit a turn.  6 will wound.  At least 1 will roll a 6 to hit ignoring armor.  In general a Terminator will die to this volley every single round.)

OH GOD I WANT TO PLAY ROGUE TRADER 40K NOW.

We have an ad for a 30 pack of plastic WHFB miniatures called Fantasy Fighters.  Five each of six different factions.  It seems a bit strange to do this, but for RPGs or the like it could be ideal.  Or for people building multiple armies or forces with allies.   

Then it is time for the Eavy Metal section where we see lots of lovely new minis all painted up in what would now probably only be 7 out of 10 CMON (Cool Mini or Not) scale.

That Space Wolf Iron Priest is a sweet mini!  I love the GAME IN ACTION Eavy Metal pictures too.  One of the pages has a nice step by step guide for Orc and Goblin painting.  Seven fine pages of "Miniatures Porn".

Rick Priestley himself gives us rules and fluff for Gorfang Rotgut, an Orc Big Boss in WHFB 4th.  He really doesn't like Dwarves.  

Then we have a nice two page spread covering half of the known North American stores selling GW's goods.  Anyone know how many of these places are still open and if they still sell GW?  The first store on the second column (Crazy Egor) is what kind of got me into 40K at all.  Called in an order for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay book.  I was sent 40K Rogue Trader instead.  Best retailer mistake EVER.  Even if I didn't actually get into the game itself till 94 thereabouts.

Andy Chambers is back with Space Marine 2nd ed (Aka: Epic or Titan Legions) rules for Tzeentch flying and floating units.  I can make use of this as I have some Silver Towers.  No Fire Lord or Doom Wing though.  And I sort of need them to deal with indirect weapon armies.  Which is most of them, especially in the terrible Epic 40K ruleset.  (Maybe not having a couple Wings and Lords is why I hated Epic 40K so much?)

I believe the Doom Wings are now known as Heldrakes .  Though the Hell Talon/Blades from Ripoff... I mean FORGE WORLD yes , might be Doom Wings as well.  Depends on which one spits fire down at stuff more I guess.  The Heldrake also looks more like a silly mechanical birdie like the Fire Lord and Doom Wing models.

We then get an ad for Space Marine as you might expect to pimp out the stuff for the game they just provided a supplement article to, more cutout templates for said Tzeentch fliers (with an ad for a High Elf on a Griffon from Marauder Miniatures which was like an allied minis company with a couple of ex Citadel sculptors running it as to be something irrelevant to keeping in issue), and then we have another game content article!

A complete two level adventure for Advanced Heroquest!  Carl Sargent gives us a whopping TWELVE pages covering a nifty adventure involving the Undead including rules for new monsters and spells.  (Presumably.  I do not own Advanced Heroquest or its expansion though after reading this article I REALLY want to even though I have Heroquest original AND Warhammer Quest!)  

It looks like a fun and challenging adventure that could probably be tweaked and mined for use in most modern RPGs or RPG lite boardgames.  (Like D&D 4th.  Descent.  Warhammer Quest.  Maybe even Heroquest if you are willing to make your own maptiles.)

Within the article and before the next one we get ads for two Warhammer Armies army books (Empire and High Elves), and a US subscription offer.  35 bucks for 12 issues a year and get an embroidered ball cap with either WHFB or Games Workshop on it.  Or 63 for TWO and get a plastic minis case with foam holders for around 50 figures.  Either a 15 dollar value for the cap, or 20 for the case.

That is how you get subscriptions folks!  GIVE US FREE GOODIES.  The one year I subscribed to GW was when they were giving away Gorkamorka boxed games.  Because two sets made for a great foundation for a 40K Ork army.  That I eventually sold to a chubby pothead drunk from Australia.  Who then gave it to someone else.  

The ciiirrrccllleeee oooof  WAAAAGH!!!

Speaking of DA LADZ, Jervis Johnson is back with fluff writer boss Bill King for a WHFB battle report!  SEVENTEEN PAGES of fluff story, army strategies, and battle reporting on a turn by turn basis.  If you couldn't get in a game often (or at all for whatever reason.  AND THIS INCLUDES NOT WASHIN YO ASS!) battle reports were almost like a life line at experiencing a game.

Jervis is running the Orcs and this here is his force, based on what miniatures they had available at the time.  This is what GW people thought a 2000 point WHFB 4th edition army should look like.  Actual PLAYER armies usually had about half as many figures as everyone just loaded up on beefed up heroes and wizards.  And artillery pieces.  Jervis' force is a bit restrained in comparison.

The report goes on with pictures of the game in play (probably reconstructions done by a professional photographer), and the fancy art battle reference pictures that were probably computer generated.  (Anyone know for sure?)  Bill King's hair is.. special.  Also the Orcs won.  So Jervis was victorious.  

The final thirteen pages of our 84 pages including covers issue is the catalog section.  Excellent high quality images of all the models that were either new or something GW wanted to spotlight sell thanks to the issue's articles.  For converters and the like (GW actually sold components and back catalog minis in those days.  It would have been a pain for non UK folks but you could do it!) every single part of the models were listed with a code so you could get exactly the bits you needed.

An example of the catalog action.  Somewhere someone has taken that Empire model and painted it up like Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy from MLP.  I don't know if I find this pathetic or hilarious.  Depends on what miserable neckbeards think or react to it upon seeing it I suppose.  (Even Brony crap beats those ridiculous Marine Scouts.  Man do I hate those Shakespearean fluffy bicep thingies!)

So we have a twenty one year old issue of White Dwarf.  I read the entire thing for this review and to make the 10 bucks or so it cost to ship to me (because lots of Ebay sellers like to rip you off.  This was one of the CHEAPER options!) fully worthwhile.

What did I think?

I LIKED IT.  It provided me with plenty of useful material for games I own and now has me jonesing to own Advanced Heroquest!  While I am no fan of battle reports I am apparently in the minority there.

So my review score?  GOOD.  

I can recommend this issue to fans of the early 90s Games Workshop era!

I will do this again sometime soon.  I am still reading the final issue of Inquisitor and starting the first issue of Citadel Journal I have, but this was a nice break from the fanzines!