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Author Topic: Space Hulk Tactics  (Read 1557 times)

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Offline Myen'Tal

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Space Hulk Tactics
« on: September 27, 2018, 02:18:53 PM »
Sooo, don't know if any of you guys have been following this game, but the Pre-Order Beta began two days ago (I don't think there are any restrictions on it, everyone can broadcast it and there are no messages or water-marks prohibiting anything). I have to say that this game is pretty amazing compared to the other recent space hulk titles. It's a squad-based tactics game that features two playable factions: The Terminators and Genestealers. Each faction has their own playable campaign and are also available for skirmish and multiplayer games. The voice acting is decent at the best of times and god-awful at the worst haha :P, but overall, it hasn't really put me off from wanting to play more.

For the Space Marines, there are four founding chapters to choose from, each with their own special rule and their own in-depth customization options to choose from. You create a squad of five Terminators from either the Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Ultramarines, or Space Wolves. Apothecary, Assault, Heavy Weapons Bearer, Regular Terminator, and Sergeant are the classes that you can choose from. Each squad member comes with a choice of four tactic cards that make a deck that you can use on missions.

The Genestealers play a quite a bit differently than the terminators. They can choose from four Hive Fleets, but you don't really choose a squad for them. Instead Genestealers populate on the map by converting their cards for spawns, while Terminators can convert their cards for more Action Points. They spawn on the map as blips first, then can revealed at any point to come onto the board and start assaulting the enemy. There are several biomorphs: Genestealers, the Bulwark (tank), Reaperfex (assassin, think lictor), Miasmic (Poison Bomb), and Broodlord. Each has their own special abilities, strengths, and weaknesses.

As for maps, there are three different 'ship' layouts that are currently playable. Eldar maps have a lot of portals that can teleport you to different zones on the map. Ork maps have a lot of traps and explosives that either team can use to their advantage. Imperial maps, are well, what we usually come to expect from space hulk.

The Game is gorgeous and immersive, especially if you use the first person mode after you've planned out your strategy on the isometric view. I think the game could use some balancing, as the Genestealers seem like they dominate a little too much. In my first game, my Sergeant advanced at the fore of the squad, approached a genestealer and missed with his first attack, and then promptly died as the genestealer countered his second  :P. If a Terminator is ever struck from behind, he is automatically slain. If he is attacked from the flank, there is a chance that he can defend himself. Most of the time, you always want to be facing the genestealer.

Terminators can still potentially do a lot of damage, such as slaying a broodlord outright with a single overwatch shot >:(. Or filling entire rooms full of genestealers with promethium from the Heavy Flamer or plasma cannon fire. If one plays the correct card, a terminator can cut through several attacking genestealers through either overwatch or melee defense. But more often than not, the terminator will get a bad roll somewhere in the middle of all of that and just get slaughtered.

Let's play Space Hulk: Tactics FIRST LOOK! - YouTube
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Offline Grand Master Lomandalis

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Re: Space Hulk Tactics
« Reply #1 on: September 27, 2018, 04:01:09 PM »
. I think the game could use some balancing, as the Genestealers seem like they dominate a little too much.

Terminators can still potentially do a lot of damage, such as slaying a broodlord outright with a single overwatch shot >:(. Or filling entire rooms full of genestealers with promethium from the Heavy Flamer or plasma cannon fire.

So... that sounds like Space Hulk lol.  Don't let the FPS fool you, if Space Hulk is played by two evenly skilled players, it is difficult for the Space Marine player to win.

This does sound cool, though, so I'll check it out.
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Offline Myen'Tal

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Re: Space Hulk Tactics
« Reply #2 on: September 27, 2018, 04:12:00 PM »
So... that sounds like Space Hulk lol.  Don't let the FPS fool you, if Space Hulk is played by two evenly skilled players, it is difficult for the Space Marine player to win.

This does sound cool, though, so I'll check it out.

Yeah, I've never played Space Hulk before, so I don't know what sounds like usual space hulk stuff and what is actually an adaptation on the concept from the devs. I'm still learning about how to survive as Terminators lol, that being said I'm liking the Survival playstyle of the Terminators the most. Plus they have lots of cool gadgets and what-not ;D!

I realized I didn't tag this onto the end of my summary, but I would recommend people trying the game. It releases October 9th, currently there are previews for both campaigns (about one level and a tutorial), and the skirmish / multiplayer stuff.

Hope you like it :D!
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Offline magenb

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Re: Space Hulk Tactics
« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2018, 06:09:43 PM »
Does it have RPG elements like Space Hulk Ascension? or do you only really get upgrades from random cards?

Offline Myen'Tal

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Re: Space Hulk Tactics
« Reply #4 on: September 27, 2018, 06:23:07 PM »
Does it have RPG elements like Space Hulk Ascension? or do you only really get upgrades from random cards?

The beta only has one mission available Mage, but from what I understand, there are events that happen over the course of the campaign that are RPG like. The terminators do not begin the game with a lot of their equipment. They have to scavenge items they find through missions / completing missions to earn certain rewards, like a Heavy Weapon, etc. The whole campaign is for the Terminators to progress through this map of connected way points that represent the Space Hulk. Story and random events can happen, such as encountering a swarm, which is represented on the battle map as a much more numerous foe.

You're trying to outpace the genestealers and avoid them where possible to get to your objective. At the same time, the Genestealers look like they might also be moving around on the map. I think you can also do stuff like shutting off way points by closing doors and delaying whoever you're fighting against.

I'm not sure how in-depth it goes with the RPG stuff, but I know some of what you're asking about is there in some form! :)
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Offline magenb

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Re: Space Hulk Tactics
« Reply #5 on: September 28, 2018, 01:03:57 AM »
hopefully its not like space wolf, that was just meh.

Space Hulk Ascension was good for a small company production, feels more like rogue trader meets space hulk. SH:Deathwing is fun if you have 3 other friends to jump online with and have voice coms like teamspeak.

Offline Myen'Tal

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Re: Space Hulk Tactics
« Reply #6 on: October 10, 2018, 06:28:18 PM »
SH: Tactics fully released yesterday and I played about 2 missions. The first mission had my team of Blood Angels defending the control room for a handful of Scorpio Turrets defending nearby corridors. The first attempt at this mission went brilliantly, with the genestealers successfully held off for 13 turns whilst only losing one terminator. That is, until the very  last turn. My Sergeant held the door into the control room and in the hallway that ran horizontally across it, my heavy weapons guy overwatched the corridor that ran east, while my chainfist held the corridor that ran west, back-to-back.

In the last turn my Sergeant strangled 3 genestealers that rushed through the gap in our formation. Of course, overwatch did not do much (it never seems to with storm bolters :P), thanks to the cards I played on him that buffed his melee. He was on guard when the last genestealer pounced, but missed his counter-attack and was promptly gutted.

The Genestealers ignored my other terminators spread further down each side of the corridor, and attacked my last remaining brother that defended the turret console. That terminator was promptly killed and the Genestealers achieved their main objective of slaying three terminators, giving them the victory.

I pressed on to the second mission, where I needed to plant the first detonator charge deep within the bowels of the space hulk. I thought this mission would also be a decisive defeat for me, as the Apothecary was slain toward the beginning of the mission. But those who survived proved themselves true heroes of the imperium. The Heavy Weapons bearer pretty much remained on overwatch to guard the south corridors against the tyranid infestation. He probably counted for about eight to ten genestealers on his own.

We had 14 turns to plant the bomb and man it was grind to push forward. Thanks to the use of converting cards for more action points and playing others on my key terminator units, the Sergeant and the other terminators were able to (and most of the time barely!) clear the corridors ahead of any enemy presence. But for as many stealers that we slew, that many would return in the next turn and the process would repeat again.

There were also some malfunctioning Scorpio Turrets on this map that you can take control of by interacting with their specific console. Doing this made one or two of them supremely invaluable, but others really didn't do much of anything even after seizing control of their console.

My Sergeant fell about half way in the battle, but miraculously, the remaining team of terminators managed to back their way / advance toward the objective, and keep the corridors clear just long enough for my Chainfist to plant the bomb and win us the victory ;D!
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