Space Hulk

I don't think I ever actually played this myself, but I have a lot of fond memories of watching two of my roommates pound away at each other in the mind-flogging vastness of space. One of them would play the hardy Space Marines, armed and armored bruisers trying to escape the creaking corridors of the titular derelict. The other would play as the Genestealers, ravenous abominations that are chilling to behold even in their inch-high plastic forms. The game was turned based, with each unit able to use a certain number of turn points each round, in order to move, fire, or guard. Some of the more enjoyable aspects of the game were:

• The blips: Although the entrance points for the Genestealers are known to both players ahead of time, they are represented as motion tracker "blips" (as in ALIEN and ALIENS) until they actually come into view. Then the Genestealer player flips the blip over to reveal exactly how many of the hateful blue devils the Marines will have to face. Sometimes the blip was a zero, meaning a false reading on the tracker, but the blip could still be used to inspire fear and cautions in the Marines.
• Bolter jams: The Marines' equipment is actually quite ancient and doesn't always work. Those Marines equipped with the standard projectile weapon, the Storm Bolter, had to roll an extra die, the Jam Die, when firing. This die would sometimes (I think one in six times, but it seemed more often) show a "Bolter Jam" meaning that the hapless Marine would have to spend a precious action point clearing the weapon's breach ... giving the Genestealers ample time to close.
• Power Fist: The Marines' hold-out weapon was a melee device known as the power fist, basically a heavy, servo-assisted gauntlet with which to bash uppity xenomorphs. If it came into play, it meant that the Genestealers had closed and were about to apply their many sharp pointy bits to a Marine's armor. It also meant that things were about over for the Marine in question, as a Marine with a fist stood little chance against a 'stealer. So, on the rare occassions when the Marine won, it was quite heroic, and in our minds that Marine had earned a medal (usually awarded posthumously, as there was almost always another enemy waiting its turn to attack him). These encounters were made all the more enjoyable by my friend's reenactment of the Marine's successful strike. Actually all the improvised sound effects and pantomimes really enhanced the game.

Ah, good times.

--Paul_David_Unwin?

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