Awhile ago I picked up a minty sealed Epic Space Marine (SM2/TL) off ebay. While I had a bunch of stuff leftover from my hardcore playing days, I was actually missing some things and decided to start all over with a basic set that I could use to play casual games with friends and family where I wouldnt freak out over the handling of my prized minis. Keep in mind my main collection consists of my favorite minis and custom work that I dont trust others handling
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So I really didnt want to spend a lot of money on this, so I decided to try and limit myself to only building up what was included in the box and mostly the main rulebook, so basically Space Marines,, Orks, and Eldar. Also, I used the minis that cam in the set as the basis for each of the armies, and had enough Space Marines that I decided to do 2 Chapters, an Ultramarine one, and a Sons of Horus one, so that I could teach noobs the game with standard armies so they could appreciate a Land Raider for example, because both players had them. Aside from a few units, everything I decided on including had rules for in the rulebook. I had a spare Warlord so I could have a loyalist and traitor one, and then decided on including a Slasher Gargant and Eldar Phantom for titans, and the only two minis I included that werent in the main rulebook were the Eldar Deathstalker and Ork Gibletgrinda. Also, going with the updated point values for Eldar that were released in the Renegades set.
What I wanted to be sure of, was that I didnt have a lot of exotic or complicated units that would take away from learning the basic mechanics of the game, and most importantly, the use of the units themselves. So here is what I came up with:
Ultamarines
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Tactical Company
Land Raider Detachment
Land Raider Detachment
Biker Detachment
Whirlwind Detachment
Medic
Chaplin
Warlord Titan
Sons of Horus
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Tachical Company
Land Raider Detachment
Land Raider Detachment
Biker Detachment
Whirlwind Detachment
Medic
Chaplin
Warlord Titan
Orks
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Warlord Detachment
Bad Moon Clan
+ Weirdboy Tower
+ Weirdboy Tower
Evil Sunz Clan
+ War Buggies
Gibletgrinda
Stormboy Detachment
Slasha Gargant
Eldar
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Warhost
Warlock
Fire Dragon Detachment
Striking Scorpion Detachment
Vibro Cannon Detachment
Tempest Detachment
Deathstalker
Phantom Titan
AND THATS IT! I promised myself not to add anymore to this. Anyway, all but some of the Eldar vehicles, titans, and Gibletgrinda are painted. I've got a nice 4+ foot by 4+ foot gaming board with lots of terrain.
So that being said, I introduced the game to one of my nephews and he took a liking to it immediately, playing Ultramarines vs Sons of Horus. A friend of mine came over and saw the game in progress, and he wanted to give it a try so we are in the middle of that game now (we didnt have time to finish it so I just left the board up.
Both games were just using the basics, no titans yet, which I'll introduce next, and when they learn that, we'll eventually move on to the other races.
So after all this has been said, here are some comments and observations after not playing this version in ages:
1) Epic Space Marine (SM2) is without question, the best version of the game to introduce new players to. The game mechanics, and simplicity of the unit stats, help new players learn the game quicker, and dont have to suffer from losing because they didnt understand something.
* But as a long-term fan of Epic, I appreciate the detail and deepness of AT/SM1 more, but its too slow of a game to play, especially with noobs.
I really believe if GW just re-released this set, maybe with updated minis, but the rest as is, it would fly off the shelves.
2) The victory point system is odd, but at the same time, it also works. In the first game, I won on points, but my nephew liked the game so much, he accepted defeat but still wanted to keep playing, so we let the massacre continue until he was the last one standing with only a couple of minis left.
Keep in mind this is a basic set, and scenarios can be drafted, but for new players, understanding that objectives were worth a certain number of points dictated their strategy during the game. They are very tangible.
3) Being able to just about shoot who you want, from who you want, makes for a far better game than limiting a player to forcing them to have one detachment focusing all their shots on the same detachment. Watching these guys position units to take on a variety of threats was cool, because I was doing the same, and I would have hated to try and explain to them that a Land Raider couldnt shoot at some unit because it didnt belong to a unit the others were shooting at, even though he couldnt see it. That rule has plagued GW games for me for some time as far as I am concerned. Freedom allows for a better game, not the restriction of it.
4) I would have lost both players on Epic 40k, and Epic A. Both are not gamers, which I think you have to be for the later versions of Epic. Yes, the later versions do add some great things like the effects of blast markers and so on, but to me, thats more for the advanced gamer or history buff.
5) Everyone loves the titans!
I'll post some pics soon.
