Space Hulk: Space Marines or Genestealers?

[nedius]

I never really thought that it was the marines who had the hard time of it. For me, it was always the stealers who have the challenge.

Stealers are a one trick pony. Looking at 3rd Ed, terminators have a variety of tactics available - they can shoot, overwatch, guard, use different ranged weapons, different CC weapons, psychic powers etc. With good positioning, you can create fire lanes, choke points, cross fires, defensive perimiters... Genestealers, on the otherhand, are just good at CC. They really are at a strong disadvantage, even with the numbers. After playing the missions several times, the marines have it pretty easy, as they know where to go, and when.

Made the stealer's job a lot more tactical, as they can't rely on fancy gadgets to win through!

[Lord Zso Sahaal]

Not worried either way, never played it before and it looks great from both sides
Cant wait for it!

Sahaal

[Bregalad]

The game wants you to swap sides, but as a Tyranid player I prefer the Genestealers OM NOM NOM NOM

[blagmasterg]

I played my first game with the new rules yesterday in my local GW and I played as Genestealers - absolutely fantastic fun. So I have voted no preference. The beauty of SH for me is that the natural impulse is to play as the badass dudes in big armour with big guns, but the rules make playing as either side enormously and equally fun.

[Wimvh]

Stealers are a one trick pony. Looking at 3rd Ed, terminators have a variety of tactics available - they can shoot, overwatch, guard, use different ranged weapons, different CC weapons, psychic powers etc. With good positioning, you can create fire lanes, choke points, cross fires, defensive perimiters... Genestealers, on the otherhand, are just good at CC. They really are at a strong disadvantage, even with the numbers. After playing the missions several times, the marines have it pretty easy, as they know where to go, and when.

Made the stealer's job a lot more tactical, as they can't rely on fancy gadgets to win through!

Agreed. Just rushing the stealers gets them splattered across the wall really quickly.

Then again, I just love maneuvering my Terminators across the corridors, setting them up for maximum fire lanes, shooting bulkheads to rob the Stealers' cover, firing the Assault Cannon across a corridor ... Hmmmm! Marines all the way!

[commandergabriel]

Remember; stealers don't have to commit every square to move... They can move 3 squares to simply get them 3 squares closer; especially if a terminator is on guard/overwatch. (i.e. It becomes a strategy for the stealers to push their luck only so far with the 1st stealer; stop the 1st stealer as he gets close to the marine; then fill in the rest of the stealers behind the 1st.)

The stealers go splat when they treat each model separately and not think about overwhelming. Use one stealer to get the rest into position and the marines are toast! Its this tension that makes the game great! I hope that makes sense.

As for the poll; I voted Marines. I loved playing both sides in 1st and 2nd eds. but there is something about the new stealer scuplts that makes it hard for me to get over. The models themselves are awesome, but the fact that there is a stealer climbing out of the floor (no matter where he goes on the game board) that is just a little weird for me. Same goes for the stealers climbing over the walls. It feels as though I'll be playing a game with diorahmas rather than with stealers...

I'm on the fence here people, someone push me over onto the side of loving them just as I do the marine sculpts!

[Ancelyn1331]

The Stealer pops up from the floor, looking very "Aliens". Replace that stealer with a more generic model when it comes to movement. Simples.

[ted1138]

'stealers, as there's nothing like pilling on the preasure and watching the marines player crack.

[Melchor]

No preference... Both are great fun to play. Genestealers are fun because you get to be an evil b*stard. Terminators are fun because of the challenge. Of course, you have to swap sides after each game to get the most out of it.