My first Epic 2nd edition game in 26 years

[Mars Miniatures]

From blog post here: https://mars-miniatures.blogspot.com/2024/09/my-first-epic-2nd-edition-game-in-26.html

My first Epic 2nd edition game in 26 years

I was going to play current Adepticus Titanicus with the game club. On the morning of the game, I awoke excited! I was going to play a game with some buddies - old and new. Turned out instead of just playing... I was asked to GM it! OK, I cant run Titancius, could I run Legions Imperialis? I highly doubt it. Modern rules sets set my brain on fire. I read and read but cannot comprehend. Any rules with keywords, or more than a dozen special rules and my eyes will gloss over like a dead Kuo-Toa. So I pulled out my stash of 2E! I didnt even get to read it before I was picked up to start setting up a game. And Epic 2E did not disappoint. I think everyone enjoyed it. I did. A few mistakes were made, but now Im pretty confident I can run it with ease in the future.

Played with Arch Zenopus, Rich McKee, John Sears, and Jared Smith. Hope I got your names and nom de guerres correct. But some fine folks called Zach, Jared, Rich, and John played this oldschool GW game with me. I got a last minute call that I would GM a game in less than 4 hours. Even though I havent played this game in 20 years. Id say it went pretty smooth. Which is a testament to its simplicity. So while both sides had lots of tanks and infantry of all sorts, my painted figures were lopsided in terms of quantity and type. So only the loyalists (John and RIch) had fast attack bikes and speeders. And only the traitors (Zach and Jared and I) had a Baneblade (OGRE tank) and a Thunderhawk (aerial transport and gunship). We didnt play with points and just played with all the toys on the table. Obviously the loyalists were outnumbered. And I chose to GM the game and run 1 titan on the traitor side which I was determined to roleplay and act as the double crossing traitors' traitor. Horus would be proud. While it seemed all was lost for the loyalists, I turned turncoat and backstabbed Jareds flank and stop his advance. Which gives Rich the opportunity to secure 2 objectives and hold them. John holds out against all odds vs Zach and his Ogre tank and a Warlord Titan. In the end, the loyalists win the game 25 to 16 points. The Alamo, Thermopolae, Little Bighorn was won this day. We finished all 4 turns and the game came to a satisfying conclusion.

[Moriarty]

Epic Space Marine is the game that keeps on giving :-) GW went over the top (surprise, surprise) with add-ons, but the bones are good. Have you tried using it for the 40k figures, with one figure taking the place of one base of infantry, and vehicles having one ‘hit point’ for each vehicle in the formation? Game fair zips along.

[fred]

Cool!

That looks like the modern models with the old rules - we have done the reverse the old models with the Legion Imperialis rules.

I have to say we are liking the LI rules - the orders and turn sequence works well. The core rules are very straight forward. Any version of 40k is going to have a load of special rules to deal with the different weapons, defences and movement - but if you know old Epic then most of it will be familiar.

[Mars Miniatures]

@Moriarty,
I havent tried that. Wish I still had 28mm armies. But I would love to try it someday.

@Fred,
Im sure I will get a game of LI at some point. I have too much invested in all the figures and books to not play it. Just need someone else to GM the affair.

[Belligerentparrot]

Lovely, lovely stuff!

I'll go to my grave declaring 2nd ed. Epic ("Space Marine") the best GW ruleset. The original 6 armies are sufficiently balanced you can fight endlessly interesting battles.

The hopeless lack of balance once Titan Legions and the Tyranid expansion came out killed it for me for a while, but once I started pretending those never happened I've never stopped enjoying that game.

Never tried it in 28mm, sounds interesting!

[Cat]

Ooh, good point that Space Marine really was the best before getting laden with chrome each new figure pack and issue of White Dwarf in the grand old GW fashion.
 
I've been keeping half an eye on the new rules, but when I want to get the old minis back on the table, Space Marine it will be.
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