I just lost to myself at a card game. Now that is humiliating

Browsing through the reduced aisle of my local Forbidden Planet i came across the Fantasy Flight Space Hulk: Death Angel Card Game. Having missed out on the actual Space Hulk set a few years ago, i figured it'd be worth snagging and having a few games. If nothing else i can look at the cards and weep bitter tears at the fact i'll never own a copy of the board game. *sob*

Anyway, tearing off the shrink wrap revealed a lot of cards, some sturdy card tokens and a red dice that turned out to feature far less skulls than i would like. Along with a moderate sized rulebook.

I've always figured the best way to learn a game is to try a play through, so since it supports 1-6 players i gave it a whirl.

It's pretty complex, at least to begin with. You choose a batch of Space Marine Terminators, assemble a hand of their action cards then align them in a formation. Then using the appropriate void lock card, you assemble a set of locations along with two blip decks that contain horrific genestealers.
It's not as complicated as it looks, honest.


Then as you play action cards, your Terminators get to killing Genestealers before the gribblies get their attacks back. Within a few turns i'd already lost Brother Leon and Brother Claudio to their claws, leaving Valencio and Goriel to face the hordes alone.

Alas Brother Leon, the first to die, very very painfully.

This was thanks to the way Genestealers attacks work - roll the dice, if you roll under or equal to the number of Genestealer cards attacking that particular marine, he's dead. Diced into bite sized chunks. - coupled with what are deemed "event" cards but should really be named "F***ing B*****d" cards.
An example "F***ing B*****d" Card, this one is beneficial, so naturally didn't occur in my game.

I have only my shuffling to blame, but the bloomin' things screwed me over with every draw. Just when i thought i may survive, they'd spawn another wave of 'stealers behind my Terminators. After brave Brother Goriel fell against four Genestealers, it was the Event cards that slammed the final nail into the coffin, causing Valencio to be psychically slain thanks to a roll of a 1 on the attack dice.

And how far had i made it into the hulk? About 3 feet down a corridor into the next location.

I can certainly say that even played alone it was enjoyable and i fully intend to nag anyone i can into giving it a try. It plays fast enough that it's perfect for those times when you're stuck waiting for a board at a Gaming club or when you're sat in a train carriage waiting for the wrong kind of leaves to be cleared.

It's available from Fantasy Flight direct if you're in the US of A. Getting it shipped over here is a tad more expensive, so it's worth trying Amazon and the like. Of course if you can, your first port of call should be your Local Gaming Store if you're lucky enough to have one.