It’s 40K, but not as we know it
A the start of June this year, Devil Pig Games made an announcement which may have come as something of a surprise – they were going to produce a new game based on their ‘Heroes System’, and that game was going to be set in the 40K universe.
Whilst I managed to grab a few words with Clem from DPG at the UK Games Expo, he wasn’t able to say much about this game at the time (though I did get to see some of the preliminary artwork).
This week, those people who were registered on the Devil Pig website received an e-mail, inviting us to pre-order Heroes of Black Reach. This game is being opened up to the public for pre-order in late September, but existing Devil Pig customers were being given the opportunity to pre-order early.
One advantage of this is that we have also got to see some of the artwork that is likely to be used, as well as getting an idea of the price we can expect to pay for this game.
The core box is priced at 65 EUR, with reinforcement boxes priced at 30 EUR each. They are also producing a couple of bundle offers – the Company Bundle gives the core box, both reinforcement boxes and some extra units, whilst the Chapter Bundle adds to that a complete storage solution for the game.
Here are some examples of the playing pieces for the game:
The new edition of the 40K rules seems to have sparked something of a resurgence in 40K from some gamers who had previously left the game, as it seems to be going back to its roots of 2nd/3rd Edition and introducing different modes of play.
However, there are those people who, whilst they like the 40K universe, believe that the worst thing about 40K are the rules themselves. For them, Heroes of Black Reach could be a viable alternative to wargame in the official 40K universe, using a proven set of tactical rules.
Obviously, being a board game, HoBR may also appeal to a whole new range of players who would never consider a miniatures game – all the advantages of playing 40K without all that pesky model painting!
I must admit that I have little desire to get back into 8th edition 40K, but Heroes of Black Reach could very well get me back into the 40K universe.
If only they did a Dark Angels chapter…
Tales of The Brummie Dwarf 
This is exciting news. I’ve followed this system since Space George Bush took over the galaxy in Frontiers. WWII wasn’t my thing for Heroes of Normandie, so I’m stoked to see the system come back to the stars. And to be able to play larger 40K battles without spending hundreds of dollars.
This is not an indictment of HoBR’s gameplay but 65 Euros/$75 USD for a game comprised entirely of color printed cardboard chits, markers and maps? I appreciate Devil Pig Games’ need to turn a profit but the price point seems steep for a tabletop game that is completely devoid of minis and other plastic accessories. The 40K license may boost sales but I think the price may turn away potential customers. How was Heroes of Normandy received by the wargaming & tabletop gaming community?
I’m a game play guy, not a painter. I get the whole painting thing, but for me it boils down to the whole ratio of time spent painting v. time spent gaming and how much time I care to budget to the hobby. Cost and space factor in as well. 40k without the painting and the gross expense…Heeeey, this might be alright!
I’m sure they’ve been inundated with folks pointing out the typo on the Dreadnought card!
This is could be a very interesting game. Actually I was already tempted by Shadows over Normandie. My only gripe is Ultramarines vs Orks. Again? Couldn’t they choose a different setting than Black Reach? Anyway, I think I’ll hope for the success of the game so new races could be released 🙂