Space Hulk Game Box

It had occurred to me that one reason I wasn't playing Space Hulk as often as I should is that it's a !@#$ to transport and set-up to play. My original 2nd Edition cardboard box had seen better days, so I was loathed to cart it down to my local club for a game. Then, adding insult to injury, even if I had brought it with me, I then needed to rummage through said fragile box to find the various bits needed to play a scenario - that eats into valuable gaming time. What I needed was a better box and a way to organise the game's pieces.

 

I love the artwork - takes me right back!

I had happened upon a toolbox that appeared to be about the right size, so I put my mind to it.

 

It ain't as pretty as to the original, but what it lacks in
looks it more than makes up for in sturdiness!

I ended up making three approximately A4-sized trays out of some thin mdf - it took a few attempts to get right. These trays are compartmentalised to hold the various maps parts (L's, cross-roads, rooms, etc), tokens, doors and their stands, along with the necessary dice. I painted them black and gave them a couple layers of varnish to add to extend their life.

I tried to make a lids which weren't much good - the mdf was a little too fragile but I ended up keeping one  (in silver below) in any event. I tend to place the rulebook and scenario book between trays to keep the items contained. Once they're stacked together, they sit nice and snug in the box.

 

  

   

As for the Terminator and Genestealer miniatures themselves, I used two mdf boxes I bought from Bunning's craft section - I think they are used for kids pencil boxes and things. I wrote about this in an earlier post here, where you can find some better pics and details, but I thought I'd summarise it again.

For the Genestealers, I replaced the lid with a translucent orange piece of acrylic/perspex - that way you can see the horde of Genestealers within - I think I ended up painting about 30 of them. Oh yeah, I painted them green rather than the traditional purple. Why? Because my little kids could more readily relate to green aliens 👽 Each Genestealers' base is magnetised and I lined their box with some metal mesh I had salvaged from a desktop computer case. The end result turned out great as is evident from the photos below.

My Terminators got their own box too. I decided to create shelves for the Terminators such that they could all be seen once the box was opened. Again, I magnetised the miniatures' bases and the shelves were made using thin sheet steel (I think). I had some Ultramarines stickers lying about that finished off the boxes. I was really pleased with the results - "Oh, cool!" is the consistent reaction I get when people are unpacking the game.

 

 

I can't stop there, however. Like many miniature wargames (leaving aside whether Space Hulk is a war or boardgame), Space Hulk's rules are a little more complex than Monopoly. To their credit, GWS did a great job of explaining the rules in the 2nd Edition rulebook, which included one or two concise reference guides on backs of the published books. Even 20-years later I am still finding my way around some of the rules (to be fair, few - as the books are very well written) however having a quick reference guide can make all the difference. Years ago, I stumbled upon this awesome site Space Hulk 2nd Edition – The Esoteric Order of Gamers who have prepared the perfect, summary of all Space Hulk 2nd edition rules way back in 2008. Seriously, they are top notch. I have a copy of this quick reference guide included in my Space Hulk box and refer to it each and every game.

 

And that about does it. As you can see in the pictures, everything packs up nice and tightly into the sturdy tool/game box. I keep it on a shelf at home and have been known to grab it for a quick game down at the pub, a mate's house, in my office, or even take it on holidays with me. It has really made a huge difference to how often I am able and inclined to play this wonderful game.

What's next?

Glad you asked. While I really like the look of the 3d printed Space Hulk tiles, I think that their volume would compromise my means to readily unpack, transport, and repack the game. I had considered rescaling the game, but that would detract from the experience too. So that's likely a no-go.

What I do have is, after many years of collecting, a collection of Terminator miniature sculpts from back in the day. I've also magnetised half of the torsos and their arms to allow me to swap and change the loadouts etc. I haven't gone as far as basing them all just yet. One day (here we go) I hope to paint up two whole squads and replace? my current plastic marines - I am unsure when that day may arrive, but in any event, the miniatures are there, silently waiting in the dark coldness of Melbourne's inner suburbs...