6mmwargaming wrote:
I missed Epic when it came out but now I am becoming interested in it and I'm looking for some advice on which version of the rules to play.
A friend has a bunch of Epic figures which are part of the "Space Marine" boxed set. We had a game using these rules and although they were fun there are some broken bits in the rules. . .that is more balanced but is still fun and has some of the wacky units like Weirdboy towers. Another appeal of the SM rules was the simplicity so that is an interest.
Which version of Space Marine are you talking about? The one with the Dark Angels on the cover that is set in the Horus Heresy (v1), or the one with the Ultramarines on the cover that came with Space Marines, Orks, and Eldar (v2)?
I love both of those games, and while there is a lot of game in either box, as well as their sister games Adeptus Titanicus (for v1) and Titan Legions (for v2), it could take some serious investment in time and cash to hunt down things like the Codex Titanicus and White Dwarf articles for v1, or the expansion sets for v2, let alone whatever minis you like, and in the case of v2, the strict detachment sizes.
Epic 40,000 is a pretty impressive box set. Its going to cost you some money finding a complete one on Ebay, but you'll get a ton of gaming out of that box set. It includes thorough rules and army lists for the Space Marines and Imperial Guard, Eldar, Orks, Chaos, and Tyranids. The minis that came in the set were awesome, but the other models released separately are the best they ever made for Epic. You'll have enough in that box set to play Epic for years.
One of the things holding me back about recommending EA is that besides the main rulebook and Swordwind book, which combined don't include a lot of army variety, you're going to have to make do with a lot of PDFs. Works for many people, but I really prefer the color, the art, and fluff that goes along with owning proper rulebooks. They just inspire me more.
As far as Epic 40k gameplay, I understand and do agree with most of the comments above, and do appreciate it for what it is, but at the same time, there are rarely those 'hero' moments where you can identify a particular unit achieving something awesome, which I have always loved as its forges a cool little narrative. I understand that at this scale some players feel that the focus should be on tactics, but I am a believer in both.