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I just won a copy of Space Marine second edition because I wanted to get started with Epic 40k. However I'm not sure which ruleset I should play. I know of Epic Armageddon and Netepic but I'm unsure about how they differ and which one I should get into. If anyone has any advice I would really appreciate it.

One other thing. Space Marine came with square bases instead of rectangular stands. Does this matter? Should I get rectangular stands instead?

In Epic: Armageddon, you can use squares or rectangles, as long as 1 side is at least 20mm.

As to rules, the attached file below is the Epic: Armageddon Compendium, 2.0. It's the current rules for E:A, with GW's errata added into it.

I can't speak for NetEpic, but I'm sure someone will be along to inform you. From what I can tell you, E:A is GW's official rules for the game. NetEpic is its own beast, modified by the online community. It also has its own army lists.

NetEpic Gold is the updated fan version of Space Marine second edition, there are rules and Codex for every type of army you can think of from the current 40k realm plus some you've never dreamed of (40k smurfs for starters!). If you like lots of variety in your troop choices and lots of special rules then NetEpic/2nd edition is the way to go. If you like straight forward troop choices that reflect the latest edition of 40k then go with E:A. Personally i prefer and enjoy NetEpic Gold.

If you like the rules for Space Marine, then use NetEpic. It's certainly deatailed, and has a lot of lists for oop stuff like Squats.

That said, I find NetEpic a bit too "cluttered" a rulesset, and prefer Armageddon. It may not allow as much specialisation and be a little more abstract, but is a sleeker, faster, more user friendly ruleset IMO.

My tip? Download both, and play a couple of games with them....then decide. They ARE free after all...

Well I would go with E:A because you have a higher chance of people playing it nearby and most NetEpic player I know can play E:A unlike the other way around. There's a couple guys in your area that play E:A and if you ever come down to SoCal I'll play yeah =)

http://www.tacticalwargames.net/taccmd/index.php

The above link is the Home from NetEpic and NetEA (Further development of GW E:A same rules just more lists and consistent FAQ)

Ages ago when the long rectangular bases came out GW supposedly did some play testing and discovered that the older square bases didn't have much of an impact on game play. They were easier to hide behind cover, but easier to deal with via area effect attacks so said do what you will. I have mixtures of both in my armies for Epic.

As for the version, NetEpic is the follower of the original two Space Marine Versions and Titan Legions and includes all of the detail inherent to those systems. If you like your epic scale game rolling tons of dice for single vehicles, by all means give it a go. I started playing Epic with Adeptus Titanicus, which was the first version that only included titans and I loved the 2nd edition Space Marine game, don't get me wrong, but when the IG stormhammer tank was released I realized that something had to give for the scale. A company of 3 stormhammer tanks, attacking against opponents in a shorter range band required the rolling of *39* dice just to make the attacks for those 3 tanks. It is still a great game, but larger games can take a *long* time to finish because of the all the dice involved.

When Epic 40k came out it completely changed the game concept got rid of the specifics of vehicular weapons and, IMNSHO, finally brought the game to a truly Epic scale. In massive large scale battles it doesn't matter that Tank A has 2 battlecannons, 4 las cannons and 12 stormbolters on it. All that really matters is its overall effectiveness on the battle. A lot of people really hated the switch, but I really liked it. The game flows a lot better, takes less time, but still captures the feel of the large scale 40k battlefield, without having to remember a half dozen fiddly little rules for *every* vehicle in your force. There is a much more perceptive flow of battle in Epic 40k as well. Switching over we went from playing one large point game in 6 hours to playing 2 in about 3 hours. Much more enjoyable day for all and if we really wanted to push the 6 hour mark as before we could get in 4 different games during the same time frame.

Either game is fun to play, there is no denying that. Some minis are harder to find than others (like a lot of the specialized chaos engines for nurgle, slaanesh and Tzeentch), but all can be used in both systems. I'm sure by now someone has made Epic 40k lists for armies that were not included in the original rules so even army choice shouldn't be a limiting factor as to which game you choose to play. All you need to decide is do you want a game that is scaled to the Epic scale that is less detailed in unit rules, or do you want a game that plays more like regular 40k just using a ton of smaller miniatures?? Of course given that you can get both sets of rules for free now you can actually play both as your mood takes you.

The only thing I would really like to see for Epic is for GW to rerelease the original lines of figures again. Right now all they have available are the limited releases that were put out for Epic Armageddon available on their web page. Forge World has armies like Tau available and you can get minis on ebay most of the time, but I would really like to be able to go back and buy a plague tower of nurgle and some of the slaaneshi knight figures without having to watch ebay like a hawk and then have to stop bidding because the price got ludicrous.

Skriker

And that's why Epic:Armageddon is better. It bridges the the gap between NetEpic and the old SM game and the crappy Epic 40k Water down board game.

I ahve pretty much played all the GW games from then until now, and I honestly think that Armageddon is one of the most balanced games they have made. Its fun, flows well, has enough detail that the different armies all feel different, but is totally balanced. Great game.

My epic ork stuff is here:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/210906.page

Remember Tac has test lists and group approved lists as well.

Maybe you can try Future War Commander!

What is this Space Marine 2nd Ed? Is it related to the WH40k:Space Marine game taht came out recently?
And what is netepic?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_(game) its all here

CthuluIsSpy wrote:What is this Space Marine 2nd Ed? Is it related to the WH40k:Space Marine game taht came out recently?
And what is netepic?

No..The first Epic scale game was Adeptus Titanicus; essentially, titan combat. Space Marine was an "add on" that adapted the rules for infantry and tanks. AT was then superceeded by Titan Legions, with Space Marine 2nd Ed. coming later. Space Marine is more complex in many ways then Epic Armageddon, with more mico management. It does allow more freedom to choose weapons for your troops and armour-so it allows more indiviualisation than E:A. Netepic is an unoffcial ruleset based largely on Space Marine 2nd Ed. It is, to my mind, a bit too cluttered, but it allows a lot more freedom in many respects. People like it because they find E:A a bit too abstract and simple.

Son_Of _Deddog wrote:[No..The first Epic scale game was Adeptus Titanicus; essentially, titan combat. Space Marine was an "add on" that adapted the rules for infantry and tanks. AT was then superceeded by Titan Legions, with Space Marine 2nd Ed. coming later.

Actually Space Marine 2nd edition came out to supercede At and Space Marine and then Titan Legions came out as people clamored to be able to get back to forces of all or mostly titans. Space Marine 2nd edition limited titans to a support role so depending on the size of the game you might not see more than 1 warlord/phantom/great gargant in most games or a few smaller titans. Titan Legions went back to the AT roots and once again allowed titans as the main aspects of your forces instead of just support. Interestingly enough titans moved back to the support role in later editions of the epic systems. Does that mean we are do for Epic Armageddon: Titan Legions to be released??

Skriker

I started playing epic when epic space marine 2nd edition came out, and been playing epic on and off since then. I have to say the Main difference between Epic titan legion and Epic Armageddon; is that Epic titan legion was all about tanks, and titans...
Titan legion
Power was Titans, then tanks, then infantry was just causalities....

epic Armageddon,
Tanks and Infantry are about the same power level, and titans are just a hair more powerful.

Epic Armageddon balanced out the units types and made combined arms the powerhouse instead of focusing on bigger better of Titan legion.



Automatically Appended Next Post:

Skriker wrote:

Son_Of _Deddog wrote:[No..The first Epic scale game was Adeptus Titanicus; essentially, titan combat. Space Marine was an "add on" that adapted the rules for infantry and tanks. AT was then superceeded by Titan Legions, with Space Marine 2nd Ed. coming later.

Actually Space Marine 2nd edition came out to supercede At and Space Marine and then Titan Legions came out as people clamored to be able to get back to forces of all or mostly titans. Space Marine 2nd edition limited titans to a support role so depending on the size of the game you might not see more than 1 warlord/phantom/great gargant in most games or a few smaller titans. Titan Legions went back to the AT roots and once again allowed titans as the main aspects of your forces instead of just support. Interestingly enough titans moved back to the support role in later editions of the epic systems. Does that mean we are do for Epic Armageddon: Titan Legions to be released??

Skriker

Chaos in Space Marine 2nd edition could field a 100% titan army before titan legion came out.... Lord of battle, and 5 warlord titans.

I've been playing variantions of Epic since Adeptus Titanicus (Epic is the Belle that brought me to the ball) and I like E:A the best. Detailed rules and tactics without so much of the fiddly bits of Space Marine. Wish I could find a group interested in SE Michigan for some Epic Action, though I'm rebuilding my armies slowly.

I miss Epic no one here plays it anymore I got about 10,000 pts in Chaos.

Forbino wrote:I've been playing variantions of Epic since Adeptus Titanicus (Epic is the Belle that brought me to the ball) and I like E:A the best. Detailed rules and tactics without so much of the fiddly bits of Space Marine. Wish I could find a group interested in SE Michigan for some Epic Action, though I'm rebuilding my armies slowly.

Forbino, I heard a group of people were playing E:A up at RIW hobby shop. I prefer to play Netepic so I never played with them.

Wait.

Let me understand this:

Both rulesets are free.

Both rulesets use the exact same minis

Why can't we just keep copies of both rulesets on hand and play which one tickles our fancy at the time? This seems as futile as the "Which ice cream flavor is the best? (rocky road, btw)" or "Which toppings make the best pizza? (pepperoni and mushroom)"

OP, you want some advice? Try both. All it will cost you is time. Time well spent, I'd argue.

I used to play E:A, mostly Eldar, IG and SM. I loved it, completely balanced and far better than playing W40k Apocalipse: now distances are the real differences; a SM whirlwind can shoot at 90cm and a IG Manticore at 3m, many units can move far than the range of their weapons. With the Eldar Storm Serpent you can march up to 75cm and then teleport and assault with a warhost of Guardians up to 15cm from the SS.
Also is very cheap with a point cap of 3000 points. But remember: you need to start thinking in millimeters!