Space Hulk
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 Cover of the first edition of Space Hulk |
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| Manufacturer | Games Workshop |
| Designer | Dean Bass |
| Publisher | Games Workshop |
Space Hulk is an out of print board game by Games Workshop. The game was set in their Warhammer 40,000 universe and draws a certain degree of inspiration from the Alien movies.
The term "Space Hulk", from which the game gets its name, is used within the Warhammer 40,000 universe for any masses of ancient, derelict starships, asteroids, and other assorted space junk drifting in and out of the Warp that eventually merges into one massive form, ranging from the size of a small moon to a large planet, which drift through the territory of the Imperium.[1] Because a hulk may contain bits of lost information or technology, or hostile life forms that pose a threat to mankind, the Imperium often sends teams of Space Marine Terminators to search for and secure these entities. The hulk may not stay in real space for very long, eventually slipping back into the Warp, so retrieval operations must be rapid and efficient.
Genestealers often make homes of these hulks, attacking those who come aboard in order to spread their genetic code further afield. The game pits an investigative force of Space Marines against such a coven.
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[edit] Gameplay
The game is set on a board made up of various corridor and room tiles which can be freely arranged and locked together like a jigsaw puzzle to represent the interior of derelict space ships. One player controls the Space Marines, and the other controls the Genestealers.
The game is notable for its hidden play mechanics, from which it derives much of its playability and tension. The actual number of genestealers in play is hidden from the Marines because they came into play as "blips" which can represent 1-3 creatures (or 0-6 in the Deathwing expansion and second edition). On the other hand, the Marine player has a number of "action points" available each turn which are only revealed to the genestealer player after they are used up. (In the second edition, the extra points are no longer hidden from the genestealer player.)
Space Hulk won the Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Boardgame of 1989. Its first expansion, Deathwing, won Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Boardgame of 1990.
In the basic versions of the game, playing the genestealers is very straightforward; so simple, in fact, that Space Hulk is quite playable as a solo game (for example, see here or here). Playing the marines on the other hand is engaging and tactically challenging - partly because the Space Marines player is constrained by a time limit for his turn. To overcome this shortfall, players are encouraged to play each game twice, swapping roles after the first play. The fairly fast play time (around half an hour per game), driven by the Space Marines time limitation, makes this a reasonable solution. The expansion packs for the First edition add human-genestealer hybrids, which can carry weapons and equipment, to the Genestealer player's forces, adding more depth for the genestealer side.
[edit] Editions
The first edition has two expansion packs:
- Deathwing focuses on additional Space Marine weapons, Space Marine Librarians, new features and rules
- Genestealer introduces Genestealer hybrids, greatly expanding the tactical possibilities for the Genestealer side, and an elaborate system of psychic combat.
Further scenarios and rules were released in the White Dwarf and Citadel Journal magazines. A hardback book, Space Hulk Campaigns, was released in 1991 and later reprinted as a paperback (1993). It contained much of the magazine material, including rules for Traitor Terminators and Space Marines in Power Armour and some new board sections.
The second edition has no expansion packs, although additional scenarios and board sections were released in White Dwarf magazine. While it features better board artwork and Terminator models, it is significantly simplified from the original rules and offers less opportunity for expansion.[citation needed] A critical change was made to the Command Point system, no longer allowing them to be used in the enemy turn altering the game's strategic complexity. The flamer rules were also changed and the difference between the standard weapons and the area effect flamer was reduced.
[edit] Storyline
Space Hulk 1st edition and its expansion complemented their rules and missions with a compelling story, drawing the player into an intriguing sci-fi world.
The basic game tells the story of the Blood Angels chapter embarking a Hulk with a vengeance, 600 years after failing to capture another Hulk. The DeathWing expansion recounts a crucial period in the history of the Dark Angels' Deathwing chapter as they attempt to save their homeworld. The Genestealer expansion describes the heroic battles against a Genestealer patriarch and his retinue. Ironically, neither the Deathwing or Genestealer scenarios are situated in a Hulk.
[edit] Discontinuity
Space Hulk is no longer supported by Games Workshop, although they have published suggestions as to how the game can be reenacted using the Kill-team rules in the revised Warhammer 40,000 rulebook.[2]
[edit] Derivatives
Three computer games were made based on the board game, the first, Space Hulk, for the PC and Amiga; and the second, Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels for the PC, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and 3DO consoles. Both of these were tactical action shooters based on the boardgame rather than reproductions of the boardgame. In 2008, a small group of hobbyists[3] released a PC conversion of the board game, along with assorted scenarios, for free over the Internet. However, within a month the game was removed from the developers' site. They noted that the web download traffic was creating problems, and that Games Workshop were threatening legal action due to THQ's current ownership of the Warhammer 40,000 video game license.
In 2005, a mobile phone version of the Space Hulk boardgame was released. This game replicates the board game's play mechanics and allows play as either Space Marines or Genestealers.[4]
A fan-made game called NetHulk is currently available as freeware. It allows two players to compete head-to-head over an internet/LAN connection or in a hotseat mode. The game's rules do not strictly adhere to the board game, but are a hybrid of the first and second editions.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- (1989) Space Hulk Rules. Games Workshop. ISBN 1 869893 69 7. - included in the game box
- (1990) Deathwing Rules & Missions. Games Workshop. - included in the expansion box
- (1990) Genestealer Rules and Missions. Games Workshop. - included in the expansion box
- (1993) Space Hulk Campaigns, softback, Games Workshop. ISBN 1 872372 65 1.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Description of Space Hulks. White Dwarf #114. Retrieved on 2007-06-06.
- ^ Space Hulk Kill-team rules. Games Workshop. Retrieved on 2008-29-04.
- ^ Space Hulk. Teardown. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
- ^ Space Hulk. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2007-03-08.
[edit] External links
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