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Lore & Background

In Warhammer 40,000, the term "space hulk" is used to refer to any massive derelict space ship that drifts through the vacuum of the galaxy without apparent direction. Since the hulks often exit and re-enter the Warp seemingly at random, searching or travelling within them is dangerous in the extreme, however the Imperium often takes the risk of exploring these hulks for valuable millennia-old technology and artifacts. Space hulks may house more than just Genestealers; other threats aboard can include human followers of the dark gods of Chaos, nightmarish Warp Daemons, and Orks who use space hulks as their "standard" method of interstellar travel. The only realistic means of stopping such threats to the Imperium is to send boarding parties to clear out these infested hulks, as they are often so huge that they can easily shrug off all but the heaviest naval firepower while having their own atmosphere and gravity. Genestealers were described in an entry of the "Aliens and monsters" section of the first edition of Warhammer 40,000 (the "WH40K - Rogue Trader" manual). However Genestealers were redesigned for Space Hulk, being influenced by the xenomorphs depicted in the Alien franchise. The expanded and rewritten game lore cast Genestealers as a sub-species and shock troops of the all-consuming Tyranids alien race, and of particular note is that Genestealers infiltrate/infect the local populace of target planets to cause civil unrest in advance of an invasion of their Tyranid Hive Fleet. Space Marine Terminators are described in game lore as first company veterans in each Space Marine Chapter, having earned the right to don the sacred Terminator Armor, making them more powerful and resilient but slower than regular Marines, so Terminators are normally used in close quarter battle environments. Space Marine Terminators were originally only used in Space Hulk-type scenarios, but rules were added in White Dwarf magazine and subsequent releases of Warhammer 40,000 for the inclusion of Terminators as a small/elite part of a Marine army on the open battlefield. Besides a space hulk, similar skirmishes between Space Marine Terminators and Genestealers can also be set in other environments.

In Their Own Story

The game is set on a modular board made up of various board sections which represent corridors and rooms and which can be freely arranged and locked together like a jigsaw puzzle to represent the interior of a space hulk. One player controls the Space Marine Terminators, and the other player controls the Tyranid Genestealers. It is an asymmetric game in several respects. The two players have different forces. The players have different objectives to fulfil during a "mission" (the in-game term for a particular scenario). For example, the Terminator player may have the objective of destroying a specified area of the board or a specified Genestealer piece or some other objective; while the Genestealer player may have the objective of destroying a specified Terminator piece or all of the Terminator pieces or some other objective. The pieces of the two players move at different rates (Terminators move slowly, Genestealers rapidly). Terminator pieces excel at ranged combat, but are weak in close combat; the Genestealer pieces excel at close combat, but cannot perform ranged combat at all. The pieces are moved by the players through a system of "action points", where each piece has a certain number specified for it. A Terminator piece has few action points; a Genestealer piece has many action points. The game is notable for its hidden play mechanics, from which it derives much of its playability and tension. On the one hand, the Terminator player has a variable number of "command points" available each turn which are only revealed to the Genestealer player after they are used up; these command points may be used to move the Terminator pieces either during the Terminator player's own turn or during the Genestealer player's turn. (In the second edition, the extra points were not hidden from the Genestealer player.) On the other hand, the actual number of Genestealer pieces in play is hidden from the Terminator player, because the Genestealer pieces come into play as "blips" which may represent multiple creatures. (1-3 creatures in the 1st, 3rd and 4th editions; 0-6 in the 2nd edition; 0-3 in the Deathwing expansion; and 1-6 in the Genestealer expansion.)

Reader's Guide

In the basic version of the game, playing as the Terminators can be engaging and tactically challenging, partly because the Terminator player is constrained by a time limit for their turn, while playing as the Genestealers can be very straightforward. To overcome this asymmetry, players are encouraged to play each mission of the game twice, swapping between playing with Terminators and playing with Genestealers. The fairly fast play time (around half an hour per mission), driven by the Terminator player's time limitation, makes this feasible. The Deathwing expansion pack for the first edition included rules for playing the game as a one-player game—that is, playing the game as Terminators using different mechanics for moving the Genestealer pieces. There is also the addition of the Captain and Librarian, plus further Terminator weapons into the game, which greatly expanded the Terminator player's tactical capabilities. For instance, Terminators could be configured as melee specialists in lieu of carrying ranged weapons. The Genestealer expansion pack for the first edition included rules for human-genestealer hybrids, which could carry weapons and equipment, and for a Magus and for a Patriarch, adding more depth for the Genestealer player. However, these additions were not carried over in the second or the third or the fourth editions, although the third and the fourth editions did include rules for a Broodlord. The first edition of Space Hulk was released in May 1989. This edition was further expanded with additional scenarios and rules in articles in the magazines White Dwarf and Citadel Journal. The early articles from White Dwarf were collected and published as two separate expansion packs, and most of the later articles from White Dwarf were collected and published as a book: Deathwing, a box set, was released in 1990. It introduced the Deathwing Company (First Company) of the Dark Angels Space Marines Chapter, including the Captain and the Librarian and additional Terminator weapons into the game, which greatly expanded the tactical possibilities for the Terminator player. Among other things the expansion pack also featured rules for the Space Marine player to play the game solo, and it included additional board sections. Genestealer, a box set, was released in 1990. It introduced the Genestealer Cult including Human-Genestealer Hybrids and the Magus and the Patriarch into the game, which greatly expanded the tactical possibilities for the Genestealer player. Among other things, the expansion pack also featured rules for an elaborate system of psychic combat, and it included additional board sections. Space Hulk Campaigns, a hardback book, was released in 1991 and later reprinted as a paperback in 1993. It introduced rules for Imperial Space Marine Terminators against Chaos Space Marine Terminators, and rules for Space Marines in Power Armour, and it included additional board sections. The second edition of Space Hulk was released in April 1996. This edition featured revamped board artwork and miniatures. It featured two identical plastic five-man Terminator squads with standard weaponry and assorted Genestealers. This edition significantly simplified the rules compared to those of the 1st edition, and it offered less opportunity for expansion, due to the specific dice used for the game. A critical change was made to the Command Point system, no longer allowing them to be used in the enemy turn, altering the strategic complexity of the game. The rules for the heavy flamer were also changed, and the difference between the standard weapons and the area effect flamer was reduced. This edition was further expanded with additional scenarios and rules in articles in the magazines White Dwarf and Citadel Journal, such as "Defilement of Honour" which involves rules for air ducts, a new kind of board section which allows Genestealers to move off the main board and back onto it from one place to another place, and "Fangs of Fenris" which involves Wolf Guard Terminators of the Space Wolves Space Marines Chapter. However the articles from White Dwarf were never collected and published as any expansion pack. The third edition of Space Hulk was released in September 2009. The mail order stocks sold out three days before release, and most Games Workshop retail outlets were sold out within a week of release. Games Workshop announced no plans to reprint this edition of the game as it was intended to be a limited release. This edition featured new sculpts designed specifically for Space Hulk, instead of being shared with the sets for the tabletop game Warhammer 40,000. Advancements in sculpting and moulding have allowed Games Workshop's Alex Hedström to add a greater level of detail to the miniatures. Each of the twelve miniatures representing Terminators has a distinct appearance, such as Brother Omnio.

Did You Know?

• The first edition of Space Hulk was released in May 1989.
• Genestealers were redesigned for Space Hulk, being influenced by the xenomorphs depicted in the Alien franchise.
• The Deathwing expansion pack for the first edition included rules for playing the game as a one-player game.
• The second edition of Space Hulk was released in April 1996 and featured two identical plastic five-man Terminator squads.
• The third edition of Space Hulk was released in September 2009 and was intended to be a limited release, with mail order stocks selling out three days before release.