The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Many, many years ago (at least ten) there was a game from a company called (I think) Leading Edge, called 'Aliens'. It allowed the payers to take the role of the marines from the film of the same name in attempt to recreate the scene in the reactor room when they all first encounter the aliens. And it did a good job. The aliens were sufficiently nasty and dangerous to make the marine's task (get the hell out of there) particularly difficult. But the one thing that the game lacked, in my opinion, was the atmosphere that you were trying to scrabble your way through alien-infested corridors to simply get back to safety.

And that's what Space Hulk has in droves.

It should be noted that I am reviewing the first edition of Space Hulk, which is now out of print. There is a second edition of this game (which I haven't actually played, but I have seen the contents, and I make some comment about them at the end of this review) which is still available from Games Workshop

In Space Hulk, one player takes the role of the Space Marines (kitted up in huge suits of Terminator armour, carrying Storm Bolters or Heavy Flamers, and having discipline and training drilled into them from birth), and the other player takes the Genestealers (which have at their disposal huge claws that can slice through steel bulkheads like butter, and vast swarming numbers). The game is mission-driven, so for each game the players have a specific goal to achieve – that is, usually the Marine player has a goal and the Genestealer player's goal is to stop him from achieving it.

The board is comprised of sections of corridors and rooms, printed on heavy cardstock, that slot together, jigsaw-fashion, to create the layout for the mission (given in the mission's description).

Once the board is created, you place the starting Marine force (nicely done plastic models that give the correct impression of bulky, restrictive but pretty impenetrable armour) on their correct places, and begin the game.

The Genestealer player may start the game with one or two 'blips' – these are counters that have a blip on one side, and a number on the other, showing how many Genestealers are represented by that blip. This represents the fact that, although the marines can use their sensors to detect movement, that's all they know – they don't know the strength of the force facing them until they get into line of sight with the blip. This is particularly effective as the Marines are left guessing whether the blip coming up on their rear is a fairly harmless single Genestealer, or a pretty worrying pack of three (in the basic game, the most Genestealers under a blip is three).

During a turn, the Marine player moves first. Each of his Marines has four Action Points (APs), allowing him to perform various actions (surprise, surprise!) such as moving forward (one point), turning 90 degrees (one point), stepping backward (two points) and firing his weapon (one point). Once each Marine has used all his points, it is the Genestealer's turn. Oh, and did I mention that the Marine player only gets two minutes to take his turn? This is to represent the fact that Genestealers have quicker reflexes than the marines, and what with command lines being slow, if the Marines don't use up their points within this time limit, that's it, turn over…

And one of the most important things that a Marine can do is go into Overwatch. This takes two points, but allows the Marine to fire at anything that moves during the Genestealer's turn. Firing is pretty simple; roll two dice, and if either one is a six, you've hit and killed your target. If you miss, and you're stationary, you can take a second shot with a chance to hit of a five or a six. And so on. However, if you are firing on Overwatch, you don't get this accumulated chance to hit, and if you roll a double, your gun jams. And then you're in trouble…

There is a little hope, however, in the form of Command Points. The Marine player gets a random number of these each turn (from one to six), and can use them at any time as extra Action Points – even during the Genestealer player's turn. So you might have enough points left over to clear that jam and fire some more shots. But you'd better hit…

The Genestealers get six APs, they don't have to pay to turn, and they can go sideways (Terminator armour is so bulky it is impossible to walk sideways in it). So Genestealers are a lot faster (they also have no time limit on their turn).

The blips become actual Genestealers when they are spotted, and the counter is replaced by the requisite number of models. The models are nasty representations of a spider-like/reptilian alien with four arms and hooves instead of feet. And when the board starts to fill up with them (usually just prior to a mass swarm at the Marines), it can look pretty frightening.

Although the aliens cannot use weapons, and they die in droves whilst charging at the Marines, if one of them does get through the withering hail of Stormer rounds (or the Stormer jams), it can wreak havoc on the Marines. The most important tactic for the Genastealers is the Swarm manoeuvre, where the player piles up his blips just round the corner from the marines, and then converts the whole lot to Genestealers before pouring them round the corner at the beleaguered troops, hoping for a jam or several misses. Once a Genestealer gets through, he can start ripping off heads.

In close combat, a Genestealer rolls three dice and takes the highest. The Marine only gets one dice. The highest roll wins, and the loser (usually the Marine, but there are exceptions) is removed from the board.

The game mechanics are very simple, and the components are clean and effective. The atmosphere is where the game really shines, however, as the marine player really gets the feel of squeezing down dark, narrow passages, with strange blips and spidery aliens roaming around, trying to rip out their guts (you can almost hear the rapidly escalating 'ping' of the motion sensors). The Genestealer player can usually feel very smug with his hordes of rampaging Genestealers, and rightly so, as most of the missions in the basic set are heavily biased in his favour. But after each game, try turning the tables and swapping sides – give him a taste of his own medicine!

There are (or were) three expansions for this game, Deathwing, Genestealer and Space Hulk Campaigns. Deathwing added new weapons for the Marines, including the ever-popular Autocannon, and new rules for pits, crates, and rubble – and Genestealer blips of up to six! Also included were six more missions. Genestealer was the better expansion, levelling the playing field and introducing psychic rules that made the Marines much more powerful. The Genestealer got Hybrids – psychic, half-human aliens who can wield weapons – which helped their cause. This supplement made the two sides much more even. Space Hulk Campaigns was a hard-back book containing several lengthy campaigns which included rules for how each mission affected the next, and so on. A worthy addition to the set.

As I noted before, there is a second edition of the game, but I haven't played it. I have seen a few board sections, however, and I must make the comment that they look a hell of a lot better than the originals. The rooms are individualised, with piles of rubbish, torn-off access panels, leaky steam vents and strange machinery (the originals were fairly bland and very samey). The corridors have had a similar makeover, with ripped floor panels, curved walls and litter strewn about. I can't comment on the gameplay, however.

But the original was a simple, effective game that conveyed the right atmosphere and level of complexity (even if it was (intentionally) too hard to win with the Marines). My wife and her sister (notorious for not liking/enjoying/understanding such games) really enjoyed the games they played, and wanted more (until they realised that the other missions' maps wouldn't fit on the table and they would have to play on the floor – then they remembered that 'Emmerdale' was on – oh, well!).

With loads of missions available, and the capacity to easily create more (along with the extra rules available from various sources which allow you to play Orks or Imperial Guard instead of Marines (although why you'd want to is beyond me…)), Space Hulk also has a lot of replay value.

Although it may prove difficult to track down, if you can get hold of it, it would definitely be worth your while (or take a look at the second edition – it may be worth it).

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Space Hulk, First Edition
Author: Games Workshop Category: Miniature Company/Publisher: Games Workshop Line: Warhammer 40K Cost: Out of Print Page count: N/A Playtest Review by David Plank on 11/30/99. Genre tags: Science_fiction Horror	Many, many years ago (at least ten) there was a game from a company called (I think) Leading Edge, called 'Aliens'. It allowed the payers to take the role of the marines from the film of the same name in attempt to recreate the scene in the reactor room when they all first encounter the aliens. And it did a good job. The aliens were sufficiently nasty and dangerous to make the marine's task (get the hell out of there) particularly difficult. But the one thing that the game lacked, in my opinion, was the atmosphere that you were trying to scrabble your way through alien-infested corridors to simply get back to safety. And that's what Space Hulk has in droves. It should be noted that I am reviewing the first edition of Space Hulk, which is now out of print. There is a second edition of this game (which I haven't actually played, but I have seen the contents, and I make some comment about them at the end of this review) which is still available from Games Workshop In Space Hulk, one player takes the role of the Space Marines (kitted up in huge suits of Terminator armour, carrying Storm Bolters or Heavy Flamers, and having discipline and training drilled into them from birth), and the other player takes the Genestealers (which have at their disposal huge claws that can slice through steel bulkheads like butter, and vast swarming numbers). The game is mission-driven, so for each game the players have a specific goal to achieve – that is, usually the Marine player has a goal and the Genestealer player's goal is to stop him from achieving it. The board is comprised of sections of corridors and rooms, printed on heavy cardstock, that slot together, jigsaw-fashion, to create the layout for the mission (given in the mission's description). Once the board is created, you place the starting Marine force (nicely done plastic models that give the correct impression of bulky, restrictive but pretty impenetrable armour) on their correct places, and begin the game. The Genestealer player may start the game with one or two 'blips' – these are counters that have a blip on one side, and a number on the other, showing how many Genestealers are represented by that blip. This represents the fact that, although the marines can use their sensors to detect movement, that's all they know – they don't know the strength of the force facing them until they get into line of sight with the blip. This is particularly effective as the Marines are left guessing whether the blip coming up on their rear is a fairly harmless single Genestealer, or a pretty worrying pack of three (in the basic game, the most Genestealers under a blip is three). During a turn, the Marine player moves first. Each of his Marines has four Action Points (APs), allowing him to perform various actions (surprise, surprise!) such as moving forward (one point), turning 90 degrees (one point), stepping backward (two points) and firing his weapon (one point). Once each Marine has used all his points, it is the Genestealer's turn. Oh, and did I mention that the Marine player only gets two minutes to take his turn? This is to represent the fact that Genestealers have quicker reflexes than the marines, and what with command lines being slow, if the Marines don't use up their points within this time limit, that's it, turn over… And one of the most important things that a Marine can do is go into Overwatch. This takes two points, but allows the Marine to fire at anything that moves during the Genestealer's turn. Firing is pretty simple; roll two dice, and if either one is a six, you've hit and killed your target. If you miss, and you're stationary, you can take a second shot with a chance to hit of a five or a six. And so on. However, if you are firing on Overwatch, you don't get this accumulated chance to hit, and if you roll a double, your gun jams. And then you're in trouble… There is a little hope, however, in the form of Command Points. The Marine player gets a random number of these each turn (from one to six), and can use them at any time as extra Action Points – even during the Genestealer player's turn. So you might have enough points left over to clear that jam and fire some more shots. But you'd better hit… The Genestealers get six APs, they don't have to pay to turn, and they can go sideways (Terminator armour is so bulky it is impossible to walk sideways in it). So Genestealers are a lot faster (they also have no time limit on their turn). The blips become actual Genestealers when they are spotted, and the counter is replaced by the requisite number of models. The models are nasty representations of a spider-like/reptilian alien with four arms and hooves instead of feet. And when the board starts to fill up with them (usually just prior to a mass swarm at the Marines), it can look pretty frightening. Although the aliens cannot use weapons, and they die in droves whilst charging at the Marines, if one of them does get through the withering hail of Stormer rounds (or the Stormer jams), it can wreak havoc on the Marines. The most important tactic for the Genastealers is the Swarm manoeuvre, where the player piles up his blips just round the corner from the marines, and then converts the whole lot to Genestealers before pouring them round the corner at the beleaguered troops, hoping for a jam or several misses. Once a Genestealer gets through, he can start ripping off heads. In close combat, a Genestealer rolls three dice and takes the highest. The Marine only gets one dice. The highest roll wins, and the loser (usually the Marine, but there are exceptions) is removed from the board. The game mechanics are very simple, and the components are clean and effective. The atmosphere is where the game really shines, however, as the marine player really gets the feel of squeezing down dark, narrow passages, with strange blips and spidery aliens roaming around, trying to rip out their guts (you can almost hear the rapidly escalating 'ping' of the motion sensors). The Genestealer player can usually feel very smug with his hordes of rampaging Genestealers, and rightly so, as most of the missions in the basic set are heavily biased in his favour. But after each game, try turning the tables and swapping sides – give him a taste of his own medicine! There are (or were) three expansions for this game, Deathwing, Genestealer and Space Hulk Campaigns. Deathwing added new weapons for the Marines, including the ever-popular Autocannon, and new rules for pits, crates, and rubble – and Genestealer blips of up to six! Also included were six more missions. Genestealer was the better expansion, levelling the playing field and introducing psychic rules that made the Marines much more powerful. The Genestealer got Hybrids – psychic, half-human aliens who can wield weapons – which helped their cause. This supplement made the two sides much more even. Space Hulk Campaigns was a hard-back book containing several lengthy campaigns which included rules for how each mission affected the next, and so on. A worthy addition to the set. As I noted before, there is a second edition of the game, but I haven't played it. I have seen a few board sections, however, and I must make the comment that they look a hell of a lot better than the originals. The rooms are individualised, with piles of rubbish, torn-off access panels, leaky steam vents and strange machinery (the originals were fairly bland and very samey). The corridors have had a similar makeover, with ripped floor panels, curved walls and litter strewn about. I can't comment on the gameplay, however. But the original was a simple, effective game that conveyed the right atmosphere and level of complexity (even if it was (intentionally) too hard to win with the Marines). My wife and her sister (notorious for not liking/enjoying/understanding such games) really enjoyed the games they played, and wanted more (until they realised that the other missions' maps wouldn't fit on the table and they would have to play on the floor – then they remembered that 'Emmerdale' was on – oh, well!). With loads of missions available, and the capacity to easily create more (along with the extra rules available from various sources which allow you to play Orks or Imperial Guard instead of Marines (although why you'd want to is beyond me…)), Space Hulk also has a lot of replay value. Although it may prove difficult to track down, if you can get hold of it, it would definitely be worth your while (or take a look at the second edition – it may be worth it). Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Space Hulk, First Edition