Space Hulk Board Game (2009) - Games Workshop Limited Re-release

Product Description

From the depths of space an ancient vessel drifts slowly towards the Imperium of Mankind - a space hulk. Within its confines, untold thousands of Genestealers slowly emerge from hibernation. The Space Marines must enter the cramped corridors and tomb-like chambers of the ancient ship to defeat this alien menace. Space Hulk is a board game for two players, recreating the battles fought between the Space Marines and Genestealers. One player commands the Space Marines as they carry out deadly missions in the ancient Space Hulk, and the other commands the horde of Genestealers opposing them. Space Hulk's fast-paced rules simulate the tense atmosphere of a mission deep inside the cramped confines of a derelict space hulk, where split-second decisions are needed for victory. This boxed game contains: a 23-page Rulebook, a 47-page Mission book and 35 finely-detailed, plastic Citadel miniatures, including: 11 Space Marine Terminators, one Space Marine Terminator Librarian, 22 Genestealers, and one Broodlord. Also included are: 105 gaming counters, 24 corridors, 10 rooms, eight crossroads, eight T-junctions, six corner sections, four dead ends, four end pieces, 20 doors with plastic stands, one mission status display, and three plastic mission objectives, including: a dead Space Marine on throne, a Blood Angels artefact and a Cyber-Altered Task Unit. Plus a sand timer and five bone-coloured dice unique to this game.

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #257534 in Toys & Games
• Brand: Space Hulk
• Dimensions: 16.00" h x 4.00" w x 12.00" l, 6.00 pounds

Features

• Long out of Print, this is a highly limited re-release by Games Workshop
• Just released, and already sold out - Never to be released again
• Highly limited numbers

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful.
A few things you should know...
By M. Allen
This is a limited release of a classic boardgame intended for "core" fans of the genre. If you really want a copy you might want to get it now, because there is no telling if there will be a reprinting anytime soon. The "Space Hulk" itself is a massive derilict ship drifting thru space that serves as the setting for the game.

The pics above show assembled and painted minis. The game itself comes unassembled and unpainted. That is part of the hobby for "Games Workshop" fans. It is a heck of a lot of work to get minis to look that nice, but that's part of what makes it worth it for enthusiasts. Everything about this product is very high quality... the rules and scenarios are very well done, the map tiles and tokens are very heavy duty and once assembled, the minis are fantastic.

The game itself is a blast! A fast and brutal 2 player tactical exercise that is complete and devious. One player controls a band of Space Marines attempting to accomplish a mission. The Marines are well armed, but what they start with is what they get. The second player controls hordes of viscious aliens whose sole purpose is to kill the Marines. Each turn more and more aliens swarm into the game making it harder and harder for the Marines. In other words, Player "A" has to do something and Player "B" has to stop him. Space Hulk is about as cutthroat as it gets.

The rules are a model of efficiency and the theme and backstories are very interesting. It's actually fun to read the rulebooks. Space Hulk started out costing $99 but now is creeping up to $149. If there isn't a second release the price will keep going up. That's too bad, because mechanically this game is great. It would be fun and well worth playing with cheaper pieces and components if that is what it would take for further releases of the game.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
An Excellent Re-Release of a Vaunted Relic
By ed3891
Rarely can it be said that Games Workshop gets a game release 100% right - but in the case of the third edition of Space Hulk, the boys from Britain managed just that.

Space Hulk, as a stand-alone game, is a challenging enterprise for two players and intended entirely for veterans of the Warhammer 40,000 mythos. One will command squads of Terminator Space Marines seeking to accomplish objectives within the confines of a ghostly, derelict vessel and the other attempts to destroy these Marines with a never-ending tide of vicious alien monstrosities. The plastic miniatures provided for each side are meticulously detailed, ranking among the best ever put out by GW. As with previous iterations of the game, these miniatures are 28mm in scale and can be used in standard battles of 40K. They're an absolute joy to paint, representing a real challenge for any self-respecting hobbyist seeking to improve his or her skills.

The rules are well laid out and significantly better balanced than the previous edition: no longer will the alien player simply steamroll veteran gamers taking charge of the Marines. The game set itself is extremely durable. Unlike the previous releases (which featured relatively thin and flimsy card board pieces) this version of Space Hulk uses thick, heavy sheets of glossy, layered composite board that ensures repeated use will not put significant wear and tear on the set. The array of doors and accent pieces are virtually unique, making them eye candy as much as the miniatures.

The shame of Space Hulk is the nature of its limited release: printed only in the latter half of 2009 for a much cheaper price tag than the current (at the time of this writing) $189.99 value, it is an increasingly rare sight with online sellers and completely unobtainable off-the-shelf in Games Workshop stores. Should one have the available cash to spare, this is a worthwhile purchase no dedicated Space Marine or Tyranid player should be without.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
A phenomenal edition.
By William M. Silvey
This is an amazing game for Warhammer 40k and Space Hulk fans. It combines elements of the original Space Hulk (released in 1989) and expansions, plus some gameplay from the 2nd edition released in the mid-90s. The miniatures are, despite being plastic, are nicely sculpted. However, some of the genestealer miniatures are impractical; there's no way the "jumping from the rafters" sculpts can stand up - if you buy one of these (and if you do you're an enthusiast - at $329 nowadays this is not a casual purchase - so you'll know what I mean when I say this) you WILL need to add bases to many of the genestealers. These are not the single-pose, interchangeable with the tabletop game minis that were in the 2nd edition set. Additionally, the Marine miniatures are all in "action poses", and they're cast from a fire-red plastic, making repainting "interesting" to say the least.

The board pieces and game tokens are much more sturdy than the 2nd edition (or 1st edition) pieces, made from heavily embossed cardboard at least a quarter of an inch thick. I'd guess in a pinch the 1e and 2e pieces could be used with the 3e set for massive "wars" taking place within a 'Hulk.

Rules wise the game is pretty gonzo, and again includes rules for psykers on both sides - a glaring omission from 2e. The custom "shooting" dice from 2e are replaced with simple d6s again, and the sand timer for marine actions is back. The scenarios are all fairly well balanced; "suicide" missions are marked as such, and of course a full campaign can be played.

I bought mine in 2010 when they were "only" $150 or so retail, and as good as it is I felt it was a bargain. Visually the whole game is sumptuous; I'm glad I bought it. Now, at $329? That's a question only you can answer. If you've got the 2e set and only play occasionally, you're probably better off not investing the money. But if you've never played and are a 40k enthusiast you could do worse than to pick this set up, and as noted you do get a few nice miniatures (although, again, they lack the utility of the terminators and genestealers that came with the 1e and 2e sets).

See all 5 customer reviews...