Overview

The latest version of the mission (version 5 variant 2) can be downloaded here.

With the upcoming refresh to the Adeptus Astartes Terminator models, it would be an understatement to say that I'm excited. I'm dusting this project off, resurrecting it as a Club so that all associated work, especially images and files, can be found more easily. The basic purpose of the project remains the same: develop some expanded rules for the 3rd/4th editions of Space Hulk. The core of this is expanding the weapons, characters, and missions (and ideally presenting some campaigns). Yes, the project is still confined to Adeptus/Heretic Astartes and Genestealers. Two additions are: adding solo play rules in which a single player can control the Terminators against AI-controlled Genestealers expanding the character options further, starting with adding Terminator Lieutenants (which don't exist in WH40K yet, but it's not difficult to envision them) The project remains limited as an expansion to the official rules, meaning we won't present the official rules here and will only show the unofficial stuff. This is unfortunate for those of us that don't have the actual game, but it's a protection for the B&C (we don't want to get a C&D from GW, after all).

After reviewing the preliminary rulebook and trying to take the perspective of someone completely new to it (i.e., not as the guy that compiled it), I see a significant gap in that it's purpose isn't stated well. Actually, there are two purposes, and one of those is sorely lacking. The first purpose is to allow players to substitute models. So in a mission that calls for the Sergeant with a power sword, a player might take a Sergeant with a thunder hammer instead (and not the one with a thunder hammer and storm shield). Or a player might take Chaos Space Marines instead of the Blood Angels. These are basic model substitutions that are only significant if you do something dumb (i.e., you take a model with an assault cannon instead of the heavy flamer in missions where you need to burn stuff). The second purpose, and the one that is sorely lacking, is creating custom missions. The whole Expanded Battlefield section is full of stuff that is (hopefully) fun to add into custom missions. However, no real guidance is given on actually creating missions. Part of this is that the official guidance is found in the mission files, which many of us don't have (though there are probably bootleg copies to be found online). This part was planned for a follow-on "issue," but it is really the core of the whole project, so it needs to go in this document.

D'oh! And I forgot that I'd added the Deathwatch items (just those available to models in Terminator armour): Combat Shield When fighting a close assault to his front a Space Marine armed with a combat shield can parry an attack, just as if armed with a power sword. If the Space Marine is armed with another item or weapon that confers a parry, the combat shield grants an additional parry. Digital Weapons When fighting a close assault to his front a Space Marine armed with digital weapons may roll one additional dice. Power Fist with auxiliary Meltagun Same as a power fist and the melta portion of a combi-meltagun, but is not subject to the Limited Ammunition rule.

I made a few more changes in the preliminary copy (just mentioning them here since they're about weapons): The relic blade adds 1 to the assault roll. A single lightning claw only does 1D6 + 1 in assault. I'm also looking at a few more changes. I was just re-reading Space Hulk Campaigns (1st edition Space Hulk) and I saw a few things I'd forgotten about, mostly regarding flamers (affects the combi-flamer) and [reaper] autocannons. Changing flamers is iffy. The only real change would be an improvement in their chance to kill from 5 or better to 4 or better. The only reason I'm waivering on this is because flamers were introduced as an alternative to the heavy flamer, for power armoured Space Marines. The combi-flamer is meant as a optional nice-to-have. Of course, that also means that the minor improvement likely won't be game-breaking in any way. The reaper autocannon has a few changes. First, the 1st edition Space Hulk version didn't allow the free move and fire - the model had to be standing still to use it. Second, the 1st edition Space Hulk version could benefit from sustained fire. So I'm thinking that those are easy changes, sort of balancing each other out.

I made a few minor tweaks. The relic blade adds 1 to the assault roll. A single lightning claw only does 1D6 + 1 in assault. I've also uploaded a preliminary version of the rulebook into the Downloads section here (it's a lot easier to read than the discussions, and the reference tables on the back page provide a better comparison). I rearranged some things. For example, anything that is peculiar to the Dark Angels is in a separate section. This includes their characters and weapons. The reference tables are organized similarly. There is a lot that I'm looking at rewriting, not so much with the specific rules, but more in terms of clarifying explanations, etc.

Looking at the Grey Knights weapons, I'm inclined to make a few changes. NEMESIS FALCHIONS A Grey Knights Space Marine armed with Nemesis falchions fighting a close assault to his front rolls an additional dice in close assault. When on guard the model may re-roll one of the two dice, not both. In addition, when fighting a close assault to his front a Grey Knights Space Marine armed with Nemesis falchions can parry an attack as if armed with a power sword. NEMESIS FORCE HALBERD Same as power lance. This makes Nemesis falchions sort of like lightning claws, but with the parry of a power sword. Unfortunately, it makes the Nemesis force sword redundant. In addition, I'm adding the following for Grey Knights (pending revisions): ...Each Grey Knights Space Marine will be armed with either an incinerator, psilencer, or psycannon, or with a Nemesis weapon (see below) and a storm bolter. PSYKERS All Grey Knights Space Marines are psykers. Grey Knights Librarians start each mission with 20 psi points. All other Grey Knights Space Marines start each mission with 5 psi points. All Grey Knights Space Marines may use their psi points to charge their Nemesis weapons (see below). In addition, Grey Knights Librarians may use Psychic Powers as a Librarian (see the Space Hulk Rulebook). NEMESIS WEAPONS Nemesis weapons include the Nemesis daemon hammer, Nemesis falchions, Nemesis force halberd, Nemesis force sword, and Nemesis warding stave. Psi points can be used to add a bonus to the Grey Knights Space Marine’s dice roll in close assault, just as a Librarian’s force axe.

- Reaper Autocannon (Chaos Marine & Death Guard Blightlord Terminators) - Power Scythe (Death Guard Deathshroud Terminators) - Chainaxe (Chaos Marine Terminators) - Soulreaper Cannon (Scarab Occult Terminators) - Plaguespurt Gauntlets (Death Guard Deathshroud Terminators) - Short range Plague Weapon hand-flamer - Blight Launcher, Plague Spewer, Balesword, Bubotic Axe, Flail of Corruption (Death Guard Blightlord Terminators) - Plague Weapon Grenade Launcher, Plague Weapon flamer, Plague Weapon Power Sword, Plague Weapon Power Axe, Plague Weapon that causes wounds to spill over if it kills something - Plague Belcher (Plague Marines) - Plague Weapon heavy flamer I don't have the Thousand Sons codex, but I've got Chaos Space Marines 2 and Death Guard codices.

Are there weapons unique to the (new) Chaos Space Marines, Death Guard, or Thousand Sons that need to be added? I don't have any of these 8th edition codices, so I'm relying on other players to help me make these complete.

Return to INDEX DEATHWATCH WEAPONS (clean) COMBAT SHIELD When fighting a close assault to his front a Space Marine armed with a combat shield can parry an attack, just as if armed with a power sword. If the Space Marine is armed with another item or weapons that confers a parry, the combat shield grants an additional parry. DIGITAL WEAPONS When fighting a close assault to his front a Space Marine armed with digital weapons may roll one additional dice. POWER FIST WITH AUXILIARY MELTAGUN Same as a power fist and the melta portion of a combi-meltagun, but is not subject to the Limited Ammunition rule.

Codex: Deathwatch was released after this project was initiated, and that codex allowed for Terminators within the Deathwatch. So it's necessary to further expand the weapons rules to include the following. Note that these are an initial stab at things. We'll need to discuss in order to refine/finalize them. Return to INDEX DEATHWATCH WEAPONS (changes) COMBAT SHIELD When fighting a close assault to his front a Space Marine armed with a combat shield can parry an attack, just as if armed with a power sword. If the Space Marine is armed with another item or weapons that confers a parry, the combat shield grants an additional parry. DIGITAL WEAPONS When fighting a close assault to his front a Space Marine armed with digital weapons may roll one additional dice. POWER FIST WITH AUXILIARY MELTAGUN Same as a power fist and the melta portion of a combi-meltagun, but is not subject to the Limited Ammunition rule. The idea with the combat shield is simply that you get one (additional) parry with it. If you don't have a power sword or the like, you get one parry from the combat shield. If you have a power sword or the like, you get an additional parry. Only Watch Captains may take this, so it will only enhance one model. Digital weapons are another story - the WH40K version (7th edition) lets you re-roll one To Wound roll with them. I'm assuming the 8th edition version are roughly similar, but I don't have the codex. I've basically done a straight translation of that, though this makes it more powerful since there is only the one roll in Space Hulk (though in this case, it's contested). Only the Watch Captain can take this, so it's only affecting one model that isn't taken in most missions. The power fist with auxiliary meltagun is pretty much a straight translation from WH40K (7th edition) to Space Hulk. This is actually very powerful because any model in a Deathwatch Terminator squad can take this upgrade, and there is no points cost in Space Hulk. For that reason, I'm considering making it a one-use item (i.e., removing the portion about Limited Ammunition not applying) in order to shift the balance back to the middle. Thoughts?

I'm dusting this project off. Much of the work I'd done previously in terms of a document for print was lost due to a computer crash and poor preparation (i.e., I hadn't backed up), so I've been reworking things. The rules as they currently stand are being prepared for a preview version, including necessary diagrams, but minus all of the images. Several members gave permission to use images of their finished minis, so I'll track those down to makes things nice. The preview version will have limited frills - it will be designed to be printer-friendly (i.e., text, necessary diagrams, a few images here and there, but no border decorations, background images, etc.). I've switched from a Black Templars crusade to the Legio - I might as well use our mascot Chapter for the initial campaign. Some members were going to be featured in a document for the Shadow War: Armageddon challenges, but GW has dropped support for that game so I'm transferring those members' rewards to this project (yes, GW is giving scant support to this game, too, but I see them giving periodic support, such as the Genestealer Cult rules they released a while back). I still don't have the 4th edition mission files, so I'll reference them and anything in these rules that is covered therein will simply be presented as an alternative for the folks like me. Anyone that has the mission files should use the official rules instead of these unofficial rules. So my big focus, other than getting appropriate Legio minis assembled/painted (and Genestealers!) is to get the additional missions for the campaign and to shift to work on terrain ideas (i.e., tiles and homemade Space Hulk terrain).

[post=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/279205-stage-2-mission-1/?p=3441255]First mission (Forcible Entry)[/post] playtest is underway (has been underway for awhile, but stalled due to GW's decision to make the mission packs limited in their availability via platform) so I'm going to move forward with the rest of the campaign. Much of that will depend upon the assistance provided by others. Some of the missions will simply recycle official missions, though with lore re-written for the Black Templars (and the sequence of the missions will not match the official sequence - this is a different space hulk, after all).

I'll be playtesting the revised mission again soon, but I'd definitely appreciate if others could conduct their own playtests and provide reports and recommendations for improvement.

We're going to press forward with these rules. For those units/Chapters for which official rules were provided in mission packs, we'll simply point to those rules while continuing to provide these rules as homegrown alternatives for those players who, like me, don't have access to the mission packs.

We're going to press forward with this. For those weapons for which rules were provided in the mission packs, we'll point to those mission packs as the official rules while continuing to provide these rules as a homegrown alternative for those that don't have access to the packs (like me).

Consider the lift rules stricken from the register as the "4th edition" of the game (or 3.5, if you prefer) includes rules for lifts. We'll simply point to the official rules.

Okay, this project has languished because of the mission packs (i.e., I don't and won't be able to read them as long as they are strictly ifiles). At this point, I will simply add references to the mission packs for those elements that appear therein (though I might keep our homegrown rules for alternatives in case players don't have access to the official ifiles). However, I'll probably publish the rules as part of the Legio Imprint format, either individual articles spread across multiple generalist issues or all of the base articles in a themed issue (see the Legio Imprint sub-forum within the Special Projects forum if you're wondering what I mean). Campaigns, meanwhile, might be published as "LI Lites" or as part of one or more themed issues.

I have all of the old stuff, but thanks anyways.

Multiplayer is outside the scope of what we'll be doing, but it's certainly okay to post additional ideas for Space Hulk in either/both the Other Games and Homegrown Rules forums (Other Games would probably be better).

Is it possible to post an idea from boardgame geek site here. I saw a great multiplayer idea using two space hulk sets. I can post it here if it is permissiable. I think I have some forgotten files from the original space hulk regarding expanded rules and using different armies. e.g. orks.

do you need any of the old expansion rules from the previous edition of space hulk? I happen to have several links and files regarding different races used in the game. Most of it relies on a point system when two players use different races other than marines and genestealers.

Given that, the power lance doesn't compare in power with the power fist or force axe, so it wouldn't rate an additional d6. Lasguns, combat knives, and guardsmen are irrelevant as they do not (and will not) appear in Space Hulk. Keep in mind the closed nature of the game - it is just Terminators versus Genestealers. All we care about is the comparison of the weapons with the enemy. When we get to other antagonists, we will basically utilize Space Hulk concepts in similarly closed systems (i.e., comparing the antagonists).