Space Hulk (1989)
Space Hulk Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
The Genestealers are a race of aliens who seek to conquer the universe. They travel in huge, ancient, nearly derelict vessels, commonly known as space hulks, until they find a suitable planet to 'colonize.'
A victim of the Stealer truly suffers a fate worse than death. Injected with the Stealer's egg, the victim becomes an unknowing carrier of the Stealer's DNA pattern, and his children are born as Genestealers. These creatures, in turn, infect other humans, until the entire planet is taken over.
The Emperor of Human Space has recently become aware of the Stealers' activities and is taking immediate steps to isolate and stamp out the attack - but at a terrible price - the Emperor's Inquisitors ruthlessly sterilize tainted planets, wiping out their populations to the last man, woman, and child.
Though thus far 100% effective in stopping the spread of the Stealers beyond the infected planets, this solution is not without its drawbacks. In addition to the obvious loss of life and resources, if news of the scorched earth policy spreads, local governments may naturally become reticent about telling the Imperium that they have been infiltrated, making the job of crushing the invasion all that much more difficult. Therefore, great efforts are being made to search out the invading vessels and attack and destroy them before they have a chance to infect any more planets.
Enter the Space Marines.
THE RULES
The first thing you have to do to play Space Hulk is read these rules. They aren't particularly long or difficult, and we've included lots of diagrams and examples to help explain the more complicated ideas. Don't try to memorize this book on the first go; all you really need to begin play is a grasp of how things work - you can look up the particulars as you need during the game.
The first section of the rules, entitled How to Play This Game, provides an overview of the entire game. Once you've read that, you'll have a good understanding of what the various rules mechanics are meant to accomplish and how they fit in the overall scheme.
The Missions
Once you have read the rules and assembled the pieces, you are ready to begin play. At this point, you will have to decide which of the Missions, appearing in the Mission and Background book, you wish to play. The Missions tell how to arrange the boards to recreate a section of the space hulk, where the men and aliens begin play, when and where reinforcements (if any) arrive, and what you need to do to win. Each Mission is different from the rest; each presents its own unique challenge.
We've included six Missions with the game, and once you've played for a bit and have a feel for what makes a balanced, exciting game of Space Hulk, you can easily create your own.
HOW TO PLAY THIS GAME
In Space Hulk, one player takes the role of the Space Marines, fanatical warriors dedicated to the destruction of the enemies of the Emperor of all Human Space, equipped with awesome weaponry and massive Terminator armor; and the other player takes the roll of the Genestealers, fast, vicious, and super-humanly strong alien creatures. The game takes place aboard a massive derelict vessel known as a space hulk, in which the aliens are invading Human Space.
THE MAP
The map of Space Hulk is variable - it may be set up in different ways to represent different areas within the huge vessel. Each of the six Missions provided in Space Hulk gives a different map set-up.
Sections
The individual pieces that make up the maps are called corridor and room sections. Their edges are cut so they interlock with each other and won't slip apart in the heat of the game. The sections also have a game function, in that they determine the area of effect of Marine flamer attacks (described in more detail below).
Squares
Each map section is divided into squares. No more than one piece may ever occupy a single square, and a piece cannot move through an occupied square. This means that they cannot pass each other in the cramped, one square-wide corridors of the space hulk - so if your Flamer Marine is at the back of the Squad, and you want him to burn out the concentration of Genestealers lurking ahead, first you've got to get everybody out of the way!
Doors
The Missions tell you where to place door counters on the map. Door counters represent the airlocks and blast-doors dotting the huge vessel. Both sides can open or close the doors. However, since Genestealers like to lurk out of sight behind the doors and pounce upon unwary Marines, smart Marines often blow the doors right out of the walls instead of using the simple opening mechanism, thus denying their opponents a place to hide.
Interestingly, the doors no longer serve their original purpose as airlocks. The ship has been hit by so many asteroids during its ages-long voyage through space that all of the atmosphere within has leaked out. Somehow, the Genestealers are able to survive in the hard vacuum. The Space Marines, protected by their Terminator armor, are similarly unaffected - but they die horribly if their suits are punctured.
Entry Areas
As you'll notice from the diagram above, a number of corridors lead off the map. In the Missions, certain of these corridors are designated Stealer Entry Areas, which means that the Genestealers can use them to bring reinforcements into play.
THE PLAYING PIECES
THE MARINES
Depending upon the Mission, the Marine player has one or two Squads of Space Marines under his command. Each Squad contains five Marines: one Sergeant, one Flamer Marine, and three Marines. Each of the Marines is dressed in Terminator armor, a powerful exoskeleton that makes him much stronger than a normal human and able to withstand the most hostile environment. Each Marine is also equipped with a mighty power glove.
Marine Sergeants - These are the commanders of the Squads. They are particularly powerful in hand-to-hand (or hand-to-claw) combat with the Genestealers. Loss of the Sergeants will effect the amount of time the Marine player has to complete his turn (see below). The Marine Sergeants are armed with storm bolters.
Flamer Marines - These Marines are armed with six-shot heavy flamers. Heavy flamers are powerful weapons that fill entire corridor or room sections with flames, possibly destroying any or all Genestealers within.
Marines - The Space Marines are armed with storm bolters. Extremely effective against individual Genestealers at long range, a Marine is in real trouble if a Stealer gets within clawing distance!
THE GENESTEALERS
The Genestealer player has a virtually unlimited number of Stealers under his command. Though he usually gets only a few at the beginning of the Mission, more and more reinforcements arrive as the game progresses.
Blips
When first brought into play, the Stealer player's forces appear as Blip counters. Blip counters represent one, two, or three Genestealers moving about the corridors of the space hulk. The Space Marine player is not sure how many aliens he is facing until one of his Marines sees a Blip, or the Stealer player chooses to 'convert' the Blip (usually because those Stealers are about to attack).
Genestealers
When the Stealer player is ready to attack, or when a Marine sees a Blip, the Blip counter is turned over to show how many Stealers are there. At that point, the counter is removed from the board, and replaced with Genestealer models. Twenty Stealer models are the maximum number that the Stealer player can have in play at any one time. However, the Stealer player can reuse killed Stealer models - and there will probably be a lot of dead Stealers by the end of the game!
Genestealers have no long-range weaponry - in fact, they don't use weapons at all. They attack by running up to their opponent and doing something nasty to him with their bare claws. This is risky, considering the awesome firepower of the Marines, but if they can get close, the Stealers are extremely lethal in close assault combat.
TURNS
Space Hulk is played in turns - a Marine player's turn, followed by a Genestealer player's turn. The turns are further divided into a number of smaller parts, called phases. Specific things happen in each phase, and it is important that you do them in the proper order, at the proper time.
In game terminology, the order of turns and phases within a game is called the sequence of play. Space Hulk's sequence of play is as follows:
SEQUENCE OF PLAY
Marine Player's Turn
Set Timer Phase: The Marine player is under time pressure. Because the Genestealers are so much faster than humans, the Marine Sergeants must think and act fast, or their squad is dead. To simulate this, the Marine player has only three minutes to move his pieces. To make matters even worse, if a Marine Sergeant is ever killed, the Marine player has even less time to make his move!
In the Set Timer Phase, the Stealer player announces the beginning of the Marine player's turn. From then on, he keeps track of the passage of time on a stopwatch or wristwatch; once three minutes have passed, the Marine player's turn is over.
Command Phase: During this phase, the Marine player randomly draws a Command Counter, numbered from one to six, to find out how many Command Points he has. The Marine player uses Command Points (also called CPs) to have his Marines perform exceptional feats.
The Marine player keeps the number of Command Points he has secret from the Genestealer player until the Endphase at the end of the Genestealer player's turn.
Action Phase: This is when the Marines move, fire, open and close doors, and perform other actions. A turn represents a very short period of time - five to ten seconds - and a Marine can only do so much in that time. Thus, each action the Marine might take is assigned an Action Point (AP) Cost, and each Marine has 4 Action Points (APs) per turn.
For example, a Marine must pay 2 APs to move one square backwards and 1 AP to fire a storm bolter. During a turn, he could fire his bolter four times or move backwards 2 squares, or move backwards one square and fire his bolter twice - he could perform any Actions he wished in any orders, as long as he didn't spend more than 4 APs.
In addition, the Marine player can spend some or all of the Command Points he gained during the Command Phase to have Marines perform actions totaling more than 4 APs.
Following is a list of the actions the Marines can perform:
Move: The Marine moves to an empty adjacent square. The AP cost varies depending upon whether he is moving forward or backwards.
Turn: The Marine turns while staying in the same square.
Fire Bolter: The Marine fires at a target in front of him. The Marine can't fire through other models and he can't fire if the target is to the side or behind him. When a Marine fires a bolter, the Marine player rolls two dice: if either of the dice turns up 6 or the Marine rolls double 6s, the target is destroyed and removed from the map. If the Marine repeatedly fires at the same target, he gets a sustained fire bonus, and his chance of hitting increases - on the second shot he needs to roll a 5 or 6 on either dice, and on the third and subsequent shots he needs to roll a 4, 5, or 6.
Move and Fire Bolter: The Marine moves one square and fires a bolter at a target. He doesn't get a sustained fire bonus if he is moving and firing.
Set Overwatch: When the Marine player expects a horde of Genestealers to come rampaging down a hallway at a Marine, he may put the Marine into Overwatch mode. This is indicated by placing an Overwatch marker by the model. In Overwatch, the Marine fires at anything that moves in the Stealer Action Phase (provided he can see it). He doesn't get a sustained fire bonus for Overwatch. Flamer Marines cannot be put in Overwatch, only Marines with storm bolters.
Overwatch is usually quite effective, even without the sustained fire bonus, but there are risks. If the Marine player rolls doubles, the Marine's bolter jams and becomes unable to fire, leaving the Marine quite helpless until he can clear the jam.
Clear Jam: A Marine with a jammed bolter can clear the weapon and make it ready to fire once again. Jams occur only when the Marine player rolls doubles during Overwatch. They never occur during any other kind of bolter fire.
Fire Flamer: Flamer Marines fire their flamers at entire board sections, not individual targets. The Marine player rolls a dice for each piece in the section - Stealers and Marines. The piece is destroyed on a roll of 2-6.
In addition, flamer fire blocks passage through corridors and rooms for the next Stealer player's turn. A Flamer marker is placed in a burning corridor section to denote that it may not be entered; it is removed in the next Endphase.
Flamer Marines carry limited ammunition; after six flamer shots they're out of juice for the rest of the game.
Open or Close Door: The Marine may open or close a door if he is facing towards it.
Close Assault: This is an act of desperation for a Space Marine, since he is quite likely to come out much the worse - i.e., dead - from the battle. In close assault combat, each side rolls one or more dice, and the highest individual dice-roll wins. A Space Marine or Flamer Marine rolls one dice, a Marine Sergeant rolls one dice and adds one to the roll, and a Genestealer rolls three dice and picks the highest roll. The loser is destroyed and removed from play; a tie has no effect.
The Marine player's turn ends when he has completed his move, or time runs out.
Stealer Action Phase
The Genestealer player moves his Genestealers and Blips in much the same way as the Marine player moves Marines. However, Genestealers have 6 APs, two more than the Marines. Also, some actions cost different amounts of APs for Genestealers and Blips, and some actions are prohibited for Blips - most importantly, Blips cannot attack.
Since they have no weapons, Genestealers are quite vulnerable to the Marines' firepower. During the game, they often stay just out of sight of the Marines, waiting until they have enough reinforcements to attack in wave assaults. Even these tactics are not necessarily going to be successful, especially if the Marine player has saved some Command Points to use to mow down huge numbers of the onrushing Stealers. However, if a Stealer survives the fire and reaches the Marines, he is quite likely to destroy one or more of them in Close Assault combat.
The Stealer player's turn ends once he has finished moving his pieces.
Endphase
The players check to see if either side has won. If not, the game continues. The Marine player shows the Stealer player the CP counter he drew, to prove that he didn't spend more CPs than he had available, and Flamer markers and Overwatch counters are taken off the map.
THAT'S THE GAME!
In a nutshell, that's how you play Space Hulk. The following rules provide specific details, but now you have a good overview of the game. Keep it in mind as you are reading, so that you have an idea on how each rule fits in the framework of the game.
GENESTEALER'S TURN
Blessed with remarkably efficient nervous systems, Genestealers think and act much faster than Humans do. Therefore, in Space Hulk, the Genestealer player is not under time pressure to complete his move. The timer is not used during the Genestealer player's turn.
Stealer Reinforcement Phase
During this phase, the Genestealer player takes a number of Blip counters, usually one, two, or three per turn, as determined by the Mission. He looks at them to find out how many Stealers they represent, and then places them face-down in Stealer entry areas. Stealers in entry areas do not have to move onto the board immediately after entering play; they may lurk in the entry areas for as long as the Stealer player wishes. Stealers in entry areas cannot be harmed in any way by the Space Marines.
GETTING READY FOR PLAY
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First decide who is going to play the Genestealers and who is going to play the Space Marines, then pick a Mission from the six provided in the Mission and Background book.
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Set up the map according to the Mission instructions.
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Take out one or two Marine Squads (as per the Forces section of the Mission), and set aside six Flamer counters for each Flamer Marine in play.
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Take the six Command counters and place them in a cup; take the Blip counters, turn them face-down, shuffle them, and place them in the box top. Place the Stealer models within easy reach of the Stealer player.
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The Genestealer player deploys his starting forces (if any), then the Marine player places his forces, at the locations allowed according to the Deployment section of the Mission.
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The Stealer player starts the timer; the Marine player pulls a Command counter; and play begins.
IMPORTANT!
You need a wristwatch or clock with a second hand to play Space Hulk!
THE MAP
The terms corridor and room are used interchangeably throughout these rules; there is no difference between corridors and rooms except that rooms are wider than corridors.
TURN SEQUENCE
Space Hulk is played in turns. Each game begins with a Marine player's turn, which is followed by a Stealer player's turn. Play alternates between the two for the duration of the game.
Each turn is further divided into phases. To make sure that everything is done properly, follow the exact sequence shown below.
MARINE PLAYER'S TURN
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Set Timer Phase - The Stealer player announces the beginning of the Marine Player's turn and starts the timer (see below).
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Command Phase - The Marine player takes a Command Point counter at random to find out how many Command Points he has.
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Marine Actions Phase - The Marine player gets to activate and move, fire, close assault and/or put into Overwatch his Marines. Once the Marine player has finished (or runs out of time; see below), it is the Stealer player's turn.
STEALER PLAYER'S TURN
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Stealer Reinforcement Phase - The Stealer player takes any reinforcement Blips he is due that turn and places them in Stealer entry areas (see p25).
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Stealer Actions Phase - The Stealer player activates any or all of his pieces. He may move his Blips or convert them into Stealer models, and he may move and/or close assault with any or all of his Stealers. The Marine player may spend Command Points to move, fire, and/or close assault with his Marines.
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Endphase - During this phase, various record-keeping tasks are taken care of. The Stealer player removes Flamer and Overwatch counters; the Marine player reveals the Command Point counter drawn that turn; and the players check to see if either side has won. If not, the Stealer player starts the timer and announces the beginning of a new Marine player turn.
THE TIMER
Genestealers are fast - much faster than humans. A turn of Space Hulk represents just a few seconds of real time; for the Space Marines, survival depends upon their commander making split-second decisions. There's no time to carefully weigh all the options. Act fast, or you're dead. We simulate this in the game by putting the Marine player under time pressure.
To play Space Hulk, you need some kind of timer. A stopwatch is perfect; just about any watch or clock with a second hand is fine, as well.
HOW TO USE THE TIMER
The Marine player has just three minutes to complete his turn. When the Stealer player has finished his turn, he begins timing the Marine player. Once three minutes have passed, the Space Marine player's turn ends immediately (except that he may roll for the outcome of one fire or assault combat he announced before time was up).
During the Marine Player's turn, the Stealer player announces the passage of time, calling off each minute as it passes, and then counting down the last minute in fifteen-second intervals - for example, "Okay, begin. You have three minutes. - two minutes... one minute... forty-five seconds... - thirty seconds... fifteen seconds... time's up!"
Game Note: This is a lot of fun, especially when your opponent is dithering during a critical turn!
LOSING COMMANDERS
When a Squad's Sergeant is killed, one of the remaining Marines takes over. The new commander is less experienced, and probably won't be as decisive as the Sergeant he is replacing. When this happens in the game, the Marine player gets even less time to complete his move!
You lose thirty seconds of time for each of your Sergeants killed (or not in play to begin with). Therefore, if you've got only one Sergeant in play, you have only two minutes and thirty seconds to make your move; if both are gone, you have just two minutes.
FIRST-TIME PLAYERS
Novice Marine players get four minutes per turn instead of three. (They still lose thirty seconds of time for each commander killed.)
THE ACTION PHASE
During your Action Phase, you move and fight with your pieces. You move and fight with your pieces one at a time, completing one piece's move before you start another's. When you are moving or fighting with a piece, it is said to be the active piece.
In your Action Phase, you may activate some, none, or all of your pieces. You never have to activate a piece: it may sit there doing nothing for as long as you want - or as long as your opponent lets it survive!
ACTIVATION
You may activate your pieces in any order you choose, but each piece may be activated only once per turn, and you may activate only one piece at a time. Once you have finished with one piece and activated another, you cannot activate the previous piece until your next turn.
ACTION POINTS (APs)
When activated, each piece receives a number of Action Points (APs), which you spend to have that piece move, fight, or perform other actions. The piece can do any actions it can afford; it may perform all different actions or the same action over and over. You don't have to spend all of a piece's available APs during a turn, but any leftover APs are lost when you activate another piece or your turn ends.
Space Marines receive 4 APs Genestealers and Blips receive 6 APs
The AP costs of actions represents the amount of time it takes for a piece to perform that action. AP costs are listed on the following table.
ACTION POINTS TABLE
ACTIONS POINTS ALLOWANCE
- Space Marine: 4 APs per Activation Phase
- Genestealers and Blips: 6 APs per Activation Phase
ACTION POINTS COST
| Action | Marine | Genestealers | Blip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move Forward 1 square | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Move Backwards 1 square | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Move Sideways 1 square | - | 2 | 1 |
| Turn 90° | 1 | 0* | - |
| Turn 180° | 2 | 1 | - |
| Fire Storm Bolter | 1 | - | - |
| Set Overwatch Fire | 2 | - | - |
| Clear Jammed Bolter | 1 | - | - |
| Move Forwards & Fire Bolter | 1 | - | - |
| Move Backwards & Fire Bolter | 2 | - | - |
| Fire Flamer | 2 | - | - |
| Close Assault | 1 | 1 | - |
| Open/Close Door | 1 | 1 | 1 |
* If the Stealer makes two 90° turns in a row, he's really making one 180° turn, and must pay 1 AP to do so.
Example of Spending APs: It is the Marine player's Action Phase. He activates a Marine, who can now spend 4 APs. The Marine moves forward and fires (1 AP), misses, moves forward and fires again (1 AP), misses again, moves forward and fires a third time (1 AP), this time hitting and destroying the Stealer (and having spent a total of 3 APs to do so). Heaving a sigh of relief the Marine player activates another Space Marine. The first Marine can't be activated until the Marine player's next turn; his leftover AP is wasted.
MARINE COMMAND POINTS
Marine Squads sent into the space hulk are in constant communication with a command center back on the assault vessel. Each Squad is under the command of a Lieutenant, who monitors Terminator progress via small cameras mounted on the Squad's helmets, integrating their movement within that of the entire assault team.
These Lieutenants are often quite helpful in combat, urging the Marines on to greater efforts, pointing out advancing Stealers that the Marines might not have seen, offering tactical suggestions, and so forth. In Space Hulk, the Lieutenants are represented by Command Points (CPs).
Genestealers have no CPs; only the Marine player gets them.
GAINING COMMAND POINTS
At the start of the game, take the six Command Point counters and place them in an opaque container, such as a cup. During the Command Phase, pull one of these out of the cup to find out how many Command Points you get to spend during that turn and the following Genestealer player's turn.
After you have drawn a Command counter, look at it and place it face-down in front of you.
The CPs must be spent during your turn or the next Genestealer player's turn; you may not save them until your following turn. Any CPs left over after the Stealer player's turn are lost.
Important! Don't tell the Stealer player how many Command Points you have until the Endphase!
Playing Tip: Since the maximum number of CPs you can receive is six, if you spend six CPs during your turn, the Stealer player will know that you don't have any left to spend during his turn. However, if you spend, say, two during your turn, he can't be sure if that's because that's all you had to spend, or because you're saving the CPs to hit him later!
SPENDING COMMAND POINTS
Command Points are exactly like Action Points, except that you can spend them on any of your Marines, active or inactive, and you can spend them during your Action Phase and the Stealer player's Action Phase.
Example of Spending CPs: The Marine player has drawn a 4 Command Point counter. He can spend 4 CPs any time during his or the following Stealer turn to have his pieces perform extra actions costing up to 4 APs: a Marine could Move Forwards & Shoot four times, two Marines could each make Flamer shots; one Marine could Shoot and three others could Move Forwards a square, and so forth.
Revealing the Command Counter
You reveal the Command Point counter to the Stealer player during the Endphase. If you spent more CPs than you had, you lose immediately.
After you have revealed the Command Point counter, place it back in the cup with the other counters.
Keeping Track of Command Points You Have Spent
Though you shouldn't tell the Stealer player how many total CPs you received during the Command Phase, you must tell him how many you are spending as you spend them.
As you spend CPs, you keep track of the number you have spent with one of the dice. When you haven't spent any CPs, put the dice off to one side; when you spend one or more CPs, turn the dice's face to show the total points you have spent and place it on top of the Command Point counter. If you spend more points later on, simply turn the dice to show the new total.
Example of Keeping Track of CPs: If you spent two CPs to have a Marine fire his flamer, you would turn the Command Dice so that it showed 2 and place it on top of the Command Point counter. If later in the turn you spent another point you would then turn the dice to 3.
Spending CPs During Your Action Phase
During the Marine Action Phase, you can spend CPs on any Marine in any way you wish. In fact, you can spend CPs on one Marine while another is active; the active Marine does not become inactive as a result. You can also spend CPs in combination with Action Points (thus, you can spend 1 CP and 1 AP to have an active Marine perform a 2 AP action).
Example of Spending CPs During Marine's Action Phase: The Marine player has two Command Points. Neither of the two Marines shown has been activated yet. He wishes to flame the two Stealers around the corner but the Marine is in the way of his Flamer Marine. He spends 1 CP to move the Marine into the side corridor (A), then Activates the Flamer Marine, who moves down the corridor (2 APs) and turns to face the Stealers (1 AP) (B, C, and D). The Flamer Marine has only 1 AP remaining, and it costs 2 APs to fire a flamer; so the Marine player spends his last CP and the AP to have the Marine fire his flamer, toasting the Stealers (F). The Marine player may now Activate the Marine in the side corridor; the Marine will have its full complement of 4 APs.
Examples of play, like the one above, appear throughout this book. In the text, parenthesized letters refer you to specific parts of the diagrams. For example, in a diagram, the text might say "He spends one CP to move the Marine into the side corridor (A)." The '(A)' refers to the A in a circle in the diagram above the text.
The 'ghostly' figures in the diagrams show where models begin, or spaces the models pass through, during the action displayed in the diagram. The heavier figures show where the models end up. For example, the space Marine started in the space directly above the Flamer Marine; he moved one space diagonally up and to the right.
Straight arrows indicate that the model has moved to the space the arrow points to, curved arrows that the model turned 90° or 180° in the space.
Spending Command Points During the Stealer's Action Phase
You can spend CPs on a Marine during the Stealer player's Action Phase; however, you may do so only if your Marine sees a Stealer perform an action. (This represents your Lieutenant seeing the movement through the Marine's vidcameras.)
To see a Stealer, your Marine must have a Line of Sight (LOS) to the Stealer. Line of sight is explained in detail in the Marine Shooting section of the rules; for now, all you need to know is that the Stealer must be in front or to the side of the Marine, and there can't be anything between the two models blocking the Marine's view.
In addition, you can spend CPs on a Marine only after a Stealer in his LOS has performed an action. (That is, if the Stealer just stands there and does nothing for its entire turn, the Marine Lieutenant won't pay any attention to it.) If the Stealer's action takes it out of your Marine's LOS (it closes a door in the Marine's face or steps around a corner), you can't spend CPs on that Marine.
Examples of Spending CPs During Stealer's Action Phase: It is the Stealer player's Action Phase. The Marine player has 3 CPs left; caught rather stupidly facing in the wrong direction, the Marine is about to get attacked from the side by an angry Genestealer. The Stealer moves towards the Marine (A).
The Marine has a line of sight to the moving Stealer so the Marine player may spend CPs on him. The Marine player spends a CP to turn the Marine to face its attacker (B) (he turns because the Marine can't fire at a Stealer coming at him from the side).
Since the Marine player cannot spend any more CPs until the Stealer player performs another Action, he watches helplessly as the Stealer moves forward again (C) - now he's right next to the Marine! After the Stealer's move, the Marine player interrupts once more and spends another CP to take a shot at the advancing Stealer (D); the shot misses. The Stealer attacks the Marine in close assault; if the Marine survives (unlikely!), the Marine player can use his last CP to try to blow away the Stealer once more.
Since the Marine cannot see the Stealer after it performs its Action (scuttling down the corridor) the Marine player may not spend CPs on that Marine.
Finally, during the Stealer player's Action Phase, you may spend CPs only to have one Marine perform one single action at a time. You can spend 2 CPs to have a Marine perform a 2 AP action, like firing a flamer, but you cannot spend 2 CPs to have a Marine fire twice. The Stealer player is always allowed to perform another action before you can spend more CPs.
This rule is in effect even if more than one Marine sees a Stealer perform an action: you can spend CPs only to have one of them perform one action. If the Stealer then subsequently performs other actions, you can spend CPs on the same Marine as before, or on another Marine with LOS to the Stealer.
To spend CPs during the Stealer player's turn, wait until a Stealer performs an action in one of your Marine's LOS, then simply announce that you are spending CPs on that Marine. After you have finished, the Stealer player resumes his move (until you interrupt again).
MOVEMENT
The corridor sections of the map are divided into squares. A piece can move into any adjacent empty square, including empty diagonally-adjacent squares (though see below) - if, of course, its player pays the APs. It is usually more expensive to move backwards than forwards.
Note that you pay APs for each square you move a piece. If, for example, you wished to move your Marine Sergeant four squares forwards, you would have to pay 4 APs to do so.
When a piece is moving, it keeps its current facing (see below); you must pay APs for a turn action to change a piece's facing.
Illegal Moves
You cannot move a piece into a square containing another piece, a closed door, or through a wall. In addition, you cannot move a piece into an empty diagonally-adjacent square if both intervening squares are occupied by other pieces and/or corners.
Examples of Illegal Moves: All of the moves shown are illegal.
- A model pays 1 AP to move to any of its three front squares.
- A model pays 2 APs to move to any of its three rear squares.
- A Stealer model pays 2 APs to move to its side squares; a Marine model cannot move directly sideways at all (though extremely powerful, Terminator armor is somewhat clumsy - its leg articulators don't allow much lateral movement).
- A Blip has no facing. It may move in any direction at a cost of 1 AP.
Remember that models keep their current facing when moving. Turning is a separate action from movement.
Turning
You may expend APs to turn a model - that is, to change its facing by 90° or 180° while staying in the same square.
- A Space Marine pays 1 AP to turn 90°; 2 APs to turn 180°.
- A Genestealer pays 0 APs to turn 90°; 1 AP to turn 180°. (Note that a Stealer cannot make two 90° turns in a row for free; it would have to pay the 1 AP cost for making a 180° turn.)
- Blips have no facing; they never turn.
Example of Turning: The Space Marine pays 1 AP to move forward to the front diagonal square (A); it pays another 1 AP to turn 90° to face down the hall (B); it may spend its remaining 2 APs to blow away the Stealer down the hall.
Example of Turning: The Space Marine has foolishly neglected to go into Overwatch mode, so the newly-activated Stealer (with 6 APs) decides to go and kill him. It makes a 90° turn for free (0 AP) (A), moves forward (1 AP) (B), turns 90° again for free (0 AP) (C), rips the head off of the Space Marine (1 AP) (D), turns 90° again (0 AP) (F), moves back down the hall three spaces (3 APs) (F-H), then expends its last 1 AP turning 180° (I).
FACING
When models are on the board, each must be placed so that its front faces one of the sides of the square upon which it stands, as shown below. A model's facing has effects upon its movement, fire and close assault, and ability to open and close doors (see various sections). Blip counters need never worry about facing.
How Facing Affects Movement
Your models pay different amounts of APs to move in different directions, depending upon their facing.
MARINE SHOOTING
Marines are armed with the very best weaponry in the Imperium. The storm bolter, the Space Marines' standard firearm, fires small, high-velocity bolts with explosive tips, capable of blasting through eight inches of plasteel as though it were tissue paper. The heavy flamer fires jets of volatile chemicals that explode violently, filling the target area with burning flames. Few creatures stand a chance against this awesome firepower.
The Genestealer is one of them.
TARGETING
The term targeting refers to a Marine's ability to (A) see a target, and (B) bring his weapon to bear on it. If the Marine can do both, he can fire at the target. Basically, a Marine can see to the front and sides; he may bring his weapon to bear only on targets in front of him.
In most cases, a Marine will be firing his storm bolter at an individual Stealer or door, in which case he must be able to target the Stealer or door. When a Flamer Marine fires a flamer however, he is shooting at an entire corridor or room section. To hit it, he must be able to target any one of the squares in that section.
In game terms, in order for a Marine to be able to see a target, he must have a line of sight (LOS) to the target; in order for him to be able to bring his weapon to bear, the target must be within his fire arc.
Playing Note: Since Genestealers don't carry weapons, they don't shoot at things far away, and thus never have to worry about fire arcs or LOS - except, of course, they will probably worry a lot about staying out of the Marines' fire arcs and LOS.
Line of Sight
Marines don't have eyes (or camera mounts) in the back of their heads. They can see only targets that are in front or to the side of them. However, as they are equipped with sophisticated vision-enhancement equipment built into their Terminator armor, they can see for unlimited distance (provided there's nothing in the way).
Line of Sight Diagram: The Marine can see the unshaded squares.
Blocking LOS
If there is a model, wall, corner, door, or burning square (see below) between the Marine and his target, the LOS is blocked.
Judging Diagonal LOS
It's simple enough to judge LOS if the target is directly down a line of squares from the Marine - if something occupies a square between the Marine and the target, the LOS is blocked. However, if the target is on a diagonal from the Marine, it's a little more work. Lay a piece of string or a ruler from the center of the Marine's square to the center of the target's square: if the line passes over a square containing something which blocks, the LOS is blocked.
If the line passes directly between two squares, LOS is blocked only if both squares are blocked.
Fire Arcs
Space Marines can fire only at targets in front of them - that is, that are in their fire arcs. If a target is outside the Marine's fire arc, he must turn before he can fire at it. The following diagram shows the Space Marines' fire arc.
Playing Note for the Genestealer Player: When attacking the Space Marines, you'll have to pay close attention to the Marines' fire arcs and LOS. The best way to attack a Space Marine is to hit him from the rear (the dark shaded spaces in the diagram above), because the Marine can't see you there, and thus the Marine player can't spend any CPs on the Marine under attack.
The next best way to get at the Marine is to hit him from the side (the lighter-shaded squares). Though he can see you, you aren't in his fire arc, and at least the Marine player will have to spend CPs to turn the Marine to face you before he spends them to blow you away - and he might run out. If you've got to come at him from the front (the white squares), chances are, you'll lose a couple of Stealers in the assault. You'd better have two or three (or more!) Stealers within attack range when you make your move.
Playing Note for the Marine Player: Keep your back to the wall! Put vulnerable Marines into Overwatch (see below), and, if you can, save a CP or two for the Genestealer player's turn, just in case.
FIRING WITH THE STORM BOLTER
Marines fire their storm bolters at Genestealers or closed doors. When a Marine fires a storm bolter at a target, roll two dice: if a 6 is rolled on either or both dice, the target is destroyed and removed from the board.
Range
Storm bolters have unlimited range. They may fire at any target that is within the Marine's fire arc and LOS (but see Overwatch Fire).
Sustained Fire
In sustained fire, a Marine is firing repeatedly at a single target, allowing a sophisticated targeting computer in his Terminator armor to adjust his aim. The computer is effective only if the Marine stays still and concentrates upon hitting the target; if he moves or ceases firing, the targeting computer loses the target and he must rely on his own skill.
If a stationary Marine misses with his first shot, the score required to destroy the target goes down on the second and subsequent shots (provided he doesn't move). On each round of sustained fire, the score required to hit the target goes down by one:
Score Required to Hit:
| Shot | Score Required |
|---|---|
| First Shot | 6 |
| Second Shot | 5 or 6 on either dice |
| Third Shot | 4, 5 or 6 on either dice |
| Fourth or More | 3, 4, 5 or 6 on either dice |
A Marine receives the sustained fire bonus only if he continuously fires at the target. If he moves, moves and fires (see below), opens a door, fights a round of Close Assault combat, switches targets, another Marine is activated or the Action Phase ends, or does anything else he loses any sustained fire bonus.
Remember that the Marine must pay 1 AP for each shot.
Marines do get the sustained fire bonus during the Stealer player's Action Phase, if the Marine player expends CPs to have the Marine fire at a Stealer more than once as it moves within his fire arc. Note that any sustained fire bonus that Marine built up during the previous Marine player's Action Phase is lost; he starts again from scratch (that is, he needs to roll a 6 to hit the Stealer on the first shot, a 5 or 6 on the second, etc).
Marines do not get the sustained fire bonus for Overwatch fire (see below).
Example of Sustained Fire: During the Marine player's turn, the Marine spends his last AP to fire at a Stealer. He needs to roll a 6 on either die to hit: he rolls a 1 and 5 and the shot misses. He expends a CP and fires again, this time rolling a 4 and 5. As he receives a sustained fire bonus for firing on the same target for two shots in a row, this time the 5 roll is good enough to hit and kill the Stealer.
Overwatch Fire
In Overwatch mode, the Marine is firing off rapid bursts at anything that moves. He isn't taking the time to carefully aim his weapon; he's just shooting as quickly as he can.
A Marine armed with a storm bolter may go into Overwatch mode at a cost of 2 APs. Place an Overwatch counter next to his model.
How Overwatch Works
At no AP cost, the Marine automatically fires at any action in his fire arc (assuming he has an LOS to the target, of course) within 12 squares. Overwatch fire takes place only during the Stealer player's turn.
Since the Marine is not concentrating his fire on a specific target, but attempting to cover an entire area, he never gets a sustained fire bonus during Overwatch: he must always roll a 6 on either of his two dice to hit the target.
Playing Note: Of course, if the Marine is Overwatch firing at a Stealer who is advancing down a corridor at him, he'll get to shoot at it for no AP cost each time the Stealer moves, which more than makes up for the lack of Sustained fire bonus.
If the Marine takes any action, he loses the Overwatch. Also, if the Marine is attacked in Close Assault combat, he loses the Overwatch. The Marine can voluntarily go out of Overwatch at any time, for no CP cost. The Marine automatically goes out of Overwatch at the Endphase (though you may, of course, put him back into Overwatch during your next turn).
Overwatch
Marines in Overwatch fire only at targets within 12 spaces. When counting the range, count from the space in front of the Marine to the space the target enters.
Example of Overwatch: The Space Marine has Overwatch fire down the corridor. The Genestealer moves forward a space, drawing fire from the Marine (A). The Marine player rolls a 3 and 5; the shot misses. The Stealer moves forward once more (B); this shot also misses. Deciding not to press his luck any further the Stealer player stops moving the Stealer under fire, and instead moves the Blip across the corridor (C). Since the Stealer blocks the Marine's LOS, the Marine does not get an Overwatch shot at the Blip.
Overlapping Overwatch
If two or more Marines have Overwatch on the same space(s), they all fire at any Stealer who takes an action in the space. Note that even if the first shot you roll kills the target, you still must roll for the other Marines, as in reality they would fire simultaneously - and there's always a chance a Marine's bolter will jam.
Jams
A Marine in Overwatch is firing extremely quickly. Actually, he's firing faster than his bolter is designed for and there's a chance his weapon will jam. If a Marine in Overwatch rolls doubles when firing at a target, his bolter is jammed. (If the Marine rolls double 6, he kills his target, but the bolter jams after the killing shot.) Flip the Overwatch fire counter to its Jammed side.
Example of Jams: Both Marines are in Overwatch mode. The Stealer moves forward a space (A); since this is in both Marines' fire arc and LOS, and is within 12 squares of them, both fire at the approaching alien. The first Marine's shot is 6 and 6 - killing the Stealer, and unfortunately, jamming his weapon as well. The second Marine's shot is 3 and 3 - his weapon is also jammed! If there are any more Stealers down the corridor, the Marines could be in for a bad day…
Effects of Jams
A Marine with a jammed bolter loses his Overwatch. In addition, he may not fire his weapon until he clears the jam.
Clearing Jammed Bolters
To clear his weapon, the Marine must pay 1 AP (you can use CPs to do this, following the normal rules for expending CPs). The Marine may then fire as normal.
Move and Fire Bolters
The Marines can move and fire their bolters simultaneously, paying either one or two APs to do so (depending upon the direction they are moving; see AP Chart). The fire is handled exactly like standard fire combat, except that the Marines receive no sustained fire bonus for firing whilst moving; any previous bonuses are lost.
For purposes of targeting, the fire takes place from the square the Marine moves to; if he moves to a square where he cannot see the target or the target isn't in his fire arc, he cannot fire at that target.
Examples of Move and Fire: A Marine pays 1 AP and executes a move forward and fire action. The fire misses, so the Marine pays another AP and fires once more, this time, while standing still. Since the Marine's first fire was part of a move and fire action, he gets no sustained fire bonus: he still needs a 6 to hit the Stealer. If he misses again and fires another shot without moving, he would get the sustained fire bonus for firing twice in a row at the same target without moving.
This Marine's backwards move takes the Stealer out of his LOS; therefore he cannot move and shoot at the monster.
FIRING WITH FLAMERS
Unlike storm bolters, which are fired at specific targets, Flamer Marines fire their flamers at entire room or corridor sections, filling them with flame and possibly killing everything in them.
You don't have to roll to see if the Flamer Marine hits his target; as long as one space of the section is within the Marine's fire arc, LOS, and is within range (see below), the shot hits automatically.
A Flamer Marine can target a square containing a model; he can't target a square containing a closed door.
Range
Flamers have a maximum range of 12 squares: at least one square of the target section must be 12 or fewer squares from the Flamer Marine. Count from the square in front of the Marine to the target square.
Effects of Flamer Hits
Flamers effect entire map sections (except parts blocked by closed doors; see below). When a flamer hits a section, place a Flame marker in the middle of the section, burning side up. Roll a die for each model or Blip within that section; the piece is destroyed on a roll of 2 or higher.
In addition to killing lots of Stealers, flamer hits make the flaming sections impassable; pieces cannot enter a section which has taken a flamer hit until after the Flame marker is removed in the Endphase. Surviving pieces within the section can move about freely, but no others may enter.
As the hit fills the entire section with smoke and flames, Marines may not trace LOS through a square in a burning section. A Marine may trace a LOS to a target within but on the edge of a burning section, as long as there are no burning squares between him and the target.
Gaming Note: A Flamer Marine may sometimes find it useful to fire at an empty map section, to keep Stealers from entering it.
Flamers and Doors
Flamers do not destroy or shoot through closed doors. Thus, if the only square of a section a Flamer Marine can see contains a closed door, he cannot shoot at that section.
Also, if a section which takes a flamer hit has any closed doors in it, the squares beyond the closed doors are unaffected. If a piece foolishly opens a door into a burning corridor while occupying a non-burning square in the same corridor, the flames immediately fill the newly-revealed squares. The Marine player rolls to see whether the new victims are destroyed.
Pieces in different corridor sections may open or close doors leading to burning corridor sections freely; however, they may never enter burning corridor sections.
Example of Flamer Hits and Doors: The Marine fires his flamer at the adjacent corridor section. His shot threatens two Stealers, but the fire cannot damage the Stealer behind the closed door. The Marine player rolls a die for each target, getting a 1 and 6, missing one Stealer and killing the other. The survivor may move in the burning corridor freely; if the door in the corridor is opened, the flames fill that section of the corridor and the Marine player rolls to see if the new victim is destroyed. If not, it too may move around the corridor freely.
Multiple Flamer Hits
You can fire a flamer at a corridor section more than once during a turn (if, say, one or more Stealers survive the first hit). Simply pay the APs, place the additional marker, and roll to see if the Stealers survive.
Flamer Ammunition
A Flamer Marine can carry enough 'flamer juice' for six shots - which is why there are six Flame counters for each flamer. When a Marine fires a flamer, make sure that you use the correct Flame marker to mark the burning corridor: when he is out of Flamer markers, the Marine is out of ammo and may not fire for the rest of the game.
Unfortunately, Flamer Marines do not carry backup weapons. Once they've run out of flamer juice, they've got to use their bare hands...
Flamer Self-Destruction
A Flamer Marine may, at a cost of 1 AP, deliberately cause his flamer to self-destruct violently, destroying all pieces and doors in the section. The Marine must have at least one round of flamer ammunition left in order to self-destruct. After the Marine self-destructs, remove all models and doors in the corridor section, and place a Flame marker as usual.
Note: This is the only way a Flamer Marine may flame the corridor section he is in.
Removing Flamer Markers
During the Endphase, the Stealer player removes all Flame markers on the board.
CLOSE ASSAULT
Close assault is hand-to-hand combat between Stealer and Marine. Since the Stealers have no weapons, this is the only way that they may damage the Space Marines. Despite the Space Marines' fantastic Terminator armor and mighty power glove, the Stealers are faster and stronger than their opponents. A Stealer is more than a match for a Marine in close assault.
WHO MAY ENGAGE IN CLOSE ASSAULT
Any Space Marine or Genestealer may attack in close assault; Blips never close assault. Marines with jammed bolters can close assault without penalty.
A piece can close assault if its target is in its front square. Pieces may not assault targets in their front diagonal squares, side squares, or rear squares.
You never have to close assault. You can completely ignore a model in an adjacent square if you wish and a Marine can fire at a Stealer in an adjacent square without penalty.
Close Assault Square
Example of Effects of Facing in Close Assault: The Genestealer close assaults the Marine Sergeant from the rear. The Space Marine wins the combat, so he turns to face his attacker. (Since the Marine wasn't facing his attacker the Stealer is unharmed.) The Genestealer pays another AP to attack again; this time, if the Marine Sergeant wins, the Stealer is destroyed.
HOW TO CONDUCT CLOSE ASSAULTS
The attacker pays the APs; the target does not have to pay any APs to defend against the assault. The attacker and defender each roll one or more dice; the highest individual dice-roll wins. The loser of a close assault is destroyed.
- Stealers roll 3 dice in close assault and pick the highest.
- Marines and Flamer Marines roll 1 dice.
- Marine Sergeants roll one dice and add +1 to their roll.
Examples of Close Assault: A Genestealer close assaults a Space Marine: the Stealer rolls 2, 3, and another 3; the Space Marine rolls a 4. Since the Marine's roll is higher than any of the Stealer's rolls, the Marine wins and the Stealer is destroyed.
A Stealer attacks a Marine Sergeant. The Stealer's highest roll is a 6; luckily, the Sergeant also rolls a 6. Since he adds +1 to his roll, he wins.
Ties
If the assault rolls are tied, the combat has no effect. The attacker may, of course, initiate another round of close assault, if he pays the AP cost.
Facing in Close Assault
If a piece is attacked from the side or rear, it cannot actually damage its attacker: all it can hope to do is fend off the attacker until it has a chance to turn around and face him.
If a defender who is not facing his attacker loses the attack, he is removed as usual. If the result is a tie or the defender wins the dice-roll, he may turn to face his attacker at no AP cost.
BLIPS
In Space Hulk, the Marines are on unfamiliar territory, facing unknown odds. The assault vessels' deep radar has given them some idea of the layout of the space hulk, but it isn't able to tell them how many Stealers are lurking within.
To combat this problem, Marines are equipped with Sensoriums, or life-detectors. When the Marines are inside the hulk, the Sensoriums constantly scan the surrounding corridors of the vessel for alien life-forms, showing concentrations of life as dots on a video display (earning the Stealers the nickname 'blips'). The machines aren't very precise, being unable to tell whether a life-form reading comes from one Stealer, or two or three moving close together. Thus, until a Marine actually sees a Blip, he won't know exactly how many Stealers are there.
Stealers are brought into play as Blips: counters that represent one, two, or three Stealers. The Stealer player moves these counters around the map, facedown, until he wishes to convert them to models, or until a Marine gains an LOS to the Blip.
When Activated, a Blip counter has 6 APs, just like a Stealer. However, Blip counters expend their APs only on movement and opening and closing doors: they can never attack.
BLIP MOVEMENT
Blips move in much the same fashion as other pieces, except that:
- Blips have no facing. They move in any direction at a cost of 1 AP; they never turn.
- Blips cannot move into a Marine's sight: if you accidentally move a Blip into a Marine's LOS, the Marine player points this out, and you must return the Blip to the last square in which it was out of the Marine's LOS. That Blip's move immediately ends: it may not do anything for the rest of the current Phase.
- Blips cannot move next to a Marine, even if the Marine is facing another direction and has no LOS to the Blip.
Remember that a Blip cannot move into a Marine's LOS; however, the Stealer player can move a Stealer which was blocking a Marine's LOS, allowing the Marine to gain LOS to the Blip. This would be involuntary conversion and the Marine player would place the Stealers.
EXAMINING BLIPS
The Stealer player is free to examine his Blips - that is, pick them up and see how many Stealers they represent - at any time. The Marine player cannot examine Blip counters until they are to be converted.
BLIP CONVERSION
There are two ways in which a Blip converts into Stealers: voluntary conversion - when the Stealer player converts the Blip - and involuntary conversion - when the Marine player converts the Blip.
Voluntary Conversion
The Stealer player can convert a Blip counter into Stealers only during his Action Phase. He converts the Blip instead of Activating the Blip; if the Blip has performed any action that Action Phase, he may not convert it.
Newly-converted Stealers can be Activated as normal during that Action Phase; each has its full complement of 6 APs.
Involuntary Conversion
Marines cause involuntary conversion when they gain LOS to a Blip. In involuntary conversion, the Marine player converts the Blip to Stealers, not the Stealer player.
If a Marine gains an LOS to a Blip during the Stealer player's turn (if for instance, he uses CPs to blow away a model which was blocking LOS), this is involuntary conversion and the Marine converts the Blip. If the Blip has not yet been activated that Phase, then all of the newly-placed Stealer models can be activated as normal. If the Blip has already been activated, then the Stealers cannot be activated.
How to Convert
Turn the Blip counter over to reveal the number of Stealers it represents. Remove the counter from play and place the appropriate number of Stealers on the map. Place the Stealers so that one Stealer occupies the square where the Blip stood, and any remaining Stealers are placed in empty squares adjacent to that model.
In voluntary conversion, the Stealer player cannot place his Stealers in a Marine's LOS; in involuntary conversion, the Marine player can place the Stealers in or out of LOS as he wishes.
If there aren't enough available squares to place all of the Stealers, the excess Stealers are lost.
After the Stealers are placed on the map, the Stealer player gives the Stealers any facing he wishes, even if it was involuntary conversion and the Marine player placed the Stealers.
Example of Blip Conversion: If the Blip marker is converted, one model must be placed in the square where the Blip counter stood, the others may be placed in any of the shaded squares.
Example of Blip Conversion: The Marine has just opened the door, gaining LOS to the Blip counter behind it, which is a 3 counter. Since this is involuntary conversion, the Marine player places the Stealers - not that it makes much difference in this particular place. He places one Stealer in the space where the Blip counter stood, and another in the only empty adjacent space remaining - the doorway. Since there's no room for it, the third Stealer is lost. The Stealer player then faces the Stealers towards the Marine. (Note that as the newly-placed Stealers block LOS, the Blip counter down the hallway is not converted.)
RUNNING OUT OF STEALERS
In the unlikely event that there are a lot of Stealers on the map and not enough left to convert a Blip, all excess Stealers are lost. However, killed Stealers can be immediately recycled back into play: if you had only three models available, you could convert a Blip into the three models, rush them forward and get them all killed, use those same models to convert another Blip, rush them forward and get them all killed, etc, etc.
BLIP ENTRY AREAS
Blips enter play at entry areas: off-map areas right next to corridors leading off the edge of the map. During the Stealer Reinforcement Phase, take your reinforcing Blips from the box top at random, look at them, and then place them at one or more Stealer entry areas. You can have up to three Blips in the same entry area at any one time; you must place additional Blips at other areas. A Blip pays 1 AP to move from an entry area to the adjacent corridor square.
Place the Blips so that it is obvious which entry area they are in; that is, place them right next to the corridor leading off of the map. If there's ever any question as to which entry area the Blips occupy, because, for instance, they are equally close to two or more corridors leading off of the map, roll dice to see which they are in.
Once at an entry area, Blips may not move to different entry areas: they must either move onto the map, or lurk where they are.
Lurking
Blips or Stealers in entry areas cannot be attacked by the Marines. Entry areas may not be shot at by flamers (though the corridor section leading to the entry area can be fired at as normal). Blips in entry areas do not have to enter the map when they arrive; they may lurk off-board, completely safe from harm, for as long as the Stealer player wishes. LOS does not extend into entry areas; thus, Blips there are never subject to involuntary conversion.
Mandatory Lurking
If a Space Marine is six or fewer squares away from the square next to the entry area, Stealers or Blips cannot enter the map on the turn they are placed: they must lurk for at least one turn. On the next turn, however, they may enter as normal. Count by the shortest possible route, ignoring facing, doors, flames, intervening models or Blips.
If a Blip or Stealer was already lurking in the entry area when the Marine moved to within six spaces, it can enter play immediately. It does not have to lurk an additional turn because the Marine showed up - he'll just have to take his chances.
Important: Blips are never forced to lurk for more than one turn! They can always move on the second and subsequent turns (though they don't have to move if they don't want to).
Stealers in Entry Areas
The Stealer player can convert Blips to Stealer models in entry areas. The Stealer models may also lurk, and must do so if their Blip arrived this turn and a Space Marine is six or fewer squares away. A maximum of three Stealer models may lurk at any one entry area, in addition to the three Blips.
If a Marine occupies the square directly adjacent to the entry area, Stealers who are not forced to lurk can attack him from the entry area in close assault combat, at the standard AP cost.
Moving Off-Board
Once entered onto the map, Stealers or Blips may not move off board.
Example of Mandatory Lurking: The three Blips were brought into play this turn; since the Flamer Marine is six spaces away from the square leading to the entry area, the Blips cannot move onto the map this turn.
The Marine moved adjacent to the entry area last turn. During his Deployment Phase, the Stealer player placed a Blip at the entry area; since the Marine was well within six squares from the space (zero squares away, to be precise), the Blip was forced to lurk. This turn, the Marine somewhat unwisely stayed where it was. The Blip was free to lurk or not, as the Stealer player pleased.
This turn, the Stealer player converts the Blip, which is a 3 Stealers Blip. Stealer A attacks the Marine, losing miserably. Stealer B then attacks, tying the first round of close assault combat, but winning the second. Chittering in triumph, it uses its remaining 4 APs to move four squares as shown. The Stealer player then activates Stealer C.
Since it has not been engaged in the battle, it has its full 6 APs; it gingerly steps over the smoldering pile of wet metal and moves six squares.
DOORS
The space hulk is littered with iris-style airlock doors. The doors' most important game-function is that they block LOS and the effects of flamer hits; Stealers are often found skulking behind closed doors, awaiting the right moment to open them up and spring out on unwary Marines.
DOOR COUNTERS
The doors in the space hulk are represented by door counters. Each Mission tells where to set up doors. When the door is closed, place it in the middle of the square. When it is opened, place it to one side of the square it occupies when closed. If the door is destroyed, remove the counter altogether.
OPENING AND CLOSING DOORS
A piece may open or close a door if the door is in one of its front squares. A Blip may open or close a door if it is adjacent to the door, including diagonally adjacent. The piece simply expends the appropriate APs (the Stealer or Marine presses the button) and the counter is moved.
A Door cannot be closed if a model or Blip is in its way.
Open Doors
Squares that contain open doors are treated exactly as normal empty squares.
Closed Doors
Pieces may never enter squares that contain closed doors. In addition, LOS does not pass through squares with closed doors.
Closed doors contain the effects of flamer shots.
FIRING AT CLOSED DOORS
A Marine can fire his storm bolter at a closed door in an attempt to destroy it. This is handled exactly like standard fire: that is, a 6 is needed to destroy the door, and the Marine receives the bonus for Sustained fire. Overwatch fire is never used against doors. A Marine cannot fire at an open door.
Flamer shots have no effect on closed doors (but self destructing Flamers will destroy all open or closed doors in that corridor section).
CLOSE ASSAULT ON CLOSED DOORS
Both Genestealers and Marines may make close assault attacks against closed doors; each side needs to roll a 6 to be successful. The Marines roll one dice as usual (the Sergeant's close assault bonus of +1 does count); the Genestealers roll three and count the highest roll.