Santa Cruz Warhammer Product Review:
Space Hulk - Mission Files
Bringer of Sorrow- Duty and Honor - Return to
Kalidus
With the recent re-release of Space Hulk, GW has released three Space Hulk expansions for the Dark Angels, Ultramarines, and Space
Wolves. Let’s take a look at what you get in a Mission File and what the
differences between the three are.
The files are available in the iBooks store and they each
retail for 15.99USD. You’ll need an ipad or other product that can handle the iBook
format, which is an initial hurdle to entry to a lot of us; but the sting is
slightly lessened, as the iBook format choice is not completely arbitrary (with
the inclusion of an interactive mission status display).
The missions also utilize the new space hulk tiles included in the 2014 version of Space Hulk so you’ll need those (or you can craft your own as the missions show what you need and how big it needs to be).
-Shared content-
To begin let’s start with what the files have in common (Nearly half of their content is identical word-for-word), then examine what sets them apart from each other. Each file has an
introduction and a bit of the Space Hulk story, each a page in length. Each Expansion also provides three missions to play, that can be
played stand-alone or as a linked campaign. Also included is a reference
section and an interactive mission status display. Then rules unique to
the chapter are listed, along with a bit of background on the chapter and their Terminators. Finally, there is a section on
creating your own space hulk missions.
This is the layout for the digital Mission Status Display
The Interactive mission display is a nice touch for the
expansions, turning your device into something more than a rulebook during the
game. With all of the bits you need to track (reloads/ammo, psi/command points, and a three minute turn timer). However they did the bare minimum for the
display, as you’ll need to track your other heavy weapon ammo (cyclone, heavy
plasma, etc.) using the flamer included with the basic template or record it by
hand. It seems a little lazy that the same expansion that gives you the rules
to use a new heavy weapon, can’t support it in it’s own mission status display.
The ‘creating your own missions’ section is a bit of a mixed
bag, ranging from sections that basically admit that you’re going to have to test
& feel it out to get it right, to charts to help you determine mission and
victory conditions (spoiler alert: they involve the same things that you were
doing in basic space hulk like recovering the CAT, kill ratios, etc.). On the other hand, there are a bunch of
really useful charts also included like point values for various terminators
(for you to create your custom force with) that will correspond to a
recommended genestealer starting presence/spawn rate.
Overall I like both of these sections, but they really only achieve the minimum. They would have been a lot better if each expansion had a mission status display and rules tailored to creating space hulk missions for the chapter that was featured, instead of a word-for-word copy and paste of these sections.
Overall I like both of these sections, but they really only achieve the minimum. They would have been a lot better if each expansion had a mission status display and rules tailored to creating space hulk missions for the chapter that was featured, instead of a word-for-word copy and paste of these sections.
-Missions-
Moving on to what differentiates the expansions let’s take a
look at the story and missions included in each.
The Space Hulk pros
The Bringer of Sorrow takes place above the hive
world Corinthe as they face a tendril of hive fleet Moloch. Just when things
look like they can’t get any worse, they do when the space hulk bringer of
sorrow translates into the system. Knowing that the system is doomed without
help, calls for aid are made and the Dark Angles strike cruiser Vengeful Blade
responds. Knowing that they lack the resources to battle both threats head on,
the Deathwing contingent is dispatched on a daring mission to overload the
still functioning plasma reactor of an ancient grand cruiser within the hulk,
while the Vengeful blade moves to intercept the hive fleet.
I think this is the only Space Hulk image in existence where every single genestealer in-frame is about to get shot.
Mission I requires the Deathwing to deploy a CAT to gather
data to plot a path to the plasma reactor. The normal CAT fun ensues and
victory is achieved by getting the cat and a marine through one of the exit
points of the map. In mission II the CAT is acting normally (i.e. has gone
completely haywire) and needs to be recovered for a manual data download.
Victory is achieved by securing the CAT which enters from a random point, but
if the marines failed mission I the genestealers will have a greater say on
which point the CAT enters the map from. Mission III places the marines in a
race to the plasma reactor’s controls, with less marines to do the job with if
they failed mission II. On turns 3, 6, &9 the genestealer will be able to
generate new breach points on the map to keep things lively.
The Codex Astartes does not support this boarding action
Duty and Honor
finds us back on Ultramar where “the most famous and respected of all space
marine chapters” are super-pumped to get some payback for the Tyranids coming
and wrecking house in the Ultramar system. Earlier in our story, every Ultrasmurf
that didn’t draw the short straw, had jumped onto their cruisers and headed out
of system to kill Tyranids in the Forian crusade. When the Space Hulk ‘Hunter
of the void’ shows up near Ultramar, there’s only one ship: “the will of the
emperor” lead by Commander Troilus [sic] to stop the threat.
Self portrait of Commander Troilus
Mission I has Commander Troll and his terminators making
entry to the hulk to try and shut down the ion shields that were preventing
accurate scans of the core of the hulk. The mission requires accessing a
cogitator terminal then moving two marines off board, with the genestealers
getting new breach entry points on turn 4 & 8. With the Ion shielding
deactivated the true scope of the infestation is revealed and the only option
is to destroy the hulk before it reaches Ultramar. In Mission II the
ultramarines must advance to an access shaft and drop explosive charges to
trigger an explosive chain reaction that will tear the hulk apart. The marines
win by making it to the drop point , but the genestealers get a broodlord
reinforcement on a variable turn mid-game that will make survival difficult.
The resulting explosions shift the structure of the hulk and the marines must
race to a turbo-lift to reach a secondary extraction point before they are crushed
or ejected into the void. This is my favorite mission of all of the expansions,
the marines must advance to the turbo lift to escape; but starting mid game you
begin to remove map tiles as the hulk explodes and vents to the void (there are
even special void rules for sections attached but not separated by a bulkhead!).
So in summary, the heroes must send a small force to shut down the shields, and
then drop explosives down a shaft, which causes the whole place to slowly blow
up as they try to get out… yup, I liked Empire too.
I'm pretty sure these guys would rather be posing in the middle of a snow storm rather than a space hulk.
Return to Kalidus follows the Wolf Guard as they board the Scion of Darkness in a surgical strike to deactivate the Shields that protect the Hulk and prevent Teleportation. In a refreshing twist, the fleet will actually be able to bombard the Space Hulk and destroy it once the sheilds are down.
We had to leave the wolves, but we brought the Frost Axe
In Mission I the wolf guard must reach the console that will activate localized power, activating turbo-lifts that will take them deeper into the hulk to reach
their objective: the shield generatorium. The marines make entry via
boarding torpedoes that land in random areas, then, win by activating the
console on the other side of the map. Mission II has the wolves progressing to the
now active turbo-lifts, but if mission one was successful the genestealer
starting numbers are reduced. There’s a further twist with two lifts: one will
jam and the other will be the operational lift determined randomly once a wolf
presses the button on the elevator. The wolves that make it to the lift and
escape are recorded for inclusion in Mission III. The final mission starts with
only the survivors from mission II (if you’re playing as a campaign) with the
possibility of remaining marines arriving later in the game or being killed in
the lift before they arrive. If the marine player lost Mission II then a new squad
is deployed but the delay means more genestealers. The marines win by deactivating
the three shield control consoles, minor victory for deactivating two.
-Chapter specific rules-
The expansions all offer some new rules for weaponry and armor.
-The Ultramarine expansion
comes with rules for the Cyclone missile launcher Terminator.
-The Space Wolf Expansion
includes rules for the Frost Axe, and Wolf Guard Pack Leader (equipment options
for the frost axe, lightning claws, power sword, and thunder hammer).
-Finally, The Dark Angel
Expansion includes rules for the Cyclone missile launcher, Plasma Cannon,
Apothecary with Narthecium, Banner Bearer with Revered Banner, Deathwing
Champion with the Halberd of Caliban, Knight Master with the flail of the
Unforgiven, and a Deathwing Knight with the mace of absolution.
As you can see from the list of what’s included, not all of these
expansions are created equally. It’s wonderful that they took the time to
create rules for every variant of the Deathwing, on the other hand it’s really a
shame that they couldn’t be bothered to think of some character or loadout (or anything unique. You can get the same Cyclone
rules from the DA expansion) to attach to the Ultramarines to fill their roster
out in some way.
-Conclusion-
So should you buy the expansions? Well, If you already have an ipad (it’s
a shame that they don’t sell this content in another format. The mission screen
is nice, but I don't think it was worth limiting the audience like they have by going
ibook-exclusive) I would recommend the Dark Angels Expansion as your first
purchase. If you’re on a budget you can skip the other two and create custom rules
for your chapter of choice using the wealth of examples that the DA expansion gives you.
The Space Wolf expansion has a unique piece of wargear, and the Ultramarine
expansion has the escape from the disintegrating-hulk mission, which I really
enjoyed; but it’s hard to justify the price for such a small amount of unique
content in the other expansions.
Deathwing. The reigning champ of Space Hulk expansions since 1990.
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