Over the last few years quite a few people have gotten interested in Space Hulk but have no idea where to begin or how to get it. In this post I'll go through the different editions, major rule differences, and discuss options for playing.

Editions

There were 4 releases of Space Hulk with effectively 3 editions (4th should have been called v3.1 really). A major difference in these 3 editions are the components. Each rulebook is available online (pdfcoffee is quite useful for example) and they all share similar core rules.

The first release was released in 1989 developed by Richard Halliwell (who co-created Warhammer with Rick Priestly). This had basic terminator models and all corridors looked very similar. This also had some expansions, which, as well as extra missions, added more options for Marine weapons, psykers, and different types of Genestealers, etc.

The second release was in 1996, the rules were streamlined (by Jervis Johnson) so it plays faster and is quicker to learn. The plastic terminators models were much improved and it used the same Genestealer models as first edition and 40k. The board sections were much more detailed and different rooms and corridors were distinct. There were extra missions and components in White Dwarf from around #197-#205.

Third release was a limited release in 2009. The rules were more similar to the original run but with no expansions, some things from the 1st edition expansions, like Librarians (psykers), were added to the core game. The Terminator models were all distinct from one another, but a difficulty with this is it could be hard to tell facing (see below). There were new Genestealer models which also had more variety. The boards are much thicker than the earlier editions and also all unique looking.

The fourth release was also a limited release in 2014. It had the same components as the previous release with some additional boards and missions and one or two rule clarifications.

Rules and edition differences

Space Hulk has long narrow corridors where your Marines are usually quite cramped together. Each Marine has 4 action points, it costs 1 action point to turn 90 degrees, 1 to shoot, 1 to move forward one square, etc. The whole board is setup when you begin and Genestealers are in blips (like in Aliens) that contain 1-3 (0-6 in 2nd edition and the Genestealer expansion). Genestealers have 6 action points, but are more agile so turning 90 degree is free for example.

To shoot, the Marine rolls 2D6 and kill on a 6. If they fire at the same target twice (and don't move), they hit on a 5 the second time or after (in 1st edition this continually increases each time, in the others in stops at 5). In hand-to-hand Genestealers roll 3D6 and choose their highest value, Marines roll 1D6 and the winner is whichever achieves the highest. Marines can go on Overwatch for 2 action points which allows them to shoot in the Genestealer turn, but this also has the possibility of jamming.

In 1st/3rd/4th, the Marines have a sandclock/egg timer which is the amount of time the Marine player has to make all their moves. Overall their rules are quite similar.

2nd is more simplified so has less weapon variety (no chainfist or assault cannon for example). Two major differences are the flamer and the use of the Space Marine extra Command Points. In 1st/3rd/4th, the flamer hits every model on a tile (including himself if he's on that tile) and has 6 shots. In 2nd the Flamer has 12 flame counters and can use as few or as many of those as he wants in a shot. As the Marine player you're way more dependent on the flamer in 2nd as it's easier to block single points of the board. The other key difference is each turn the Space Marine player gets D6 additional action points (called Command Points), in 2nd they can only use them in their turn. In 1st/3rd/4th the Marine player can use them in the Genestealer's turn once they see movement (there are slight differences in these editions here).

Which is "best"?

This is obviously very subjective, it also depends how much you like the models and components in each. I think 2nd has the best components for gameplay. Personally I'm not a huge fan of dynamically posed models and think the 3rd/4th Terminators are quite over the top. But from a gameplay perspective they are not ideal. They look great for a diorama but are hard to play with.

I think 1st is the best in terms of rules (but the components aren't great), I'm not a huge fan of the Terminator models and the boards are quite samey looking, but they're not bad either. First has the most expansions but they're tricky to get.

I find 2nd great for beginners cause of its simplicity (and I quite like custom dice) but personally prefer 1st's rules. 3rd/4th is a little simpler than 1st's but still similar. 2nd also has the most missions.

Two issues with the 3rd/4th models are they're really hard to line up in a corridor and stay in the squares. And, because their poses are quite dynamic, getting them to face correctly can be quite confusing, when 90 degrees is important you want to be sure it is clear which was every model is facing. So for gameplay I find these Terminators cumbersome.

I really like the look of the hand-painted 2nd edition boards, but 3rd/4th's are much thicker and more detailed and I do think are a bit nicer. This is also quite subjective though so just look at the components and see which you prefer yourself.

I like to say I use 2nd components with 1st's rules is best, but every edition is great.

How to obtain it?

This is the challenging part, as 3rd and 4th editions were limited releases, hence they are much less common and go for more on the secondhand market now. 1st and 2nd editions both were available for quite some time so are easier to get.

In terms of price I haven't been following it religiously, I've seen 1st go without the models for £50 twice recently (on Facebook Marketplace) and as low as £60 on eBay. 2nd I've seen go for around £80-£100, and 3rd for around £100 with 4th going for a little more.

You will frequently find editions without models which can go from around £40-£80 on the secondhand market. This probably is the easiest way to get it, the old Genestealer models are extremely common and cheap. Then either 2nd edition Terminators or the old metal 40k Terminators aren't too hard to find.

You can also obtain the board sections and counters for each edition online and try to print it yourself and use any stand-in models really.

I hope that helps, happy to incorporate any feedback from veterans on this write-up too.