Genre: Strategy, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Card & Board Game
Space Hulk: Tactics
Watch the Launch Trailer!
Witness endless battle and the doom of a world in the Space Hulk: Tactics launch trailer!
Space Hulk: Tactics is a faithful turn-based tactics adaptation of the board game Space Hulk, set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, bringing unique twists to the cult classic formula. Our new launch trailer will prepare you for release on PS4, Xbox One, and PC in just a few days, October 9. See the desperate battle between man and alien like never before!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-8Mi33vNDc
On the side of humanity stand the Space Marine Terminators, genetically modified super soldiers clad in heavy armour and equipped with extraordinary firepower that turns them into effective walking tanks. Opposing them are the Genestealers, insidious inhabitants of the floating amalgamations of smashed-together starships called space hulks, hiding inside every pipe and duct, prepared to rend anything that comes close to pieces with glistening claws.
An innovative new card system gives players greater control over their forces, while two non-linear, narrative-driven campaigns tell a new, terrifying story in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. A full customisation system is available across four Space Marine chapters and four Genestealer Hive Fleets, letting you design your force down to the last shoulder plate or weapon hilt. A robust mission editor, inspired by the clip-together nature of building scenarios in the board game, means you can design, share, and play your own maps quickly and easily.
Space Hulk: Tactics comes to PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 9. Pre-order Space Hulk: Tactics today on Steam and get special bonuses, including a 10% discount, immediate beta access, and unique second founding colour schemes for your Terminators.
It’s been a week since we deployed Space Hulk: Tactics’ Pre-Order Beta. Thank you for all your feedback and support! We’ve taken into consideration your reports and suggestions to provide a better experience, optimize and balance the gameplay.
We’re happy to deploy today a new update based on your feedback, including gameplay balance, winrate system and bugfixes. Please find below the details.
Gameplay balance:
One additional action point for every card when converted
Terminator AI updated on Khitor
Rebalancing the level design of three maps to reduce the differences between Terminator and Genestealer
Osulas - Reducing the spawn ability considering the “Limited blips” rule.
Eratrius - Removing the “No bluff” rule (a 26% decrease in the number of Genestealers)
Darakin - Removing the “Countless” rule (a 50% decrease in the number of Genestealers)
Winrate system:
Old System
Percentages shown in the winrate system would include every game played (against AI, games left after only two turns, even disconnections).
New System
Reset the winrate percentage using a new algorithm to be closer to real records.
The winrate will now only take PvP maps, ranked matches and skirmish into account.
Bugfixes
Fixed a crash that would occur at launch
Fixed a bug that would prevent the card Persistence (+4 AP on a pawn) from activating
Fixed a graphical glitch with emblems on Powerfists
Fixed an issue with missing icons in the log when using the warp bubble
Fixed a case where Genestealers would spawn with Terminator customization elements
Fixed a missing animation when a Reaperfex or Bulwark attacking a Terminator would result is a draw
Tweaked visuals on the disengage Genestealer botton
Polished log texts
Added feedback on the Genestealers affected by the Neurotoxin special rule
The card Feeding Frenzy (+2 dice to a genestealer, then die) now clearly states that it cannot be activated on Biomorphic Genestealers
Added transparency to overwatch overlay
Improved Terminator AI
Fixed several issues that would lead to crashes
Fixed typos in various texts and languages
We look forward to your feedback about this new update for the Beta. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about what you play, and as always please let us know if you encounter any technical issues.
Space Hulk: Tactics Team
Watch the Map Editor Trailer!
Learn all about the Space Hulk: Tactics mission editor in a new gameplay video!
Space Hulk: Tactics, the official adaptation of the classic boardgame from Games Workshop, embraces its heritage with the easy to use but incredibly powerful Mission Creator tool!
Available now in beta for anyone who pre-orders on Steam, it can be used to create an infinite combination of layouts and tilesets, and you have already gotten to grips with designing amazing things using it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cge-72BQYE
In our new trailer, learn the ins and outs of making your own missions quickly and easily. Changing layouts and looks, adding logic, and linking elements is just a single button press away, with testing done on the fly from within the editor itself.
Custom Terminator squads and Genestealer swarms can be designated for each map, as well as unique rulesets, restrictions, and opportunities for either side. Plus, set an objective for the Terminators - one of twenty which range from annihilation to escape.
Once your masterpiece is complete it can be uploaded online and shared. We’ve created specific forums for players to talk about their creations, creating threads for everything from asking for advice to providing a space for narrative to link a selection of maps that they’ve made. Maps can be found easily in-game through various search and filter tools, including for map creators.
The Space Hulk: Tactics pre-order beta has begun, pre-order now on Steam to play. The game releases on Xbox One, PS4, and PC on October 9.
Thank you for participating in Space Hulk: Tactics Map Editor Contest - we've received dozens of awesome maps!
Today, we're honoured to announce the final winners of this competition. The winners go to Sammi79's Left Behind, following Rick Huddy's The Final Purge and Gabyro's BielTan Cleanse!
Three runner's up: The Final Purge by Rick Huddy, BielTan Cleanse by Gabyro and The Final Purge/ by Corius
A copy of Space Hulk: Tactics
A copy of Blood Bowl 2: Legendary Edition
Congratulations to the winners!
Mission Creator Devblog
Welcome back to the devblogs for Space Hulk: Tactics, today we’ll be talking about the Map Editor. Far from a tool for only the most creative portion of the playerbase, we consider this a core pillar of the Space Hulk experience, and we’ve designed it in such a way to be easy to use for everyone.
The reason for this is how influential the ease of making your own missions was on the Space Hulk boardgame. It is still played by a dedicated fanbase today, after almost 30 years since the 1989 release, in part because of the clip-together nature of the terrain pieces that came with it. Creating your own missions is as easy as adding an objective to your idea for a map, and we’ve embraced that completely with the Mission Editor.
First you pick an environment, Imperial, Ork, or Eldar. Each of these comes with its own unique interactive elements - gun turrets on Imperial maps, for example, or explosive barrels on Ork ships - so choose wisely based on what you wish to create. However, if you decide to change, you can do so at any time, without losing any features of your map. Any unique elements from another tileset are simply flagged as needing to be removed or replace.
Then you can start building, snapping rooms together quickly and easily from our huge selection. There is a near-infinite number of combinations of rooms, doors, consoles, interactive elements, dozens of objectives, spawn points, and so on. Each room also has several different tilesets per environment, so you can perfect the look of your map as well as the design.
Applying objectives to a map is as simple as selecting one and then placing the required interactables - extraction points, key consoles, collectable servo skulls, to name a few. There are twenty objectives to choose from, which combined with map layouts and how they change the playstyle of the map (sometimes, for example, the Genestealers may be on the defensive) it opens up a ridiculously large number of options.
Once you have a prototype, you can jump into playing it against the AI right from within the editor, and once you quit you’ll be right back on the edit screen, able to tweak elements quickly and easily. First-person mode is also supported within the editor, so you can examine your map on a more personal level, and pick the perfect tileset.
Once your map is ready to go it can be shared online and downloaded by other players. They can rate maps after a match, as well as search for maps by name, creator name, or use filters to sort through official and unofficial maps.
During the pre-order beta we’re running a mapping competition, which you can read about the details for here. Included in the prize is a copy of the latest edition of the Space Hulk boardgame, as well as various other goodies. We’re always on the lookout for particularly amazing maps to highlight as well, and it’s possible some of the best from the beta will be integrated into the official map pool for release.
The Space Hulk: Tactics release is just a couple of weeks away on October 9th. You can play in the pre-order beta right now by grabbing the game on Steam. http://spacehulk-tactics.com/shop
Map Creation Contest
Hello everyone!
Welcome to the Space Hulk: Tactics map creation contest! If you're here, you're no doubt passionate about making your own maps in Space Hulk: Tactics, or are interested in learning how to do so.
Today, we're very happy to announce a map creation contest for Space Hulk: Tactics, to celebrate the release of the pre-order beta! With the robust tools that you have available to you, you're able to create maps for yourselves and other players to play, on all three platforms (PC, PS4 and Xbox One).
In this competition, we'd like to invite players to make their very best maps. Once done, we'll be playing them, and then judging them for a couple of different categories.
How To Enter:
1. Publish your map using the in-game tools
2. Email community@focus-home.com with a description of the map, and your username, and the name of the map itself.
3. We'll let winners know directly if they have won, and announce the winners on our social media channels.
Criteria:
Balance: How balanced is your map? Does one side have a huge advantage, or with both players be at an equal footing when playing.
Complexity: Can any player play on your map, or do they need advanced knowledge of Space Hulk: Tactics to be able to best enjoy it?
Ideas: Do you do anything new with the game in your map? Are you retreading ideas from the base game, or doing something interesting?
Use of game mechanics: Does this map allow players to take full advantage of the tools at their disposal, or are they railroaded into playing in one particular style?
Prizes:
It wouldn't be a competition without prizes! We'll be giving away a copy of the Space Hulk board game to the first place winner, as well as a copy of the game to give to a friend and a copy of Blood Bowl 2: Legendary Edition. This first place winning map will also be played by Chapter Master Valrak on a dedicated Space Hulk: Tactics live stream.
We'll also pick two runner's up who will receive a copy of Space Hulk: Tactics and a copy of Blood Bowl 2: Legendary Edition.
We'll be selecting winner's on Monday, the 1st of October.
Thank you very much for entering, we look forwards to playing each of your maps! May the best map maker win!
Space Hulk: Tactics - Welcome to the Pre-Order Beta
Dear Community,
The Pre-Order Beta for Space Hulk: Tactics has now started!
It will run up until the launch of the game. Save games will also be compatible with the release version, so you can immediately continue your game on October 9th.
We’re excited to share with you this early version of the game in order to gather your feedback and make the best possible game! Please find below various info and details about the Pre-Order Beta.
How can I get the Pre-Order Beta access for PC?
It’s simple. All you need is to pre-order Space Hulk: Tactics on Steam before the release date, then you will be able to get into the game right away.
/!\ If you already participated in previous Beta sessions, please remove the save located here: C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\SpaceHulk2
What’s in Space Hulk: Tactics Pre-Order Beta?
The Pre-Order Beta features the following content:
The first missions of the two narrative campaigns
Skirmish mode in multiplayer and singleplayer on five maps (Khitor, Osulas, Ukganak, Eratirus and Darakin)
Map Editor
Full customization
Tutorial
How to play Space Hulk: Tactics Pre-Order Beta?
Here are the steps for the Terminator Campaign:
Launch the game
Select “Terminator Campaign”
You’ll see an intro cutscene, and the tutorial mission will launch
After completion, the next cutscene will launch
You’ll then be able to play Mission 1
After mission 1, a cutscene will play, introducing you to the main plot elements, different characters and other important narrative details.
Here are the steps for the Genestealer Campaign:
Launch the game
Select “Genestealer Campaign”
You’ll see an intro cutscene, and the tutorial mission will launch
After completion, the next cutscene will launch
You’ll then be able to play Mission 1
After mission 1, a cutscene will play, introducing you to the main plot elements, different characters and other important narrative details
Tell me more about the campaigns.
As many Warhammer fans know, the traditional Space Hulk board game has two factions: Terminator and Genestealer. In Space Hulk: Tactics, you will be able to play fully-fledged campaigns for each faction! With the new card system that emphasizes each side’s campaign, you’ll be able to use your own strategies to best approach each level, and handle each strategy as you see fit..
How many playable maps are there in the Pre-Order Beta?
In Space Hulk: Tactics Pre-Order Beta, you will have 5 playable maps: Khitor, Osulas, Ukganak, Eratirus and Darakin. They are for both Terminator and Genestealer, with special objectives. They offer different gameplay styles and experiences.
Will we be able to play with different players?
Indeed, you can play either against AI or in a competitive player vs player mode.
What’s the specialties of MapTool?
The MapTool (Mission Editor) allows you to create, share and play maps from the community. All the creation items are available, such as environments, interactive objects, objectives, and so on. The most exciting thing is that you can probably see your own maps in the final game if we find them interesting!
What can I customize in Space Hulk: Tactics Pre-Order Beta?
You can create your own squad, select chapters, units, weapons and cards. The cosmetic items are all available in customization mode, including the pre-order bonuses.
You can also find more details about the Pre-Order Beta here:
Focus Home Interactive and Cyanide Studio are proud to announce the pre-order beta for Space Hulk: Tactics will begin on Steam tomorrow, Tuesday, September 25. The Beta should be live in the late afternoon (CEST).
A faithful adaptation of the classic Warhammer 40,000 board game of Man versus Alien in desperate battle, Space Hulk: Tactics brings new twists to the formula along with extensive customisation, two full campaigns, and much more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcFPQiuheoE
In today’s trailer we profile the Genestealers, the festering malice at the heart of the Space Hulk, ready to cut down any and all Space Marine Terminators that come aboard. Their strategies and playstyle are completely different, creating truly asymmetrical multiplayer. Using their numbers and agility to their advantage, the Genestealers are a more aggressive force, but one with less options on how to handle each situation.
In the Steam pre-order beta, players can look forward to playing the Genestealers and the Terminators, in skirmish and multiplayer across five maps. Also available is the full customisation system and the map editor, letting the creatives in the community get started early on new creations and master plans.
A preview of each faction’s campaign will also be playable, serving both as a tutorial and a taste of what awaits in the full game. Save games will be compatible with the release version, so players can immediately continue their mission on October 9. The pre-order bonuses will also be available in the beta, giving access to second founding chapters and other alternate versions of the base game’s Blood Angels, Space Wolves, Dark Angels, and Ultramarines chapters.
The pre-order beta will run up until the launch of the game, with regular updates to address bugs and balance issues as reported by the community. On launch day, October 9, players will gain access to more official maps as well as the two complete, massive single-player campaigns. All Steam pre-orders have a 10% discount up until launch and will give instant access to the beta, as well as the pre-order cosmetics.
Until the end of the day, enjoy special discounts on Steam for Warhammer games, along with over 50 other original Focus Home Interactive titles at up to 85% off!
Welcome back to another devblog for Space Hulk: Tactics, where today we’ll be going over the customisation system. We’ll be focusing on the cosmetic aspects of your units, but let’s start by talking about weapon and squad customisation from a gameplay standpoint.
How you build your squad or swarm is entirely up to you. On the Terminator side you select five Terminators to begin the battle with, and can decide which and how many of the five classes you wish to field. Obviously, a balanced team has its advantages, but so does a pair of autocannons, or a focus on melee, depending on the mission. For Genestealers, you select which special biomorphs you’ll have access to via the card system, which also governs the other cards in your deck, as weapon and class choice does for the Terminators.
Everything that changes how you might play the game - weapons, classes, chapters, and so on - is unlocked from the start for skirmish and multiplayer. In the campaigns, different options are unlocked over time, as well as through resources you find while exploring the Hulk. In this way you build your force naturally, and story events are tied to the different options you have available.
Cosmetic customisation has many more features. For the Terminators, each piece of armour has several options, sometimes as many as a dozen or more, to be selected. This includes the helm, pauldrons, and chest piece, as well as less obvious elements like shinpads, thigh adornments, and the exact look of a weapon. Each chapter also has unique versions of some or all of these, meaning the total number of options is far higher across every chapter. This allows you to theme squads or individual units if you wish, or make them a grab-bag of mismatched items, a squad who have undergone many repairs.
Speaking of which, the system goes deeper and allows you to change the wear and tear on a unit’s armour - how many scratches and marks does it have, how many layers of battle-dirt? On top of that you can customise colours, emblems, and patterns, letting you build a personalised version of each chapter using their colour scheme and markings. Want all-green Dark Angels covered in bumps or solid-black Blood Angels, wings on every surface? That’s possible here.
Genestealers have no armour pieces to play with, being armoured by bone structure and hardened flesh. However, their look can be altered across a variety of their body parts, again using the colour schemes of various hive fleets as a base. Blood-red or bone-white Genestealers are just a trip to the squad creation menu away, and of course you can match (or mismatch) this individually across the base Genestealers as well as the various biomorphs.
We’re exceptionally proud of the amount of customisation possible in Space Hulk: Tactics. For more options you can also pre-order on Steam and receive some additional colour schemes based on later founding chapters, the Angels Sanguine, Nova Marines, Disciples of Caliban, plus Bran Redmaw’s Great Company and the Heresy Grey colour scheme of the Space Wolves.
Stay tuned for news very soon about our pre-order beta, and we look forward to showing you the game in full on October 9th.
Discover our Narrative Campaigns
Welcome back to the Space Hulk: Tactics development blog. Today we’re going to talk purely about the two narrative campaigns that tell the story of the Forsaken Doom, the Genestealer swarm that breeds there, and the Blood Angel squad that comes to defeat them. Since last time we discussed the plot of those campaigns with writer James Swallow, this time it’s all about the mechanics.
Playing the campaign follows your personalised squad or swarm as they make their way through the Space Hulk. On the Terminator side this starts simply, with a Sergeant and four of his best Terminators kitted out with powerfists and storm bolters. As you progress, picking paths through the winding corridors, you’ll acquire equipment and materials to upgrade your squad.
While in Skirmish and multiplayer all content is unlocked from the start, allowing you to build whatever squad you like and tailor them to specific missions, the campaign has a progression system that sees you spending resources on weapons and cards to change your squad. Story events also see new units join you, like the Librarian. For the Genestealers, new biomorphs are unlocked over time, while biomass collected from battles can be used to upgrade cards and customise your strategy.
On the Terminator side, every time you progress the threat of the swarm will build as new Genestealers move into the area, hunting you. This is represented by the meter on the left of the screenshot above, and has many effects as it reaches different milestones. It may spawn new missions as the situation changes, or make upcoming ones more difficult. These non-critical missions can be fought as normal, or Terminators can be left behind to defend against the swarm, making them unavailable for the next mission - and eventually, you won’t have enough men to do so.
Choosing how to customise your squad, which route to take, how to deal with optional missions, and managing the threat meter makes every campaign unique. There are also points of interest scattered throughout the Hulk. These could be as simple as a cache of long-forgotten components to help you upgrade your squad, or situations that require a decision. Will you salvage the armour or weapons of some fallen Terminators, or leave them be to keep ahead of the swarm? Do you collapse an entire section of the Hulk to halt the Genestealers, or leave it open for exploration by both sides?
The decisions you make and the way you explore the Hulk will change as you move between different ships. Ork and Aeldari vessels have been pulled into the wreck over time, with their own challenges. Ork ships are dangerously unstable, while some Aeldari webway technology is still functioning and can be used to teleport to unexplored and otherwise inaccessible locations.
Interspersed with all this are the story missions, which play out as unique Space Hulk games using your specific squad. Cutscenes and communications during these battles will tell the story, while numerous side objectives will expand upon the importance of this particular Hulk and why so many squads have found their doom there over the millenia.
Whether you’re playing as the Terminators or Genestealers, there’s a long campaign for you to embark on, and it will be an experience individual to you. Next time we’ll dive into the customisation systems that define your playstyle as well as the look of your forces.
Space Hulk: Tactics releases for PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 9.
