What with the present trend in the movie industry for releasing special director's cut
of films, with all sorts of extra bits that were out by Producers for the sake of making
a leaner more profitable movie. Well we got together with Space Hulk designer Richard
Halliwell and asked him to come up with Space Hulk - The Designer's Cut!
By Richard Halliwell, Citadel Journal #7What with the present trend in the movie industry for releasing special director's cutof films, with all sorts of extra bits that were out by Producers for the sake of makinga leaner more profitable movie. Well we got together with Space Hulk designer RichardHalliwell and asked him to come up with Space Hulk - The Designer's Cut!
Adapted to Alien Assault by Alex Ramirez:The original missions were not designed as a campaign, but as four individual scenariosintroducing a new set of special-purpose weapons.Ambush features the GSRC Bolter: a gun designed to shoot around corners. It is a varianton the regulation Storm Bolter, with a sprung, hinged stock. At the flick of a switch, theStorm Bolter springs forward, and turns at a right angle facing either left or right. Thegun is fitted with an optical reflector, so a Space Marine stationed just behind a cornercan fire round it.
The weapon is a hugely complicated affair requiring a flexible ammunition feed. This reducesits overall reliability considerably. It can jam on any shot, not just in Overwatch. Clearingthe jam requires 4AP.
Smash and Grab features the Harpoon Gun: a weapon designed to procure live, or at leasthalf-alive, specimens of alien life forms for scientific research. It fires a large spear-likemissile attached to a line and winch. The missile is a composite projectile. The main partis a barbed spike to penetrate the target. This also contains a conduit for injectingthe victim with vast quantities of stun toxins. The harpoon also carries a number ofarticulated grabbing arms: these enfold the victim in an embrace of steel, restrictingthe victim's movement and preventing it making any attack upon the Space Marine.It has a limited range of 4 squares, and hits on a roll of 2 or higher in one die. On a hit,the Genestealer has a hideously barbed spike wedged in its abdomen, is hugely sedated bythe Harpoon's toxins, and entrapped by the equally hideously barbed grabber arms. It isunable to anything but weakly attempt to struggle free.
Quad Run features the Quadruple bolter: a four barrelled bolter, firing even faster thana double barrelled storm bolter. It delivers a devastating hail of fire capable of rippingGenestealers to shreds, often on the first volley.
The fast feed required for all four barrels is prone to jam and limited by the sheerweight of bolter ammunition that can be carried. Further experimentation in this fieldwould eventually produce the devastating firepower of an Imperial Assault Cannon.The Quadruple bolter rolls four dies, and jams whenever a triple is scored, not only inoverwatch. It becomes useless, as it can not be unjammed.Finally, Escape Route features the MK13 Battering Ram: a close combat weapon designed tobreak through doors and bulkheads. The weapon replaces the Storm Bolter, and can only beused in close combat, adding +3 to the marine's roll.It severely limits movement to 3 AP, and 90 degree turns cost 2 AP.-- x --From the Diary of Armourer Mathias, in the fiftieth year of the 37th Millennium.I had eagerly anticipated my visit to the famous Armourer's Chapel of the Darting BladesChapter. Little did I realise how much I would come to regret that day.The Chapel was a buzzing hive of the weapon-maker's art. Bizarre weapons were being preparedand tested. These were the products of Bother Queue, the Darting Blade's Chief Armourer. Queuewas a man possessed of a legendary genius, albeit one flawed by absent mindedness.Around us crude automated test dummies strode around and met a variety of colourful, swiftor horrendous ends. Queue was in expansive form explaining his latest booby trap. The weaponwas a prefect replica of a regulation issue S15 Field Tool Box, temptation beyond belieffor an acquisitive Ork or Gretchin. From the safety of a sandbagged bunker we watched asa test replica Gretchin approached the trap and clumsily lifted the lid.
Nothing happened. Queue swore to himself. He prepared to investigate by collecting tools formthe bench but couldn't find precisely the right type of screwdriver. As he started to liftthe lid of his S15 Imperial Field Tool Box I realised the mistake. I was already too late.The device detonated before I could issue any warning. Brother Queue was killed outright,as were several other Brother Marines. For my part, I give thanks to the Emperor for mydeliverance. Miraculously I survived the blast, it cost me nought but an arm and a leg..
