Somewhere along the line, my original version has been sold or misplaced, featuring the original gloomy cover artwork, still shown on the manuals. my parents, less so, probably realising they would now have to sit and participate in said game. I remember receiving my edition for Christmas 1990, and was in fits of excitement…. Also, as it’s not licensed by MB it lacks a lot of the components featured in the original version. They also then complicated it again by releasing Advanced Space Crusade, which was designed to appeal to their core fans, and is much more like the modular, Space Hulk to play. Games Workshop sought to change this, and in collaboration with MB Games they released Hero Quest based on the Warhammer fantasy world, and shortly after, Space Crusade, based in a simplified 40k world. It was well known amongst it’s aficionados for sure, but the concept wasn’t really accessible for the home markets. The only problem with Space Hulk and it’s counter-parts was accessibility. With extensive games such as Space Hulk, setting the mood. Warhammer was a well established game & concept before Space Crusade arrived in the early part of 1990. Ultimately, encapsulating the Warhammer universe was probably Games Workshop’s aim here. This was the game which truly brought home the Warhammer 40k universe for me it encapsulated it, and I’ve loved it ever since. I could sit for hours flicking through the mission book, or examining the miniatures, and that was more than enough. “space crusade” and my mind is there, in space, with the Imperial fists, fighting for the emperor on board some derelict space hulk… bolter in one hand, gene-stealer in the other and a sprawling corridor of darkness, with the faint and intimidating sound of an approaching dreadnaught echoing around the ship’s hull.īecause that’s what this board game did for me. even the mention of it sparks off my imagination.

Space crusade font