Space Hulk: Death Angel – The Card Game

Setting up a game of Space Hulk: Death Angel involves several key steps. First, players select combat teams of Space Marines, each with unique action cards and abilities. Terrain and location cards are arranged sequentially to form the narrow corridors and rooms of the spacecraft hulk. Genestealer blip cards are placed facedown at specific entry points based on the mission parameters, representing creeping alien threats in the dark. Support tokens, dice, and event decks are organized within easy reach, preparing the table for a tense cooperative tactical struggle.

The primary objective in Death Angel is cooperative survival and progression. Players must guide their squads of Space Marines through deadly corridors filled with Genestealers, activating doors, clearing rooms, and advancing toward a final extraction or objective point. You must balance offensive firepower with defensive positioning, as failing to eliminate aliens quickly will lead to overwhelming losses and mission failure.

A game round is structured into distinct phases. First, players choose action cards simultaneously for each active Space Marine without communicating specifics. Next, these actions—such as attacks, movement, or support—are resolved in numerical order. Afterwards, a card from the event deck is drawn, which can trigger environmental hazards, reinforcements, or movement of Genestealers. Finally, Genestealers launch attacks against adjacent Space Marines, requiring defensive rolls or support tokens to survive.

As a cooperative card game, Death Angel does not rely on traditional competitive victory points. Success is measured binary: either you win by completing the mission parameters and surviving the onslaught, or you lose when all Space Marines are eradicated. Performance can be evaluated informally based on how many squad members remain standing and the efficiency of your tactical execution.

The game concludes under two main conditions. Players achieve victory immediately when the final mission objective is successfully resolved and all win requirements are met. Conversely, the game ends in defeat the moment the last surviving Space Marine is killed by Genestealer attacks, or if certain deck depletion rules trigger a loss according to the mission scenario.