TEXT: Space Hulk Q&A
  http://spacehulk.barsoom.cc/mirrors/shc/QnA.ht
  1 of 16
  1/1/2008 9:12 PM
  White Dwarf 142
  QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS I
  By Simon Forrest
  We're often sent letters by people asking us to clarify rules points, usually where an unusual situation 
  not covered by the rules has sprung up. To help you out, we've collected some of the more common 
  rules queries and provided answers and guidelines.
  In particular, we take a look at the psychic rules from the Genestealer expansion set, and at Overwatch
  and Command Points. From reading your letters, we've found a few areas that some of you find a little 
  confusing so we're covering them again to help clarify matters.
  And since Genestealer was released we've played a lot of games using the psychic cards and found a 
  few minor changes that we'd like to make to the rules.
  Force Battles
  A few people have asked us to clarify the way that force battles work. These are actually fairly simple and, 
  once you've got the idea, you won't have any problem with them.
  Force Cards
  Many of the psychic cards have a coloured icon in the bottom right corner - this is the force icon and it has the 
  same colour and symbol as one of the four psychic suites. Cards with one of these icons are known as force 
  cards. Aura cards are also force cards - they count as force cards against their own suit (i.e. the suit shown by 
  the main icon in the top left corner).
  The four suits and their colours are:
  PSIONIC (skull) - yellow
  POWER (crossed lightning bolts) - red
  KINESIS (three curves) - green
  TEMPORAL (scythe) - blue
  When a psyker is the target of a psychic attack he can use a force card to block the attack. He simply lays 
  down a card with a force icon of the same colour as the attacking cards suite - so a Psionic card is dispelled 
  by a force card with the yellow Psionic symbol in the bottom right corner.
  Playing a force card like this completely dispels the attack - so neither psyker not any other models are 
  affected.
  Force Battles
  A force battle represents each psyker throwing extra energy into a psychic attack or defence. Whoever lays 
  down the most cards has unleashed the most psychic energy and wins the battle.
  The two psykers take it in turns to lay down force cards. The one who lays down the last card wins. If it's the 
  attacker the psychic attack takes place as normal. If it's the defender, his psychic defences have proved too 
  
  Space Hulk Q&A
  http://spacehulk.barsoom.cc/mirrors/shc/QnA.ht
  2 of 16
  1/1/2008 9:12 PM
  strong and the attack is dispelled.
  A force battle works like this:
  The attacking psyker plays a psychic card.
  1.
  The defending psyker (who must) be a target of the attack) plays a force card with a force icon of the 
  same colour as the attacking card's suit. This stops the attack.
  2.
  The attacking psyker now plays his own force card - again this has a force icon of the same colour as 
  the original attacking card. This makes the attack effective again.
  3.
  Steps 2 and 3 are repeated until one player either doesn't have a force card of the right colour or doesn't 
  want to play any more cards. Whoever played the last card wins the force battle.
  4.
  It's as simple as that - see the example for as more detailed run-down of a force battle in action.
  EXAMPLE FORCE BATTLE
  This example force battle shows you how the cards work and which of the coloured icons you use at each 
  stage.
  The attacking player lays down his psychic card - let's say 
  it's a Hellfire, which makes it a Power card (red).
  If one of the targets of the Hellfire is a psyker, the 
  defending player gets the chance to dispel the attack with a 
  force card. If he doesn't have a force card of the right 
  colour, of course, the Hellfire takes effect.
  The top left icon shows the suit of the psychic 
  attack. This is the colour that counts for the 
  force battle. In this case it's the Power suit so 
  only red force icons count.
  For the initial attack, it doesn't matter what 
  colour the lower right icon is - it has no effect 
  on the attack.
  However, we'll assume the defending player does have a 
  force card with a red force icon - say, the Burst of Speed 
  card with the red icon. He plays this and dispels the attack.
  Remember that it's the force icon in the bottom right 
  corner that counts - it doesn't matter that Burst of Speed 
  itself is from the Temporal (blue) suit.
  When the defending psyker plays a force card, 
  ignore the top left icon.
  The bottom right icon counts for a psychic 
  defence - it must be the same suit/colour as the 
  attack. In this case, it's red to match the 
  Hellfire's suit.
  If the attacking player also has a force card with a red 
  force icon - say the Smite card with the red icon - he can 
  play this to enhance his attack so that it is once more in 
  effect.
  If he doesn't have a red force card, the Hellfire would have 
  been dispelled.
  If the attacker reinforces the psychic attack, the 
  top left icon still doesn't matter - it only counts 
  for the original attack.
  If you're reinforcing an attack with a force card 
  it's the same as dispelling them - the bottom 
  right icon must be the same suit/colour as the 
  attack.
  If the defending player doesn't have another red force card, 
  the Hellfire now takes effect as usual.
  If he does have another red force card he can choose to 
  Only in the case of an Aura card does the top 
  left icon count for force battles.
  
  Space Hulk Q&A
  http://spacehulk.barsoom.cc/mirrors/shc/QnA.ht
  3 of 16
  1/1/2008 9:12 PM
  play it and dispel the Hellfire again. Say he's got an Aura 
  card from the Power suit - as it's an Aura card it counts as 
  a force card against its own colour.
  Because they count as force cards against their 
  own suit, Aura cards don't have a separate 
  force icon.
  This can go on as long as both players have got force cards with the right colour force icons (red in this 
  example).
  They keep taking it in turns to lay down force cards and whoever lays down the last card wins.
  If the attacker wins, the psychic cards works as usual. If the defender wins, the psychic card is dispelled and 
  has no effect.
  Aegis Suits
  It's easy to forget that a Space Marine Librarian gets the equivalent of a free force card against every psychic 
  card that affects him.
  A Librarian wears an Aegis suit. This is a specially modified suit of Terminator armour that includes a 
  psychic hood. The psychic hood contains a psi-matrix crafted from an intricately crafted web of 
  psychically-attuned crystals. The psychic hood amplifies the Librarian's natural psychic defences and gives 
  him greater protection from psychic attacks.
  Every time a Space Marine Librarian is attacked by a psychic effect he automatically gets a free force defence
  of the right colour. He doesn't have to use a card or pay any APs and it doesn't count as an action.
  This means that to attack a Librarian, an enemy psyker needs to have at least one force card to enhance his 
  attack. This overcomes the Librarian's free force defence and the attack affects the Librarian as usual. If the 
  enemy psyker doesn't have an extra force card, his attack will fail.
  Of course, the Librarian can also play a force card from his hand to defend against the attack and this will lead
  to a normal force battle - whoever lays the last card wins the battle.
  Unstoppable Attacks
  The Librarian's free force defence doesn't work against unstoppable psychic attacks. These aren't stopped by 
  force cards and the Librarian's Aegis suit isn't an exception.
  Section Effects
  If the Librarian is attacked by a section effect and stops it, either with his free force defence or by playing 
  force cards, the effect is completely dispelled - it doesn't affect any models in that section.
  This means that if you're expecting to be attacked by a Genestealer psyker, you can provide protection for 
  your Space Marines by keeping them in the same section as a Librarian.
  However, if you're not careful this can make you a sitting target for conventional section effect weapons, such
  as a missile launcher firing plasma missiles. It can also slow you down and make it hard to set up good firing 
  positions so you have to avoid clumping you models together too much.
  Lightning Arc
  
  Space Hulk Q&A
  http://spacehulk.barsoom.cc/mirrors/shc/QnA.ht
  4 of 16
  1/1/2008 9:12 PM
  Since Genestealer came out we've been playing a lot of games using the psychic rules and we now feel that 
  the Lightning Arc attack is slightly too powerful.
  To reduce the power of the attack, we're changing the targeting rules as follows:
  Each attack must be directed at a different target.
  These targets can be anywhere within 12 squares of the caster. The caster doesn't have to decide in 
  advance which six targets he's going to attack provided each target is only attacked once.
  1.
  The usual rules for blind firing apply, except:
  You can't target through an intervening model.
  If the only route you can trace to a model is blocked by another model, you can't make that attack. This 
  means that if a target survives an attack, you can't attack anything behind that target unless you can 
  trace an alternative route to it.
  As before, you also can't target through doors, bulkheads, crates and psychic section effects that block 
  line of sight, although you can target through normal section effects (e.g. flamer hits).
  2.
  Remember that if a psyker saves himself with a force card or an Aura card the Lightning Arc is dispelled and 
  can't make any more attacks.
  The Space Marine Librarian (M) casts a Lightning Arc. He makes his first attack against the Genestealer (G) 
  in front of him but only rolls a 1 on the die - the Genestealer survives.
  He makes his second attack against the next Genestealer (H). Because Lightning Arc is blind targeting, it 
  doesn't matter that the first Genestealer blocks his line of sight - the Librarian can trace a clear path to the 
  second Genestealer that doesn't pass through another model, door or blocked diagonal.
  Say the Librarian rolls a 6 against Genestealer H - this kills the Genestealer. He can now make his third attack
  against the furthest Genestealer (I). Again, because Lightning Arc is blind targeting it doesn't matter that he 
  can't see around the corner.
  If, however, the Librarian failed to kill the second Genestealer, he couldn't attack Genestealer I. Genestealer H
  completely blocks his route to Genestealer 3 and there's no alternative path that he can trace to make the 
  attack.
  Assail
  These changes make some minor adjustments and cover the ambiguity in the original rules about where you 
  could and couldn't move an Assailed model.
  You can't move an Assailed model through obstructions such as closed doors, bulkheads, crates or 
  1.
  G
  H
  I
  
  Space Hulk Q&A
  http://spacehulk.barsoom.cc/mirrors/shc/QnA.ht
  5 of 16
  1/1/2008 9:12 PM
  other models - i.e. through anything that would normally block movement. You can move the model 
  around corners, onto section effects that don't block movement and over rubble, pitfalls, ladders, etc.
  The player casting Assail can now choose to place an Assailed model prone.
  A prone model has no line of sight and cannot move, shoot or close assault until it gets up. If a prone 
  model is attacked in close combat, subtract 1 from its dice - if it wins or ties it gets up and faces its 
  attacker.
  The AP costs for a prone model to get up are as follows:
  Model
  AP
  Space Marine in Terminator armour
  2
  Space Marine in power armour
  1
  Purestrain Genestealer or Genestealer Hybrid 0
  2.
  A Space Marine that is Assailed cannot spend CPs as a response to the psychic attack - he's too 
  disorientated and shaken to respond. This means he cannot immediately spend CPs to turn or stand up.
  This restriction only applies to the Assail itself - the Space Marine can spend CPs as usual if another 
  action is later taken in his line of sight (remember, a prone model has no line of sight).
  3.
  Miasma and Teleport
  We're often asked if you can teleport through a Miasma. The answer is No. Miasma blocks all psychic effects 
  from the section it's in, to the section it's in and through the section it's in. It's the only psychic section effect 
  that completely blocks all other psychic abilities, including free targeting attacks through the section.
  Of course, there's nothing to stop you teleporting beyond a Miasma if you can trace a route to the other side 
  that doesn't pass through the Miasma section and is within Teleport range.
  Drawing Psychic Cards
  Another common question concerns what happens when a psyker is in a Miasma or Stasis section effect - can 
  the player still draw psychic cards?
  Genestealers
  The Genestealer player gets to draw the same number of cards regardless of how many psykers he's got in 
  play. In fact, he gets to hold a hand of psychic cards even if there's no psykers in play at all. This means it 
  makes absolutely no difference to him whether or not some or all of his psykers are caught in Miasma or 
  Stasis effects.
  Space Marines
  This one isn't so clear cut. The rules say that the Space Marine player's psychic hand is 2 cards plus one card 
  for each Space Marine in play and he gets to draw 1 new psychic card at the start of each turn for each psyker 
  in play.
  We've thought about this and there is obviously an argument for reducing the Space Marine psychic hand 
  
  Space Hulk Q&A
  http://spacehulk.barsoom.cc/mirrors/shc/QnA.ht
  6 of 16
  1/1/2008 9:12 PM
  when a Librarian enters these effects, especially in the case of Stasis which takes a section out of the game. 
  However, we've decided not to worry about it in order to keep things simple.
  So the rule is that a Space Marine player's psychic hand doesn't change if a Librarian is in a Miasma or Stasis 
  field. You only reduce the Space Marine's psychic hand if a Librarian is either killed or moves off the board.
  Overwatch
  A Genestealer opens a door. On the other side there's a Space Marine in overwatch. Does the Space 
  Marine shoot at the Genestealer?
  Yes, the Space Marine must shoot at the Genestealer. The Genestealer has taken an action in his line of sight 
  and is still in his line of sight at the end of the action so the Space Marine must take an overwatch shot. It 
  doesn't matter that the Space Marine sees the door move rather than the Genestealer - he still sees the results 
  of the action.
  Remember that Space Marines in overwatch always have to shoot at Genestealers that take an action and are 
  still in their line of sight and fire arc at the end of the action. They don't get the choice to hold their fire - 
  they're too tensed up ready to shoot and have no time to make decisions about firing.
  The Genestealer player can sometimes use this to his own advantage, especially where he's got overwhelming
  numbers to throw at Space Marines in overwatch. Because the Space Marines have to fire, the Genestealer 
  player can hurl wave after wave at the Space Marines, hoping to jam their bolters. See the diagram for an 
  example of using wave attacks against Space Marines in overwatch.
  Wave Attacks Against Overwatch
  In this example the Genestealers are in a good position to launch an attack in an attempt to swamp the Space 
  Marines.
  Each Genestealer that moves forces all three Space Marines to fire. So even if the first overwatch shot kills 
  the Genestealer, the other two Space Marines have to roll to see if they jam. The chance of killing a 
  Genestealer with an overwatch shot is less than twice the chance of getting a jam so this is often an effective -
  if rather costly - way to attack.
  Of course, it only works if you've got enough Genestealers to take the inevitable casualties. And remember 
  there's a chance that the Space Marine player will be lucky and gun down all the charging Genestealers 
  without getting jammed.
  If the Genestealer player is fortunate, he'll be able to move in and kill some of the Space Marines in close 
  
  Space Hulk Q&A
  http://spacehulk.barsoom.cc/mirrors/shc/QnA.ht
  7 of 16
  1/1/2008 9:12 PM
  combat. At worse, he should be able to fill the room with Genestealers, forcing the Space Marines to spend 
  the next turn clearing the room. It's possible the Space Marine player will have to spend so many APs on 
  shooting the Genestealers that he won't be able to put everyone back onto overwatch. The Genestealers 
  should then be able to launch another wave attack in the following turn with a much greater chance of 
  success.
  Wave attacks are one of the keys to playing the Genestealers. Just the threat of launching an attack can be a 
  powerful tactic, slowing down the Space Marines by forcing them to spend half their APs on setting 
  overwatch.
  As good Space Marine tactics often require fast movement, it's vital to avoid situations where they get tied 
  down in a room. If the Genestealer player can keep bringing up reinforcements from nearby entry areas, a 
  situation like the one above could well be the turning point in the game. It's very hard for the Space Marines 
  to break out of a heavily-threatened area, especially without support from heavy flamers or a Librarian with 
  section effect attacks, but failing to do so usually spells defeat.
  A Genestealer closes a door between itself and a Space Marine in overwatch. Can the Space Marine 
  shoot at the Genestealer or the door?
  No, the Space Marine can't shoot at either the Genestealer or the door.
  He can't shoot the Genestealer because the overwatch shot comes after the Genestealer has completed its 
  action. Closing the door takes the Genestealer out of the Space Marine's line of sight so it can't be shot.
  He can't shoot the door because a Space Marine in overwatch is only allowed to fire at a Genestealer that's 
  just taken an action.
  Overwatch represents the Space Marine's split second response to a moving target. He's waiting tensely for a 
  Genestealer to show itself and ignores all other targets, such as doors or features like crates.
  On the other hand, if the Space Marine player wanted to spend a command point, he could shoot at the door. 
  Command points represent specific orders to perform extra actions rather than instant snap-shot responses. 
  Spending command points allows him to perform any action provided he has just seen a Genestealer take an 
  action.
  With command points the Space Marine could turn, step forward or backward, clear a jam or shoot at a door 
  (any door - it needn't be the one that's just closed).
  The penalty for doing this, of course, is that the Space Marine loses overwatch.
  When a Space Marine in overwatch jams, how many command points does it cost to go back into 
  overwatch?
  It costs 3 command points: 1 command point to unjam the storm bolter and 2 command points to place the 
  Space Marine back into overwatch.
  Because these are separate actions, a Genestealer could take 3 actions before the Space Marine can shoot 
  again:
  Genestealer
  Space Marine
  First action
  Pays 1 CP to clear jam
  
  Space Hulk Q&A
  http://spacehulk.barsoom.cc/mirrors/shc/QnA.ht
  8 of 16
  1/1/2008 9:12 PM
  Second action Pays 2 CPs to return to overwatch
  Third action
  Takes an overwatch shot
  A Space Marine has just survived a Genestealer close assault. Do nearby Space Marines on overwatch 
  shoot at the Genestealer?
  Yes. In fact they must. Of course, the Space Marines must be able to draw a clear line of sight to the 
  Genestealer and it must be in their fire arc and 12-square overwatch range.
  Note that there's no chance of them hitting their fellow Space Marine even if they miss the Genestealer.
  If a Space Marine forces a Blip to convert into the line of sight of another Space Marine on overwatch, 
  does the model on overwatch get a shot?
  No - the newly-converted Genestealer hasn't taken an action in the Space Marine's line of sight, so there's no 
  chance to shoot.
  Does a Space Marine in overwatch really get a shot at a Genestealer that turns 90° - after all, this is a
  free action for Genestealers?
  Yes. Even though turning 90° costs no APs for a Genestealer, it's still an action so the Space Marine gets a
  shot.
  This makes doorways and corners good defensive positions for Space Marines in overwatch as Genestealers 
  will often have to turn to make a close assault.
  Of course, a Genestealer can partially offset this by moving sideways. This is more expensive in APs but it 
  means the Space Marine gets one less shot - see the diagram for more details.
  Overwatch and Turning to Attack
  A
  B
  C
  
  Space Hulk Q&A
  http://spacehulk.barsoom.cc/mirrors/shc/QnA.ht
  9 of 16
  1/1/2008 9:12 PM
  Diagram A: The Genestealer's first square of movement takes it into the Space Marine's line of sight and fire 
  arc. As he's on overwatch, the Space Marine takes a shot.
  Diagram B: The Genestealer's second square moves it directly in front of the Space Marine who gets another 
  overwatch shot.
  Diagram C: The Genestealer's can't attack because it's facing the wrong way. It now takes a free action to 
  turn to face the Space Marine. The Space Marine gets a third overwatch shot even though the Genestealer's 
  action was free.
  The Genestealer has spent 2 APs getting here. If it has survived the overwatch shots, it can now make a close 
  assault. This will force the Space Marine to defend himself and lose overwatch.
  This is the best tactic to use if you want to be able to move the Genestealer after attacking and (probably) 
  killing the Space Marine.
  Diagram D: An alternative method of attack for the Genestealer is to turn 90ø for free before the Space
  Marine can see it. At this point it's still out of the Space Marine's line of sight and can't be shot.
  Diagram E: The Genestealer then moves sideways down the corridor at a cost of 2 APs. This takes it into the
  Space Marine's line of sight so the Space Marine gets an overwatch shot.
  Diagram F: Spending another 2 APs, the Genestealer again moves sideways down the corridor - the Space 
  Marine gets another overwatch shot.
  The Genestealer is now in position to attack. It's cost 4 APs to get here rather than 2 as before, but the Space 
  Marine has had one less chance to shoot the Genestealer.
  This is a better tactic for the Genestealer player if he doesn't want to move his model much further this turn.
  Command Points
  D
  E
  F
  
  Space Hulk Q&A
  http://spacehulk.barsoom.cc/mirrors/shc/QnA.ht
  10 of 16
  1/1/2008 9:12 PM
  In the Genestealer's turn, a Space Marine has just survived an attack by a Genestealer. Can the Space 
  Marine player now spend a command point to have the Space Marine shoot his storm bolter at the 
  Genestealer?
  Yes. What's happened is that the Space Marine has managed to fend off the Genestealer's attack. He holds the
  Genestealer with his power glove and tries to pump several rounds into it at point black range.
  If the same thing happened after the next round of close assault, would the Space Marine get a 
  sustained fire bonus, even though he'd fought in between the two shots?
  Yes. At this range he could hardly fail to improve his chances from round to round!
  Can a Space Marine spend command points to do anything other than fire in this situation?
  Yes. For example, if he wanted, the Space Marine player could spend command points to step backward, step 
  back and fire, even to close assault (if, say, he had lightning claws). When command points are used, the 
  Space Marine can do any one action normally allowed by the rules.
  Can you spend command points to have a Space Marine take an action immediately after the same 
  Space Marine has fired from overwatch?
  Yes. The important thing to remember is that spending the CPs means the Space Marine automatically loses 
  overwatch.
  Sometimes you might want to do this to get an extra shot in. For example, if a Genestealer is about to attack a
  Space Marine in close combat, the Space Marine's got nothing to lose - he'll come out of overwatch as soon as
  the Genestealer attacks anyway.
  This can also be useful when you want to do something other than shoot. Common examples are stepping out 
  of line of sight when facing a Genestealer Hybrid armed with a ranged weapon, closing a door between the 
  Space Marine and the Genestealers or stepping back to prevent a close assault.
  A Genestealer on the edge of a board section has just attacked a Space Marine with a flamer. The 
  Space Marine survived - can he now spend 2 CPs to shoot the flamer?
  Yes. Provided the Genestealer isn't in the same board section as the Space Marine with the flamer, the Space 
  Marine can shoot at him.
  Command Points
  A
  g
  g
  g
  B
  g
  C
  m
  g
  
  Space Hulk Q&A
  http://spacehulk.barsoom.cc/mirrors/shc/QnA.ht
  11 of 16
  1/1/2008 9:12 PM
  Diagram A: A Genestealer is advancing on a Space Marine in overwatch. The Genestealer moves three 
  squares and each time the Space Marine takes an overwatch shot. All three shots are misses, and for the third 
  he rolls a double - his storm bolter has jammed.
  Diagram B: The Genestealer moves forward another square. The Space Marine spends a command point to 
  clear the jam.
  Diagram C: The Genestealer spends its fifth AP to move right next to the Space Marine. If the Space Marine 
  didn't have any CPs left, the Genestealer could close assault him with its final AP. If the Space Marine had 
  only 1 CP left, he could fire at the Genestealer and hope to kill it before it attacked. In this example, the Space 
  Marine has at least another 2 CPs and chooses to step back and fire.
  Diagram D: The Genestealer spends its last AP to move forward next to the Space Marine again. If the Space
  Marine had any CPs left, he could fire at the Genestealer, otherwise he'll have to wait until his turn to shoot. 
  By taking that step back, he's put himself just far enough away so that the Genestealer can't close assault, 
  probably saving his life.
  Crates and Rubble
  These new rules for crates and rubble bring them up to date with the weapons and psychic attacks introduced 
  in the Genestealer expansion. We've included a quick summary of the basic crate and rubble rules to remind 
  you how they work.
  Crates
  Crates block line of sight and movement. They can't be moved but they can be attacked with the same roll as 
  a door - if destroyed, replace the crate by rubble.
  However, if a conversion beamer is used to attack crates, the crates are vaporised and no rubble is left in their 
  place.
  Psychic attacks may also destroy crates. Vortex and Blast both automatically vaporise crates and leave no 
  rubble.
  Lightning Arc destroys a crate on a 4 and Hellfire destroys a crate on a 3 - in both cases, the crate is replaced 
  by rubble. Other psychic attacks don't affect crates.
  Rubble
  Rubble doesn't block movement, but it costs an extra AP to move onto a rubble square. It doesn't block line of
  sight but any shot passing through a rubble square is deflected and has no effect on a roll of 5 or 6 on one die.
  The rubble deflection rules apply to the new weapons just like they do to storm bolters. However, if a 
  conversion beamer is used, a roll or 5 or 6 indicates that the shot misses its intended target and vaporises the 
  rubble - remove the rubble marker.
  Blast and Vortex psychic attacks also automatically remove rubble markers.
  D
  g
  
  Space Hulk Q&A
  http://spacehulk.barsoom.cc/mirrors/shc/QnA.ht
  12 of 16
  1/1/2008 9:12 PM
  No other psychic attacks or weapons destroy rubble.
  Other Questions
  Can Space Marines pass things across diagonals or even backwards?
  Yes. Space Marines can pass objects to any of the eight squares around them. It doesn't matter which way the 
  Space Marine passing the object or the Space Marine receiving it are facing. The only restriction on this is 
  that you can't pass something across a blocked diagonal.
  Note that you can only pass objects when the mission briefing says so. Normally, you can't pass weapons or 
  grenades, for example.
  From which squares can a model open a door?
  A model can open a door if the door square is in any of the model's front three squares.
  A model can't open a door that's in its side or rear facings.
  A Blip, on the other hand, can open a door in any adjacent square - vertically, horizontally or diagonally - 
  eight possible squares.
  Can you flame a section containing other Space Marines?
  No. Although it doesn't mention it in the rules, you obviously can't attack your own models. We'd always 
  assumed this to be the case and hadn't imagined that unscrupulous players might think of killing their own 
  models.
  The same goes for psychic section effects, self-destructing thunder hammers, firing assault cannon on full 
  auto when there's a friendly model in the line of fire, and so forth.
  If there are two models one behind the other and line of sight to the first is blocked, does the first 
  model block line of sight to the second model, even though the firer can't see the first model?
  This tricky situation has come up a few times in our recent games. By the letter of the rules, neither target can 
  be shot - a model always blocks line of sight to any model behind it.
  However, this seems patently absurd - it means that the second model is taking cover behind someone the 
  firer can't actually see.
  We've had a long hard think about this one and decided to go with the common sense view - the second 
  model can be shot.
  So the ruling is that a model you can't see doesn't block line of sight to anything beyond. See the diagram to 
  check how this works.
  Note that this only applies when the front model is hidden - if you've got line of sight to the front model, then 
  it doesn't hide the rear model.
  It also only applies to models, not to features such as crates or rubble. If you look at the diagram you'll see 
  why this is the case.
  Models Blocking Line of Sight
  
  Space Hulk Q&A
  http://spacehulk.barsoom.cc/mirrors/shc/QnA.ht
  13 of 16
  1/1/2008 9:12 PM
  There are two Genestealers, one behind the other. The first (G) it out of line of sight but is apparently 
  blocking line of sight to the second (H). So the question is: Can a hidden model block line of sight?
  Diagram A: It's clear that the corner of the room blocks line of sight to the nearest Genestealer - the Space 
  Marine can't shoot at Genestealer G.
  Diagram B: It's equally clear from this diagram that the Space Marine would normally have line of sight to 
  Genestealer H but that any shot at Genestealer H passes through Genestealer G's square.
  We've decided that the Space Marine player can fire at Genestealer H, ignoring the hidden Genestealer. This 
  represents Genestealer G moving as close to the wall as possible to get the full benefit of hiding behind the 
  corner, leaving the Space Marine a clear shot at the second Genestealer.
  If the Space Marine does have a clear line of sight to Genestealer G, the normal rules for blocking line of 
  sight apply and he can't shoot at Genestealer H. There's nowhere for Genestealer G to hide and get out of the 
  way of the shot.
  A
  B
  G
  H
  H
  G
  H
  H
  
  Space Hulk Q&A
  http://spacehulk.barsoom.cc/mirrors/shc/QnA.ht
  14 of 16
  1/1/2008 9:12 PM
  The rule about ignoring hidden models when checking line of sight only applies to models. It doesn't apply to 
  features such as crates which block line of sight as usual - a pile of crates can't move out of the way.
  Similarly, if there was a pile of rubble in the way, the Space Marine would still have to roll to see if his shot 
  was deflected.
  White Dwarf 144
  QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS II
  From Games Day '91, via Dean Bass.
  Firing on Friendly Troops
  Can you fire on your own Space Marines to gain an advantage?
  As we've pointed out previously in Simon's article and in Space Hulk Campaigns, a Space Marine would 
  never even consider firing at a Genestealer if it meant destroying another Brother Marine. However, it's worth
  pointing out that this rule does not apply to Genestealers. They'll sacrifice themselves without hesitation, for 
  the survival of the brood.
  Move and Fire
  Does the 'move and fire' rule also apply to turning ninety degrees and firing.?
  The answer is yes. Turning ninety degrees and firing can be done as one action and costs 1 AP.
  This brings to mind another interesting rules query.
  Can a move and shoot action be used to fire on a target that wasn't in line of sight at the beginning of 
  the action?
  The answer to this is also yes. E.g. if moving forward one square would being a Genestealer into LOS, you 
  could use a move and fire action to move that square and shoot it.
  Overwatch and Pitfalls
  Can a Space Marine cover a Pitfall by being on overwatch?
  The answer is yes. He can cover a pitfall whilst on overwatch whether he's on the ground or on the floor 
  above.
  Remember that a Space Marine on overwatch must fire as soon as he sees a target in any square in his fire 
  arc, whether the target is above or below.
  Off-board Blip Conversion
  How do I avoid losing Genestealers after being forced to convert blips into tight spaces?
  
  Space Hulk Q&A
  http://spacehulk.barsoom.cc/mirrors/shc/QnA.ht
  15 of 16
  1/1/2008 9:12 PM
  I was often asked this question at Games Day. People have said that they've been losing models because they 
  kept getting spotted by the Space Marines before they could get to a room to convert.
  Don't forget that blips can convert before they come onto the board. Instead of the Blip moving on at the entry
  point, the individual models move on one by one. This may mean congested corridors later on, but it puts an 
  enormous amount of pressure on the Space Marine player when he sees hordes of Genestealers advancing 
  towards them.
  Psychic Cards
  How many psychic cards are drawn each turn?
  A lot of people seem to be confused about this. The Genestealer player has a hand of four psychic cards 
  unless there is a Magus or Patriarch in play. If there's a Magus in play, the hand is increased by one to five 
  cards and if there's a Patriarch in play, the hand is increased by two to six cards. If there's a Magus and a 
  Patriarch in play at the same time, the hand is increased to six cards not seven.
  At the start of each turn, one card may be discarded and one is picked up again to bring the hand back up to 
  its full size. A single card may always be discarded and picked up each turn, even if there's no Hybrid psyker 
  in play to take advantage of the psychic cards available.
  The size of the Space Marine psychic card hand is two cards, plus one extra card for each Librarian in play. 
  At the start of his turn the Space Marine player replaces any cards he's used in his previous turn. He may also 
  pick up two additional cards. He must then discard any two cards from his hand, to bring it back to the 
  correct number.
  For example: The Space Marine player has three Librarians in play. At the start of the game he picks up his 
  first two cards and one more for each Librarian, giving him his total hand of five cards. The Space Marine 
  player then completes his first turn, but doesn't use any psychic cards. At the start of his next turn, he can 
  only pick up two more cards, even though he has three Librarians in play. He must then discard any two 
  psychic cards from his hand, to bring his total back down to his maximum hand of five cards.
  If the Space Marine player had used one of his psychic cards during his first turn, he would have ended up 
  with four cards at the start of the next one, thus enabling him to pick up three more cards. After discarding 
  any two from his hand of seven cards, he would have brought his total back down to five.
  If a Space Marine Librarian is killed, the size of the psychic card hand is decreased by one card at the start of 
  the Space Marine player's next turn.
  For example: The Space Marine player has three Librarians and five psychic cards. During his turn, one of 
  his Librarians is killed. If he has not used any of his existing five cards, his 'pick-up' next turn is two cards. 
  After picking this up, he's now got seven psychic cards. He discards whichever three he likes, leaving himself 
  with four cards; two cards plus one for each Librarian in play.
  In the Sentinel V campaign in Space Hulk Campaigns, Librarians actually enter play during the game. In this 
  situation, the player's card hand and 'pick-up' increases. The Space Marine player cannot count cards for the 
  Chief Librarian until he enters play.
  Miasma and Blast
  Does Miasma block psychic effects from entering a section?
  
  Space Hulk Q&A
  http://spacehulk.barsoom.cc/mirrors/shc/QnA.ht
  16 of 16
  1/1/2008 9:12 PM
  The answer is yes. However, if a Blast is used on an object, the object in question can travel through the 
  Miasma and will destroy any models it hits on the other side.
  This is because the Blast acts firstly on the object and after that it is a purely physical force not affected by 
  miasma.
   : Librarian
   : Blast acting on door
   : Sections passed by the door
   : Miasma
   : Genestealer
  Diagram: The Librarian directs a Blast at the door. The Genestealer is killed even though there is a Miasma 
  in the section that the door crosses.
  It's also worth clarifying that the object originally hit by the Blast is also destroyed and removed from play.
  Movement and Psychic Effects
  Can a Space Marine Librarian enter a Hellfire if he has an Aura?
  The answer is no. Hellfire, Vortex and Stasis all block movement into a section. Only a model already in the 
  section who survives the attack can move in that section. This is also true of Flamer hits and the first turn of a
  Melta Bomb hit.
  Prescience
  Through talking with many players, we've noticed that Prescience is a very under used psychic card. In actual 
  fact, in the right circumstances it can change the course of a game. A Librarian on overwatch under the effects
  of Prescience needs a 5 or a 6 on either die to kill a Purestrain Genestealer, rather than the usual 6.
  Ambush Counters
  When an ambush counter is spotted by a Space Marine and forced to convert, can the Genestealers 
  continue to advance?
  The answer is yes. Unlike normal Blip conversion, if an ambush counter enters a Space Marine's line of sight 
  it does not lose the rest of its APs. If the Blip turns out to be a Genestealer it can carry on with any APs it has 
  left.
  In some of the missions in Space Hulk Campaigns we've used ambush counters to represent Hybrid Psykers 
  or even Magi rather than just Purestrain Genestealers. However, the rules in Deathwing still apply.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Warhammer/40k/Space Hulk/Space Hulk - Extras/1991 10 - White Dwarf 142 - Space Hulk Q&A Part I (web print).pdf