Space Marines is a science fiction miniatures wargame created by A. Mark Ratner

A. Mark Ratner

A. Mark Ratner is an American game designer, notable for his work on Space Marines and Space Opera.-Early life:Ratner lived in New Jersey until he joined the Army in 1972...

. There were two editions. The first was published by FanTac Games (1977) and the second by Fantasy Games Unlimited

Fantasy Games Unlimited

Fantasy Games Unlimited, often referred to as just FGU, is a publishing house for both table-top and role-playing games. They have no in-house design teams and rely on submitted material from outside talent.-History:...

 (1980). Both versions include artwork by David C. Sutherland III

David C. Sutherland III

David C. Sutherland III was an early Dungeons & Dragons artist. Sutherland was a prolific artist and his work heavily influenced the early development of Dungeons & Dragons.-Early life and inspiration:...

.

The FanTac version of the game included conversion rules for the original Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...

 and Metamorphosis Alpha

Metamorphosis Alpha

Metamorphosis Alpha is a science fiction role-playing game. It was created by James M. Ward and originally produced by TSR, the publisher of Dungeons & Dragons...

. These were later removed in the FGU edition.

Stan Johansen created a line of 25mm figures for Space Marines, some of which are still in production as of 2011.

The Space Marines universe became the background to FGU's Space Opera role-playing game.

Reviews

• FanTac edition: White Dwarf Issue 8