Kill Team has had an interesting ride over the life of 40K with a few editions, the 1st edition as we know it being released in 2018and a version also being released in the 2016 as a board game. The 2018 version pulled many in with a superb starter set pitting Genestealer Cults against Adeptus Mechanicus along with some awesome terrain.
The game was fun if not a bit simple with wound rules that were quite annoying meaning actually killing an operative came down to what felt like luck more than tactics (even though realistically that’s what most of these games come down to when they relay on dice). It also become bloated with expansions that added elite warriors and commanders, changing the game size and making it so that everyone had to buy the updates to join in. Eventually after a trying to make it competitive and adding extra sets it faded.
Then the new Kill Team was announced. ‘I would not get into this’ I said to myself knowing all too well that if they boxed up some funky terrain at a reasonable price I’d jump in feet first. Then they threw the line in and I gobbled it up quickly as they showed the new Ork Kommando models. My god they are some stunning pieces of 40K plastic.
So along came the box (ok boxes) as I so wanted the amazing terrain and a set of orks and I was not disappointed with the package as a whole. I now happily have enough terrain between 3 Kill Team sets to set out a full size 40K table and all the rules and counters I need to enjoy the new Kill Team. So I dived into the rules and…. What?
Yeah when you fists read the rules, which are so different from 40K, it kind of sends your brain into a mess. So alternating goes.. fine nice and easy. Models have so many activations…. Yup sorted. Models can’t be hit when stood a triangle away from terrain. A triangle? Yeah so we’ve all got over this now but it was odd, and still is in some ways but it works. It just takes a little time to get used to not using inches.
I’ve only played a few games of Kill Team so far but I can say it feels very refreshing. You can feel like your owning the game only to be beaten flat out as you charge your leader into combat with a power klaw. You really have to think so you want your models hidden (I won’t go into all the rules but you can hide or have your models stand ready) so they can’t be shot or do you want them shooting or charging but left in threat? Do you want to charge or focus on grabbing an objective? It’s all very tactical and a lot of fun and a huge improvement over its predecessor.
If anyone fancies a game then there will be someone who can teach you the rules. Any 40K army has a list for it, with each army getting their own specific kill teams slowly but surely. Who’s up for it?
Dice and Bolter 