It’s been a bit of a journey for Warhammer 40,000’s little brother, Kill Team. Games Workshop is better known for the sort of table-top miniatures games that can take hours to play and quite complex, so over the years a smaller scale version of the game has developed. We’ve had lots of different takes on the but it seems to finally have settled into an optimal version. It’s a fast playing combat game with a strong narrative attached; this is a game that you can play as a series of one offs or create a full campaign with it’s own developing story-line.
The box is very, very full, as you’d expect for a Starter Set. We get two books, one with the rules and another with instructions on how to create your skirmish party, the titular Kill Team. They are dice, token sheets, transfer sheets and measurement tools which are unique to this iteration of the game. We also get 12 different bits of terrain, a mat to play the game on and 22 miniatures. If you’ve seen the (now sadly out of print) Kill Team: Octarius set you’ll be familiar with a lot of this; this is essentially a cut down version of that set (and the Octarius setting book is available separately.)
The models are very, very well done. This is a starter set so there’s not a lot of room for conversion with the design of the models, but if you’re experienced enough with the hobby you’ll be fine. The Death Korps of Grieg Guardsmen are pretty horrifying – they’re gas mask wearing, helmet using trench-coated weirdoes that essentially look like murder-ghosts. These features do make them easier to paint though. The Ork Kommandos are a little bit more varied, running from everything from huge over-muscled hulks to a creature that’s essentially a space-hopper with teeth and dynamite. From a model kit perspective, lots of fun.
It’s worth pointing out that if you’re getting into Warhammer 40,000, these models are a good indication of how the hobby is. Weird. Fun. Darkly humorous. Lots of big guns. Forget Space Marines, give me a lunatic in a gasmask charging into a space-war with a stick-bomb and goblins in a zipper suit so tight you can’t see their face.
The new rules are smoother. They’ve introduced a measuring tool which replaces the need for numbers, which is a little quirky and uncalled for, but it’s not really an issue. The rules are very much aimed at getting new people into the game so at times they’re a little bit over-long. (New Players should start with Recruit Edition book, which goes through the basics).
The core rule book is your reference, the recruit book is the introduction. Both books are also jammed with setting material, art and other inspiration; this is a game that wants to both tell a story and also be a fun game of ‘shooty death in space’. We were able to play the game with just the rules in the box and they’re straight forward if a little time consuming. The official online video tutorials are excellent as well and get to the point faster, but if you aren’t online the book is fine. Kill Team is still about getting the right model into the right place before your opponent does, and trying to balance the various special abilities, weapons and tools with the reality that every model is vulnerable.
You can’t design a team that relies too much on one unit, nor can you diversify too much. And then when you see what the other player is fielding, you’re probably going to have to re-think it all on the fly anyway.
If you’ve always wanted to play Warhammer 40,000 but worried you’d never have the shelf space, this is the game for you. The game mat and terrain will fit on your kitchen table and the models are fun to look at and easy to assemble. The rules give you enough for anyone to get their teeth into. Recommended.
