Oh, Kill Team. It's definitely time for Kill Team!
Now, I know creating a backstory and a mission for big battles is daunting, to say the least.
Luckily, game designers have an answer to this feeling: the Skirmish Wargame.
Skirmish wargames are a smaller scale, (NO, this does not mean smaller models on the table, just fewer) but are more intensive in tactics.
As I stated in my first post; think of an elite team dropped behind enemy lines to secure some heavily guarded intel, or a small squad extracting a VIP out of a hot zone!
Over the course of my blog posts, I will take a closer look at some of the game systems that accommodate, or even only revolve around, the skirmish scale of battle.
This time: Games Workshop's Kill Team.
Kill Team revolves around engagements that defy logic; A defiant last stand, a thrilling hunt of a great beast, a mad dash for resourcesâĶ these are just a few examples of the missions provided within GW's newest rulebook for Kill Team. Now, the new restrictions may seem harsh, but are actually quite fair. They force you to make a small army that, depending on your race of choice, may be highly unbalanced. As the force you need is so small, you can easily start a new army without the huge financial costs which are usually paired with starting a new army in the 40k universe.
Now, how to create your force?
Well aside from getting a Kill Team box which starts you off with 2 armies (though not entirely equal) Space Marines and the Tau Empire. Another great deal to start things off are the Start Collecting boxes which Games Workshop so graciously provides. Most of the Start Collecting boxes even provide enough miniatures and different choices of them, to offer you some variations in Kill Team compositions.
Rapid Intervention Cadre Team 1, a combination of a Strike Team Fire warriors and a unit of XV-8 Battlesuits
âPROTIP: you can create this kill team and variations with just the Start Collecting Box like I told you-
Another way to start you Kill Team is to just buy a single box of units. MOST boxes, and I do want to emphasise the most here, contain enough models to field the forces which compose a Kill Team (points-wise). Purchasing bulk deals, like Start Collecting and Battleforce Boxes, are indeed great to start a normal 40k army but, considering the smaller start up for a kill team, you can start with a brand new army at a smaller buy-in. Which means you'll get more variation in your painting and modelling work, so less chance of getting 'modellers burn-out' (Is that a thing? I'm making it a thing now if it isn't already).
Rapid Intervention Cadre Team 2, a combination of Fire Warrior Breachers and Pathfinders
Now, another fun thing about Kill Team missions is that they are done fast.
Roughly 45 minutes to get a single encounter done, 60 if you're new to Kill team and need to go over some specifics. Having such short playtimes means you could complete an entire campaign/story in roughly a day; Maybe a weekend if you have a particularly large story.
I'll be back, for my second blog on Kill Team, very soon!
May the Dice Gods be ever in your favour.
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