Kill Team (2016) Review
AKA "What do you mean this isn't Necromunda?"
Hi All,
Yes it's been a while, so please forgive me if there's any rust on my keys, so to speak.
I've been away from 40k for a while due to the complete insanity that is the vomitage of new rules.
When you need multiple flow charts to build an army, something has gone wrong.
But, there is a light in the darkness, as GW went ahead and put out KILL TEAM.
This is not a review on the box set (which is a GREAT deal), but instead on the rules.
Because as wonderful as the fluff is, if the crunch can't hold up, it can't hold my interest.
And so far KT has done that and more.
How?
It pared down the game.
200 points. No HQs. No Formations. No Flyers. No Super-Heavies. No 2+ saves.
When I read that line, it was like pure bliss.
But what makes it really different?
The rules are quite a bit different than the previous KT as well.
You build your army using up to 1 Elite, 2 Troops, 1 Fast Attack, but you must have at least 4 non-Vehicle units.
Said Vehicles cannot have more than 33 in overall AV, so Chimeras yes, Dreads no.
But the big kicker is that after you build your list, each MODEL counts as a different unit.
Why is this amazing?
It neuters a lot of shenanigans. Invisibility now works on ONE model. Most buffs don't work.
3 of your infantry (non-vehicle) models have special abilities, the most broken being ignore cover, but as it's only one unit, it's not as damning.
Plus EVERYONE gets it. Other handy abilities include feel no pain, stealth, infiltrate, and fleshbane.
The leader gets a number of handy buffs (zealot, outflank units, steal initiative on a 4+ are the ones that stick out to me).
But, the leader is very important because if your unit is "broken" (i.e. loses more than half of its models), you must roll Ld for each model.
If you fail they are REMOVED from play. If they are near your leader, then if the leader passes it's checks then they are all fine.
My group initially had everyone go to bikes (SM, Ork and Eldar), but you realize that there are some problems when you lose three units by chance and then everyone runs off.
Also, really expensive units can't remove more than one model a turn.
Why is this amazing?
HORDES work. If you have 5 expensive bikes that can only kill 25 units a game at most, 50 model KTs won't care. And that is the best case scenario.
One mate has already tried the 60 Gretchin army and it's sort of hilarious watching an elite army run after the little rascals.
INFILTRATE works. You play on a 4x4 board, and if you can get to the nooks and crannies, you can really surprise your opponents. Plus, it's sort of wonderful infiltrating a melta weapon up close and personal.
GRAV isn't an insta-pick any longer. When your opponents don't have 2+, and there's no big monstrous creatures, Grav loses a lot of it's bite. Plus, it's awful pricey and numbers do make a difference.
The missions are pretty interesting as well. My current favorite is basically king of the hill, where you put a big terrain piece in the center of the board and whoever has the most units in the piece wins. Another interesting one is where your army has to search for the "real objective" amongst 6 fake ones.
Overall, I think GW really hit this one out of the park. Granted, there will be eventually some kind of broken build, but it's far more enjoyable (and faster) for me right now than the bloated standard games. Plus the base rules are cheap and box set is a great deal.
Have you tried it? What do you think? Leave a comment below!
Best,
-BT
P.S. Plans for Reps are in works, if there's still interest about...
