I never got the chance to play Kill Team in 4th, though I was familiar with the rules. So, when Battle Missions came out and I saw Kill Team was in there I was extremely excited to finally get to try it out. Last night I finally got that chance, four of them in fact, as we continue our Imperials vs Xenos campaign at the LGS.
I know there’s some issues with Kill Team. The rules just aren’t as fleshed out as they were in 4th, so it falls onto us the gamers to house rule some things to keep the game fun and fair. I’m sure I’ll have some formulated opinions on that with more experience. That being said, Kill Team as a whole I found enjoyable. One of the best parts of Kill Team is the speed that you can get in a game. On average each game I played was about 30 minutes in length, so perfect for satisfying that 40K itch when time is short. You can of course play Combat Patrol or normal small games when time is a factor but I found Kill Team more enjoyable than a typical small game. When you throw down a game of 500, for example, you’re really only putting down 3-4 units. With Kill Team you’re not putting down a ton of models but each one operates independently so it’s almost like having a bunch of units, more than a small normal game.
One of the things I loved was being able to split attacks. You have an assault 2 weapon and two models in front of you? Shoot both! You charged in against two models and have four attacks? Put two on each! Granted, splitting attacks may not always be the wisest choice but it gives you flexibility when the situation warrants it. Also, picking three universal special rules adds some flavor to the game and keeps things interesting.
Something with Kill Team that I thought was great was the board. You play on a 4×4 board and you pack as much terrain onto it was you can, per-the rules. We had some kick ass city setups last night with tightly packed buildings creating small alleys and narrow firing lanes. You’re not running around in the open waiting to get shot by something that denies armor, you’re instead sneaking around, making use of cover and working out the best route to the enemy. It’s amazing how so much terrain really changes how the game is played.
The downside for me was that it was written as only annihilation. I can tell you that in the four games of Kill Team I’ve played that annihilation has already gotten old. It won’t be hard to create objective or scenario based missions and I feel that was really what GW was doing with Kill Team. I believe GW was putting out a foundation for Kill Team knowing full well that we the gamers would take it and run with it.
If you get a chance to play Kill Team then I wholly recommend you do. Taking the fight to such a small scale is a refreshing change of pace. It really is like playing a completely different game.
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