Games Workshop is taking Warhammer 40k Kill Team to the competitive Arena this month with a new expansion on a 2D board and more!
Following hot on the heels of Warhammer Underworld, Games Workshop is taking Warhammer 40k Kill Team to the next level competitively! We had mentioned tons of episodes ago on the Long War Podcast that the only way to make a truly competitive game was to take the debate out of movement and line of sight just like Clix did for Mech Warrior all those years ago.
By literally leveling the playing field to take the 3d ambiguity out of the game, you can have a truly competitive game just like any of the classics out there. Well GW surely listened, with their second 2d skirmish game in as many years, this time focused squarely at the Warhammer 40k hobbyists.
Let’s start with the reveals from the New Years Open:
The latest edition of Kill Team has only been out for a few months, but gamers across the world are already taking advantage of the fast-paced, highly tactical gameplay the system provides.
Embedded on GW’s Site is the newest trailer for Kill Team:
Looking similar to Kill Team Rogue Trader, but featuring 32mm squares for figures, this board combines 3D miniature elements from the GW Armored Container kits, and a new armored door bit to make a truly standardize game that can be played competitively at any level.
That’s not all – Kill Team Arena also features terrain, as well as rules for fighting in ultra-close confines, representing battle fought in endless corridors of Space Hulks or the caverns of an underground base.
Kill Team: Arena is more than just a boxed set – it’s a crucial step in Kill Team’s evolution, adapting the game for tournaments and matched play while retaining the narrative flair you know and love.
This pics of the new set, seem to suggest there are Pre-Con maps inside, along with additional tactics and the like:
Coming inside a hard-shell box it appears to mimic the Commanders Expansion, but should also include boards and terrain as well. Commanders was priced at $60 on release but the White Dwarf had it listed at $75 by mistake (perhaps another reason why ads and previews are disappearing from the magazine). I would expect a price tag between the two prices upon release.
What’s more, it’ll be released alongside two new sets – Starn’s Disciples and Theta-7 Acquisitus, both featuring all-new Commander miniatures – each a brand-new unit for their faction, for both Kill Team and Warhammer 40,000.
At long last the Genestealer Gunslinger has appeared!
The Kelermorph is a gunslinging hero capable of cutting down enemy Characters in a blaze of high-calibre revolver fire
Looking like something straight outta a Blanchitsu feature, the new Tech Priest is sure to be a fan-favorite as well!
Tech-Priest Manipulus specialises in dealing devastating damage at range with the magnarail lance:
And last but certainly not least, we have the Sector Fronteris, which looks to be a combination of some of the existing STC Ryza-Pattern Ruins with some new elements in a cool Kill Zone format complete with boards:
Check it out in living color courtesy of Hobby Hero Garro
Overall it looks like fans of Kill Team have a lot to be pumped for, as now it seems like they will be able to bring their existing warbands to a whole new area of combat, without having to alter and add models to their lineup like with Commanders.
What are you looking forward to the most out of the new previews for Kill Team? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
