Is it the final countdown for Kill Team already? Check out the not so small scale skirmish game trends we’ve been getting from Games Workshop lately…
Depending on who you ask, 40k Kill Team is a popular skirmish game GW has been constantly working on. With brand new pre-constructed Kill Team boxes as well as terrain packs, Kill Team has become very supported. However, the recent sale channel moves and releases may indicate it’s just headed in the direction of just a small 40k game.
The First Days of Kill Team
Back when Kill Team was first released, games were set at 100 pts. The points cost of units were scaled differently in Kill Team compared to 40k. However, the games were still small. For example, Space Marine Kill Teams would have about 5-8 guys depending on if you gave them flamers, meltas, etc.
Like most tabletop games, you had to have a leader on your team. This was as simple as giving a model the Leader keyword and you were done. Most Kill Teams had lists of Troops and either elites or fast attacks (Drones for Tau, for example). What we’re getting at is that the games were very tame.
Kill Team Commanders were Introduced
After a while, we saw a huge wave of releases called Kill Team Commanders. These were exactly what they sounded like. HQ’s came to Kill Team, and with that, the points of the games increased. For example, a player could take a Patriarch if he was playing a GSC Kill Team. However, he was only playable in games that would even allow him (he’s over 100 pts just by himself).
Besides the fact that he’s already beyond the old maximum amount of points by himself, let’s dig into the fact that the Patriarch is a giant Genestealer with -6 AP claws and is only going up against other infantry. But we’re not done there. Don’t forget that the size of the Kill Team board is ridiculously small. Essentially, the enemy is walking into a Genestealer death trap rodeo that they don’t want to be a part of.
Now it looks like GW is “dumping” Kill Team Commanders off in their Last Chance to Buy section of their webstore. Does that mean sales were sluggish, and not worth another manufacturing run? Only time and the sales performance of Kill Team Elites may tell…
Kill Team Elites
So now up until this point, we’ve had mainly Troops and HQs running around in Kill Team (Really, just a small-point game of 40k as patrol detachments).
However, looking at what was just announced, elites are getting an overhaul and coming to Kill Team in a new way.
You heard right. Elites across all factions are going to get pumped into Kill Team with this special book. We’ll be seeing Terminators, Bullgryn, Primaris, and so much more hit the tables soon enough. It only makes sense that Elites would cost more than the normal run-in-the-mill Troop for the game. And if we already have a Commander on the field, points are going to be extremely tight. So will GW jack the points capacity up another one or two hundred points? Will we start seeing 400-500 pt games of Kill Team?
We realize it’s early right now, however, we are starting to notice a trend. GW could be going down the list of battlefield roles to introduce into the game. How much longer will things go (assuming this is true) before we reach the point where we can’t tell 40k from Kill Team. If they release a Fast Attack book and a Heavy Support book, we’ll have just about every role that people use in 40k!
But Spikey Bits, they wouldn’t ever add vehicles into Kill Team! You’re probably right. However, tabletop 40k is in a vehicle-less meta right now aside from Knights and a few Wave Serpents. But generally, any kind of real mobility in the game comes from a deepstrike rule or a 12″ movement from jump pack squads. What we’re trying to say is that maybe Kill Team wouldn’t need vehicles to become another 40k clone.
What are your thoughts on the new Kill Team Elites announcement? Do you think the points limit will go up? Has this new book enticed you to get into the game? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials: @RealmbrushPainting
About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
