INTRODUCTION
Welcome to a beginner-friendly guide about “Kill Team”! This article is aimed to introduce you to and to assist you in understanding this exciting and engaging tabletop game. Whether you’re a fan of strategic gameplay or a hobbyist who enjoys painting miniature figurines, Kill Team presents an enjoyable and satisfying mix of both worlds. If you’ve ever been curious about miniature wargames or are returning to table-top gaming after a long absence, this guide is designed to help you dive right into the world of Kill Team.
WHAT IS KILL TEAM?
Since its launch by Games Workshop in 2018, Kill Team has quickly become a popular choice among tabletop game enthusiasts. Falling under a genre known as “skirmish wargames”, Kill Team is a spin-off of the highly popular Warhammer 40,000, often referred to as Warhammer 40K. However, unlike Warhammer 40K which focuses on large-scale battles, Kill Team narrows the scope by focusing on small-scale, squad-based skirmishes.
In the lore of the Warhammer 40K universe, a ‘Kill Team’ is a special squad composed of elite soldiers, brought together for covert missions, behind enemy lines. The beauty of Kill Team is that it allows you to craft and play out your own narrative, controlling a unique group of characters and their intertwining fates on the battlefield.
HOW TO START / HOW IT WORKS
The basics of Kill Team begin with assembling your squad. You’ve a broad selection of diverse factions at your disposal – from superhuman Space Marines to tech-steeped Adeptus Mechanicus to alien T’au Empire – each with its unique units, abilities, and strategies.
Each player takes turns to play out their strategy using miniature figurines on a delineated terrain. The gameplay is all about tactics and making smart decisions. For instance, do you split your unit and cover more ground or stick together to overwhelm the enemy? A round, also called a ‘Turn’ in Kill Team, is divided into phases: Initiative, Movement, Psychic, Shooting, Fighting, and Morale, each presenting unique mechanics and potential advantages if used wisely.
WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY
If you’re new, purchasing a Kill Team starter set is a great way to jump in. These are specifically designed to provide everything you need to start, from rulebooks, dice, measuring tools to miniatures and terrain for a battlefield. Outside of the starter set, you might require some basic modeling tools to assemble your miniatures, paints to breath life into them, and optionally, carrying cases to transport them.
TIPS FOR BEGINNERS
1. Start Small: Consider starting with a Kill Team starter set, which provides everything you need, including simple teams to start with.
2. Learn the Basics: Read through the rulebook and try to understand the basic mechanics of the game.
3. Practice Makes Perfect: Play a few practice games to understand how turns and phases function.
4. Patience with Painting: Painting your miniatures can be a daunting task for beginners. Start simple and be patient. Remember, nobody became a master painter overnight.
5. Use Cover: Terrain and cover are crucial in Kill Team. Use it to your advantage to protect your units from enemy fire.
HELPFUL RESOURCES
There are several resources available to help you along your journey into Kill Team. The Warhammer Community website and their YouTube channel have regular articles and videos explaining various aspects of the game. Websites like Goonhammer and FauxHammer also provide in-depth guides for newcomers. For social interaction, Reddit and Discord have active communities where you can make friends and find opponents.
GLOSSARY OF COMMON TERMS
1. Kill Team: A squad of elite soldiers grouped for missions
2. Faction: The race or group (ex: Space Marines, Adeptus Mechanicus, etc.) that your Kill Team is a part of.
3. Turn: A round of gameplay in Kill Team.
4. Phase: The different stages (Initiative, Movement, Psychic, etc.) of a turn.
5. Miniature: The small-scale figurine representing your game character.
NEXT STEPS
Once you have armoured yourself with this knowledge, the next steps are quite straightforward. Consider getting a starter set and begin assembling and painting your first Kill Team. Ultimately, the key to mastering and enjoying Kill Team is practice. Start with a friendly game, using simple squads and basic strategies. Gradually as you progress, add new elements to your gameplay. Remember, every great general started as a rookie— the journey to becoming a Kill Team expert certainly gets more thrilling as you go along. Happy gaming!
