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Even with the best will in the world, it's easy for a long-running game to grow stagnant – but no-one seems to have told Kill Team that.
While it's never going to knock Warhammer 40K off its perch and stock remains an issue, this more streamlined skirmisher continues to swing for the fences with every release. The Bheta-Decima oil rig setting may have been controversial in competitive Kill Team circles, but it gave sessions a drastically different feel and became a breeding ground for memorable moments. Hivestorm provided us with what was arguably Games Workshop's best starter set, kicking off a spate of tense urban firefights. Then Tomb World plunged us into the dungeon depths, followed by a new campaign system and squads that felt radically different to what we've seen before. Even if you were just picking and choosing the odd release, it's like adding a full spice rack to your kitchen. Plain meals are no longer a problem.
Kill Team: Shadowhunt ends the latest season with just as much ingenuity. I've spent a few days digging into the latest box set, and although my full review will drop shortly, it's one hell of an addition. "Hell" being a fitting description, seeing as it features hedonistic psychopaths who've made literal deals with devils and a band of religious zealots baying for the blood of heretics.
If you're hoping to pick up a copy of the expansion, you'll need to be quick; it's up for pre-order now but, if previous sets are any indication, is likely to sell out fast. I'd recommend checking Miniature Market in the US and Wayland Games in the UK, though you can see more options in our guide on where to buy Kill Team: Shadowhunt.
First up to the plate are the Celestian Insidiants. These Sisters of Battle are everything you'd want from a squad of Adepta Sororitas; their models are baroquely elegant in a world of grimdark grunge, while the rules emphasize their in-universe lore beautifully. Their 'Martrydom' effect means that dying just inspires allies to great heights, and psychic attacks are nullified in their presence. One of their Strategic Ploys allows them to mark out a foe with Suspicion as well, presumably for their fire-and-brimstone inquisition. The victim is probably already being shot at so this feels like overkill, but you know what? I'm here for it. Battle Sisters don't do anything by halves.
Then there's my personal favorite, the Murderwing. These Chaos Space Marine Raptors use jump packs to 'Boost' across the battlefield and snatch up unsuspecting foes like overgrown bats. Seeing as this is a hyper-aggressive melee unit, that can be catastrophic for your foe – and very intimidating as well. This is what the Murderwing are all about; they look terrifying, are able to pin down foes or reduce their actions through sheer, bloody intimidation, and some are even on a path to damnation that provides boons or banes based on how far they push their luck.
These guys are reason enough to consider grabbing Shadowhunt alone in my book, but you're also getting a new kind of scenario as well. Ever since the set was announced last year, this has been what I'm most excited about – dual-level maps. The USP of this pack is being able to have two half-size boards next to each other, representing the surface and underground areas of a battlefield. Your operatives can delve below the surface before popping up on the other board and vice versa, spreading out the action and forcing you to split your focus.
Because one of those boards is the Hivestorm city-scape and the other are the tight corridors of Tomb World, Shadowhunt smushes together two very different approaches to great effect. It also keeps the Necron sentries who attack both players if activated… to say nothing of a certain C'tan Shard who can be used as a 'final boss' for the season. That guy already made one of our favorite Warhammer 40K armies a whole lot better, so consider yourself warned. Perhaps it's better not to dig too greedily nor too deep.
In other words, I don't think Kill Team fans are in danger of getting bored any time soon.
I could do with fewer excellent models going on the to-paint list, though. My backlog is now murder.
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