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As it happens, the Warhammer Kill Team starter set I've spent the last couple of weeks raving about is not this edition's starter set at all – and now I look like an idiot. That's because Games Workshop has just revealed an actual beginner box for the game's current version, and it's a throwback to the 1990s.
Bearing the very catchy name of 'Kill Team Starter Set,' it contains two hard-to-find squads, introductory rules, tokens, dice, and MDF terrain. Yes, that's right; we're partying like it's 1993 with push-fit scenery, just like in second edition Warhammer 40K. This is apparently to make setting up a session as easy (and quick, so you can fit matches in over lunchtime) as possible. I'm all for this. Lowering barriers to entry is always a good thing, and being able to play over the course of lunch is a luxury normally reserved for the best board games. Actually, I'd be keen on Games Workshop making a full range of this MDF scenery for exactly that reason.
Similarly, the two factions included here – Angels of Death Space Marines and Plague Marines – aren't easy to get your hands on anymore. Indeed, they were released via the blind-box 'Heroes' range, so getting a full set of either would set you back a lot. This is simply more practical.
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If I was recommending a good starting point for Kill Team beginners, I'd probably point to Hivestorm instead (which is $192.50 at Amazon rather than the full MSRP of $230, or £123.99 at Zatu as opposed to £145). While it's on the pricier end of the spectrum, splitting it with a pal will get you evocative Kill Teams, the full core rules, special scenarios for a new warzone, accessories, and 3D plastic terrain to use in your 40K games as well. The value here is impressive.
Don't get me wrong – I love the principle. I appreciate that this makes sense from a cost/outlay perspective for Games Workshop as well, because they haven't had to shell out time or resource on new models. I also suspect it'll be at least a little more affordable thanks to that slimline rulebook and 2D scenery. In other words, it should be the easiest and cheapest way to try what I'd argue is one of Warhammer's best games.
Part of me is left cold, though.
It isn't even that I'm not the target audience. (That's absolutely fine.) Rather, I'm not sure these groups are the best introduction to the Kill Team theme. Astartes and Chaos Space Marines are always a welcome sight, and the models are rather handsome. Yet this game revolves around the most elite, characterful operatives going on black-ops strike missions, not rank-and-file troops you'd find on a 40K battlefield (even if the 'rank-and-file' in this instance are super soldiers). You could tell me this is a 40K starter set and I'd believe you. Actually, I have a starter set from years ago with a very similar setup.
Part of me had hoped for a unit like the Tempestus Aquilons from Kill Team: Hivestorm or the new space hobbits revealed for Warhammer Day instead. The last Kill Team Starter Set is another good example, thanks to its heavy metal Death Korps of Krieg and Ork Kommandos.
The recycled Kill Teams and boilerplate setting (I assume, at least – it doesn't seem to tie in to the latest season) makes this box seem less… I don't know, thoughtful? I've come to associate Kill Team with incredibly thematic design where you're stepping into a grand narrative, and I'm not sure this will give newcomers the same experience that made me fall in love with this game. I'll admit that a nameless warzone won't go 'out of date' in the same way that seasonal content does, and Space Marines are the easiest sell to newcomers who don't know much about this hobby. Nevertheless, none of this screams 'Kill Team' to me.
Hey, maybe I'm wrong. I certainly hope so, and with any luck I'll be able to go hands-on with this box soon to let you know what I think.
In the meantime, here's where to get my personal pick for less.
Discounts like this should start to pour in soon as part of 2024's Black Friday board game deals. New to the hobby and want to know what you should look out for? Check in with which Warhammer 40K starter sets are right for you.
