Kill Team - Starter Set Unboxing e Review

 

The new starter box for the latest edition of Kill Team has just arrived today.

Attention: let's not confuse "BASE" with "STARTER" since there are substantial differences compared to Hivestorm.

We'll go over these differences in more detail to understand exactly who this product is aimed at compared to the other.

But first, a few photos of the unboxing.

CONTENTS

• 7x Angels of Death Kill Team operatives
• 7x Death Guard Kill Team operatives

• 1x 64-page Kill Team Introductory Rulebook
• 2x team summary sheets

• 10x D6 dice
• 1x Kill Team token sheet containing 92 tokens
• 1x double-sided gaming board
• 3x MDF terrain sheets that slot together

For those who, like me, have opened boxes from various seasons of the previous edition, everything will seem very... easy.
Meaning that all the contents are designed for quick accessibility.
No pieces to glue, no terrain to remove from sprues, models already “pre-painted” blue and green and snap-fit (you don’t even need clippers to remove them from the sprues).

In about 20 minutes, two players could already be trying out the first stages of the game.
And that’s definitely not a bad thing – in fact!
I’m pleased that everything is very beginner-friendly as it makes it easier to get into a game that, in its full form, will eventually become much more complex.
This is something the previous starter did not do, as it immediately threw players into the full system, leaving it up to them to decide what to leave out (equipment, tac ops, etc.) to avoid complicating the first matches too much.

THE RULES

To answer the question many people are asking: "Is the rulebook complete?"...
The answer is: no.
Not even when combined with the free "lite" rules available online.

I know this will disappoint some players intending to buy it, but I’m not really surprised.
The purpose of this rulebook, unlike the Base rulebook found in Hivestorm, is specifically to introduce the game.
It’s structured differently and explains the core mechanics with practical examples and illustrations rather than simply stating the rules.

The rules for the teams are also simplified and, in the case of the loyalist Marines, are not aligned with those already available online.
This is obviously justified by the desire not to overwhelm new players with information, which is quite understandable.

TEAMS, TERRAIN, BOARD, AND EVERYTHING ELSE

The teams are in a strange position.
They are new, but not new.
Both belong to the Heroes series, where you bought a "blind box" without knowing which model you’d get unless you bought the whole display.
So, the models aren’t entirely new.
However, it’s worth noting that the Heroes series wasn’t distributed in all countries and had long been out of stock everywhere.
The only way to get them until now was through the secondary market, often at exorbitant prices from scalpers.
So, all things considered, I’d say it’s great to see them re-released.
Also because the Death Guard was one of the most popular teams from the old (now invalid) Compendium.

I’m not a fan of cardboard terrain, even though I know the earliest 40k terrain was just like that.
However, it makes sense in terms of reducing the cost of the box and adding utility.
From a certain point of view, these are preferable to the Octarius barricades in the old starter box.
The gaming board, made of sturdy cardboard (!) is a familiar sight from previous editions of 40k and works perfectly for its intended purpose now and in the future (when you’ll use “real” terrain).

The token sheet is identical to that in the Base box, so very useful, while the dice... well, it’s always good to have a few more.

THOUGHTS

The product itself is qualitatively and quantitatively excellent for its price (€87.50).
Well-designed and fit for purpose (unlike the Darktide box – Ed.), and the inclusion of the two teams alone makes it a "plus" compared to the cost.

But.

If you’re a player from the previous edition and you’re not interested in the teams, I can’t think of a valid reason to justify the purchase.
You won’t find anything useful in this box.
I’d recommend, if you haven’t already, just buying Hivestorm directly.

If, on the other hand, you’re a beginner player, meaning you’ve never (or almost never) played Kill Team, this is truly a great deal, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Just be aware that if you want to move on to more advanced play, you’ll need to supplement it with several things (both in terms of knowledge and purchases).

In any case, you won’t regret it.