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Compendium looks basically how I've been primed to expect. There was a dire worst-case scenario at one end of the spectrum, and a rosy optimistic end of the spectrum, and it's splitting the difference pretty cleanly.

Namely, we're not getting any of the pie-in-the-sky fanciful hopes that maybe the 1 Fire Team for Marines would actually offer some mixed models by being named silly things like Fire Team Fortis Configuration or be based on armor type rather than just "choose a boxed product and build your squad from that".

But at the same time, flipping through and looking at units' datacards now that I can look at stuff I'm familiar with rather than just whatever the Social Media team drip-fed us to get us excited, stuff looks like it's got thought and distinctiveness baked in in ways that make sense, even if they're not wildly specialized individuals.

Works for me. As a Sisters player, I think I get more out of this edition's interpretation of Sisters than I did out of KT18.

jmw23 wrote:
It is extremely obvious that the new edition of Kill Team is designed for bespoke teams, which are coming in boxes, as opposed to the more generic teams of the last edition. I won't buy the compendium at all, as it looks like a complete waste of money. As the official teams come out, I'll grab the ones I want, however. The bones of the new edition look much better than the lazy, boring game that was last edition Kill Team.

This is the approach I am taking as well. This game looks exactly like what I want from a GW skirmish game, and luckily for me Kommandos and Veteran Krieg are probably 2/3 of the factions I would want most. I’m just going to pick up the new factions I want as they come out, because I’m not interested in the relatively boring and non-specialist teams in the compendium.

So the issue here is that it seems to be baby's first foray into 40k. You buy a single box, you play a game. "Good for new players!"

However, from past experience of.....idk, playing kill team since 5th edition, its always been the custom game mode that attracts the converters, the kitbashers, the story tellers. The people who individualize each model, give them a backstory, and really make them unique. Not only does this new ruleset make all kill teams practically identical, it lacks specialist rules as well. Its honestly a step backwards in every way. In the last kill team ruleset you can still have your 'all intercessor straight out of the box' kill team, but now you can't have your 'converted with love' kill team.

With things like Stargrave, Rogue Stars, and Grimdark Firefight (oh and everyone still owning old kill team), there is plenty of competition out there. I don't think GW is willfully ignorant of the current miniature climate (at least I hope not) I think they're just slapping together a simplistic ruleset to get people to buy 200 dollar box sets. Its all about the 200 dollar box sets these days. Every single codex release, faction update, new game mode, all of it has a 200 dollar box set they want to sell you.

And everyone I know hates reading weird hieroglyphs instead of numbers. Just tell me how many inches I can move and how many dice im rolling. I don't need circles and triangles and templates.

Well, I dunno on that.

There’s nothing stopping you converting up more memorable models? Sure, there might be less need to convert weapons and that, but you can still make it your Kill Team.

I could argue it’s instead levelling the playing field thanks to each KT being Out of One Box.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Well, I dunno on that.

There’s nothing stopping you converting up more memorable models? Sure, there might be less need to convert weapons and that, but you can still make it your Kill Team.

I could argue it’s instead levelling the playing field thanks to each KT being Out of One Box.

Personally, I don't mind the blandness because yeah, you can always make your team unique in terms of aesthetic and back story even if the rules are a bit limiting.

My gripe is more with the way they are managing it. It seems like all of the "compendium" should have been a cheap (if not free) pamphlet, not some 30 quid book that doesn't even include the rules needed to play.

Then, if like the DKOK and Kommandos, future teams get released as big versus boxed sets, it's going to be a very expensive game if you want to expand outside of your initial investment.

Also I have my doubts GW will balance the different teams well in this system, which could be one of its strengths.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Well, I dunno on that.

There’s nothing stopping you converting up more memorable models? Sure, there might be less need to convert weapons and that, but you can still make it your Kill Team.

I could argue it’s instead levelling the playing field thanks to each KT being Out of One Box.

Kill team could always be out of one box. And homogenous kill teams are not worse mechanically in every way. I can beat my friend's mixed death watch with a unit of 10 wyches because its a fairly well balanced system. Homogenous kill teams are just a little boring is all. The issue is removal of mixed units which invalidates a lot of people's existing kill teams. There was never a barrier of entry because you can't buy as many different kits.

In fact, a game where you convince people to buy multiple kits they dont need for simple conversion bits should be a hot commodity for GW. Why wouldn't they want people to buy MORE models? lol


edit: And not even removal of mixed units, but just units in general. No grots? Not a SINGLE aspect warrior? Let me guess, they sell you another 40 dollar rule book down the line piece meal DLC for each army. The tried and true drip feed method that people are getting really really fed up with.

edit: and yes, I know they had expansion books for the last kill team, and I wasn't a fan of that either. But the base ruleset here is more restrictive than the base ruleset of the old core book.

So got my pre-order in. Was going to get the compendium, but sounds from all the reviews and speculation that likely going to be replaced with more specific rules for each faction later on. Worst case I just pick it up later.

Think just digesting the basic box is enough for me now anyway.

I'm amazed that this has somehow turned out even worse than what I was expecting.

Apple fox wrote:

 Crimson wrote:
JFC, you can mix different models from one army into one killteam? This is just insane. Whole point of this sort of skirmish game is that every model can be an individual.

I rally don't understand what the point of this sort of blandification is. It can't even be making GW any money, as this means that those rare individuals that actually decide to play this game will just need to buy one unit box instead of buying several to mix and match.

Depends a bit on the faction itself, but for a good portion of them it’s Pick two types. That’s what you get, upgrades may depend.

Daemons didn’t even get there special numbers for a bit of fun, too hard to balanced!

Response to just above
I think the price on top is just to steep to have that attitude to it. They are really expensive books, and extras. On top of boxes of minis, eldar and demons only sorta has a one box builds. Out of luck if you want anything out of that.
With a lot of factions left to wait for longer for there update.

Gw is in sort of quanarum as long as kt models are from 40k boxes. Either no options or you pay 150-250e for kill team. Neither pleases players.

Imagine having to buy firedragon box for 1 model and 4 waste.

I've a bit of a mixed feeling about this. The compendium sucks, there is no other way to go about this.

But for the Killteam composition I'm still not sure how to think about. For one thing I'm excited not needing to essentially build a 500pt army to play. As the necron example I saw, it would mean buying 1 warriors box, 1 immortals box and 1 flayed ones box. And I'm looking at something like 150€ just to play a Kill Team I might like but what if I don't collect Necrons? Then I have all these half build sprues flying around which no one needs because let's be honest, reselling them is pointlesa because who would pay a fair price for 1 Immortal, 2 flayed ones and 16 Warriors.

This is the reason I never started a Kill Team in the past.

But I also understand the point of view of wanting a mixed team. So I'm really not sure if it's a good thing or not.

Ideally mixed teams would be available but the game would be balanced such as to make it unnecessary.

That. Gw could solve that issue by releasing box of mixed teams(4 warriors, 2 immortal, 2 flayed one for example) but apart from being more expensive for gw but then players would like to use it for 40k...weird mixed unit.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 kirotheavenger wrote:
Ideally mixed teams would be available but the game would be balanced such as to make it unnecessary.

That would still get complains about cost of it

Won't it be funny when they do release a mixed box (same way there's a grot and squig in the Kommando box) and you can do a mixed team if you use that specific subfaction, but still not if you use the generic list.

RoterBaronH wrote:
I've a bit of a mixed feeling about this. The compendium sucks, there is no other way to go about this.

But for the Killteam composition I'm still not sure how to think about. For one thing I'm excited not needing to essentially build a 500pt army to play. As the necron example I saw, it would mean buying 1 warriors box, 1 immortals box and 1 flayed ones box. And I'm looking at something like 150€ just to play a Kill Team I might like but what if I don't collect Necrons? Then I have all these half build sprues flying around which no one needs because let's be honest, reselling them is pointlesa because who would pay a fair price for 1 Immortal, 2 flayed ones and 16 Warriors.

This is the reason I never started a Kill Team in the past.

But I also understand the point of view of wanting a mixed team. So I'm really not sure if it's a good thing or not.

This is a good point. My hope is that given they've promised a lot of support this time around that they end up investing time to try and serve these different play profiles.

I have a big collection and my ideal would be to assemble cross-faction kill teams, a la the Wrath & Glory cover art.

That said, one of their obvious goals is enticing new players with a "faction in a box" offering.

Both seem entirely doable.

I think I'll wait for the individual boxes to come out and pick up both teams. I like the models but I don't care for all the other assorted guff that comes with it.

GW could make things a great deal better by allowing kill teams to have specialists even if *gasp* they don't have pieces for that in the box. But god forbid players use models in any manner other than -exactly- as they appear on the assembly instructions, or worse yet; kitbash & convert!

Oof. Looks like a pass for me. Really hope the game ends up being alright... but right now Stargrave and Rogue Stars look like better options.

 lord_blackfang wrote:
Won't it be funny when they do release a mixed box (same way there's a grot and squig in the Kommando box) and you can do a mixed team if you use that specific subfaction, but still not if you use the generic list.

I mean, I fully expect that?

Also, people complaining about no grots haven't looked closely -- you can sub 1 boy out for 2 grots.

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
I think I'll wait for the individual boxes to come out and pick up both teams. I like the models but I don't care for all the other assorted guff that comes with it.

Yeah, same. Indomitus worked for me because it came with a ton of models, all the terrain and trinkets of Kill Team aren't worth the same price of admission.

I wonder if there will be any buyer burnout from releasing these boxes every 3 months.

I might buyed into this edition of Kill Team, if they allowed more mixing and matching. Oh well GW cant confiscate my Kill Team 2019 books.

Its a pity thought it would have been fun to make a Kill team with Cadian sniper, DKoK sergeant and a Catachan melee specialist.

 herjan1987 wrote:
I might buyed into this edition of Kill Team, if they allowed more mixing and matching. Oh well GW cant confiscate my Kill Team 2019 books.

Its a pity thought it would have been fun to make a Kill team with Cadian sniper, DKoK sergeant and a Catachan melee specialist.

What do you mean? Do the rules say you have to have certain paint schemes?

 herjan1987 wrote:


Its a pity thought it would have been fun to make a Kill team with Cadian sniper, DKoK sergeant and a Catachan melee specialist.

But you can do that though...nothing stops this.

 privateer4hire wrote:
I continue to think that their pricing and compendium approach make it less friendly for veteran players who might—MIGHT—have bought a, say, $50 core book that let them upgrade to the new edition.

However, the limited list builds and pre-set boxes of opposing forces could potentially make a competitive format that I always wondered about.

That is, imagine an Octarius tournament at a venue. Players bring the contents of their box game and face off against other players who also brought their own identical box. No worrying about whether your list is optimized, did the other guy bring the latest points efficient unit, varying terrain choices that favor his army over yours. Just a clean evenly matched event because everyone brought the same terrain and two identical/nearly identical forces.

Play mission 1 against Joe. After that game, trade sides(of course use your models for the orks since Joe doesn’t want you touching his stuff) and replay the mission.

That's a fair point and this was exactly how Space Hulk tournaments worked back in the day. Everybody knew the missions and the forces involved, and the game actually encouraged playing the same missions twice, switching sides.

It was a hard pill to swallow at first, to lose the mix & match portion of the KillTeams, but maybe it'll turn out OK in the end.

DarkerBlue wrote:

 herjan1987 wrote:
I might buyed into this edition of Kill Team, if they allowed more mixing and matching. Oh well GW cant confiscate my Kill Team 2019 books.

Its a pity thought it would have been fun to make a Kill team with Cadian sniper, DKoK sergeant and a Catachan melee specialist.

What do you mean? Do the rules say you have to have certain paint schemes?

Not paint scheme. Literal models.

RoterBaronH wrote:

 herjan1987 wrote:


Its a pity thought it would have been fun to make a Kill team with Cadian sniper, DKoK sergeant and a Catachan melee specialist.

But you can do that though...nothing stops this.

Well on Goonhammer it says, that either Hardened Vetarans or Imperial Guardsman ( by the way kudos for not naming them Astra Militarum ). Sure I take DKoK leader as a regular Guardsman sergeant, but its just not that feel. Although I have some quarrels with AoS and its offsprings, I do like the idea that they did with Warcry ( what Uncle Atom showed us in the previous video ) recruit system.

 tauist wrote:

 privateer4hire wrote:
I continue to think that their pricing and compendium approach make it less friendly for veteran players who might—MIGHT—have bought a, say, $50 core book that let them upgrade to the new edition.

However, the limited list builds and pre-set boxes of opposing forces could potentially make a competitive format that I always wondered about.

That is, imagine an Octarius tournament at a venue. Players bring the contents of their box game and face off against other players who also brought their own identical box. No worrying about whether your list is optimized, did the other guy bring the latest points efficient unit, varying terrain choices that favor his army over yours. Just a clean evenly matched event because everyone brought the same terrain and two identical/nearly identical forces.

Play mission 1 against Joe. After that game, trade sides(of course use your models for the orks since Joe doesn’t want you touching his stuff) and replay the mission.

That's a fair point and this was exactly how Space Hulk tournaments worked back in the day. Everybody knew the missions and the forces involved, and the game actually encouraged playing the same missions twice, switching sides.

It was a hard pill to swallow at first, to lose the mix & match portion of the KillTeams, but maybe it'll turn out OK in the end.

Oh, I’m not deluding myself enough to believe the community would ever do anything like that again (swapping sides and replaying as an official format). However, this release format does make it more convenient if someone lost their mind and actually tried it.

Does anybody know if the new Kill Team version somehow supports 3-4 player games like the old Kill Team did? I played Kill Team mostly very casually with some friends that otherwise didn't play 40k. Lots of fun, but some of the game mechanics were rather wonky (such as smite being the only psychic power). This edition actually looks a lot better on that front and I'd be interested to upgrade if it is at least somewhat multiplayer compatible.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Well, I dunno on that.

There’s nothing stopping you converting up more memorable models? Sure, there might be less need to convert weapons and that, but you can still make it your Kill Team.

I could argue it’s instead levelling the playing field thanks to each KT being Out of One Box.

Personally, I don't mind the blandness because yeah, you can always make your team unique in terms of aesthetic and back story even if the rules are a bit limiting.

My gripe is more with the way they are managing it. It seems like all of the "compendium" should have been a cheap (if not free) pamphlet, not some 30 quid book that doesn't even include the rules needed to play.

Then, if like the DKOK and Kommandos, future teams get released as big versus boxed sets, it's going to be a very expensive game if you want to expand outside of your initial investment.

Also I have my doubts GW will balance the different teams well in this system, which could be one of its strengths.

I was going to get the box with a friend, but this is why we decided not to. The old kill team was easy to get into. All you needed was one book between the two players. Now, even the big box is not enough to get you started. It's a bigger investmentent, with a lot of FOMO boxes coming every 3 months. I don't want to get on that train, although I understand why others might.

They lost me at the compendium, an un-needed upsell that could have been freeby pdfs (like Shadow War), oh well one day my BFG will come...

There's always One Page Rules

I don't get the need for a queue if there's made to order.

(Except that MTO takes a long time to make, I guess?)

Stupid GW, I just wanna browse the site and look at the models. I don't want to buy anything.