Competitive Skirmish 40K Is Finally Here
The all new Kill Team is right around the corner. After decades can GW finally get skirmish competitive Grimdark on it’s feet?
There are a lot of competetive skirmish tabletop games out there. Small modelcount does not mean narrative only gaming. Just take a look at things like Infinity or even smaller point levels of Warmachine to see what I mean.
But with 40K it’s always been a bigger scale game. The smallest modelcount 40K ever got was Rogue Trader 30 years ago, but in those early days the game was a witch’s brew of a RPG, wargame, and skirmish game all bubbling together. Back in 4th Edition we got the original Kill Team rules and the very small scale Combat Patrol with it’s 1 HQ, 2 Troops rules, but even then neither of them stuck in competitive play.
Other small modelcount “side games” came and went from GW over the years like the original Adeptus Titanicus, Mordheim, and of course Necromunda. Still no dice.
Can Kill Team Do It?
But two things intrigue me most about the new Kill Team.
- Word that the core rulebook contains all the factions in the game right out of the game – giving the game an instant meta and making all existing 40K players have the minis to put something together. No waiting a year for all the factions to come out.
- Match Play rules! This is the big one and we will have to wait to see exactly what that means. Maybe we get specific FOC charts, or point & model limits. Maybe even special Matched Play missions and objectives. But we are getting something.
Why It Matters
Skirmish is one of the biggest growing and most vibrant sections of the tabletop industry. It’s an ideal gateway to get in new players with a low price tag. There is also a lot of solid competition out there. I don’t know about you, but I do love me some big giant 40K.
however…
There is a part of me that really likes the idea of throwing all my hobby love into a teensy Kill Team and packing it up in one of those tidy little army transport boxes. Then heading off to a competitive tourney with a lot of fun loving players and throwing down in lots of detailed, fast paced, low modelcount games. First I would probably get in more games, and finish them all compared to normal 40K. Then there is the removal of the giant pain in the ass of lugging a 200 model army (with display board) across the country.
I can get that into a carry-on bag right?
I love the grand scale and spectacle of 40K, but would love a change of pace. The introduction of Shadespire is a good sign to me that GW is caring more about making fast paced games for competitive play. If the Match Play rules are solid, I expect Kill Team to be adopted by a lot of players – and just think of all the FAQ and meta arguments we get to have at a whole different scale of gameplay.
I’m in for tourney 40K skirmish, are you?
