Kill Team Guide - Get Started with 40K Kill Team

Kill Team is a tabletop skirmish wargame set in Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 setting. Skirmish games are different from regular wargames, in that they generally use fewer units than full-scale wargames, which is great for new players getting into wargaming, or for quicker games that can be played over a lunch break, or several games over a day's tournament. In this guide, we'll look at the different products that are available for Kill Team, what you need to play, and which factions are available.

What are the different versions of Kill Team?

This latest version of Kill Team is a brand new edition from Games Workshop, and there have been several previous editions. The first Kill Team was a small section in the 4th Edition of the main Warhammer 40,000 game in 2004. Then in 2016, a small boxed game was introduced, and then in 2018 with a much more detailed version, with lots of supplements.

While the miniatures from the previous editions, along with the Warhammer 40,000 miniature range are still useable in Kill Team 2021, also known as KT21 or Kill Team 2nd Editon, the rules and supplements are not, as Kill Team has a brand new reworked ruleset.

If you're worried about picking up the right edition, check out of products list below, or look for the Kill Team 21 logo, which matches the latest edition of Warhammer 40,000.

What are the differences with the Kill Team 2021 Mechanics?

If you want a quick and easy introduction to playing Kill Team, Games Workshop has produced a short series of Learn to Play videos that do a fantastic job of teaching the basics and giving an overview of the core system. There is still a bit more to learn beyond the videos, but they do a great job of getting you started, or if you just want to see an example of the system before picking it up.

This edition of Kill Team is very unlike previous editions, and also the latest edition of Warhammer 40,000, which focuses on large-scale engagements. Each individual trooper has their own datacard, which lists all their stats, weapons, equipment, abilities, and any special actions that they have access to. Each operative has their own action points to use each round, along with a much higher wound count than they have in 40K. This allows for some very cinematic gameplay, along with providing awesome gaming opportunities for every unit you bring, rather than being a nameless face in a unit.

Kill Team uses six-sided dice (D6) for all tests, and these are very easy to work out using the new datacards. Each weapon on an operative's datacard has an attack value, which is the number of dice rolled, and a ballistic skill/weapon skill figure, which is the number needed on each dice to hit. To save, each operative has a defense stat, which is the number of dice rolled, and a save, which is the number to score on each dice to stop a hit.

Melee is worked out slightly differently, and both units involved in close combat roll an attack, and players get the option to score hits against their target, or parry to remove enemy attacks. Players take turns striking or parrying, and it creates a very tactical back and forth.

During the game, players can spend command points each turn on ploys, which are split between strategic and tactical. The type of ploy dictates which part of the round they can be played in, strategic during the strategy phase, which has a long-term effect for the round, or tactical during the firefight phase, which usually only affects a single roll or action.

Kill Team also features Tac Ops Objectives, which are drawn at the start of the game, and are secret ways of scoring victory points, on top of the usual mission objectives. There are generic Tac Ops Objectives for use with all factions, along with faction-specific Tac Ops.

What Do I Need To Play Kill Team?

To play Kill Team, you need the following:

• Kill Team 2021 Core Book (you can also use the Lite Rules that are available here for free)
• Six-sided dice
• Measuring tool (Either a measuring tape or Kill Team measuring tool)
• Miniatures for your Kill Team
• The rules and datacards for your Kill Team (Either from the Kill Team Compendium, White Dwarf issue, or Kil Team Supplement)

It's also handy, but not essential to have:

• Tokens (for marking units' actions and wounds, the official token set is perfect for this)
• Tac Ops Cards (these are published in the Core Book, but having the cards is very handy and speeds up setup)
• Scenery and game board (while you can use anything for scenery (books, boxes, cutlery, etc.) there is a huge amount of scenery available to make your battlefields look awesome)

If you're unsure of an item from the list above, we discuss all the available Kill Team products below, along with their contents. But if you're looking for a quick and easy way to start playing, the Kill Team Starter Set, or themed boxes like Octarius, have all of the above, including two kill teams and all their rules.

What Kill Team Products Are There?

Kill Team Starter Set

The Kill Team Starter Set is the quickest way to start your Kill Team journey and contains everything two players need to start playing, including the great Recruit Edition book which gives new players a step-by-step tutorial to get you playing quickly.

The Kill Team Starter Set contains:

• Kill Team Recruit Edition Book
• Kill Team Digest Core Rulebook
• Dice, tokens, and combat gauges
• Kill Team Octarius paper gaming mat, barricades, and Ork Scrap Piles
• Veteran Guardsman Kill Team
• Ork Kommando Kill Team

The next purchases after the starter set are either the Octarius book, to get the full rules for both starter set kill teams, or the Tac Ops cards, to make it easier than flicking through the rulebook.

You can read our full Kill Team Starter Set preview here.

Kill Team Into The Dark

Kill Team Into The Dark is a brand new Starter Set for Kill Team containing everything two players need to start playing.

The Kill Team Into The Dark contains:

• Kill Team Core Rulebook
• Kill Team Into The Dark Campain Book
• Dice, tokens, and combat gauges
• Killzone Garrowdark gaming board and scenery
• Imperial Navy Breachers Kill Team
• Kroot Farstalker Kinbands Kill Team

You can expand easily from Into The Dark by picking up the rules for any of the kill teams you want to play from their supplements detailed below and their miniatures.

You can read our full Kill Team Into the Dark preview here.

Kill Team Shadowvaults

Kill Team is the first expansion for Into the Dark. Kill Team Shadowvaults is an expansion pack for Kill Team, so the Core Rulebook and accessories are required to use this set. It includes the core Gallowdark rules, along with the same Galowdark scenery that Into the Dark had. This means the Shadowvaults can be used without first picking up Into the Dark, but it does expand on the Into the Dark Kill Team season.

The Kill Team Shadowvaults contains:

• Kill Team Shadowvaults campaign book
• 10 Astra Militarum Cadian Kasrkin
• 8 Necron Hierotek Circle
• Gallowdark space hulk scenery set, Shadowvault scenery set, and double-sided game board

You can read our full Kill Team Shadowvaults preview here.

Kill Team Octarius Boxed Set

Kill Team Octarius is the launch box for the latest edition of Kill Team. It's a limited edition product, so won't be on sale forever. Octarius is a themed box, featuring two specific kill teams and some tie-in warzone scenery. Other themed sets will follow like this, but might not include the Core Book and accessories.

Kill Team Octarius contains:

• Kill Team Core Book
• Six-sided dice
• Measuring widgets
• Two sets of Tac Ops cards
• Kill Team token set
• Ork Kommandos kill team
• Imperial Death Korps of Krieg kill team
• Octarius book, containing all the rules for the included kill teams, along with the Octarius War mission pack
• Ork shanty town terrain set and a double-sided gaming mat

Octarius is great value for money and in a very simple way of getting straight into Kill Team and contains everything two players need to start playing.

Kill Team Chalnath

Kill Team Chalnath is the first expansion for Kill Team. It's a limited edition product, so won't be on sale forever. It contains two brand new Kill Teams, a new Killzone, and a narrative mission pack.

Kill Team Chalnath contains:

• Kill Team Chalnath campaign book
• Ten Adepta Sororitas Novitiates
• Ten Tau Pathfinders and three drones
• Imperial Ruins scenery set and double-sided game board

As an expansion, Chalnath requires the Kill Team Core rulebook to use, along with dice and measuring tools.

You can read our full Kill Team Chalnath preview here.

Kill Team Nachmund

Kill Team Nachmund is the second expansion for Kill Team. It's a limited edition product, so won't be on sale forever. It contains two brand new Kill Teams, a new Killzone, and a narrative mission pack.

Kill Team Nachmund contains:

• Kill Team Nachmund campaign book
• Ten Aeldari Corsair Voidscarred
• Ten Chaos Space Marine Legionarys
• Mechanicus scenery set and double-sided game board

As an expansion, Chalnath requires the Kill Team Core rulebook to use, along with dice and measuring tools.

You can read our full Kill Team Nachmund preview here.

Kill Team Moroch

Kill Team Moroch is the third expansion for Kill Team. It's a limited edition product, so won't be on sale forever. It contains two brand new Kill Teams, a new Killzone, and a narrative mission pack.

Kill Team Nachmund contains:

• Kill Team Moroch campaign book
• Ten Space Marine Phobos-Armored Infiltrators or Incursors
• Twelve Militarum Traitoris Blooded
• Fronteris scenery set and double-sided game board

As an expansion, Moroch requires the Kill Team Core rulebook to use, along with dice and measuring tools.

You can read our full Kill Team Moroch preview here.

Kill Team Core Book

The Kill Team Core Book is included in both the Octarius box and a digest version will be available in the Kill Team Starter Set. But if you already have all of your own accessories, you can start playing with this and your own dice and measuring tool.

Kill Team Killzone Essentials

The Killzone Essentials includes a token set and measuring tools, along with six barricades. Adding this to a copy of the Kill Team Core Book and some dice will give you everything you need to play Kill Team.

All of the Killzone Essentials items are included in the Octarius box.

Kill Team Tac Ops Cards

The Tac Ops cards are secondary objectives used to score victory points in Kill Team. This pack contains two sets of twenty-four cards and three selection cards that are used to keep them secret from your opponent.

The Tac Ops are included in the back of the Kill Team Core Book, but having them as physical cards does make it easier and speeds up games. These cards are the same as those included in the Octarius box.

Kill Team Annual 2022

The Kill Team Annual 2022 collects several of the White Dwarf articles published since Kill Team's release, including rules and kill team lists, and it also includes the rules from the 2 kill teams from the Rogue Trader boxed set of the previous edition of the game.

The full list of factions included in the Anual 2022 is listed below in the Kill Team Factions section.

Kill Team Compendium

The Kill Team Compendium is a supplement containing the rules and datacards for nineteen different factions to use in Kill Team, so if you already have miniatures from Warhammer 40,000, this will allow you to start playing with them straight away.

The full list of factions included in the Compendium is listed below in the Kill Team Factions section.

Kill Team Campaign Books

After each box set releases, the Campaign Books are made available separately after, which means that you can add the Campaign Books to any starter set, and pick up the miniatures you want separately. The Campaign Books that are available and their contents are:

Kill Team Octarius Campaign Book

• Full rules for the Veteran Guardsmen along with their spec ops rules
• Full rules for the Ork Kommandos along with their spec ops rules
• Rues for Killzone: Octarius
• Shadow Operations: Octarius War Mission Pack

Kill Team Chalnath Campaign Book

• Full rules for the Adepta Sororitas Novitiates along with their spec ops rules
• Full rules for the Tau Pathfinders along with their spec ops rules
• Rues for Killzone: Chalnath
• Shadow Operations: Chalnath Mission Pack

Kill Team Nachmund Campaign Book

• Full rules for the Chaos Space Marine Legionary along with their spec ops rules
• Full rules for the Aeldari Corsair Voidscarred along with their spec ops rules
• Rues for Killzone: Nachmund
• Shadow Operations: Nachmund Mission Pack

Kill Team Moroch Campaign Book

• Full rules for the Space Marine Phobos Strike Team along with their spec ops rules
• Full rules for the Militarum Traitoris Blooded along with their spec ops rules
• Rues for Killzone: Moroch
• Shadow Operations: Moroch Mission Pack

Kill Team Dice

Any six-sided dice will do for Kill Team, but it's a scientific fact that having themed dice for your chosen faction will roll better than a random assortment of dice. Currently, dice have been released for the Octarius, Chalnath, Nachmund, and Moroch kill teams, the Death Korps of Krieg, Ork Kommandos, Tau Pathfinders, Adepta Sororitas Novitiates, Chaos Space Marine Legionary, Aeldari Corsair Voidscarred, Militarum Traitoris Blooded, and Space Marine Phobos Strike Team.

Kill Team Unit Boxed Sets

Units from the Kill Team boxed sets are being made available separately, as the next box releases. This means that you can pick up the unit box and Campaign book to get playing with that kill team straight away, or alternatively, build them out of your own collection.

What Factions Can I Play In Kill Team?

There are many factions for Kill Team, the rules for which are available in several different supplements, which we list below. All of the factions for Warhammer 40K are available to play, with some limitations on the units and miniatures you can use.

Where Are The Rules For The Kill Team Factions?

The factions and the supplements their rules are in for Kill Team are:

• Adeptus Custodes and Sisters of Silence (Talons of the Emperor)
• Adeptus Mechanicus (Forge World) - Kill Team Compendium
• Adeptus Mechanicus (Hunter Clade) - Kill Team Annual 2022 (or White Dwarf #468)
• Adepta Sororitas (Ecclesiarchy) - Kill Team Compendium
• Adepta Sororitas (Novitiates) - Kill Team Chalnath
• Aeldari (Craftworld) - Kill Team Compendium
• Aeldari (Corsair Voidscarred) - Kill Team Nachmund
• Chaos Daemons - Kill Team Compendium
• Chaos Daemons Nurgle (Gellerpox Infected) - Kill Team Annual 2022
• Chaos Space Marine (Legionary) - Kill Team Nachmund
• Death Guard - Kill Team Compendium
• Drukhari (Commorite) - Kill Team Compendium
• Eldar (Craftworld) - Kill Team Compendium
• Genestealer Cults (Brood Coven) - Kill Team Compendium
• Genestealer Cults (Wyrmblade) - Kill Team Annual 2022 (or White Dwarf #472)
• Grey Knights - Kill Team Compendium
• Harlequins (Troupe) - Kill Team Compendium
• Harlequins (Void-dancer Troupes) - Kill Team Annual 2022 (or White Dwarf #474)
• Imperial Guard (Astra Militarum) - Kill Team Compendium
• Imperial Guard Veteran Guardsmen (Death Korps of Krieg) - Kill Team Octarius
• Imperial Navy (Breachers) - Kill Team Into The Dark
• Kroot (Cadre Mercenaries) - Kill Team Compendium
• Kroot (Farstrider Kinband) - Kill Team Into The Dark
• Militarum Traitoris (Blooded) - Kill Team Moroch
• Necrons - (Tomb Worlds) - Kill Team Compendium
• Orks (Greenskins) - Kill Team Compendium
• Orks (Kommandos) - Kill Team Octarius
• Rogue Traders (Elucidian Starstriders) - Kill Team Annual 2022
• Space Marines (Adeptus Astartes) - Kill Team Compendium
• Space Marines (Intercessors) - available in a free PDF here
• Space Marines (Phobos Strike Team) - Kill Team Moroch
• Tau Empire (Hunter Cadre) - Kill Team Compendium
• Tau Empire (Pathfinders) - Kill Team Chalnath
• Thousand Sons - Kill Team Compendium
• Thousand Sons (Warpcoven) - Kill Team Annual 2022 (or White Dwarf #469)
• Traitor Space Marines - Kill Team Compendium
• Tyranids (Hive Fleet) - Kill Team Compendium

White Dwarf

White Dwarf issue #468 includes the rules and datacards for the following kill team:

• Hunter Clade (Adeptus Mechanicus)

The Hunter Clade kill team is different from the Adeptus Mechanicus kill team in the Compendium.

This issue also includes a pull-out card sheet with color-coded Kill Team measuring sticks, along with a Kill Team designer diary, short story, background look at the Adeptus Mechanicus, and a Kill Team battle report.

White Dwarf issue #469 includes the rules and datacards for the following kill team:

• Warpcoven (Thousand Sons)

The Warpcoven kill team is different from the Thousand Sons kill team in the Compendium.

White Dwarf issue #472 includes the rules and datacards for the following kill team:

• Genestealer Cult Wyrmblade

The Wyrmblade kill team is different from the Genestealer Cult kill team in the Compendium.

White Dwarf issue #474 includes the rules and datacards for the following kill team:

• Harlequins Void Dancer Troupe

The Void Dancer Troupe kill team is different from the Troupe (Harlequins) kill team in the Compendium.

This issue also includes a pull-out card sheet with Tac Ops cards for the six kill teams from Octarius, Chalnath, and Nachmund.

White Dwarf issue #476 includes the Critical Operations: Sentries Mission Pack which expands the Sentries rules from Moroch and also includes six sentries missions.

White Dwarf issue #478 includes an article on the best Kill Team operatives, a summary of the start of a staff Kill Team campaign, rules for creating a Killzone, and 6 push out Tac Ops cards (3 each) for Harlequin Void-Dancer Troupes and Thousand Sons Warpcovens.

Kill Team FAQ

Can I use Kill Team Arena / Pariah Nexus / Rogue Trader from the 2018 Kill Team in Kill Team 2021?

While you can use some of the scenery, boards, and miniatures in Kill Team 2021, the rules are not compatible with the latest edition.

Currently, the rules for the Elucidian Starstriders and Gellerpox Infected from Rogue Trader are not available in Kill Team 2021.

Can I play with named Space Marine or Choas Space Marine chapter?

Apart from the Death Guard, Thousand Sons, and Grey Knights, no specific chapter rules have been released for either loyalists or traitors (or those who walk the line between).

What is the release date for [insert Kill Team product here]?

We'll update this guide with any known release dates. Unreleased products have 'Not Yet Been Released' by their titles in the guide.

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The Kill Team products used to produce this guide were purchased by the Author and provided by Games Workshop.