Kill Team: Nachmund and Moroch

Kill Team

Games Workshop has released a new version of Kill Team with Nachmund and Moroch, plus they sent us copies for the purpose of reviewing them.

Kill Team is essentially the skirmish version of Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000. Players take small squads of fighters, or even a smaller and more elite force and battle for objectives or simply to eliminate the other team (this is my preferred way to play any tabletop game). Officially this is the fourth edition of the Kill Team game type but the third as a standalone title. The points systems are vastly different than your standard game of 40k but very similar in nature to that of Warcry in relation to Age of Sigmar. Now the first three editions also differed in points values when compared but Nachmund and Moroch are the third and fourth installments of this edition and are much more in line with Warcry.

Teams are comprised of roughly 1000 points and depending on the faction will determine how many models you will be using, for example, Adaptus Mechanicus will typically have more troops on the map than Astartes. Another big difference between this version and previous iterations is that the list building is much more limited this time around. For Kill Team I suspect this is to better control balancing for the game, possibly to minimize some of the min/maxing that some players do to give their play style an advantage. With the new limitations on list building I think this is a huge improvement because I like having a variety on the field of battle and like to fight a variety.

Overall I found this to be a great introduction game to the world of Warhammer 40k and in the smaller scale makes trying new armies much easier and way cheaper. The new models for Chaos Cultists, Astartes, Chaos Space Marines and Aeldari are some of my favorites for each of the factions. Kill Team: Nachmund features new Aeldari Voidscarred Corsairs and Chaos Space Marine models along with some familiar looking terrain and continues the precedent that every three months or so we will see a new Kill Team release, each centered around a different kill zone. Kill Team: Moroch features new Chaos Cultists (plus two classics from Black Stone Fortress) as well as 10 Phobos Primaris Marines. Additionally both releases of this edition have also had exclusive models. I can’t wait to see what other exclusive models and terrain will be coming with each new kill zone! This is a fantastic starting point for anyone looking for a new army or to add to an existing army.

Kill Team returns with another installment of the current edition – Chalnath

Kill Team Chalnath

Games Workshop has released a new version of Kill Team with Chalnath and they sent us a copy for the purpose of reviewing it.

Kill Team is essentially the skirmish version of Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000. Players take small squads of fighters, or even a smaller and more elite force and battle for objectives or simply to eliminate the other team (this is my preferred way to play any tabletop game). Officially this is the fourth edition of the Kill Team game type but the third as a standalone title. The points systems are vastly different than your standard game of 40k but very similar in nature to that of Warcry in relation to Age of Sigmar. Now the first three editions also differed in points values when compared but Chalnath is the second installment of this edition and is much more in line with Warcry.

Teams are comprised of roughly 1000 points and depending on the faction will determine how many models you will be using, for example, Adaptus Mechanicus will typically have more troops on the map than Astartes. Another big difference between this version and previous iterations is that the list building is much more limited this time around. For Kill Team I suspect this is to better control balancing for the game, possibly to minimize some of the min/maxing that some players do to give their play style an advantage. With the new limitations on list building I think this is a huge improvement because I like having a variety on the field of battle and like to fight a variety.

Overall I found this to be a great introduction game to the world of Warhammer 40k and in the smaller scale makes trying new armies much easier and way cheaper. The new models for both Tau and Adepta Sororitas are some of my favorite for both factions. Kill Team: Chalnath features new Tau Pathfinders and Adepta Sororitas models along with some familiar looking terrain and is setting the precedent that every three months or so we will see a new Kill Team release, each centered around a different kill zone. Additionally both releases of this edition have also had exclusive models and the first absolutely had exclusive terrain options. This time I have yet to find confirmation about the exclusivity on the terrain but it looks quite similar to some we’ve seen previously. I can’t wait to see what other exclusive models and terrain will be coming with each new kill zone! This is a fantastic starting point for anyone looking for a new army or to add to an existing army.

Warhammer Underworlds returns with Harrowdeep

Harrowdeep

Warhammer Underworlds returns for another season with Harrowdeep and this time you take the fight under the waves.

Taking place in the Realm of Shadows, Harrowdeep takes players to a maze beneath the sea. Xandire’s Truthseekers face off against the Da Kunnin Krew but will later be joined by others. Take your existing warband or one of these new ones under the Shadowsea for a competitive experience like no other (with the exception of previous iterations of Warhammer Underworlds). With the original announcement we also learned that there will be two core sets released each year going forward, two additional warband releases and with them a new rivals format to the game.

Here is the official roadmap for Harrowdeep (hint the first warband is pirates):

As mentioned above the Q1 warband is a pirate themed Destruction warband and nothing officially is known about the Q2 warband. If the image is anything to go on I suspect whatever faction they are will have lightning based abilities. The obvious answer is likely another Stormcast Eternals warband but I think we will see something more unique, perhaps a Tzeentch warband or even better would be a Cities of Sigmar warband with a wizard of some sort (with a lightning spell or two).

What is Rivals?

Rivals is a new way of playing the game without all the deck building mechanics. Essentially this is to allow players to dive right in with their new warbands immediately after they are built using a predefined deck. The focus is to allow newer players to jump in without having to search for years of cards to build their decks. Personally I’ve always played this way because when reviewing I play the game with the prebuilt decks in the box. Those that play in the Championship format will still be able to build their decks as they did before, just not as part of the Rivals style of the game.

Overall thoughts:

To start with I must admit this box was provided to us by Games Workshop for the purpose of this review but their generosity has no bearing on our opinion. With the somewhat recent release of Dominion I have learned to really enjoy the Stormcast Eternals faction and absolutely love Kruelboyz. The sculpts in this box are fantastic for both factions and the box is worth picking up for those alone. Additionally the new map boards are gorgeous. Gameplay has been tweaked slightly for the new realm and the double support rolls on defense dice when standing in a Gloom token means that you will have a better chance of survival with the weaker warbands. The addition of Grand Alliance cards is a HUGE bonus for those with other warbands and making some of the upgrades leave upon injury adds further complexity to the game. Personally I can’t wait for my next game as I plan on trying out either my Soulblight Gravelord Vampires or my Slaves to Darkness warband in the new setting. The only thing I am disappointed in with this release is that this is the first that did not have an accompanying novel from Black Library. Time will tell if we will see one over the next year but I sincerely hope we do.

Warcry Faction Focus with Khainite Shadowstalkers

Khainite Shadowstalkers

Welcome to the another installment of a our series where we will be focusing on one of the exclusive Warbands from Warcry. This time we will be discussing the Khainite Shadowstalkers!

The Khainite Shadowstalkers are the second warband to be released in the Warcry Catacombs boxset and also had their own second release a few months later. This warband is essentially the secret black ops squad working directly for Queen Morathi and the Daughters of Khaine. They have been blessed with Ulguan Shadow Magic by Morathi herself after a pact was made with the daemons of Ulgu. They fight like shadows thanks to the combination of their powers and their acrobatic abilities. In Catacombs their abilities allow them to run on the walls above the heads of their foes, giving them the chance to surround or even ambush their foes.

Led by one of the most awesome looking models, the Shroud Queen, but preliminary images I thought she was a Melusai because of the cloak curving around her legs. She has an impressive ranged attack and a Quad ability that allows her to hit all enemies within 3-6 inches of her. The biggest issue with this warband is that they are basically a warband of all Glass Cannons- deal some impressive damage but easily removed from play. Because of her high damage output you will want to pair her with someone as a guard.

Warcry Warband Focus Featuring the Scions of the Flame

Scions of the Flame

Welcome to the another installment of a our series where we will be focusing on one of the exclusive Chaos Warbands from Warcry. This time we will be discussing the Scions of the Flame!

 With this year’s Gen Con Games Workshop announced a new Warcry release I decided it was time to return to our warband focus series, starting with the Scions of the Flame. The Scions are a group of fire obsessed zealots that hail from the realm of Aqshy. Each Chaos warband follows a unique aspect of the Chaos gods and the Scions are no different, they worship the Ever-raging Flame, hunting and eating the hearts of fire-beasts. This allows them to become the embodiments of the Flame. 

They are protected by gear designed to withstand the flame, except for the Immolators who like to catch themselves on fire and charge their enemies like a living fireball. Their playstyle is meant to resemble a spreading fire that turns into an inferno, building in intensity and destruction as they overtake the field of battle. Their level of damage output is much higher than most of the “tough” enemies, utilizing explosives and weapons covered in flame. Of the models the Immolator and the Brazen Champion really make this warband standout with flame covered action poses. On appearance alone the Scions of the Flame are my favorite warband so far released and with their flame based abilities it was like this warband was made specifically for me.

Warhammer 40k Kill Team Octarius review

Kill Team

Games Workshop has released a new version of Kill Team with Octarius and they sent us a copy for the purpose of reviewing it along with the Compendium.

Kill Team is essentially the skirmish version of Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000. Players take small squads of fighters, or even a smaller and more elite force and battle for objectives or simply to eliminate the other team (this is my preferred way to play any tabletop game). Officially this is the fourth edition of the Kill Team game type but the second as a standalone title. The points systems are vastly different than your standard game of 40k but very similar in nature to that of Warcry in relation to Age of Sigmar. Now the first three editions also differed in points values when compared but this is the first to be more in line with Warcry.

Teams are comprised of roughly 1000 points and depending on the faction will determine how many models you will be using, for example, Adaptus Mechanicus will typically have more troops on the map than Astartes. Another big difference between this version and previous iterations is that the list building is much more limited this time around. For Kill Team I suspect this is to better control balancing for the game, possibly to minimize some of the min/maxing that some players do to give their play style an advantage. With the new limitations on list building I think this is a huge improvement because I like having a variety on the field of battle and like to fight a variety.

Overall I found this to be a great introduction game to the world of Warhammer 40k and in the smaller scale makes trying new armies much easier and way cheaper. The new models for both Orks and Astra Militarum are some of my favorite for both factions, especially the bomb squid. He is legit the first time I have said a squig was adorable. At the time of writing this we have already seen the announcement for Kill Team: Chalnath and features new Tau Pathfinders and Adepta Sororitas models along with some familiar looking terrain. I can’t wait to see what other exclusive models will be coming with each new kill zone! This is a fantastic starting point for anyone looking for a new army or to add to an existing army.

Aeronautica Imperialis Skies of Fire

Aeronautica Imperialis

Aeronautica Imperialis returns with it’s second starter box Skies of Fire with two new factions- Adeptus Militarum and Tau!

At this point Skies of Fire is more or less old hat having been released about a year ago now but we just love all things with Aeronautica Imperialis so here we are! We’ve talked about AI in the past, when we were with PopNerdTV, and gameplay-wise the game hasn’t really changed since then. Where similar games play on a two dimensional board and those two dimensions are the only ones you need to worry about it was a shock to consider my movements on third dimension. Height is a big factor in the game, too low and you’ll crash, too high and you’ll stall your craft.

The models have a lot of detail, far surpassing those of games like X-Wing and with comparable costs. With X-Wing I can purchase a single ship for about $10-20 where in AI I can purchase four craft for $40-60 and have more detail. The only downside to this comparison is that X-Wing models are preassembled and prepainted.

Verdict:

This game is a must play for fans of the dog fighting/space ship variety, especially if you are looking to improve on the basic mechanics of X-Wing. Whenever I played X-Wing I always wanted something more and variety wasn’t what I was craving, with Aeronautica we got it in spades. The complexity and realism of the fight makes this game a much more impressive contender in the genre and I hope we continue to see it in shops for years to come, some of us are still waiting on the Chaos releases.

Warcry Catacombs ~ is it just a reskinning of the original?

Warcry Catacombs

It’s common for Games Workshop to release multiple new starter boxes using the same rules but is Warcry Catacombs another example of this?

Definitively Warcry Catacombs is not just the same game with new plastic wrap, there is so much more. The boxset features two new warbands, never before seen in the Eight Points and unlike the original starter one of them is from the Order Grand Alliance! A different alliance isn’t all that’s new, some of the terrain and one of the maps features a lava-filled chamber that changes how you play the game. When within the Catacombs you no longer have towers to climbs, which is a complete game changer for the Corvus Cabal. Warbands that use height to their advantage will be hindered by the low ceilings but it isn’t the end of Corvus Cabal as some may have predicted. Corvus Cabal has the ability to wall run above their foes so even though they can’t scale the tower to smash down on unsuspecting prey but they can pass freely allowing them to stop behind their foes.

The biggest downside in this box the the durability of some of the models. This is not something new when it comes to Aelves, nimble characters make for leaner models and a leaner model makes for limbs, weapons and features that are more likely to break with a little pressure. That being said they look absolutely fantastic. The core book is still the same and remains one of the cleanest and most well developed games I’ve had the pleasure of playing but the new features bring both a unique style of play and an easy way to switch to more narrative based gameplay.

Warcry Warband Focus Featuring Corvus Cabal

Corvus Cabal

Welcome to the another installment of our series where we will be focusing on one of the exclusive Chaos Warbands from Warcry. This time we will be discussing Corvus Cabal.

These followers of the Great Gatherer stem from the Realm of Shadow and believe the legendary Chaos General Archaon is the embodiment of their god. This faction is the masters of movement and stealth. Some units have the ability to ignore height when moving around the board. This is huge as some models can be trapped by the terrain pieces themselves. The Shrike Talon has an ability that will exploit this fact- Swooping Attack. Essentially he gets to drop on his enemy from above and use it to get a free move and attack option. From some heights he can receive bonuses to improve on the deadliness of the attack.

When playing against foes that have a higher defense (and depending on your objectives) winning the game will require you win the first initiative. Having the first turn is hugely important because Corvus Cabal will win the day on speed alone if they secure objectives first. Otherwise you will be trying to steal the objectives from forces that will typically outlast your fighters. This is what I call the Smash and Grab.

Visually this is an amazing faction. Easily second favorite. I love the Native American aesthetic they have and will likely be one of the first I build for myself but due to their play style will get less usage as a force. My play style is more of a Hit ’em hard and hit ’em fast method that lacks the finesse Corvus Cabal requires.

Blood Bowl has returned for Season 2!

Blood Bowl

The fine folks at Games Workshop have brought one of my favorite IP’s to the pitch with the Second Season Edition of Blood Bowl!

Those that know me, even just a little, will know that I am not a fan of sports, watching or playing. For some reason though I’ve always had a soft spot for Blood Bowl. I have played every iteration of the video games on the Xbox and both of the previous releases of the tabletop game. I even read some of the older books. So how is that I love a sports themed game when I detest sports? It’s all about the conflict. A game where you can have an ork kill or maim a player outright is one I am more than willing to give a solid try. Each time I’ve played I’ve lost on the tabletop and still found it quite enjoyable. The Season 2 Edition seemed like the perfect chance to finally beat my son.

Not much has changed in terms of general gameplay, but at the same time EVERYTHING has changed. That’s a bit of an exaggeration but we are seriously talking about some big changes. First off is in value- the core box comes with enough models to play a full team! This is huge! Every iteration previously required you to purchase additional boxes to have enough on the pitch. I hope this is the trend going forward. Previous editions made an effort of using star players but they always felt like they were missing something. With Season 2 we get to see them offer a bit more panache on the field, no longer just cool looking models. The rulebook includes rules for a plethora of star players, each with their own special stats to make playing them more worth it. It even adds another layer to setting your roster. Additionally previous editions required you purchase your heavy hitters separately but you get one for each team.

As always when it comes to causing carnage on the field I’m no slouch but when it comes to planning through openings to score points there is still some sort of disconnect. Playing multiple games with my son he managed to win each time but not before losing several players along the way. We had a total blast with the game and hope to try out a few of the other teams as they release using the new ruleset. The rules are much easier to understand than in previous editions, leaving fewer questions regarding how to interpret them. If you enjoy sports, fantasy tabletop games or beating the crap out of your opponent you will enjoy this game.