Kill Team - Space Hulk - Tables for fourteen please.

Here we go again. Popular demand requires that Dave G and myself run another Kill Team game for the 40k masses. As always, I wanted to introduce a new element to keep the game as fresh as a daisy. Previously, we have included robots, relics, zombies and special rooms, of which the latter, granted special rules and abilities. This time, I have decided to have two playing areas with access between each granted by teleport pads only. Let the confusion reign.

Above: Are we really going to try and get 14 people around a three foot by three foot table?

The rules for the game were as follows:

Army Composition

- 250 points maximum.

- No vehicles, monstrous creatures or flyers.

- Models can have a maximum of 2 wounds.

- 1 special or heavy weapon per 5 troops.

- 1 dreadnought or walker can be taken up to 150 points.

- At least 75 points must be spent on troops.

- Each player must nominate a model as their nominal Warlord and a counter indicates which model this is. 

- Warlord traits are not permitted.

(I appreciate that these are not the same restrictions as the recently published GW Kill Team rules. Dave G. and myself will be trying out the GW rules at a club night soon to see whether we can filch anything).

Deployment

Players begin the game entering their side of Table A, determined by a roll off.

Turn order

At the beginning of each turn a roll off decides who is to go first. The only exception to this is the roll off for the final turn, when the winning team can decide to go first or last. In all turns the order of team activation is in a clockwise direction.

Objective

To score the most points. (Controversial or what)?

Scoring

- 1 point for each enemy model killed.

- 5 points for each enemy Warlord killed.

- 5 points for each crate held on the playing area of Table B.

- 30 points for each crate held on the playing area of Table A, at the end of the game. The crates follow the normal relic rules in the 40K rule book. There are D6+3 crates located on table two, scattered 3D6 from the table centre.

Travel between Tables A and B 

Using the central teleport pads in the central room of Table A allows travel to any single teleporter pad on either table. The single teleporter pads only allow travel to the next closest single teleporter pad on that particular table. Single teleporter pads do not allow travel between the two tables unless the teleport action is affected by the Square of Despair rule (see below).

Above: Table A

Above: Table B

Square of Despair
At the beginning of each turn, starting on turn 2, a number of squares on the board equivalent to the turn number, are randomly chosen*, and for any models that are on that square the following should be done:

A. Roll a D6 for each model. On the roll of a one that model must take an armour save, and if failed, will suffer a wound. Feel No Pain rolls can be taken.

B. For walkers, a roll of a one will result in a glancing hit. 

C. For single teleport pad you place a counter on its top. This indicates that any subsequent models which use this pad are subject to a malfunction and a D6 roll on the following table:

1 - Lost to the warp. No coming back from this.

2 - Whoops. An alternative single teleport pad is chosen for the model's arrival. It is still possible for a model to arrive at its intended destination. Important note: It is possible for this event to allow transport between the two tables.

3 - As for 2.

4 - Oh dear. The player team to the right of the player whose model who is affected, decide which single teleport pad the model is placed. Important note: It is possible for this event to allow transport between the two tables.

5 - As for 4.

6 - Who knew? The model is unaffected and arrives at the correct teleport location.

*As in the previous game I place numbered markers on each one foot by one foot square that makes up the battlefield. I have a similar amount of counters in a bag which I draw out at random. The counter, once drawn, will be removed from the bag and the table, allowing players to see which squares have already been affected by 'the square of despair'.

The Teams

Rather than allowing players to join with similar factions, this time I just randomised the teams. So they were:

- Dave R. Kannan and Neil (The Bald Edge)

- Stephen, Alex and Bryan (Team Frag Kannan)

- Pete, Callum and Max (I don't think they had a team name. Someone will no doubt tell me otherwise in the comments)

Max is a relatively new player at the club. He didn't know about the Kill Team game and had arrived looking for a standard 40K game. 

- Michael, Dave P. and Nico (They did have a team name which I have amended to be more family friendly - Nico's Female Dogs).

The Game (illustrated with a selection of footnotes and pictures)

Above: Early game and things hot up around teleporter 13. 

Above: [In a big booming voice] 'it could be you'. One of Kannan's Dark Angels is apparently reminded to purchase a lottery ticket.

Above: The rush to the central room begins in ernest.

Above: 'Say hello to my little friends'. Four cultists realise that they are ill prepared for what is to come next. 

Above: The game in full swing. Callum, disappointed to have lost his Dreadnought early on, made a number of attempts to persuade Dave G. and myself, that this was a travesty of justice, and he should be allowed to bring it back on. 'No, Callum. For the umpteenth time. No'. 

Above: Attention begins to move to Table B. The circular counters placed on top of the teleporters indicate that they can be used for the risky trip back to Table A.

Above: Mid-game pointing in full effect.

Above: A sad and lonely Table A. 'Don't worry Table A you will have your time in the sun once again'.

Above: My favourite picture of the evening. Whilst the other players haggle, Pete and Callum hatch their winning strategy.

Above: A rules query? It's ok, I'll take pictures whilst Dave G. deals with it.

Above: Squares of Despair begin occurring on Table B giving players the opportunity to try the very dangerous teleport back to Table A.

Above: Nico's Chaos Marine makes it back to Table A with his precious, possibly game winning, crate. A second of Nico's Marines, also carrying a crate, was not so lucky, and was engulfed in the unforgiving warp.

Above: Dave R's Chaos Space Marine successfully comes through a damaged teleporter and manages to kill Nico's Marine, but cannot pick up and claim the valuable crate.

Above: Four of Callum's Marines ready themselves for their own damaged teleporter trip.

Callum's Marines risked the risky teleporter trip, two reappeared still on Table B, but, having rolled two sixes with his four dice, Callum was able to choose the correct teleporter, on Table A, and took ownership of the crate left by Nico's dead Marine.

And that final event brought the game to an end, and all that was left to do was to tot up the scores. 

The Results

It was very close, and not surprisingly the result was swung by the one 30 point crate returned to Table A. The scores were as follows:

The Bald Edge - 50

Team Frag Kannan - 52

Pete, Callum and Max - 71

Nico's Female Dogs - 52

Well done Pete, Callum and Max on their victory.

Finishing Thoughts 

First, as always, thanks to all those who took part. This was a tough proposition to get through. Two of us managing 12 players and two tables was quite a feat (thanks again to Dave G. for his huge support). For size and complexity this is probably as far as we can go for an evening club game. 

The game was fun to run, but sometimes herding cats would have been an easier proposition. 6 turns in 3 and a bit hours, including setting up and packing away, keeps you focused on momentum. But crikey, I was very tired by the end.

Although Nico didn't finish on the winning team I think he deserves an honourable mention for being the first to risk the dodgy teleporters to try and achieve the 30 victory points. Unfortunately, due to the turn sequence, he had to go early in the final turn, and couldn't hold his prize until the end. 

Max was also an excellent sport considering that he had never experienced this kind of game before. He took two nicely painted models (see below), but got into the swing of things quickly enough.

I was very pleased to see that GW have released the Kill Team rules. (Both Dave and me look forward to the message from them thanking us for our continued support for the game). I have purchased said rules and Dave and myself will be giving them a go. Depending on how we find them, and how easy it would be to get everyone converted, will might try and introduce some of the rules and concepts into our own club's kill team games.

As always, I wish a happy wargaming to you all.

Alex.