Operation: Kill Team! - Part One

In the beginning...

… I was a huge fan of GW and their various games - 40k, Warhammer, Warhammer Quest, Necromunda, Epic 40k, etc. I would get together several times a month at my house with a handful of friends and play, play, and... PLAY! In fact, some of my fondest memories in wargaming are from those gatherings. However, those days have long slipped away, becoming distant memories. With everyone going their own separate ways, I myself drifted away from the GW hobby. However, as of a few years ago, things have changed.

The massive boxed set for Kill Team.

     Over the last few years I have been collecting the base starter sets for the last two editions of 40k - even pre-ordering the current one. I was never sure what I was going to do with these - I have so many other things going on. I did like the models, and the rules sounded great. I just couldn't imagine collecting armies for 40k all over again - I sold off all my previous stuff! However, with the release of a game called Kill Team, things changed. Here was 40k as a skirmish game! Less than 20 models a side, played on a 30" x 20" board! WOW! Is this for real?! This is exactly what I was waiting for - something allowing me to collect and paint 40k miniatures, without too much demand on my resources - the proverbial, 'arm and a leg'.

     Now... many months after buying Kill Team, I still have yet to get out some models, read the rules, roll some dice, or even put paint to plastic! With so much going on in my life, I just have not found the time; motivation has subsided.

What a Great Idea!

     My nephew was a big fan of 40k and the GW hobby back in the day. In fact, he was part of all my gaming back then. However, he drifted away from the hobby, as tends to happen when you get married, have a kid, and otherwise join humdrum humanity. However, he is still quite curious about the hobby. He often asks me about games, whether we can have a go when I visit, or mentions people he knows at work that are gamers. Occasionally, I bring a card game, or a boardgame, over and we have some fun. Nothing major; no painting involved. And this is when it hit me: Kill Team! A perfect game for the two of us to get into - together! Welcome back... MOTIVATION! A new project is thus born. Perhaps even getting my nephew back into the fold.

My good friend Sean, after a battle. Look at all those GW games!!! 

     So, this is how Operation Kill Team! came about. And I hope to use this blog to document this project all the way to the end - whatever that may be. Such nostalgia!

Getting Started

     With motivation in place, it's now time to set down and plan out what's next. 

• First off, I am going to dig in to that massive Kill Team box.* 
• After a quick look at all the goodies in that set I am going to pull out the core rulebook and have a good read - see what the landscape looks like, so to speak. The book contains not only all the rules, but also missions, and faction lists. The lists should give me an idea of just what I need to throw together from all those plastic models in my collection to form some teams. 



A look at what comes with the latest Warhammer 40k starter box.

• Grab some plastic sprues, put some models together, and get PAINTING!

* This includes my last two 49k starter boxes as well! Lots of goodies here.  

     One of the very cool things about Kill Team is that there are several ways to play and form your teams. One method, called 'Open Play', allows a player to create a team of 20 or less models based on what he has in his collection - or from a list of available models. This is perfect for friendly 'sit down and play' type games - no points are used. Exactly what I am looking for at this point.

My Nephew (center) and a couple of my friends having a blast with Warhammer 5e.

     I should mention that the box also includes some fantastic plastic ruins. I definitely want to put these together and paint them up. These will look good along side of my other terrain appropriate for this game.

The miniatures that come with Kill Team.

Final Thoughts

     So there you have it. My introduction to a very exciting project for me. What will be the end result? Hopefully a rekindling of fond memories of brutal battles se in a dark and perilous future - the 40k universe. In future parts of this series I hope to not only show my progress, but also share my observations on the game, the models, and share some battles with you all. Of course, this project is only one of several I am currently working on - more on those in separate posts. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this journey with me. Until next time...

~Fritz