Getting back in to playing Warhammer 40,000: Should I get a Kill Team or a Combat Patrol?

[TheEchosOfTheCyborg]

I started to play the game when I was a kid around five years old during the time of late Second to Fourth edition, with Five edition just about to be launched when I stopped playing so I missed the "The Ultramarines are some righteous dudes! Their totally in my face!" I played the Necrons while other family members played Dark Angels and Orks.

I kept up with the lore after hearing about the buzz with 8th Edition and the rise of the Primaris Space Marines, the Destruction of Cadia, Celestine's flirting of Greyfax and the Squats being back.

Been considering going back to it but work, money, life, education, health and covid blocked me going back; but in June with Uni over and having more disposable income and time, I think it's time to try it out again. My question is, should I get a Combat Patrol or a Kill Team?

From what I understand, Kill Team is a smaller game for smaller armies meaning less table space and cheaper, but when I've checked, so much of it seems out of stock and not updated much so I don't know if it's a wise investment to get into a side game that might go the way of BattleFleet Gothic. I know their are starter sets for 40K but I'm not a fan of Ultramarines; (my favourite armies are the Necrons, Tau, Sisters of Battle, Gene Stealers (though I have mixed feelings how the look in figure form), Thousand Sons (Magnus did nothing wrong!), Black Templars, Salamanders and Space Wolves) and the Combat Patrols seem nice but costly.

What should I do?

 

[Godfather]

Combat Patrol is a better introduction to normal 40k. It's a small scale version of it with a few minor changes to rules to account for the fixed nature of the Patrols and the smaller size games. You'll basically be getting 1/4 of a normal size army with about a 30% discount from their normal prices.

Kill Team is a skirmish game that just happens to also use 40K models and some lore. It doesn't really translate over to 40K in any direct way. I also don't think you have to worry about it going away any time soon. It seems relatively popular, and every new thing they release for it sells out generally.

So if you're interested in the full tabletop minis experience that is 40K, and you have the funds for it, Combat Patrol is absolutely the better way. If you just want a smaller, faster, skirmish game that won't destroy your wallet, Kill Team is better.

 

[El_TigroX]

I wish I had started with Kill Team.... just less of a commitment. Dip your toe back in, choose a Kill Team for an army you're interested in for regular 40k, and then if you want to go further, you have something that works for 40k.

 

[Digital Dinosaur]

Rumors are Kill Team 3.0 is coming this year so the starter set along with tools and rulebooks would be changing.

Kill Team isn't as much of a commitment but do note its rules and mechanics in the current version are completely bespoke to Kill Team. It doesn't offer a small size 40k experience but is its own kind of skirmish game.

Note: IIRC the current Sisters combat patrol box uses the old mono-pose models from their early plastic launch box. Models don't have all options and one of the units isn't full size.

Tau are getting a new combat patrol box right now that has (in many takes) a better configured starter Tau army.

 

[Godfather]

I just got into 40k like 2 months ago, and this was one video I watched that was pretty useful:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4-reeWzBYs

Since this video, there has been a new Blood Angels, Tau, and Ork Combat Patrols as well.

Edit:

Also https://www.resetera.com/threads/wa...ar.614/page-310?post=121828506#post-121828506

 

[Reick17]

Slightly off topic, but can anyone recommend good video games, novels, etc to introduce a noobie to the lore without going full table-top yet?

 

[Jubilant Duck]

Slightly off topic, but can anyone recommend good video games, novels, etc to introduce a noobie to the lore without going full table-top yet?

Click to shrink...

Game - Space Marine. You get to see what the ultramarines are about and how dominating a space marine is. Plus the sequel is out soon-ish.

Novels - Eisenhorn books. Gives you a human-eye-level look at the full spectrum of society in the universe, from the poor on the streets to the nobles in ivory towers. When you do come across space marines in the books, you're made to feel how monstrous they are. Are also just really fun pulp space detective books, basically.

 

[Reick17]

Game - Space Marine. You get to see what the ultramarines are about and how dominating a space marine is. Plus the sequel is out soon-ish.

Novels - Eisenhorn books. Gives you a human-eye-level look at the full spectrum of society in the universe, from the poor on the streets to the nobles in ivory towers. When you do come across space marines in the books, you're made to feel how monstrous they are. Are also just really fun pulp space detective books, basically.

Click to shrink...

Thanks much! I get the itch whenever I pass a game store but I can't just drop $1k on another game lol