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Warhammer 40,000 redesigns the skirmish-focused Kill Team, announces new Octarius boxed set

Krieg vs. Kommandos

Warhammer 40,000 has announced a complete revision of its Kill Team line of skirmish miniature wargaming and will mark the new edition with a boxed set to be released later this year.

Kill Team Octarius will contain two full squads of miniatures - the Korps of Krieg and Ork Kommandos - alongside the new Kill Team core rulebook, an Octarius manual, plenty of terrain and all the other bits and bobs necessary to pit the two forces against each other in bloody guerilla warfare.

Publisher Games Workshop said in a community post that the rulebook’s contents comprise “a total reimagining of how combat on this scale should operate in the Warhammer 40,000 universe”. Initially released in 2011, Kill Team introduced a more compact version of the competitive wargame that normally spans an entire table of terrain and plastic platoons. Fielding ten units designed to highlight individual or paired abilities kept matches shorter and more manageable, not to mention capping the buy-in for a hobby with a reputation for being prohibitively expensive.

Cover image for YouTube videoWarhammer 40,000: Kill Team Cinematic Trailer — 2021

The company began a similar reimagining of Age of Sigmar’s small-scale line when it released Warcry in 2019, further supported by Underworlds’ arena-based expansions that continues to introduce the fantasy universe’s many factions to the objective-based title. It looks as if Kill Team might be receiving a similar mechanical refresh.

For those unfamiliar with the two opponents, the Death Korps of Krieg is a faction of the Astra Militarum rarely seen in plastic as a full troop. The remnants of an entire planet subsumed in atomic warfare, the veteran trench soldiers embrace impossible odds and sure demise as constant companions. Their attrition-style tactics sacrifice many, but what remains boasts emerges with a bevy of skills and abilities.

On the other side are the Orc Kommandos, a regiment of Orks trained to carry out special-ops missions and excelling in the close ranges that Kill Team necessitates. These unconventional troops are appearing for the first time in a kit, according to Games Workshop.

The new Kill Team box will also serve as a convenient introduction to Octarius, which will serve as the setting for Warhammer 40,000’s next narrative expansion. War Zone: Octarius’ first book, Rising Tide, will focus on shifting power structures as the Imperium enacts a Cordon Impenetra hoping to maintain the galactic status quo as long as possible. Meanwhile, Ork forces are gaining power and champing at the bit to throw their lot into the untenable conflict.

Pre-orders for Kill Team Octarius will open in August, though no specific date was provided at this time. Games Workshop said the boxed set will be available in limited quantities, but the Death Korps of Krieg, Ork Kommandos and any future squads will be sold separately later on.

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Chase Carter

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Chase is a freelance journalist and media critic. He enjoys the company of his two cats and always wants to hear more about that thing you love. Follow him on Twitter for photos of said cats and retweeted opinions from smarter folks.

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