Kill team has been with us for a while now and when Games Workshop announced it they told us we’d be seeing many more sectors in which to wage war. Octarius was nice and all, if you like unusually sneaky greenskins and shame ridden imperial soldiers. However, what the Octarius box lacked was Sisters of Battle.
The expansion of the great rift had a myriad of consequences, one of which was depositing an entire fleet of the Adepta Sororitas, not just any Sororitas, new Sororitas.
Before I continue fanboying about Sisters of Battle I suppose some explanation of what Kill Team: Chalnath is, or isn’t. Kill Team Chalnath is an expansion, not a starter set. If you plan on Chalnath being your entry point for Kill Team you’ll need to pick up a copy of the core rule book separately.
While this may frustrate some, it makes sense to me. Nobody needs multiple copies of the core rule book and it would potentially irk me to pay more for a new box and end up with duplicate copies of said book. This way as each new set comes out it doesn’t put off those already active with Kill Team purchasing the box.
The Chalnath box is decent value for money, included is of course the book detailing the setting, the fluff and the rules for fielding both the new Sororitas and Tau Pathfinders. You’ll get 9 Sororitas Novitiates and the Sister Superior charged with leading them into battle. Also included are 10 Tau Pathfinders and their adorable but deadly drones. On a random side note I’ve always wanted to start a Tau army and boy are these pathfinders a great excuse to do so, even if they are Xenos scum. The two Kill Teams aside the terrain is where I found the real value in this box. For myself and almost everyone in my gaming circle terrain is one of those things that you want but when it comes down to it, I’d rather by minis often meaning that I use the same scenery over and over.
So far as rules are concerned both the Pathfinders and Novitiates are just as flushed out and varied as those found within the Octarius set, and this is where my issue with Kill Team as a game pops up. At this point in time we have 5 flushed out teams, 4 from sets and the Thousand Sons update found on an issue of White Dwarf. Every other faction is contained within the Kill Team Compendium, it’s not much a balancing issue provided you aren’t trying to mix and match. Compendium Kill Team Vs Compendium Kill Team is fine but try Compendium vs Set Kill Team rules and the balance becomes and issue. It’s still entirely enjoyable but be aware that one side may feel a little frustration, not Eldar players waiting for an update frustration but frustration nevertheless.
You don’t actually have enough models to build every option for both Kill Teams which is disappointing, even more so given that you can’t currently buy the Novitiates separately at the time of writing. I’d advise playing a few games with some proxies before assembling some of the options. This way you’ll have a better idea of what you like and don’t and what fits your personal play style.
The Chalnath book also contains some new missions that could be used in any of your Kill Team games. As always my favourite part of the book is the fluff, and my ecclesiarchal bias shows massively with this set. After waiting the many moons for new sisters, we now have yet another unit and a whole new tier of sisters and they fit the Kill Team aesthetic perfectly.
Kill Team Chalnath is a must have for me and I can’t recommend it enough, but as with most expansions it’s all down to personal preference. The big question, is of value for money, is the set good value for money? Yes, without a shadow of a doubt, regardless of your personal preferences when it comes to factions the amount of plastic you’re getting for the price is worth every penny, I almost forgot to mention the battle board. These aren’t the most exciting things in the world given that I grew up playing games of the old plastic realm of battle boards but they are great for map scale and fitting everything on the kitchen table.
In the not so distant future you’ll be seeing much more of my Chalnath set as myself and a new recruit here at Game hype begin a Crusade campaign in 9th Edition, being the nerds we are we’ve decided that the only thing better than some narrative play is more narrative play. We’ll be combining 9E, with Kill Team and Aeronautica Imperialis. My brave faith fuelled Sisters from the Order of Eternal Light shall wage unceasing war agains’t the foul Necrons. May the Emperor Protect.
A copy of Kill Team: Chalnath was kindly provided by the Games Workshop community team.
