As long time readers will know we are big fans of Warhammer 40K here at GameHype and personally i’m a huge fan of their boxed games. Many an evening are spent on Blood Bowl pitches , skulking around the underhive or waging war with crack squads of plastic (or Finecast) soldiers in Kill Team.
It’s Kill Team we’ll be taking a look at today, more specifically Kill Team: Pariah Nexus, the games new expansion.
A bit of background for the unbloodied, 40K games normally involve entire armies clashing on the tabletop in a grim dark future in which there’s only war. Kill Team however is focused on individual squads battling a shadow war with a more detailed rule system to boot. Think of it like this, while the wider war unfolds on a distant battlefield, Kill Team would be the special forces squad sent ahead to destroy the enemies supply depot before a crucial battle.
Kill Team has been around for a while now has had a couple of ‘Starter Sets’ and a few expansions that have varied in size, from single books that add more elite soldiers to the system to huge boxes like Rogue Trader that added entirely new ways to play and exciting new settings.
Now, there’s been a little bit of confusion online about if Kill Team: Pariah Nexus is a ‘Starter Set’ or an ‘Expansion’. It’s simple, the box doesn’t contain the core rule book, therefore it’s an expansion. Whether or not is ‘should’ contain the core rules is another debate entirely. The box comes in at £95 for which you’ll get your nerdy mits on 12 miniatures, the 112-page Pariah Nexus rule book, a plethora of Necron themed scenery, objective cards and the 22”x30” double sided game board.
Of those 12 miniatures you’ll notice that 5 of them are plastic Flayed Ones and these clanking knife handed freaks look amazing, not to mention the fact that Necron players have been waiting what seems like forever for this classic unit to be updated in plastic. Kill Team: Pariah Nexus is the only place you can find these models for now(In fact that’s the case with everything that comes in the new box). Games Workshop haven’t officially stated that they’ll come out separately but we’ve been around (by we, I mean I) since the days of 5th Edition (oh that DE codex, how thin you were) so we know it’s going to happen. Nothing stays exclusive, not when it can open wallets and purses.
Rounding out the Necrons is the Chronomancer, this tentacled vision of xenos Hersey has the rather useful ability of messing with time and I’ll confess looks so bad ass that I didn’t want to share this box with the rest of the team, his lack of legs really gives me the wiggins but it helps add to the chaps overall appeal, even if that appeal puts me on the Inquisitions radar.
Their foes are none other than Space marines (waits for a craft worlds player to scream about aspect warriors from the 90s), you’ll be deploying 3 Heavy Intercessors and a Captain packing a Master-crafted Heavy Bolt Rifle. I don’t have much to say about the Intercessors to be honest but the Captain looks amazing, every bit the death delivering super solider he is, his sword is oddly positioned when viewed statically but as with all minis they should spark the dynamic action in your imagination and the captain certainly does that.
All the scenery in the box, and the game board are also Necron themed, which makes perfect sense given the games setting and the general story arc of 9th edition. Great for the clanker fans but I’ll imagine somewhat off putting if you nor any of your chums play ‘Crons. The scenery is basically made up of doors and things to take cover behind (it all has game affecting rules but I won’t be listing them here) all of which helps with the intent behind the expansion…Confined Combat or as the book puts it ‘Ultra close confines combat’.
The 112-page book is basically what you’d expect, it begins with some fluff explaining the setting and the forces involved. This made my day, I love fluff and while not much if it was new information to me it does demonstrate one thing. Games Workshops new love and appreciation for their ‘Boxed’ or ‘Special’ games. I can remember a time when ‘Special games’ was almost a dirty word in a GW store, although I assume it was because back then you couldn’t really bait and hook a player into a main system with a boxed game the way you can with the modern ones.
Rather than the boxed game be off in some distant corner of the galaxy it is instead right bang in the middle of the main narrative setting for 9th edition, it helps the boxed game feel like a part of the wider universe and really makes you feel as if your games of Kill Team could actually have an impact on the fate of the wider galaxy.
The middle of the book contains all the new missions and with them the rules for ‘Ultra Close confines’ and all the scenery, both miniature and the lay outs printed on the board. As usual they are split into narrative and matched play. I really need to try some narrative games as being the longbeard I am I’m always looking up points values as it’s what comes naturally given my history in the hobby.
The latter section of the book is chock full of updated data sheets, those for pretty much the contents of this box and the Indomitus box, as well as a host of new tactics your little plastic chaps can engage in.
The game board is well printed and of great quality as you’d expect, in relation to the boxed product it’s great but being the setting for an expansion I can’t see much use for it out of the confines of the box itself, it’s great but don’t expect to be using it in ‘Standard’ games of Kill Team.
As always with all things GW ‘value for money’ always comes up and no doubt you all have your own logic dictating such opinions. I look at the product on its own merits and don’t waste time comparing it to other boxes.
With that in mind I don’t think I’d personally pick up this boxed expansion, but this is purely down to my personal preference and should in no way be taken as a judgement on the overall quality of the contents. I currently play Eldar (I’m old, it’s what I call them) and Sisters of Battle so other than rules and game board there’s not much to convince me to part with £95. While not confirmed I’d assume the contents will be available separately at some point and I’d pick up the rules then. On the other had the expansion is a MUST have for Necron players, plastic flayed ones, lots of cool Necron scenery and a ace new character model.
Kill Team Pariah Nexus is out now and available from all good stockists.
Games Workshop Community Team kindly provided a copy of the expansion for this article.
