Kill Team without the starter...what to buy?

I think I want to get into Kill Team but I don’t want to wait for the starter to come back into stock. I own exactly 0 40k models outside of Blackstone Fortress. Can I just get the Know No Fear box or something and the KT book and be good? I want two forces and I’m not looking to pay a ton upfront. How many models do I need? Anything else I need to know? Help Computer.

Thanks!

Your best bet are the “starter boxes”. These include a full squad (60-90ish points) and a little terrain. You also get pre-filled cards which are nice for casuals like us and al of the faction’s tactics cards. Right now the choices are:

Astra Militarum (Scions)
Orks (Burna Boyz)
Drukhari (Wyches)
Tau (Fire Warriors/Breachers/drones)
Astartes (Space Wolves Reivers)
Deathwatch
Necron (Immortals/Deathmarks)
Tyranid (Genestealers)

The terrain sets pair up- Tau and Necron have Wall of Martyrs, Deathwatch and Drukhari have Deathworld Forest, Orks and Space Marines have Sector Mechanicus, AdMil and Tyranids have Sector Munitorium.

If you get a matched set and pair that with a Killzone box (Sector Mechanicus, Sector Munitorum, Deathworld Forest, or Wall of Martyrs), you will have a very complete battlefield along with a great 3x3 reversible board. Each Killzone also comes with cool environmental rules and scenarios.

You also need the core rule book. Commanders, wait on it.

NOW, there is another option. That would be to get either Rogue Trader or Blackstone Fortress. Both have 2 full Kill Teams each. Blackstone is an awesome standalone game but it -does not- have Kill Team terrain. Conversely, Rogue Trader is -not- standalone (you need the core rule book) but it has Killzone boards and terrain.

As for what I recommend...I would probably go with Rogue Trader and the core rules but that also keeps the game more in a 2D, dungeon-y setting. But that also minimizes terrain. The other negative is that if you want classic 40k stuff, the models in RT are all new.

As for the rest of the KT line, my one shot suggestion would be the AdMil and Genestealer kits with the Munitorum Killzone. I like this one the best in terms of playability, you get a ton of industrial terrain that is a cinch to paint, and with these factions it is basically the Aliens board game. The Genestealer kit builds almost 100 points and I think you can get close to that with the Scions.

All factions benefit from a later purchase of a squad box- not big bucks here. But for example, the Necron box goes up to 100 with just one more Immortal and the Scions can definitely benefit from a second box. With that said, most games I’ve played have been with just these faction box contents and it is plenty great.

The starter box, if you can find it is a TREMEMDOUS value so don’t write it off. The terrain is great, and you get excellent options for AdMech and Genestealer Cults.

The Deathwatch kit is great but the DWF terrain is kind of so-so...same goes for the Drukhari. Plus, Drukhari really need a box of Kabalite Warriors to support them.

You can build some teams with Know No Fear. But the options are really limited, and the Death Guard Plague Marine kit is WAYYYYY better. You really want the Flail of Corruption if you play then.

If you get the Ork box and a $20 box of Boyz, you can build a very versatile squad with sluggas/choppas, heavy weapons, Looterz, and Burnaz.

Something to bear in mind too is that all of these starters have color-molded sprues- so they are easy to put together and play right away. All factions will eventually get a starter- so I would definitely advise waiting on CSM, Aeldari, Death Guard, Thousand Sons, and Harlequin.

This is the best miniatures rule set GW has ever done.

Hang on...since you already have Blackstone Fortress...that makes Rogue Trader more compelling for you, I think. Then you actually have four KTs and two environments. You still need the core rules though.

Here are the data sheets to play KT with Blackstone Fortress Models-

whc-cdn.games-workshop.com/wp-content/up...am_datasheets_v2.pdf

Awesome, thanks so much. This was super helpful!

Just an update, I ended up getting the rulebook, AsMil and Genestealer Cult starters. The terrain set is going to have to wait, plus they’re also pretty hard to find right now. I looked at Rogue Trader, but I wasn’t jazzed about the models. I definitely prefer the more classic 40k stuff.

I want to get my brother into it, this sounds perfect for us, and he’s an Aliens fanatic like I am, I think these sets will be a hit. Thanks again.