As we've been discussing Tournaments today, I thought I'd expand a little on an Idea I had on the drive to work this morning:
a Kill Team Tourney. It's a bit of an odd concept, but no more odd than team tourneys.
The idea springs a little from the desire to play some smaller games (which is why I started posting about Necromunda. Don't worry, I'll get back to Necromunda. You just can't do a Necromunda event really easy.) This would include small groups and the possibility for high quality conversions and painting, without the monetary sink of a 1500-2000pt army. I came up with this as a possibility of something to run as a tourney for GenCon next year.
Kill Team (and Necromunda) are good gateway games. There's not a lot of investment (in time, or money), and it plays like regular 40K (with a few minor adjustments)
The games are much faster (because they're 200pt games), and are on smaller boards (generally 4x4, rather than 6x4) It's a different pace, and uses a different force org. You select your force from 0-1 elite, 0-2 troop, 0-1 fast attack. You also can assign 3 USR's to 3 different models in your Kill Team (which adds a nice twist to the game)
This selection does limit some options, and does hamper some forces. One COULD still show up with 5 TH/SS termies. Someone could also show up with a Harlequin troupe, or ratlings supported by sentinels.
There are a LOT of options out there, and a lot of options for creating a unique hobby event.
I'd probably want to see prizes for:
Best general
Best converted
Best painted
Best sportsman
Best Theme
Of course, there are a lot of subjective categories, because it's about who you think is the best at different aspects of the hobby.
I suppose the biggest question out there is:
Would you attend?
I've been mentioning/thinking about doubles tournaments and kill teams for about a year now, but I've never had the brain power/time to think of how to place it as a full format. Good to see other people are thinking about it too.
ReplyDeleteI kind of like my idea of having each mission run as part of a story, gives more of the personal feel to the missions as well as each team. Though that would be a lot of work. Something kind of like some of those campaigns, but not to that extent.
Not only would I attend, I would bring extra teams, so people could borrow them and play.
I've attended 3 and played in one. They are great fun - 5 games is easy to achieve. People come up with the most off-the-wall combos, everyone has fun. It's hard to be a WAAC, super-gamer with the restrictions. It comes down to just throwing some dice and having fun.
ReplyDeleteWell, there is Killzone getting run at Adepticon.
ReplyDeleteI already know what my Kill Team would be. And it's worth noting that the USR bit is optional... I'd be interested in seeing how it works with one model having a USR (likely the "champion"), or some mix.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea - very dirty dozen style setup. Of course, with the new DE codex, my team may be a moot point... heh. Have to see all those new costs. But that's beside the point... I could always run a trio of Lictors with Eternal Warrior.
I'm interested, but I'd have to play a few kill-team games first.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'll be at the GP this Wed. If I can make it, we'll do some Kill team.
ReplyDeleteI'll work out some ideas for alt. missions.
Looks like a great time.
ReplyDeleteWhile you're at it, why not throw in a table for Special Operations:Killzone?
Hey Foodie, The reason I've mentioned a couple times that kill teams would be a lot better if GW had made their codexs with them in mind as well, is because some (cough tyranid) codex really can't do kill teams.
ReplyDeleteYour options are warriors, or genestealers. Unless you can get everyone else to agree on stretching the rules. Like how you can't use anything reserves in kill teams, and lictors can only come from reserves. Or how almost all of the Tyranids troops fall to pieces with out Synapse, and Will fail all of their Ld tests that kill teams require.
Couldn't you give any Tyranid model Synapse as a USR?
ReplyDeleteonly if they special allowed Synapse as a USR, but is still one model. And all of the non-synapse creatures are Ld 7 or lower, so when you start taking casualties, you will be failing Ld tests and removing models.
ReplyDeleteThe TO of the last one I attended just declared 'ignore synapse'. I've only seen one guy use 'Nids in 4 tourneys, so it doesn't come up often.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'd either just ignore it or let the Nid player pick 2 creatures to have it at the start of the game.
ReplyDeleteI think I'd go for ignoring, as Bob says, or give a Ld re-roll.
ReplyDeleteKillzone rules say to ignore.
I've started looking at Killzone, but I'm not completely sold on it yet.
Well the main problem I've seen with killzone vs kill teams is that kill teams simply has restriction on what you can take, then says they all act separately; while killzones is more advanced and changes more rules and such. I think if we are using it as an intro game it might be simpler to start off with kill teams.
ReplyDeleteKillzone tries to bridge the gap between 40K and old Necromunda.
ReplyDeleteI think I like the sheer simplicity of Kill Team. Esp. for a 'hobby' event.
Eh, I still think Lictors work well.
ReplyDeleteTheir rule allows them to use Reserves even if it's specifically denied. They may even be forced too, I'd have to check.
Beyond that, it's Ld 10, awesome cover, and S6. Heyo!
As far as the rest... meh, were you really planning to take Gaunts anyway? Genestealers have always been one of the better KT options. They and Lictors are really the only fluffy, scout-ish units for Nids. They fit it on the table, and would fit it here.
200 points worth of 'Stealers... I could probably do 9 with poison plus a Brood Lord, just for good measure.
Killzone, or other more complicated rule changes, can be really fun, but I wouldn't say that they're appropriate for a general tourney that's open to everyone. (Of course, if it gets popular enough, that all changes)
ReplyDeleteI'd say that Kill Team is a simple enough variant that you could have an open-to-everyone tourney really easily and not have too much rules confusion. There's always going to be rule confusion, but that's what judges are for.
One of the things that I really want to see in these small-game variants is the ability to have an opponent play a horde of weak guys in order to simulate something like Movie marines and games like Dawn of War 2. I'd think it be pretty cool.