56 CHAPTER APPROVED

KELLY’S HEROES – KILL-TEAM PART DEUX by Phil Kelly

Greetings citizens and welcome to Chapter Approved. Thismonth we are pleased to present the latter half of the Kill-team combat simulation introduced to us last month byLexmechanic Kelly. The former half of this treatise into the artof commando and covert operations was concerned with thebuilding blocks of guerrilla warfare. This month, amidst a greatclamour of bells and whistles, we are proud to present diverseembellishments upon the initial guidelines, including detailedmission briefs and rules for Elite Kill-teams.

Each month, Chapter Approved takes a look at theWarhammer 40,000 game and its rules, introducingnew scenarios, weapons, rules and army list entries ofall types, frequently stolen from codexes in progresshere at the Studio. It also acts as a forum fordedicated players of Warhammer 40,000 who haveproduced inspired, well thought out and just plainbrilliant additions to the game (as reviewed andarbitrated by that well-known model of fairness andbalance – me). If you’ve got something good forChapter Approved then write to me at the addressgiven here.

Note: Please don’t include rules queries etc, with your letters,as the volume of mail means that in most cases I won’t beable to send individual replies.

Andy Chambers (Chapter Approved),Games Workshop,

Willow Road, Lenton,Nottingham,NG7 2WS, UK

WHAT’S CHAPTER APPROVED ALL ABOUT?

Phil: Hello and welcome back to thesmall-scale commando raiding game ofKill-team. Last month we looked at whatdifferent races use for their Kill-teams,basic rules, a set of six mission types andnarrative gaming ideas for each of thosemissions. If you’ve played through a fewof them and are hungry for another levelof detail to go with your newly-forged Kill-team, then look no further. The next fewpages are specifically tailored to bolsterthe simple mechanics of the Kill-teamgame into a more complex and involvingnarrative. The main rules and narrativesremain the same, but the methods ofachieving them will have to change ifyou’re to fulfil your mission.

ELITE KILLTEAMSEach race has types of unit thatspecialise in stealth and infiltration.Despite this, some of the Kill-teamsintroduced in last month’s article werenot specialists at all, no doubt raising acouple of eyebrows; where were theEldar Pathfinders, the Tau Stealth Suits,Mandrakes, even the Lictors? Well, wesaved the best for last.

Basic Kill-teams are more numerous andtherefore more forgiving, allowingbeginners to make mistakes and stillhave a good chance of achieving theirobjectives. The Elite Kill-teams are forthe more experienced player, and areextremely specialised. There arecorrespondingly far fewer operatives inan Elite Kill-team, so it’s a lot more trickyto win with them; one lucky Goon cancripple your chances of achieving theobjectives. You’ll pack one hell of apunch, but specialists are only called inwhen the odds are high, and you’relikely to be seriously outnumbered by awhole ton of bad guys… make nomistake, this ain’t gonna be easy.

Each Elite Kill-team has a number ofpoints to spend on their operatives,listed in their entry on the table below.You may choose any number ofoperatives within the points allowed,upgrades, wargear and options from theappropriate entry in that race’s Codex,just as if you were choosing a squad fora normal game of 40K. In this respectyou have far more tactical flexibility. Thenormal rules for Kill-team aresuperceded by the following rules whenusing Elite Kil-teams:

● Any and all special rules that affectan Elite Kill-team are in effect, withthe only exceptions listed below. Thismeans the Kill-team can use specialmovement modes, abilities, and anyother dirty trick it has available to it.The Kil-lteam still counts as being

fearless and so will automaticallypass all Morale and Pinning teststhey are called upon to make.

● Units have no minimum squad sizefor the purposes of designing yourElite Kill-team.

● Goon squads may be deployed within4" of each other rather than 6".

● Any unit with a jump pack (orequivalent) may move 12" as normal,but may not jump over enemymodels. They may elect to move onfoot instead of using their jump packs.

The Elite Kill-teams and the number ofGoons they face are as follows:

There are a few adjustments andreminders for each Kill-team that shouldbe borne in mind when using Eliteteams. These are as follows.

Elite Kill-team Pts No. of opposing 3-man Goon squads

Assault Marines 160 5 5 10 10 10 11 7 5 13 8Chaos Raptors 175 6 6 11 11 11 13 7 5 14 9Eldar Warp Spiders 165 6 6 10 10 10 12 7 5 14 8Ork Stormboyz 160 5 5 10 10 10 11 7 5 13 8Dark E. Mandrakes 135 4 4 7 7 7 8 5 4 10 6Tyranid Lictors 160 5 5 7 7 7 10 6 4 12 7Tau Stealth Suits 180 6 6 11 11 11 13 7 6 15 9Necron Wraiths 165 6 6 10 10 10 12 7 5 14 8Last Chancers 190 6 6 8 8 8 13 7 6 12 8

KILL-TEAMNUMBERS

TABLE

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Dar

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Space Marine Assault Squads:Firing up such a heavy-duty piece ofkit as a jump pack makes a hell of alot of noise. Whenever a SpaceMarine Assault squad moves usingits jump pack the enemy gains aklaxon counter.

Chaos Space Marine Raptors: Aswith Space Marines, Raptors make aterrible howling shriek when in flightand will therefore contribute a klaxoncounter to the enemy’s storewhenever they use their jump packs.A unit with Furious Charge will alsocontribute a klaxon counter wheneverit charges as its bloodthirsty howlsgive away their position.

Eldar Warp Spiders: Warp Spidersmay not use their jump generators tomake a jump in the Assault phase;the risks inherent in such a desperatemanoeuvre are too high for such asmall task force to realisticallyundertake. They may move throughenemy models, however.

Ork Stormboyz: The primitive jumppacks used by Stormboyz are loud,smoke-belching affairs that willcontribute a klaxon counter to theenemy’s store whenever they areused.

Dark Eldar Mandrakes: Mandrakesuse their Hidden Deployment rule asusual, bearing in mind their truelocation must be revealed by the endof the protagonist’s third turn.

Tyranid Lictors: Lictors may usetheir Secret Deployment rule, butsuch is the concentration of enemythat they may only choose to hide incover that is more than 18" away fromthe central objective.

Tau XV15 Stealth Suits: Tau StealthSuit leaders and Shas’vre may takeDrones in their Kill-teams, althoughthese Drones can never completeobjectives (other than during theAssassinate mission) as theirprogramming just isn’t sophisticatedenough. The spotting distance for aGoon squad attempting to detect a

Stealth Suit model is always treated asone less than it would actually be.

Necron Wraiths: Necron Wraiths mustdeploy in pairs. These units may actindependently despite the usual Kill-team rules.

Last Chancers: Schaeffer’s LastChancers may deploy as independentmini-units as described in their Codexentry, despite the usual Kill-team rules.

BOSS GOONS AND SPECIALIST KITIn any movie including numerous low-quality bad guys there is invariably aboss goon, the guy with the cheap suit,shades and pony tail, the captain of theenemy soldiery, or the immensely stronghenchman earlier shown crushing diceor some such meaningless feat ofbravado. It can really add to a game ofKill-team to have a large and self-important badass at the centre of things,especially if he meets an appropriatelygrisly end…

● The Boss Goon will differ dependingon race. Use the table below todetermine the appropriate bad guy.

● The antagonist in a game of Kill-teamthat uses Elite teams automaticallyhas 15 points to spend on his BossGoon. This will usually only beenough to cover the cost of theupgrade to Veteran Sergeant status(or equivalent).

● However many points the protagonistspends on specialist kit (see later)can be added to the points spent onthe Boss Goon, or spent on defensiveequipment. This can mean theantagonist’s head honcho can beanything from a simple squadupgrade to a fully-kitted out killingmachine. Simply choose the BossGoon’s options, wargear andweaponry as usual.

SPECIALIST KITIt is typical for the members of acommando team to have specialist gearwith them to successfully accomplishtheir mission. This might vary fromsimple silencers to holograms and blind

grenades. Likewise, it’s not unheard offor enterprising bad guys to fortify theirstrongholds with all manner of traps andalarm systems.

● A Kill-team can choose one of thefollowing upgrades per ExperiencePoint it has accrued: for each of thesuccessful missions it has played inits career, the Kill-team will have oneExperience Point.

● If the Kill-team is wiped out to a man,they lose all of the Experience Pointsgained so far and must beginaccruing them all over again.

● Keep a record of what specialist kit yourKill-team has accrued over the courseof its career, along with a total of howmany points it has spent on its kit.

RACE BOSS GOONSpace Marines Veteran

Sergeant

Chaos AspiringSpace Marines Champion

Eldar Warlock

Orks Nob

Dark Eldar Sybarite

Tyranids Mutant Gaunt (Weapon-beast)

Tau Shas’ui

Necrons N/A*

Imperial Guard Veteran Sergeant

* Necrons, being essentiallymachines, find it impossible tomuster even the tiny amount ofcharacter and initiative necessaryto scale the dizzying peaks ofGoon-hood.

A squad of Last Chancers confront an Ork patrol in the jungle.

Golden Rule: As with many of ourgames the golden rule is to usecommon sense when applying theserules to your game of Kill-team. Ifyou just can’t resolve an issue, roll aD6 for it, but keep in mind the gameis pretty light-hearted in nature.

56 CHAPTER APPROVED

● No upgrade can be taken more thanonce unless specifically noted.

● Any points spent on upgrades areautomatically allocated to the amountof points the antagonist can spend ondefensive equipment and/or his BossGoon. In this way, no matter who isplaying the antagonist, you shouldnever have an easy fight on yourhands…

The specialist pieces of kit you can fieldas the protagonist or antagonist are asfollows:

PROTAGONIST SPECIALIST KIT

Silencers 10 ptsThe Kill-team have had their rangedweapons specially modified so that thefirst salvo they launch makes little or nonoise. This enables them to take out afull team of sentries without alerting theirfellows to the incursion.

The Kil-team is not nearly as likely totrigger the alarm with the silencers fitted.When the Kill-team opens fire for thefirst time, roll a D6; on a 1, a klaxoncounter is added to the antagonist’sstore as usual. On any other result noklaxon counter is added.

Distraction 15 ptsThe Kill-team have spent considerableresources ensuring that a loud andstartling event takes place on the otherside of the enemy compound, drawingenemy forces away from their posts atthe critical time and allowing the Kill-team egress into the enemy grounds.

The distraction can be played at any

time in the antagonist’s Movementphase, provided he has less than 3klaxon counters in his store. Roll a D6.The protagonist may move that manyGoon squads 6" in the direction of hischoice, regardless of whether they wereactivated or not. However, theantagonist gets to choose which squadsare affected in this manner. This countsas their movement for that turn, so donot roll for control afterward.

Change of Guard 10 ptsHaving staked out the enemy territoryfor some time the Kill-team haveascertained exactly when the sentriesgo off their shift and change guard,striking at just the right moment tobenefit from the resultant confusion.

Play the change of guard at any timewhen the antagonist has no klaxoncounters in his store. All activated Goonsquads become deactivated, and viceversa. Continue the turn as normal.

Scrambler 40 ptsThe Kill-team have with them a powerfulscrambling device that disrupts enemycommunications and temporarilydisables their alarms.

The Kill-team may use the scrambler atany time. The antagonist mustimmediately discard D3 klaxon counters.

Spanner in the Works 5 pts eachAs the enemy sentry approaches, onemember of the Kill-team picks up adiscarded tool, rock or other hard objectand hurls it into a nearby cluster ofmachinery, barrels etc, momentarily

distracting the patrol whilst they slinkaway.

Declare when a spanner is being usedbefore control for a Goon squad isdetermined. The protagonists may add+2 to their result for this roll only.

Smoke and blind grenades 10 ptsThe Kill-team can use this equipmentto mask their approach, making itextremely difficult for enemy squads topinpoint them in the artificiallygenerated haze.

Once per game, after eitherMovement phase, the Kill-team candeclare that it is using the smoke andblind grenades. They count as beingin cover in all respects until thebeginning of their next turn.

Gung-ho 10 ptsThere comes a time in many covertoperations when stealth goes out thewindow, and the only option is to gohell-for-leather for the objective.Needless to say this invariably leadsto the enemy swarming to theirposition like flies around grox dung…

The Kill-team may assault 6+D6"rather than the usual 6" in the turn thisis used, and will strike first in closecombat regardless of other factors.The enemy automatically gains anadditional klaxon counter when thiseffect is played.

Camo Gear 10 ptsThe Kill-team has refined their camotactics to the point that they canhunker down and become almostunseen even when in the open.Combined with the patience of thehunter, this can considerably enhancethe Killteam’s stealth capabilities.

In any turn in which the Kill-team doesnot move, shoot or assault, theantagonist must discard a klaxoncounter at the beginning of his turn.

Wirecutters 5 ptsThe Kill-team have come wellprepared for penetrating the thickestdefensive terrain, toting wirecuttersand electrocharges that can disable orcut through light obstacles.

The Killteam rolls 3D6 for determiningthe distance it can move through difficultterrain, picking the highest result.

Stummers 10 ptsStummers, devices designedspecifically to deaden noise and makedetection that much more difficult, cancut out one of the sentry’s main toolsof the trade; a sharp pair of ears…

The Kill-team can employ theStummers once per game, declaringtheir use after the antagonist hasdetermined which squads are

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activated or deactivated for that turn. Forthe rest of that turn only, all theprotagonist’s rolls for control of Goonsquads count as being a 6.

Scaling Ladders and Grapnels 10 ptsThe Kill-team have coiled ropes,telescopic ladders and grapnels withthem, enabling them to make their wayup the outside of buildings, crossdigestion pools and negotiate otherhazardous obstacles.

The Kill-team may treat ImpassableTerrain as Difficult Ground.

Backstabbers 10 tsOne or more of the Kill-team’s operativesexcel at the art of the silent kill, theirblades cutting off the enemy’s screamsbefore they can alert their comrades.

Whenever the Kill-team assaults a Goonsquad and kills them all in that singleround, then roll a D6: on a 1, a klaxoncounter is added to the antagonist’sstore as usual. On any other result, noklaxon counter is added.

Redshirt 5 ptsThe Kill-team has been lumbered withan extra member against their wishes,and it’s entirely possible that thisinexperienced rookie will get himselfkilled in a gory and spectacular way atthe first opportunity…

The Kill-team has with it an additionalmodel with the profile below:

WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv3 3 3 3 1 3 1 7 5+

He has no equipment. In the unlikely eventhe survives the game the Killteam will gainan extra Experience Point.

Cunning Disguises 20 ptsThe Kill-team has disguised itself insome manner, whether by donningenemy uniforms, covering themselveswith the pheromonal signature of thefoe, using sophisticated holographictechnology or some other means. Intheory, with a little luck and a lot ofnerve, they can simply walk past theenemy soldiers and onto the centralobjective. In theory…

There is a chance that enemy Goonsquads will mistake a Kill-team with thisupgrade for one of their own units. Everytime a Goon squad earns a klaxoncounter by spotting the Kill-team, roll aD6. If the result is higher than the Goonsquad’s highest Initiative value, then noklaxon counter is added to theantagonist’s store, and the Goon squaddoes not count as having spotted theKill-team. Of course, the antagonist canhave another go next turn if he is stillwithin spotting distance, and the longerthe Kill-team has to bluff it out, the lesschance of success there is…

ANTAGONIST SPECIALISED KIT

Las-traps 10 ptsThe antagonists have rigged the areasurrounding the central objective with aseries of sophisticated traps and alarms.

When setting up the scenery, theantagonist may place D6 pieces of 6"long red cord or thin strips of cardanywhere on the table. If any member ofthe Kill-team touches one of thesemarkers, a klaxon counter is added tothe antagonist’s store. This deactivatesthe las-trap.

All Points Bulletin 10 ptsThe bad guys have been alerted to thefact that there are enemies in theperimeter, and appraised of their roughlocation. This can only be bad news fortheir prey.

Only usable once per game. Once theantagonist has determined how manysquads are activated for that turn, hemay use the All Points Bulletin. He mayre-roll the control rolls for his Goons forthe remainder of that turn. He mustabide by the result of the second roll.

Still Not Dead 10 ptsDespite the fact that he has been gutted,burnt, mangled and crushed, the BossGoon somehow manages to surge to hisfeet and go for a last ditch kill. No doubtthis will be short lived, but he might takea couple of the good guys with himscreaming to hell…

This upgrade may only be chosen by anantagonist who has taken a Boss Goon.Should the Boss Goon die, leave him onhis side at the place of his death. He maybe resurrected and stood back up at thebeginning of the next antagonist turn andmay act as normal during that turn, at theend of which he is removed as a casualty.

Reinforcements 40 ptsThe alarm is up, and those Goons justkeep on coming! The Kill-team will haveto be either very lucky or very capableto get out of this one alive…

When the antagonist has accrued threeklaxon counters, he will gain a freshGoon squad each turn. This squadappears on the table edge of theantagonists’ choice at the beginning ofhis turn, and will move in the same wayas a normal Goon squad.

Get’em Lads! 15 ptsThe antagonists have finally located theinterlopers and, their morale bolsteredby the presence of their comrades,charge in with every intention of rippingthe Kill-team to pieces.

This upgrade may be used whenevermore than one Goon squad spots theKillteam in one Movement phase.Provided more than one Goon squadcharges the Kill-team in the subsequent

Assault phase, all Goons gain +1 attackfor the duration of that Assault phase inaddition to other modifiers.

Extra Goons x ptsHaving been forewarned of an enemyattack, there are more bad guys thannormal around the central objective. Thisis going to be a tricky one…

Buying this upgrade entitles theantagonist to field an extra Goon squad.This upgrade may be taken multipletimes. The price of this upgrade varieson race. The prices are as follows:

Space Marines 45 ptsChaos Space Marines 42 ptsEldar Guardians 24 ptsOrk Boyz 24 ptsDark Eldar Warriors 24 ptsTyranid Termagants 21 ptsTau Gun Drones 36 ptsNecron Warriors 48 ptsImperial Guard 18 ptsInquisitorial Storm Troopers 30 pts

Death Squad 15 ptsOne of the Goon squads which hasbeen trained extensively until they aremasters of close quarters warfare, isusually entrusted with the security of thecentral objective.

Nominate a Goon squad as the Deathsquad after set-up. That Goon squadhas a spotting distance one higher thannormal, and will have +1 Strength,Initiative and Attacks on any turn itcharges. This also applies to any BossGoon that joins the Death squad.

Doomsday Device 30 ptsWith the alarms raging, the Boss Goonknows that it is only a matter of timebefore the Kill-team succeed in theirmission and escape. Determined toprevent this from happening, he triggersan explosive mechanism that will takedown the entire complex, killingeveryone nearby. If you gotta go…

If at any point there are more Kill-teamoperatives than Goons left on the tableand the Boss Goon is still alive, theDoomsday Device will automatically betriggered. At the beginning of everysubsequent antagonist turn (even if allGoons have been killed but the missionstill remains to be completed) roll a dice:on a 1 the game is ended as everythingon the board is vaporised in acataclysmic explosion.

**********Well, in conjunction with all the rulesfrom last month, the narrative scenarioideas and the specialist kit/experiencesystem, that should keep your Kill-teamraiding and sabotaging for a long time tocome. And remember, even if the badguys get lucky and end up with the Kill-team’s heads on the trophy wall, it’ll beyour turn to play the antagonist next, andrevenge is a dish best served cold…