Editing Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Kill Team(8E) Guide and FAQ (section)

=Roster/Team Building=

==What the fuck is a roster? Isn't that just a list?==
In KT you don’t prepare lists in advance, you prepare rosters. A roster is 20 models (for regular play, different limits in campaigns) which share a faction keyword but all of the other limits (points, number of specialists, individual model limits) do not apply. You tell your opponent what your faction keyword is (and he tells you), choose a mission and prepare the board. In competitive play, players show each other their rosters before choosing teams. This practice is also fairly common in casual games. 

Then you select the best individuals from your roster to accomplish that particular mission on that particular board against that particular opponent.

In practice you'll build a few set lists that you take out in predictable situations and try to merge them together into your roster. E.g. an Anti-MEQ list, and Anti-GEQ list, and a Anti-Melee list. Building the roster is a holistic process though. You have to balance all those needs together. Your Anti-MEQ list might be the greatest list ever built for that purpose, but if its 18 models and now you can't fit a response to Melee teams in your roster, thats not going to work.

'''Aren't rosters just for campaigns?'''

No, they're for all game modes.

'''Aren't rosters just for tournaments?'''

No, they're for all game modes.

'''Isn't this list tailoring?'''

Yes, that's the point. With so few models (a bunch of factions can't take more than 5 in regular size missions) a good all-purpose list simply isn't possible. Tailoring prevents faction and mission match-ups from screwing you and stops skew lists dominating. It's also a balancing factor for the factions with high model counts (factions that can only field 5-6 models at 100pts are at a disadvantage). Factions that field fewer models can pack their roster with loads of good options, factions that field lots of models have less room for alternate choices. It also counters horde lists because your opponent can see that your roster isn't able to do anything other than grot/gaunt swarm and can optimize for it.

'''Do I have to use a roster?'''

Yes and no. You'll always be using a roster but you can just put 100pts of models on it (assuming that your mission rotation only contains 100pt missions). Be aware that you're putting yourself at a huge disadvantage.

'''We just create a list every time without using a roster. 20 models is too restrictive.'''

Don't be this guy. The whole point of rosters is to force you to make choices. It's an important part of the game and an important balance factor.

==How many points is KT played at?==
KT is played at 100pts unless the mission says otherwise. The bulk of missions are still 100 pts. 

*There are a few 150pt missions (all in Rogue Trader, all commander mandatory or commander optional). 
*Commanders introduced 200pt missions. All 200pts missions are mandatory commanders for at least one player except for two that allow optional commanders.
*Elites introduced 125pt missions. There still aren't many of those. Playing these is not a requirement for using units from Elites, nor is using units from Elites a requirement to play these.

==Which missions can I use the models/rules from Kill Team: Elites in?==
Literally all of them. They're always in play unless you specifically house rule them out.

There is no "Elites" game mode like Commander or Ultra-Close Confines (i.e. Arena), but rather the book is an an expansion on the core rules. Thus the models it adds are available in any and every type of mission, including those other game modes, as are most of the new rules*. 

The book has missions in it, but these are just extra missions and you are not required to play those missions to use the new rules and models, nor to use the new rules and models if you play those missions.

<small>*The one exception is that you cannot use the Reserve rules in Ultra-Close Confines (i.e. Arena) missions as specified in the Reserve rules. Everything else is fair game, including subfactions.</small>

==Is [some list] a good list?==
See rosters above or tell us what mission and opponent that list is intended to be used for. If you don't tell us that then expect most of the responses to be "what's the rest of your roster?"

==Can I soup [faction] and [other faction] together?==
No, every model on your roster must share a FACTION keyword.

'''Daemons and CSM both have the Chaos keyword'''

That’s not a faction keyword. Faction keywords and regular keywords are both keywords, you can use them for abilities, tactics, etc. but only faction keywords are used for determining which models you can put on your roster and which tactics you get access to.

'''What if I’m not battle-forged? The book says that’s optional.'''

It’s not really. Matched play requires battleforged teams and rosters with only one faction keyword. Narrative missions require battleforged teams. Technically, you can mix factions on your roster for non-campaign narrative play (that restriction slipped through the cracks) but you can’t mix them in a team anyway. 

You can do what you like in open play but bear in mind that it’s only being battle-forged that requires you to obey the points, unit and specialist limits. So, for example, 100 terminator gunners with assault cannons who are all heavy specialists is perfectly fine. You also don't get command points, making some narrative missions unwinnable. Pretty much everyone uses battleforged kill teams. If you had a play group with other restrictions you wouldn’t be asking us.

==Can I make a list out of just [some unit]?==
Yes, unless there’s a model limit on it. Should you? Unless that’s the only good datasheet available to you (see harlequins, custodes, grey knights) then no, it will almost always be worse than using all of the good options available to you.

===Can I make a list out of just terminators?===
Yes, you can have three terminators if you select wargear to squeeze under the limit. Should you? Fuck no, it’s terrible and boring for both players. Board control is key in KT and you can’t do it. You don’t have interesting choices to make and neither does your opponent. Teams that only field 5 models are at a distinct disadvantage, 3 models is terrible in almost all circumstances.

'''I don’t care how good it is'''

Then go for it. It's still boring to play with and against though. Fluffy if the other guys got genestealers though (remember that all of the fluff for space hulk has the terminators taking terrible loses and be ready to recreate that)

==I don’t know what models I should pick for my roster. Please help me!==
This advice applies to all factions. Look through all of the datasheets available to your faction (and the tactics and subfaction abilities) and the weapon lists. You’re trying to pick out useful stuff. Specifically:

*Any weapons that do more than 1 Damage. A D2 weapon is 1.5x more likely to kill a model than a D1 weapon with otherwise identical stats. So chances are these will be your primary model elimination tools, especially if they fire multiple shots and otherwise have good stats. You want as many of these as you can get. Don’t take half of the gunners available to you and complain that you can’t win.

*Any 1 Damage weapons that fire lots of shots or melee models that do lots of hits. Often they don't have the stats to beat the multidamage weapons above, but they’re reliably okay, especially against weak models.

*Melee models that can fight more than once or can charge an enemy that has fallen back assuming that they have the stats and/or wargear to leverage those advantages.

*Things that are situationally useful: stuff that stops people charging you, stuff that gives you extra mobility for zones with lots of vertical terrain, etc.

*Cheap, fast, survivable models to take and hold objectives and to control doors in arena. Access to quality chaff is a defining feature of the strongest teams, even more so in tournament settings that run custom missions or Arena.

Basic guys with basic guns are not good unless they are cheap, fast and survivable (see above) or you’ve bought all of the good models available to you and you still have points to burn. Seriously, do the math on the chances of 10 guardsmen getting at least one wound on a marine…

8-10 models is generally optimal (but it will depend on mission and opposing faction, of course). More than that and you're generally sacrificing killing power for chaff. Less than that and you're sacrificing board control (but some factions don't have any choice). The competitive missions (arena and tournaments) skew this and make board control even more important.

==I keep losing, help me! BTW, I only take half of the good models available to me because of my fluff/aesthetics.==
[[image:Cadian NCO.jpg|thumb|155px|right|Pic related is one such Kasrkin. Looks badass, obviously elite and actually fits with the imperial guard aesthetic. Perfect for replacing those overly baroque scions]]
Take the units you need and make them aesthetically pleasing and fitting to your fluff. 

Don’t like scions? Make some veterans, use kasrkin or grenadiers (both are better soldiers with better guns and carapace armour), make some drop troopers (scions are drop troopers so people should figure that out). Use some imagination.

If thats still not acceptable, then its time to make a decision. Is keeping /yourdudes/ exactly as-is more important to you than winning? Either answer is fine, play the game however you enjoy. But if you chose fluff, just know that the neither the game designers nor your opponents have a responsibility to let you win. Don't bitch and moan about losing when its your decision that led to it. And definitely don't try to impose your self-made restrictions on other players in an attempt to "fix" the problem either. Down that path lies CaaCfaggery and a particularly virulent form of [[That Guy|That-Guyhood]]

The inverse is also true. If you choose to focus on the competitive side, feel free to advise them on the downsides of their lists, but don't reee at fluffy players. As long as they're not trying to limit your enjoyment and they're fine with losing, that's their prerogative.

==I have a 100pt list with a commander, why are people giving me shit?==
You can only use commanders in missions that say you can use a commander (and nearly all of those say you MUST use a commander). It’s something you’ll only use in missions that say you use it. See rosters above.
If you have commander missions in your rotation then you need to have at least one commander on your roster (and make sure one of them is 100pts or less if you include narrative missions in your rotation).

==I can only afford one box, can I make a team?==
Yes, there’s even a couple of okay teams you can make. Deathwatch, harlequins, grey knights. There are lots of other, shittier, teams you could make as well. Most good teams need 2-3 boxes. 

Often you only need half of a particular box so see if you can split with someone - 2-3 boxes split with a buddy is a great value way to get started.