Kill Team Critical Ops Tac Ops and Mission Card Pack Review

Kill Team in its current edition had its first starter set in 2021 and has had a few errata, rules updates that balance and clear up the core rules and supplements to keep them fair and competitive. The new Critical Ops Tac Ops and Mission Card Pack changes this a bit by physically updating some of the cards used in the game, along with streamlining the setup process. In this article, we'll look at what's in the pack and who it's for.

Kill Team is a skirmish wargame, set in Games Workshop's larger Warhammer 40,000 setting. As a skirmish game, Kill Team features a small number of elite troops, fighting special operations battles, rather than huge battles fought with entire armies. You can check out our full guide here if you want to know more about Kill Team. If you want to check out the Kill Team rules before you buy, Games Workshop has made the core rules available to download for free.

What Is The Kill Team Critical Ops Tac Ops and Mission Card Pack?

The Kill Team Critical Ops Tac Ops and Mission Card Pack is a rules update pack that streamlines the game setup process for Kill Team. Much of the process is the same, but a couple of the previous cards are updated, and other elements that were previously just sections in the rulebook are added as cards for easy setup and reference.

What Do You Need To Use The Kill Team Critical Ops Tac Ops and Mission Card Pack?

The Kill Team Critical Ops Tac Ops and Mission Card Pack adds to the setup process for games of Kill Team, so in order to use it you will need the Kill Team Core rulebook, along with the dice, measuring tools, and miniatures for regular games of Kill Team. 

The Critical Ops Tac Ops and Mission Card Pack isn't essential, and each player will need their own set, but it is useful, does update the rules to what could be the new Kill Team standard for competitive games.

What's In The Kill Team Critical Ops Tac Ops and Mission Card Pack?

The Kill Team Critical Ops Tac Ops and Mission Card Pack contains:

• 27 Tac Ops cards
• 3 Mission cards
• 9 Map cards plus a Map key
• 1 Game Sequence card
• 3 Scouting Step cards
• Game sequence reference sheet

The 27 Tac Ops cards are updated versions of the 4 sets of 6 for Security, Seek and Destroy, Recon and Infiltration, and 3 proxies for the Faction Tac Ops listed in each faction rules for each kill team. The Critical Ops cards are all tarot sized, which means those who've been picking up the printed faction cards from White Dwarf won't be able to shuffle them into their packs anymore, but they will be able to use them for reference, which is handy because, during the matched play sequence, Tac Ops are no longer randomly selected. Now players chose 3, of which 1 can be a faction Tac Ops, but the cards do allow you to still randomize for open-play games if you so wish.

The new mission and map cards now give you a choice in either randomizing the mission and map or select as normal while giving a visual reference away from the rulebook. The 3 scouting phase cards are a welcome edition as previously you would have to hold a dice in your hand to reveal while looking up the rules. This way allows you to pick your card, and have all the rules handy for reference. 

The game reference sheet details the full matched play setup, and the reverse of the sheet offers a variety of other methods that can be used for game setup if players so wish.

What Are Our Final Thoughts On The Kill Team Critical Ops Tac Ops and Mission Card Pack?

The Kill Team Critical Ops Tac Ops and Mission Card Pack is a well-produced card pack. The updates to the Tac Ops are welcome and all the information is clear and look great on the tarot-size cards. The change in Tac Ops selection will have a big impact, as players will now be able to finely tailor their mission objectives to their kill team and opponent. The rest of the pack is extremely handy for speeding up setup, keeping all the information handy, and still randomizing elements if players wish.

Should I Buy The Kill Team Critical Ops Tac Ops and Mission Card Pack?

If you're playing Kill Team in any meaningful way, then the Kill Team Critical Ops Tac Ops and Mission Card Pack is an essential purchase. It updates all of the Tac Ops cards to the new balance standard and the matched play sequence will be the way for all competitive games from release. It is very handy for speeding up game setup and for reference during games, which will save you from flicking through the rulebook or weighing down pages. The updates could come in the form of an errata and probably will, but having the correctly printed versions is extremely handy, for you and your opponent.

The copy of the Kill Team Critical Ops Tac Ops and Mission Card Pack used to produce this preview was provided by Games Workshop.