Overkill

Deathwatch: Overkill is Games Workshop's latest in their resurgence of 40K stand-alone games. It is a tactical combat game featuring two long neglected forces, Deathwatch Space Marines, and the Genestealer Cult.

The Components
What is is in this box? A whole lot of awesome minis, eight very pretty, double sided board sections, Character cards, the ambush deck, a range ruler, some six sided dice, and the rulebook with nine missions and a linking campaign for them.

The figures are very detailed and easy to assemble. They are mono-pose, but that is not a real issue for me as there is good variety in the poses. The Deathwatch get the full spectrum of Marines, including two jump packs, a terminator, a bike, a librarian, and a chaplain.

 The Cult have an even wider range of figures. The Genestealer Patriarch steals the show, being a huge Genestealer standing on a pipe end. The Magus and Primus are very good looking as well. Two purestrain genestealers and a pair of familiars round out the command elements. The Cultists have sixteen 3/4th gen hybrids with twelve autoguns, two grenade launchers, and two with mining lasers. A nice dozen 1/2nd gen hybrids armed with pistols and close combat fun. Rounding out the cult are four Aberrants with industrial weapons.

The Game
Neat stuff, but is it any good? Short answer? Yes. Overkill is a short, sharp tactical game. Missions last 20-60 minutes tops.

The Deathwatch Marines are killing machines, but they are badly outnumbered. The turn structure reflects this well. The Cult gets Ambush cards to either add more forces, or as a Gambit, which is some sort of trickery. Marines, move, then the Cult moves, Deathwatch shoots, Cult shoots, Deathwatch shoots again! Oh yeah, not to be trifled with.

 All the Deathwatch Marines, the Patriarch, Primus, and Magus have two wounds. The rest of the cult have one. The Marines can heal their wound if they forgo shooting in a phase. Even with Deathwatch's badassery it often turns into a tense game as the cult just keep popping up.


The Fluff
Overkill follows Killteam Cassius as they investigate the disappearance of an Inquisitor on the mining hellhole know as Ghosar Quintus. Mayhem ensues.

Concise bios of all eleven members of the Killteam, weapon profiles, and artwork are well interspersed throughout the book.

The narrative that flows in the margins of the rulebook is an engaging story of one of the first encounters with the Genestealer Cult. And why some Marines should not be invited to parties.


Conclusion
I like it. It's fun, fast, and has that right "feel". It is not super detailed but it works. Rules for Stormtroopers are in next week's White Dwarf along with a new mission. It's nice to see it get some support. With a little effort it could be expanded further.

Now I'm thinking about stats for a Commissar and a Inquisitor.

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