Hi folks,

As we are at dawn of a new season for KT, it is eventually interesting taken a rear-view mirror into the past 2 seasons. Indeed, they have been quite commented due to their differences, at least in some circles where I evolve. General comments, hot and lives, tended to underline a degradation of the delivered content once comparing the Bheta-Decima Season with the Gallow Dark one.

Let´s see if it fits.

KT as it looked in Gallow Dark

First release of the KT-Salvation box has been mildly received; at least where I am wandering around. Format changed to include 2 Kill teams and limited amount of Scenery vs. a galore of scenery before. Very limited amount of scenery in some cases. Main Scenery needed into the last season was available separately, as Bheta-Decima boxed set/kill zone environement. To run the campaign disclosed in the First entry on the Season (and into the latters too), the Kill-zone box was required. Meaning that as an entry box you must pay a Scenery tax or alike. This is indeed a first difference: with the Gallow Dark season you did not need and Kill zone environment – everything was in the box(es).
This chilled out many gamers and the argument raised that in fact KT was now a 40k indirect release scheme for units to be set available out of the Codex revision routine developed. Eventually as a largely shared argument.

Yet, was it legit?

We may eventually start by having a rapid comparison between the top set of releases price wise:

It is rapidly obvious that the Bheta-Decima season is cheapest than the Gallow Dark one if you play combining more than one campaign episode box (but it is required to buy the rule sourcebook too). Although being cheapest it is depicting a similar pattern in terms of investment required, even if the last season gives a reward to fidelity: more you buy less expensive it is.

In terms of contents, beside the difference on walls supplied in standard in the Gallow Dark sets, rest of the main contents remain more or less the same: 2 new KT in each box and campaign book and a small add-on scenery set (for example wall accessories or machineries in Shadow Vaults and Plasma Containers in Termination).
As a global overview of KT released, although the Gallow dark season includes 4 boxes instead of 3, it leads to releasing 8 new KT, 10 if the stand-alone Ashes of Faith interlude box is considered. Out of these, 50% are genuine whereas the other half is a repackaging with an accessories sprue, or nothing at all (Cultists).

Teams, Teams, Teams

On the contrary, all of the 4 out 6 of bands from Bheta Decima season are genuine sets. While two only (Night Lords CSM and brood Brothers) are an accessories sprue. The latest are even completed with classic snap miniatures of old from DeathWatch Overkill game. Looks like a draw as, as such, the release rhythm of new units is similar. With one strong element to be added: all these KT are associated with 40k standard range of army lists whereas the previous Gallow Dark season included at least 2 or 3 that required the artifice of “Imperial Agents” to be included (Inquisitorial henchmen included into the 3). Small stuff but anyway…

In terms of narrative, welI imagine we can say it I the same. A slowly growing up story until climax with catastrophically (biblical one says) dimensions.

Despite all these similarities and a slight economical advantage for Bheta-Decima, Gallow Dark remains for many tastier. Why? I imagine that it is because of the difference in terms of release strategy. We may be tempted to conclude that in terms of Bliss and Glitter, Gallow Dark was over Bheta-Decima, yet it would miss a key element in the strategy: whereas Bheta-Decima plot and release is a sheer KT product, Gallow Dark was not. Gallow Dark was rather supported as an environment platform for the end of 9^th and launch of 10^th, through the Boarding action system, the KT integration and all the narrative arc for the Vashtorr buddy.

In fact my opinion is that we came back with the Bheta-Decima plot and sets to the KT set-up as it used to be before the amphetamine boost Gallow dark used to be. Back to reality someway.

Revised Season´s box Content and KillZones as it used to be
 

So Disappointed? We might be, but it would not be very honest. Yet we are eventually junkies, and as such we always want more, so the perception might be understandable once we got our overdose that Gallow Dark used to be. It is also true that, at the moment, the scenery sets from Bheta-Decima Campaign boxes remain unavailable on a stand alone basis, except at Ebaying them. Gallow Dark remained available as an environment some 2 or 3 quarters after end of the Season. Even if it may touch to an end now… (As Kill Zone Gallow Dark is now marked as "Sold Out Online"...)

So looking back in the mirror, and under a cold light examination, as far as I am able to, it looks like there is no reason for rant or grudge.

My only very personal egrets are that the pace of release for this Bheta-Decima season has been definitively too concentrated over a limited period of time and that no real dedicated Mechanicum KT has been released so far while the scene was set on a Forge-World... As a KT player I did not had time to enjoy it as it barely gave me the time to play much of the scenario proposed in the campaign. Shame.
As a 40k AdMech fan, I felt frustrated not getting any preferential treatment in this season. But it happens. At least GW revised deeply the 40k rules for the cybernetic sociopaths, so I am, more or less, satisfied, or I should be.

I do not know how the next season will look like. I am eventually curious to see if the come-back to Chalnath may bring back some Sector Imperialis scenery, either ooP re-released or new stuff. Reprint of Sector Imperialis Sanctum would be great.  But I expected MTO for FragDrill and Sisters´s Battle Sanctum to coincide with the GSC and SoB codices and it did not happen. I might get my expectations (a.k.a. wish list) cold showered. Again.

KT as it is supposed to look as a standard feature

See you next time.