The Deathwatch Kill-team: A Review

[Reclusiarch Darius]

Hope this is ok, as they are still power-armoured and Inquisition. I just thought I'd write a small tactica on the usage of a Deathwatch Kill-team.

 

Firstly, the rules;

 

Link

Ok, so now you have the PDF, how do you match up the Kill-team rules with the new Codex: Space Marines? I propose the following changes (to keep things simple. Please remember these are simply house rules I've made up) ;

 

- A DW Captain has all the same options as a normal Captain from Codex: Space Marines. For the purposes of selecting wargear, pretend he swapped his 'bolt pistol' for a 'bolter' already, then select the other options like normal (ie replace the bolter with the appropriate options). Likewise, his close-combat weapon is a chainsword. Ignore the references to the 'Space Marine armoury'. Remember that a DW Captain has the following standard wargear; bolter, close-combat weapon (which is a chainsword for wargear selection purposes), frags, meltabombs

 

- If you choose to upgrade your Captain to a Librarian, you instead select wargear from the Librarian page in Codex: Space Marines. No mixing between the two; either tool the DW Captain out like a vanilla Captain, or upgrade to a Librarian and only use the Librarian's options. Ignore references to the old codex with regard to psychic powers; the DW Librarian has two 'free' psychic powers like a normal Librarian, and can upgrade to an Epistolary if you wish (again, like normal). Remember that a DW Libby has the following wargear standard; bolter, ccw, force weapon, frags, meltabombs, psychic hood.

 

- True Grit no longer exists in the BRB. However, it's a pretty simple rule to remember, so just apply it like before. Any Deathwatch model with a bolter counts it as a close-combat weapon, but loses the charge bonus.

There is an alternative, which is to simply grant every DW model +1A in their statline (so normal DW Marine is 2A, Vet is 3A, Captain/Libby is 4A). This is a tad overpowered though (because they can still claim the charge bonus), so talk it over with your opponent before you start.

Either option is equally valid, give that the rule is longer a USR (it's a Codex-only rule for Space Wolves and Grey Knights).

 

- With regards to transports, use the entries in the actual Codex: Space Marines, ignore the points costs listed in the PDF (and the page reference for drop pods). Just select their transport like you would any normal SM unit.

 

Ok, so once you've sorted out the above (the rest of the tactica relies on the above being true, so just modify my analysis if you house-rule differently), who can get these guys?

 

You can take one Kill-team as a HQ choice in any Codex: Space Marine army (not the variants like DA or BA), any Imperial Guard army or any Inquisitional army (Daemonhunters or Witch-hunters). There's nothing to suggest that the Kill-team cannot be taken as your only HQ choice in such an army (except IG, which always have to take a Command Platoon in HQ), so it's perfectly legal to take a Kill-team as your mandatory HQ for a Space Marine (only vanilla) or Inquisitional (DH or WH) army. The PDF doesn't contain the normal 'allying' restrictions that DH and WH players are familiar with.

 

So, now that we've sorted out who gets a Kill-team, what exactly makes up a Kill-team?

 

Deathwatch Captain: He comes with a bolter, chainsword, frags and meltabombs standard. He can't take Terminator armour (because he can't trade in krak grenades), and there's really no point giving him a jump pack or bike. So, I'll just assume from here on in you're taking options for him in power armour;

 

- Combi-weapons: Nice for adding a bit of extra punch with shooting. A combi-plasma helps against heavy infantry and MC's, a combi-melta is great for taking out armour with his BS5, and a combi-flamer is great for adding to the pain of rapid-fire (you don't get to fire flamers that often so it's one-shot nature won't matter too much). They all cost the same, so it's up to you. The best part is that you can still use inferno or kraken rounds with the combi-weapon, so he can rapid-fire like normal once he's expended the combi component of the bolter.

- Storm bolter: Can't use special ammo with it. Cheap, but I wouldn't bother with it.

- Storm shield: A must-have if you wanna assault with the Captain. In a shooty unit, it's also useful for soaking up AP3/2 wounds.

- Power weapon: I personally prefer the single lightning claw. You don't get the +1A from the boltgun (via True Grit) or chainsword, but you get re-rolls to wound. They cost the same.

- Lightning claw(s) : You have a choice here. Either take the pair, or lose out on the +1A but get a 3+ invul from a SS (it costs the same as the 2nd claw). I would personally take one claw and the SS, he's still got 3A (4 on the charge) to dish out the pain.

- Plasma pistol: The combi-plasma is cheaper and does much the same thing. If you're going for an assault Captain, you're better off buying a SS for his off-hand anyway. I wouldn't take this.

- Powerfist/thunderhammer: You can get them in the squad anyway, it's a waste of his I5. Don't take it.

- Relic blade: Great when paired with the SS, if a tad expensive. Definately consider taking this.

- Artificer armour: When combined with the SS, makes him pretty unkillable. It's not mandatory though, think about where else you could use the points before buying it.

- Meltabombs: He already has them :(

- Digital weapons: The Captain doesn't chuck out a lot of attacks with a relic blade, so it's a pretty useful upgrade. On a lightning-claw Captain though it's uneccessary.

- Hellfire rounds: Very fluffy upgrade, and better than Inferno rounds. On a shooty Captain, nice when paired with a combi-weapon.

- Auxilary grenade launcher: Too expensive for what it does. The krak grenade is meh, and the frag is too weak. Pass

 

So, there are three builds for the Captain I favour;

 

DW Captain, combi-plasma with Hellfire rounds, lightning claw, artificer armour

(110 points)

 

Pretty cheap, excellent shooting, and he's a great wound absorber as well. Can contribute in close-combat still with his single lightning claw.

 

DW Captain, lightning claw, SS, artificer armour

(105 points)

 

Slightly cheaper. Hits at only S4, but re-rolls all failed to wound. Same defences as relic blade build.

 

DW Captain, relic blade, SS, artificer armour, digital weapons

(130 points)

 

Still not that expensive, and he's pretty nice on the charge (4 x S6 power weapon attacks at I5, re-rolls one failed to wound, 2+/3+ defences).

 

Deathwatch Librarian: Comes with bolter, chainsword, force weapon, frags, meltabombs and psychic hood standard (he also keeps the same statline as the Captain). Like the Captain he doesn't have any krak grenades (and thus can't upgrade to Terminator armour), and it's pointless taking a jump pack or bike, so his options are pretty limited. I'm also assuming you upgrade him to an Epistolary, which puts his base cost at 150pts. Seeing as he gets two free powers, it's very worthwhile;

 

-Storm bolter: Can't use special ammo, so useless

- Combi-weapon: Nice bit of extra shooting, and can use special ammo. Good on a shooty Libby.

- Plasma pistol: Kinda meh. 'Smite' is a better option if you want to make him shooty.

 

As for the psychic powers:

-Smite: A nice short-range shooting power. Between this and a combi-plasma, you should be able to deal with heavy infantry pretty effectively.

- Force Dome: Essential on an assault Libby, as it also protects the powerfis Vets backing you up

- Machine Curse: Marginal at best. Leave anti-tank to other units, focus on killing infantry and close-combat

- Avenger: Pretty nasty on an assault Libby, and on a shooty Libby it's a great back-up power for wasting large squads of MeQ's quickly.

- Quickening: The Fleet bonus is pretty wasted, but the boost to Initiative 10 is awesome. There's very little that will hit same-time; Banshees, Autarch with Banshee Mask, Keeper of Secrets...combat-drugged DE characters will hit ahead of you (if they roll well). Definately a good choice on an assault Libby

- Null Zone: This one is a bit situational. If you expect Daemons, Chaos Terminators/Thousand Sons or those vanilla TH+SS Terminators, this is a great tool (because it also benefits the army as well). On a shooty Libby, it's a good secondary power. On an assault Libby, it's also useful for breaking invulnerable saves so your force weapon and Veteran powerfists do maximum damage.

- Might of Ancients: Fantastic power for close-combat. This paired with 'Quickening' allows you to take down walkers and Monstrous Creatures before they can even swing. It's also great against non-walkers (because you hit rear armour), so you don't even need to resort to meltabombs.

- Gate of Infinity: Very cool power, and great for delivering suspensored-heavy bolters and rapid-firing Inferno bolters into 12" to annhilate enemy infantry. It's also good for teleporting out of combat, or moving away from dangerous assault units at will.

- Vortex of Doom: Way too risky. It has the potential to scatter back onto you, not to mention the possibility of failing your psychic test is quite real, with only Ld9. It's the only 'useless' power really.

 

So, there's two builds I would go for with a Libby;

 

DW Epistolary, force weapon, chainsword, boltgun, psychic hood, 'Gate of Infinity' and either 'Avenger' or 'Null Zone' psychic powers

(150 points)

 

Relatively cheap, effective and great for a shooty Kill-team. Gets them where they need to go (ie rapid-fire range), and then either annhilates infantry (with 'Avenger') or helps out with killing Daemons and gunning down Terminators with AP2.

 

DW Epistolary, force weapon, chainsword, boltgun, psychic hood, 'Might of the Ancients' and either 'Quickening' or 'Force Dome' psychic powers

(150 points)

 

Same price, very different role. On the charge, you're looking at 5 x S6 power weapon attacks at I10 (he's practically a GK Grandmaster), and he rolls 6+2D6 against vehicles. If I need to use the force weapon ability (a lot of things are immune these days but meh), I'll turn off 'Quickening' (unless I need to eliminate an Autarch or something). He'll usually hit walkers on 3+ in combat (unless it's a GK Dread, but they're not exactly common), and with so many 6+2D6 attacks he won't usually have problems. If he fails, the squad still has the oppertunity to meltabomb it. The other option is to take 'Force Dome' as your secondary, to hopefully save your powerfists so they get to swing. It's still only a 5+, so weigh it up yourself. Sometimes it will be worth it, other times not so much.

 

 

Now, onto the squad.

 

Every Deathwatch Marine is at least 4pts more expensive than a normal Tactical Marine, but comes with chainsword, frags and meltabombs for free. They also have the ability to count their bolter as another close-combat weapon, and Deepstrike for free. As such, they're pretty cost-effective.

 

There are three sub-sets of Deathwatch Marine; special weapon bearers, Veterans for close-combat, and the regular guys with special ammo bolters.

 

Special weapon guys (up to 2) :

- Heavy bolter+suspensors+Hellfire rounds: If any weapon is made of win, it's this. In Heavy mode, you're launching AP4 blasts that wound on 2+: in Assault mode you're firing a heavy bolter at 18". It really is a fantastic weapon, so if points allow you should take a pair of them.

- M.40 targeter and Stalker rounds: It turns the bolter into Heavy 2 and causes Pinning, but is otherwise the same. I really don't see the point of this weapon. You lose the ability to rapid-fire, and Pinning happens so rarely these days. Don't take it.

- Plasma gun: Dirt cheap and excellent for supplementing the other bolters. It will burn through FNP and armour saves easily, and lets you tackle T6 creatures. I usually take one as the 2nd special.

- Meltagun: With meltabombs on the whole unit, and the Libby able to tear through enemy vehicles pretty easily, I don't see the need for it. Kill-teams are designed to tackle enemy infantry, try to keep that focus. Take a combi-melta if you want some anti-tank. On the other hand, in an assault Kill-team it's great for softening up the enemy prior to the charge.

- Flamer: You're not going to be in range often enough to justify it taking up a special slot. It's so cheap its virtually free, but even still I prefer a plasma gun or a heavy bolter instead.

 

Veterans cost +10pts, and can't use special ammo or take special weapons (unlimited except for squad size) :

- Powerfist: My preferred weapon. You can't combine it with the bolter anymore (which sucks), but it still remains a potent anti-everything weapon in close-combat.

- Pair of lightning claws: You can't combine it with the bolter if you take one claw, and you can't take special ammo anyway, so you might as well pay the extra 5pts and take the 2nd claw. With 3 attacks base and 4 on the charge, it's a decent weapon against most infantry. However, it doesn't have the raw hitting power of a powerfist. Both are good options

- Power weapon: Cheapest option, and can be combined with bolter (don't get charge bonus though, which you do with the twin-LC's). If you're going to spend the points on a Veteran, I reckon you might as well tool him u proper, so my vote is powerfist or twin-LC's.

 

Regular guys have access to special bolter ammo, as does the Libby (Captain can get Hellfire rounds for his bolter anyway). They're all at 2A always, whether charging or getting charged, so they can do pretty well in an assault :

- Metal storm: I really don't see the point of this ammo. You make it 18" Assault 2 but it has lasgun statline. Don't bother, rapid-firing bolter is better anyway.

- Inferno bolts: My favourite. Against T3/4 it's roughly as effective as Sternguard Hellfire rounds, although it tails off when engaging T5+. However, it makes the basic bolters in the squad very nasty when engaging most infantry.

- Kraken bolts: It's kinda meh, to be honest. You do get 6" greater reach and AP4, but you have to be stationary to get much benefit out of it. Given the proliferation of cover saves in 5th edition, most things with 4+ armour are taking 4+ cover against your shots anyway, and for long-range infantry killing you're better off with the heavy bolters.

 

Transport options:

 

Rhino: If you don't wanna risk them to Deepstrike, it's a good and relatively cheap way to get them mobile. Dropping them out the side of the Rhino (using it's hull to block LOS) and then unloading with rapid-fire is a great way to clean up enemy infantry.

Razorback: I prefer the Rhino. It's just as effective as moving them around and is much cheaper. The only real advantage here is that you can leave their Razorback to deploy normally, while Deepstriking the actual Kill-team seperately.

Drop Pod: If you don't have teleport homers to bring them in safely (because they can Deepstrike for free), investing in a Drop Pod is a good idea. It has the added bonus of providing free cover for them if they need it.

 

 

Squad builds:

 

This is largely dictated by how you equip the Captain/Libby.

 

2 x Deathwatch Marines with meltaguns

2 x Veterans with powerfist+bolter

3 x Deathwatch Marines

(210 points)

 

Thats probably an ideal close-combat team. The meltaguns give you some way to deal with enemy armour outside of combat, and a bit of softening up before you enter combat. On the charge, you generate 6 x S8 powerfist attacks, and have a good amount of ablative wounds for soaking up return damage.

 

2 x Deathwatch Marines with heavy bolter+suspensor+Hellfire shells

5 x Deathwatch Marines with Inferno rounds

(195 points)

 

Preferably deliver these guys via Drop Pod or 'Gate', so they can get close and annhilate things with sheer weight of fire.

 

Deathwatch Marine with heavy bolter+suspensor+Hellfire shells

Deathwatch Marine with plasma gun

Veteran with powerfist+bolter

4 x Deathwatch Marines with Inferno rounds

(216 points)

 

There is also what I call the 'balanced' team, which mixes shooting ability with close-combat. Either shooty or assault Captains/Libby's will function well inside this squad. You have anti-infantry shooting, a plasma gun for tougher monsters and a Veteran powerfist to supplement your Captain/Libby.

 

These are simply the most efficient builds; half the point of a Deathwatch Kill-team is customising each member to be unique and special. In general, you should aim to have a squad size of about 8 (to improve their odds of survival), and try to keep the total unit cost within 350 points if possible.

 

 

Tactics:

 

Assault builds: Drop Pod them in (you cannot afford to lose them to bad scatter or mishap), hide them behind it until your next turn. Then, emerge and start assaulting things.

 

Shooty builds: Drop Pod is always nice, and next turn (when you are stationary again) you can use the Hellfire shells on the heavy bolter(s) to really hurt enemy infantry. Try to avoid close-combat, they do have a lot of S4 attacks for a small unit but they'll die to dedicated assault units. Rhino's can also cart around the unit for rapid-firing fun, if you don't wanna isolate them in a drop pod.

 

Balanced: The Kill-team is really a souped-up Tactical squad in many ways, so treat them as such. They can handle lighter infantry in close-combat (and the Veteran powerfist helps), but you should still pick and choose your assaults. Their main strength is their firepower, so only engage in combat when you're sure of victory. They're not especially tougher than a Tactical squad (even with 'Force Dome'), so be conservative.

 

 

Now go forth and smite the xenos! :huh:

[Grand Master Tyrak]

Ok, so once you've sorted out the above (the rest of the tactica relies on the above being true, so just modify my analysis if you house-rule differently), who can get these guys?

 

You can take one Kill-team as a HQ choice in any Codex: Space Marine army (not the variants like DA or BA), any Imperial Guard army or any Inquisitional army (Daemonhunters or Witch-hunters). There's nothing to suggest that the Kill-team cannot be taken as your only HQ choice in such an army (except IG, which always have to take a Command Platoon in HQ), so it's perfectly legal to take a Kill-team as your mandatory HQ for a Space Marine (only vanilla) or Inquisitional (DH or WH) army. The PDF doesn't contain the normal 'allying' restrictions that DH and WH players are familiar with.

 

I strongly disagree. The allying rules in C:WH and C:DH clearly state that mandatory choices must be fulfilled from the parent list. The same principle should carry over to the DW Kill-team, otherwise you will have to face some (justified) allegations of rules-lawyering.

[Gentlemanloser]

I'm of the opinion that the old DW KT PDF is no longer valid, as it uses and references old rules that no longer exist.

 

If it's still valid, then surely all the other old CA WD/PDF rules are legit as well, and the GK (for example only) could choose the old CA Emperors Champion.

[Maligoare]

For the moment, it's all house rules anyway. For what it's worth, I think Darius has done a good job of updating the PDF for use with the newer codex. Not only that, it is nice to see that he has remained within the intent of the rules as best as he can, and provided some tactica on using them!

 

Quick question; if you are using the powers from the C:SM librarian, why not go the whole hog and just change the stats to match? They both weigh in at the same points, so it should remain fairly balanced. If you feel like it, you could also change the DW Captain to a C:SM captain, and increase the points cost to match. This way, you will be more in line with C:SM, and are left with the choice of which 100 point character to use.

 

Edit: Something to note is that you were never allowed to 'upgrade' the librarian to an Epistoliary; it was a completely separate unit. Now that it dosn't exist, using an Epistoliary is even more odd, and adds to my reasons for suggesting just using the C:SM one.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

Lag caused double post. Sorry

[Reclusiarch Darius]

The allying rules in C:WH and C:DH clearly state that mandatory choices must be fulfilled from the parent list.

 

I completely agree, when using Malleus or Hereticus units, you follow the normal restrictions as per the DH/WH codicies, with regards to allying.

 

The same principle should carry over to the DW Kill-team, otherwise you will have to face some (justified) allegations of rules-lawyering.

 

Maybe it should, but it doesn't. GW wrote the Kill-team rules at the same time as developing the allying rules for DH/WH's; it would've been a simple matter to state 'this HQ selection doesn't count as your mandatory selection' or 'you still need a mandatory HQ from the parent army list'. They didn't , they simply stated 'you can take a Kill-team as a HQ choice'. You can't simply make up restrictions where they don't exist.

 

To be on the safe side though, I'm usually taking a secondary HQ anyway (with SM Kantor is a great option, because he unlocks Sternguard for more Deathwatch goodness). Also, in IG armies you always have to take a Command Platoon (except in a pure Last Chancers army, in which case no allies regardless). But in theory, you can always opt to just take the Kill-team as your HQ.

 

I'm of the opinion that the old DW KT PDF is no longer valid, as it uses and references old rules that no longer exist.

 

Not entirely. As I have demonstrated, a little house-ruling to bring it into line with the latest SM codex doesn't radically change the unit. However, be sure to bring the Kill-team rules with you if you use one, so people know what going on.

 

If it's still valid, then surely all the other old CA WD/PDF rules are legit as well, and the GK (for example only) could choose the old CA Emperors Champion.

 

In friendly games, for sure. I think though that most tourney's require actual Codex units, and tend to restrict Forge World and Chapter Approved additions.

However, I think it would be a churlish of opponents to deny you the use of a Deathwatch Kill-team in friendly games. It's not that powerful really, it costs a lot, dies as easily as a Tactical squad to shooting...from the Malleus and Hereticus codicies there are much more powerful allied units you could use. It's really more for coolness and fun that you field a Kill-team.

For the moment, it's all house rules anyway. For what it's worth, I think Darius has done a good job of updating the PDF for use with the newer codex. Not only that, it is nice to see that he has remained within the intent of the rules as best as he can, and provided some tactica on using them!

 

Thanks mate. I did try to stay with the PDF as much as possible (I was considering letting the regular bolter guys get access to Sternguard ammo, but I though that was perhaps a bridge too far), but there are some things which simply don't match up and require house-ruling to fix.

 

Quick question; if you are using the powers from the C:SM librarian, why not go the whole hog and just change the stats to match? They both weigh in at the same points, so it should remain fairly balanced. If you feel like it, you could also change the DW Captain to a C:SM captain, and increase the points cost to match. This way, you will be more in line with C:SM, and are left with the choice of which 100 point character to use.

 

I prefer to stick the PDF statlines, because that was the original intention. There is also an issue of special rules; what point is it giving the Captain Combat Tactics and ATKNF when his squad doesn't have them? You do get a slightly better Librarian when combing the DW Captain statline with the Libby options, but he only has Ld9.

 

Edit: Something to note is that you were never allowed to 'upgrade' the librarian to an Epistoliary; it was a completely separate unit. Now that it dosn't exist, using an Epistoliary is even more odd, and adds to my reasons for suggesting just using the C:SM one.

 

Thats true, but the Epistolary option is now an upgrade to any Libby, there's no Codicier to speak of (except in fluff terms). Hence, you can upgrade the Deathwatch Libby to be an Epistolary like you would a vanilla Libby.

 

Mind you, this is all just my house-rules; if you wanna wholly replace the statline for the Captain/Libby with the latest Codex version, feel free to do so. You might wanna house-rule the Deathwatch Kill-team to have the Combat Tactics and ATSKNF special rules in that case.

[Grand Master Tyrak]

Mind you, this is all just my house-rules; if you wanna wholly replace the statline for the Captain/Libby with the latest Codex version, feel free to do so. You might wanna house-rule the Deathwatch Kill-team to have the Combat Tactics and ATSKNF special rules in that case.

 

:) What? Deathwatch don't have ATSKNF?

[Gentlemanloser]

Nope. Only True Grit and Deep Strike.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

Yes, sad but true. It's something that GW over-looked when they wrote the original rules, for reasons unknown to us.

 

Are there any other house-rules or ideas people have relating to the Kill-team? It's by no means an all-powerful unit (Sternguard are better in many respects), but its still usable.

[Grand Master Tyrak]

It's by no means an all-powerful unit (Sternguard are better in many respects), but its still usable.

 

Particularly for Inquisition players who otherwise cannot take Marine allies. And especially for Pure GK players who would otherwise only have 1 HQ, no melta weapons, and no squads in transports. :devil:

[The emperors chosen]

is the normal pdf on the gw site still usable,like will i get yelled at if i use those guys at a tournament?

[Reclusiarch Darius]

Particularly for Inquisition players who otherwise cannot take Marine allies. And especially for Pure GK players who would otherwise only have 1 HQ, no melta weapons, and no squads in transports. msn-wink.gif

 

True, but I would personally take Seraphim if you want some mobile anti-tank help. Deathwatch are more an anti-infantry unit TBH.

 

is the normal pdf on the gw site still usable,like will i get yelled at if i use those guys at a tournament?

 

Depends. GW haven't said the Deathwatch PDF is no longer usable, but in a tourney they might disallow it. I can't say one way or the other, you'll have to ask them beforehand. I don't see any reason for them to disallow it though, so long as you explain your house-rules to 'sync' it with the new Codex: Space Marines.

[number6]

is the normal pdf on the gw site still usable,like will i get yelled at if i use those guys at a tournament?

 

Depends. GW haven't said the Deathwatch PDF is no longer usable, but in a tourney they might disallow it. I can't say one way or the other, you'll have to ask them beforehand. I don't see any reason for them to disallow it though, so long as you explain your house-rules to 'sync' it with the new Codex: Space Marines.

I'd say the odds of the old Deathwatch PDF still being usable are very very low. The fact that it is no longer available on any of the "revamped" GW sites is telling. The amount of house-ruling required to make it functional is also telling. The existence of Sternguard Vets in the new Marines codex is also an indicator of how valuable GW thought the PDF is/was.

 

Official GW Deathwatch rules have gone the way of the dodo. Collect the PDF while it's still available on the internet at all, if you have any interest. Follow RD's salient advice for keeping it relevant for friendly games if you like. But otherwise, I think we're left with making base Marines armies, possibly led by Pedro Kantor, with allied Inquisitorial units to make our Deathwatch armies from now on.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

I'd say the odds of the old Deathwatch PDF still being usable are very very low. The fact that it is no longer available on any of the "revamped" GW sites is telling. The amount of house-ruling required to make it functional is also telling. The existence of Sternguard Vets in the new Marines codex is also an indicator of how valuable GW thought the PDF is/was.

 

Well, they didn't just throw out the Deathwatch PDF; there are a whole stack of Chapter Approved articles that have disappeared, as well as background articles and tacticas. I agree however; if GW really wanted to keep them, they would've re-posted their rules with the SM pages. And yeah, Sternguard are pretty much begging to be 'counted-as' Deathwatch.

 

Official GW Deathwatch rules have gone the way of the dodo. Collect the PDF while it's still available on the internet at all, if you have any interest. Follow RD's salient advice for keeping it relevant for friendly games if you like. But otherwise, I think we're left with making base Marines armies, possibly led by Pedro Kantor, with allied Inquisitorial units to make our Deathwatch armies from now on.

 

Yeah, thats pretty much my viewpoint on it as well. The Kill-team is great for friendly games, where people wanna try out Chapter Approved, fan-created or Forge World stuff; in a tourney, Kantor is your best bet.