What is Kings of War? A Discussion for the Curious

Mantic Games have several games in their lineup including Kings of War which is a direct substitute for Games Workshop's now-discontinued Warhammer Fantasy Battles.
It uses the 'rank and flank' style of multiple miniatures arranged in movement trays and features deep gameplay from streamlined rules that can be understood in a single session.
Special guest Tom is a seasoned KoW player and talks us through what Mantic have been doing with the game in the last decade and what it offers the curious miniatures war gamer.
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[@ERBarratt]

Contrary to popular belief, Kings is not mini agnostic - there's been over 13 years of development and releases of mantic miniatures which are now the same quality as GW having swapped to a new tooling partner (see Ogres, Nightstalkers, Twilight Kin). As with any system, you can start with any figs you like, but there is a large move in the community to support "mostly mantic" armies at the largest events with rewards etc.

[@tadouglas529]

Thank you for your insightful comment. I completely agree that the trend towards Mantic armies is notable, especially considering the significant improvements in the quality of Mantic miniatures. Their new plastics are indeed excellent. Your observation about the Kings of War community moving towards "mostly Mantic" armies at major events is interesting and reflects a broader trend in the wargaming community where miniatures are becoming more competitive for actual gaming. Here in Tokyo, however, the situation is a bit different. Mantic Games, the creator of Kings of War, doesn't have as strong a presence. Consequently, we often see players bringing over old Warhammer fantasy armies, making our local scene more miniature-agnostic. It's an eclectic mix that reflects the diverse gaming backgrounds of our community. Hopefully, we'll start seeing the trend towards Mantic miniatures catching on here too, as their quality and competitiveness in the wargaming space are undeniably appealing.

[@lancealot4943]

Pretty sure Mantic would prefer you buy their models. In fact their original armies were for their range of miniature, it was the end of the Old World that saw them release Uncharted Empires that brought in GW proxy armies. It was just an attempt to get more players, not to be miniature agnostic. Now Ronnie has said they don't mind seeing it for the growth of the game, but the game has a pretty good range to cover the troops and armies now. I'd also say it wasn't Warhammer Fantasy Battles at all, but just something that has some similar heritage based on developers.

[@greywanderer5935]

I need to get into this game!

[@StudioWatchwolf]

I know, right? And wait ‘til you see Tom’s play-through on Friday!

[@VictoriaWargaming]

Great discussion. gareth and I did a long sales pitch in our channel. Good to see someone rlse discussing it for new players.

[@StudioWatchwolf]

I’m in the process of watching that video and it's very good; thanks for your hard work there, and your encouragement here! Here's the link for others: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJubc4urmcRqo5I

[@magimon91834]

The great video, I do want to comment though that even though at the beginning Kings of war was very much a Warhammer fantasy clone, they have worked very hard these last few years to make it unique and make it it's own thing. Many of the new armies are wholly original and it's great

[@StudioWatchwolf]

Thank you. Yes, I think Tom was saying that KoW offered similar rank and flank gameplay to WHFB and that Mantic deliberately sought to accommodate those players when WHFB was discontinued by GW. I think some of the GW staff moved across around that time too?

[@idiotproofdalek]

I wouldn’t say the game was a clone, the rules are completely different. But the factions def were, as they were made as cheaper alternatives for WFB

[@barda280]

very good overview!

[@StudioWatchwolf]

Thanks for the encouragement!