Let’s get some positivity on the new forum; have some feel good.
Maybe remind a rules writer of what’s important to us.
I’ll start with two things.
It’s about what you do, there are no super units, netlists, rolls on a table or spells that will win the game for you. After a game I can point out which move won or lost the game. Not which unit, list or roll. Unless, maybe, if it was a close game.
Mantic is also what I consider old school. They let my hobby be mine and it’s about pushing fantasy armies around on a table. Straight up fantasy like I read as a kid. Not unique IP with some sort of trope subversion or other need to be extra special.
I don’t have to keep up with the meta, buy the right thing and get the right new army book.
I can bring my army that I love with the minis that I’ve collected, built and/or converted and put them on the table. I don’t have to worry about them being replaced or phased out (because the unit isn’t tied to that particular model) or that bringing them is shooting myself in the foot because the meta doesn’t favour them right now.
I’ve got a bit of freedom. I don’t have to buy the box with the unit’s name on. I can figure out my own thing.
What I love about Kings of War is that it combines the fantastic look of big armies with a clear, tied ruleset. So I still feel the visual attraction (which brought me into the hobby for a good part many years ago) but I am not forced to keep up with countless interacting rules/effects. That means I can easily get back into the game when I am forced to pause some weeks for real life reasons (using the time between games to paint me some minis ). Another good thing about the character of the rules is that I don`t really bother who I play against (other to WHFB, which I much preferred to play against close friends).
To me there are quite some points, why I like KoW.
Firstly, it’s (as DarkBlack said in his post) that KoW is “old school” generic fantasy. That’s really a big point! Most other publishers who have a fantasy game nowadays have some quite unique style … if you like exactly that, all is fine, but you aren’t that free to do your own thing.
Secondly, I like a rank and file system. That alone limits the choice quite much in these days. But moving around more or less big bases with many models on them is what I really enjoy.
Thirdly, KoW allows me to live out my creativity in building diorama bases the way I like them. That’s a big advantage in my eyes. My zombies aren’t required to stand neatly next to each other as if they were part of a highly disciplined army … they are free to just shamble on their base as their more or less complete corpses allow them to do.
Being able to customize my troops and terrain exactly the way I like them to be, is a big advantage of KoW to me.
I think you nailed it. I guess my biggest hobby-thing is the multibase. It makes it possible to make cheap and really good looking units that are easy to store and play with…
There are a number of reasons why I’m a big KoW fan, but rather than list all of them, one that consistently stands out is the simplicity of the rules.
It’s a rare game indeed where I’ll need to consult a rulebook beyond setting up for the scenario, and I love that about KoW.
Because you can use any figures so 2 armies that are the same can look different not that you shouldn’t support Mantic but the rules are awesome simple and easy to learn
I love that it’s easy for me to introduce new players to the game thanks to the easy rules, that I can use all my classic armies on square bases, and that the game is about tactical movement instead of killer combos.
For me the biggest reason I like Kings of War is rank and file. Second, the rules are easy to follow. And third, we are encouraged to use any model as long as it fits the unit it was intended for.
To me, Kings of War is the hobbyist’s wargame. The creative output from all of it’s fans is awesome. Though I personally prefer old school rank and file look, I love the diorama’s people put together. The things people come up with catch me off guard…
My number one is that I can use any models I like regardless of who makes them. A close second is simple and easy to use rules, and third that it is a true mass battle game in an environment that seems to have gone mostly the skirmish route.
I’ve got my first game for a good 2 years, 40k has taken over, but my memroies are of a fun paced game with a tight ruleset that didn’t need constant checking to see if you had this particular aspect correct. I really hope I can get in to it again.
I’ll admit to a bit of nervousness and apprehension ahead of the change as I really enjoy the game as it is, so hearing that and seeing some of the rules pics on the Mantic blog really helps with that.
Being able to play with chess clocks. Especially for tournaments, this is great. No more having to end a game in round 4 vs a gunline army.
Pretty well balanced rules and lists. No deathstar units that singlehandedly wins everything, or spells that can wipe out an entire army.
Not having to pick out individual models as casualties. That was always fiddly, time-consuming work, and then you had to try to rank them up again afterwards.
Also, as noted before, this allows nice and interesting diorama units.
Generic (I prefer old school) fantasy is a big factor for me. I alread have enough skulls in my Undead army, I don’t need them on all over my models (looking at you GW! ). The realistic look paired with multibases sells it for me. And as a hobbyist, multibasing is the most fun! I also like their twists on many of the traditional fantasy races. Dwarfs are actually expanding their realms, Twilight Kin still have connections to other Elves, etc.
The simple, yet tactical ruleset is another point. Prices too. Last but not least is the interchangeability (is that a word?) between KOW and Vanguard. I love how you can use your heroes in both system and there are even hooks to play a campaign with both games.
When WFB died had KoW brought to my attention by one of the guys in the club, who had played in in the past (and is now on the RC).
Liked the game play - unit based, mass wargame style; no uber units/magic or stacking combos; simple but effective rules (easy to learn, difficult to master idea); tournament friendly; multibasing.
That last point has given me way more enthusiasm for building and painting stuff than wfb did for years - I’ve KoW armies I’ve never used simply because building/painting them was fun.
Its got a group at the top that listen and amend stuff - the work that the RC put in (which is not inconsiderable) does help the game no end - tweaks, rule balances etc.
Players - it is collectively the best group of gamers I’ve come across
It’s clean play is a big deal. Streamlined to remove waste of time stuff like casualty removal. The freedom to use whatever models I like. The friendly community that literally invited me to travel around the world to their events. I’ve met so many amazing people through KoW.
I love that Mantic allows myself and the rest of the community to help shape their game. Honestly I’ve never known another company do that, and I think it’s amazing. (even if it is a lot of work)
Well, 2 min ago I found out we have a forum reboot. Sweet. I’m on board.
Just yesterday I mentioned how FB wasn’t the right place for archived topics. There are some social advantages to FB, but I hope the community will join together and shine.
With that - What do I love about Kings of War:
-Thematic armes and landscapes
-A beer game I can sit back and watch on the opponents turn
-Game about mobility and movement with dynamic unit types and unique army builds
-Flanking has genuine tactical advanages
-Models from all ranges of product to explore
-A player first oriented game
-Growing community were we can play Scenarios and Competitive with all kinds of army diversity.
-Layed back feel to big events
The rules had me hooked since the first beta came out. A nice elegant rule set that doesn’t dumb the game play, and no need to consult the rules every 5 minutes or so. No fiddly rules that can cause arguments and get resolved in a way that makes no sense. A game where it is about player actions and not list building using the latest flavour of the month netlist to stomp everyone. Characters acting as they should, their for leadership and not a one man army… unless they are on a fearsome monster.
So much and more, being able to use any model range is also nice, (sorry Mantic, I really don’t like your aesthetic) basically they did everything that made the game playable for a bigger audience.
I jumped over to KoW from WFB during 8th edition, and haven’t looked back. I reckon that AoS and the death of WFB has seen the game boom, again this shows that their aim at making the game less about exclusivity and more about openness has paid off.
I am loving the amount of hobby I can put into my army. The multibasing aspect lets me do things that were basically impossible when you’re dealing with single figures. It has really let my creativity run wild and that is refreshing.
Also, the rules are pretty clean and logical which appeals to my inner game designer. I think it’s Mantic’s best creation.
). Another good thing about the character of the rules is that I don`t really bother who I play against (other to WHFB, which I much preferred to play against close friends).
). The realistic look paired with multibases sells it for me. And as a hobbyist, multibasing is the most fun! I also like their twists on many of the traditional fantasy races. Dwarfs are actually expanding their realms, Twilight Kin still have connections to other Elves, etc.