"Kings of War...?" Topic

Is anyone still using Kings of War fantasy rules (Mantic Games) for historical Ancient/Medieval games? Supplement rules and lists are available on the Hours of Wolves and Shattered Shields site. I played a few Dark Age games and then moved on, but am thinking of having another go. Really I'm wondering whether anyone else has play tested these much for historical games and what their opinions are…

Worked fine for us for a few Punic Wars games recently , although lacking a little something compared to the newer fantasy version 2 with the new magic gear

On the Mantic forum someone has posted a load more lists

link

Not sure about Chariots having a crushing ability but they dont look too bad

In KoW "Crushing Strength (x)", just adds x to your to "wound" roll. For instance knights have "Crushing Strength (2)" to represent their presumed lances, units with 2 handed weapons have "Crushing Strength (1)", etc.

We've been playing a lot of KoW lately – and I'm really enjoying the games. We are using 10mm Warmaster armies – but the fantasy elements are quite light in the rules.

Not for Ancient/Medieval but we have used the variant ECW rules. A little simplistic maybe, but lots of fun.

I've tried them once or twice (for fantasy only at this stage) and enjoyed them.

I've just realised that the paperback second edition has rule improvements over the downloads. But the £25.00 GBP hardback seems to have made the paperback unavailable from Mantic. Anyone know if/where the A5 version can be obtained?

3rd Edition is the current version.

As hardback book, or as free download, that contains virtually all the rules. (the book includes more magic items, siege rules, campaigns, back ground and lots of pictures.

Downloaded the Hours of Wolves and Shattered Shields yesterday but not chance to read yet. Its good to know that KOW works well.

Looking to test them out soon for fantasy. Trying HC for ancients at the moment which has seems to have similar mechanisms in places so we shall see.

Stew

I'm using the lists mentioned by Steve W above for historical. They stick closer to the Mantic system than HOWASS, and are based on the 2nd edition of the rules, rather than the first. Playing another game tomorrow…

We've been playing a lot of KoW lately – and I'm really enjoying the games. We are using 10mm Warmaster armies

How do you find it at 10mm? I've heard from another gamer that it gets a bit too bland if you shrink the scale. (Though it sounds like he wasn't overly impressed with it regardless)

Edit: oh, waitaminnit, he wasn't. :P

TMP link

I've hosted several games, and my home club is now using it for a wide variety of medieval periods. I did Viking / Welsh, and I did Feudal English Battle of Lincoln and an ambush. Hard core history club loved it and the game has a standing invitation at that club any time I have time to run it.

I didn't make up anything, either. I only used units that were available in the main rule book. I have the hardback. However, the Hard back rules are a free download, and the hardback lists are also a free download but they are _separate_ downloads. So everything is still available for free.

I found it very handy to be able to send anyone to the Mantic link for the free rules.

The new 3.0 rules with magic items also gives one points to add to units. So if you want a faster unit you give them a magic item. They're scary Viking berserkers? give them a scare magic item. etc. And the points are all there.

Rules are tightly written and easy to understand. I strongly recommend not to tinker with them, just use what's offered creatively and you'll be fine. My first historical game I used the dwarf list for Vikings b/c these Vikings were fatigued from a food shortage, for example.

Simple ideas, but some of the best written and easy to understand rules around. We had a few good dark age games with KOW – but you need lots of figures and a good sized playing area to get enough units per side to make the game interesting – we suffered from too few figures.

I would really recommend the unofficial historical lists onthe KOW site –

link

rather than using the liusts out of the book.

I should clarify in that I don't think one has to use the lists of the book uniformly for sides. However we saw no need to deviate from the units as written, we just mixed and matched a little for good historical forces.

I am, and continue to be, unenthusiastic about fan lists.

With a unit-based approach and using the magic items as "point-based enhancements" that have nothing to do with magic in an historical game, you get tons of variety and troop styles without having to venture down the road of game design.

My experience of which is that lots of gamers think they understand design, about 1% actually do.