A different kind of fantasy

Ok ok calm down and stop giggling. Not THAT sort of fantasy you deranged bunch of perverts...shheeeeesh!

As eluded to in previous mumblings, i have become more and more disillusioned with GW and their ways. This is both good and bad. Bad because of the money i have invested over the years. Good because it has forced me to seek pastures new.

Dystopian wars was the first venture and when time allows i will delve fully into the game and get the rules straight in my head. The models are fantastic for such small scale creations.

There's also x-wing. This is my drinks n dice type game. Fast, simple and no hobbying needed.

I have also started hordes by Privateer press. I know the company and game. Whilst no cheaper than GW really, i feel PP still have the hobby at heart.

But over the last 24 hours i got the itch to stretch the Tolkien and 'fantasy' element of myself. Enough sniggering you lot.

Now i normally have an avenue in my mind towards what game or where. But with this issue i genuinely had no idea where to turn. So off i went googling away to my hearts content, checking various blogs and sites and chasing down names from yesteryear.
That's when Alessio Cavatore's name was spotted alongside Mantic games 'Kings of war'. Interest piqued.
A lot of looking over the models, swearing at a retarded printer and then downloading of the rules onto ipad followed.
Now i am not a fan of the elves or their 'evil kindred'. But the undead, orcs and dwarves are pretty cool. Hey they even have Felix of 'avatars of war' on board....so you know there are gonna be some kick ass sculpts.
The price ....cheap by the bucket load....now that gets the wallet interested too.

But lets face it, the rule set is where it needs to work.
So off to proxyville (pop 2) i headed today.

What can i say about the rules and game play.
Well the negatives first. The 'starter' army boxes definitely need balancing. Whilst the dwarf force rallies in at 400+pts, the undead struggles to 300. But that's a minor issue.
The rules themselves are simple, pretty clear and very concise. The game play is fast, fun and bloody. The way damage works is just fantastic and lends itself to the idea of war on a large scale.
 I literally sat down to read the rules at 9am and by midday we had run through 2!!!! 250 point games. Both complete bloodbaths.

So my overall thoughts on 'Kings of war'? Even if your not a fan of the models (you can always proxy) give the rule set a go. It is well written and works a treat.