Collecting the Game

If you are reading this, then you most likely know that I play a little game called "Kings of War".  The third edition of the game just came out, and I picked up mine.

As part of the release, along with the hardback rule book, there were two special editions.  One is the gamer's bundle, that contains the Scenario and Objective set, special nerve dice, Artifact and Spell cards, and a certificate for the digital copy of the book.

The dice are clear, with the helmet logo from 3rd edition for the 6.  These are a bit larger than the dice that came with the first edition kickstarter - so here is hoping they always roll high!

The scenario and objective set contains seven pvc objective counters. These are some of the same counters that are in the vanguard set as well (including the dragon's egg).  If you don't play Vanguard then these are nice (me, I already have several sets of these). 

3D objective counters really cool in a game.  Unfortunately, objective counters in-game effectively 'do not exist' - they do no affect movement, do not block line of sight or provide cover, and models can freely move over or stand on them.  As such they kind of don't work that well when you want a model to stand on it.  (Back in 1st edition when we had several escalation leagues, my players could earn extra painting points for making things like this - and I have realized why we don't have any around any more.

Next, there are 10 loot counters.  Acrylic, red on one side, a pile of coins (i.e. loot) on the other.  These solve the problem of being able to move over them, and everyone should have a set of counters (2nd edition actually had a set of plastic counters as well - these new ones are MUCH nicer).

Finally, there are 10 bluff counters - 4 0s, 4 1s and 2 2s, all with green backs.  These are used in a couple of specific new scenarios (that I have been hearing good things about). 

As nice as these are, I only plan on bringing the bluff and 2 loot counters.  The bluff counters will work fine for loot or objectives.  Two different color tokens will be used for the Plunder scenario.

The new card deck has cards for all the artefacts and spells.  The artefact cards are extremely useful, as you can simply put them in a unit to mark which unit has which artefact (especially when you have multiples of the same unit with different artefacts).

The spell cards - to me are not as useful.  If each spellcaster in your army has different spells, then you could put the cards next to the unit - but I have often seen armies that have multiple copies of the same spellcaster with the same spell (necromancers in undead armies for example) - and only having one of each spell doesn't allow for that.  I prefer to simply have these on my list.

One minor item that I think is very cool is Mantic has started making their own shipping boxes.  The logo is on one side, and the back has a cute goblin and in-joke.

Back in the day, GW had these, and I really like that Mantic now has their own (so much that I am keeping both my boxes).  It reminds me of the puns and jokes that used to be on all the model packaging, which they stopped doing.  (If you have some of the older packaging, look at the copyright fine print - there is often a pun / joke there specific to the models inside).

The other bundle is the collector's bundle.  This includes a map of Pannithor (the new, expanded world containing Mantic and the setting for Kings of War), a turn counter and special 10th
anniversary diorama.

The resin turn counter (so much cooler than the plastic spinner dial from 2nd edition) is a larger version of the abyssal warlock mount - but instead of the warlock he holds a huge D6.

 It is fairly easy to clean up and assemble.

Since this is NOT a playable piece, I put it on a round base instead of the square one it came with - just to emphasize it is NOT a game piece.

To compare it to the Abyssal Warlock, you can see this is much bigger.

The tenth anniversary diorama is a large base (with the roman numeral X (for 10 of course) on the rock, and had the Northern Alliance hero Clarion facing off against the Nightstalker Dream Hunter - both which can be removed and used in game.

First the base - in two parts

The pillar fits fairly well - just watch to make sure you completely clean off the vents so it fits.  You also want to check the spaces for model bases - the cav space on mine had a bit of flash in it that needed cleaning out.

I actually got 4 bases - 3 25mm bases and a cavalry base.  These fit into the display.

What I found was weird is that the cavalry base also has two heavy infantry bases to use instead.  I'm not sure why you would do this, but it apparently is an option.

The Dream Hunter is the more complex of the two models.  It threw me off as I tried to find where the horns went - until I realized they were for the mount for Clarion.

Start by gluing the leg sets together.  Four of the five legs have a small pin to fit in the base.  Unfortunately I found they did not match.

This is where some hot water allows you to reposition the legs so they fit the base like they are supposed to. 

At this point (BEFORE you glue it) it is a good idea to put the base into the rock so that you can make sure the Dream Hunter is facing the correct orientation.

Next the torso fits on top of the legs.  Unfortunately mine left a bit of a gap that will require some filing with green stuff.

The last leg then fits into the socket.

Next, the lower jaw/tongue fits into the mouth, and the entire head fits on the body

The two arms are then glued in place

And it is done.  There will be some gap filing, but it is a nice model.  I am curious to see how many of these we will start seeing in Night Stalker armies!

Clarion is a bit simpler to assemble

 First glue the legs of the - well I think it's a goat - to the base

Then add the forelegs.

And the head

Then the two horns.  Be careful, these are tiny, fiddly pieces.  I dropped the left one three times (the third time it took me 10 minutes to find it again).

Lastly are the arms

 And thus he is done

One last note on Clarion - I recommend trimming down the base a bit - it find that mine fits a little too tightly - it doesn't want to come back out - so much so that the legs popped off trying to pull it out.

The overall diorama looks impressive though

Unfortunately I don't think (stat wise) that Clarion is a match for the Dream Hunter (which is 100 points more as well).

Lastly, I wanted to show a comparison of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd edition hardback books

This new book is much bigger, with a huge amount of story and background in it.  The rules are not changed in any huge way (a lot of people online are calling this edition 2.1), which in my opinion is a good thing as the game is pretty solid.

Because it is all fun and games . . .