On the 10th Day of Xmas: Kings of War in 2024

Hi everyone,

Ronnie here, and it's high time for us to take a look back, and a look forward(!), for our flagship game - Kings of War.

The Year That Was

2023 was a brilliant year, featuring refreshed ranges for the Nightstalkers & Northern Alliance. They gained some amazing new hard plastic kits, and at the same time we've said goodbye to a swathe of PVC and metal options that just weren't quite at the standard of 'modern Mantic'. This means that every year the game will keep getting better, the miniatures range will keep getting better, the playerbase will keep getting bigger, all as Pannithor's story continues to evolve in fantastic and surprising ways - guided by the actions of our players in global campaigns!

In late summer, we launched into the 'Shadowed Horizons' global campaign, where the forces of good (led by the Northern Alliance) narrowly managed to avert a Twilight Kin plot to establish a powerful new fortress in the Winterlands - from where they would have been able to assault the City of Chill, and perhaps claim the secrets within...a narrow escape for Pannithor...but for how long...?

Watch out, as the storyline is going to move on again in 2024. We've learned some lessons from the last campaign, and the next one will be bigger and better than ever!

A major faction within the game once more, the Twilight Kin soon returned to the battlefields of Pannithor with an astonishing new miniatures range of their own. Plus, as they also make use of some of the brilliant new Nightstalker units this means we have a faction that is mostly hard plastic from the very start. This range of easy-to-assemble kits really is a fantasy wargamer's dream, and we're very proud of how they turned out!

And finally, we rounded off the year with perhaps our best Clash of Kings supplement book ever. With background lore by C L Werner, absolutely gorgeous new art, list updates for most factions from our amazing rules committee, the whole Twilight Kin army list, and other brand new gaming content...phew!....this really is a must-read book for fantasy rank-and-flank fans. Make sure to get your copy HERE!

So what's in store for 2024? Firstly, I'm going to ask you all for your help with something that will give us all more games and opponents to play - and then we'll show you what's coming. Deal? Deal!

Recruit Your Friends - with Ambush

We all know that Kings of War is the best rank-and-flank game out there, hands-down. Slick rules, plenty of character, the great modelling opportunities from multibasing...the list goes on!

It keeps on growing, but we know that everyone still wants more opponents. So what we're asking you all to do in 2024 is simply this: recruit one friend to the game.

We all know the best way to get started with a miniature wargame - and that's with a great value starter box. Easy-to-build plastic miniatures, all the rules you need to start, and plenty of models to get going at an unbelievable price!

Building 2,300 points takes a lot of time and effort, but what about one box of cool plastic models? Anyone can (and loves to) do that! This is what we would love you to show your gaming buddies, so they can try out a smaller game (to see just how great it is) without feeling like they should go and buy a whole army on day one.

With Ambush, you could be built, painted and playing within a weekend if you're quick! Click on the image to view all of our Kings of War 'Getting Started' range, including these great sets.

2024 - The Year of the Frog

So here we go, let's get stuck into what's coming. Personally, I think it's guaran-toad to make you all very happy. Right, enough amphibian puns - let's hop to it!

The Trident Realm of Neritica are just one of many Mantic factions where we stray beyond the bounds of classic fantasy races. Channelling the power of Pannithor's lakes, rivers and oceans into a compelling battlefield presence means that you're really spoiled for choice when it comes to cool and unusual units.

Want to field a Kraken? Water elementals? Giant crabs? Scary infantry with octopus heads? Have we got you covered!

This faction already has a great hard plastic sprue for the Naiads, one of the core blocks of infantry. But we felt that the Riverguard (one of our old multi-part metal kits) were the unit that most needed an upgrade to our brilliant new hard-plastic kit standard. After all, who doesn't want frogs riding frogs with giant killer crossbows?

And while we're overhauling our favourite frogs, we're going to do the big ones too - the Dambusters! Have a look at some of the concept art below, and in a few short months you'll be able to see how it's all translated into reality.

But it's not JUST frogs coming in 2024. No-no-no, we will also have other units...and some surprises in store.

Like this big chap for starters - the Coral Giant! We can't wait to show you more of this amazing new miniature. It's packed with evocative and characterful little details that really bring the oceanic nature of the Trident Realm to life alongside classic units like the Water Elementals.

Telling the Story

And finally, as Pannithor's story continues to progress - make sure to check out Pride of a King, the new novel by fantasy author Ben Stoddard featuring...you guessed it...Dwarfs! ;)

Let's just say that tensions are building for a scrap long-in-the-making. As a little holiday gift from Mantic and Winged Hussar (our publishing parnters) you can find a free sample of the new book HERE.

Ben previously wrote Drowned Secrets, which really gets into exploring the Trident Realm (a good one to read ahead of the 2024 army refresh).

Wrapping Up

So - let's put Trident Realm on the roadmap.

In the second half of the year, you can also look forward to another army refresh - and this one's more fiery - but you'll have to wait for my next update for that!

As you can see with Clash of Kings events selling out, heaps of new hard plastics, an easy way to get started, and new stories and global campaigns bringing the world to life - gaming in Pannithor has never been better than it is today.

So do your friends a huge favour and bring them along for the ride - the future's bright!

Keep rolling 6's everyone,

Ronnie