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I'm a new player who's never played before, but I am really excited after reading the rulebook. I come from Warhammer 40k and Fantasy, so I'm used to lots of really complicated rules, and this game seems refreshingly simple in comparison. I have several questions:

1st: Are the individual armies balanced? I know in Fantasy and 40k lots of armies are much stronger on a point per point basis than other armies, and I was wondering if that was the case in Kings of War. I play a relatively weak army in 40k, and I wanted to avoid being at the bottom in this game. Is there a general consensus about stronger armies and weaker armies, or all they all on about the same level?

2nd: The armies I like the most are: Goblins, Ogres, Orcs, and Dwarfs in no particular order. Can someone tell me about their play styles? Specifically which units are better or weaker, what synergy exists between units, and whether any of them should be avoided.

3rd: Are there any tips you have for a new player? Rules that might be easily forgotten the first time out? Basic tactics to remember?

Thanks for any help.

Welcome to the game :-)

1. There was power disparity in 1st ed but not to the same extent as in 40k or WHFB. Ogres, dwarfs and abyssals were definitely 2nd tier armies. We're currently running a public beta for playtesting to get the armies as equal as possible. Perfect balance is impossible but we want to ensure that faction selection has little impact on the game.

2. Ogres and Orcs are very similar in playstyle - run forward and thump stuff! That's not to say they don't need tactical nuance, but they have little in the way of shooting. Orcs are more of an overwhelming horde of slightly stronger than average infantry, while ogres are a more elite, less hordey but extremely capable battering ram.

Goblins run swarms of cheap and rubbish infantry. They have some nice war engines and light cavalry but rely on sheer numbers of disposable hordes to overwhelm the enemy.

Dwarfs were a gunline army in v1, but we're promoting the use of balanced armies in v2. They have rock hard solid bricks of infantry, who won't do a whole lot of damage by themselves in melee, but are backed up by some of the best artillery and ranged units in the game. Also dwarfs riding angry badgers.

3. Inspiring is very important. Ideally every unit should be within an inspiring bubble To protect them against flukey nerve rolls.

Overkill, overkill, overkill. Units keep fighting at full capacity until they pop so it's better to wipe out one unit with overkill than split your attacks between two units.

Screening with cheap units is a must, especially in v2. Pre-measurement is in, so barring a mistake your opponent will never let you get the first charge if they're faster. Run a screening unit in front however and they're forced to charge the screen. When they rout the screening unit they'll find a nice big juicy elite unit sat behind waiting to counter-charge.

If you are coming in from Warhammer, it is important to realize that the initial charge is nowhere near as devastating in Kings of War - a small unit can often hold a lager one long enough for a force to counter charge.

Inspiring is crucial - even a large unit can be Shaken if they get a crap Nerve roll.

The Auld Grump