Kings of War Community Army Spotlight: Stephan’s Xirkaali (Part One)

COMMUNITY ARMY SPOTLIGHT: STEPHAN'S XIRKAALI (PART ONE)

"This is Kings of War. Come join us!"

Today on the blog we’re very happy to showcase a beautiful-looking Xirkaali army, painted by Facebook user and Kings of War community member, ‘Alfred Eisenmann’ (real name: Stephan). We caught up with Stephan, and chatted to him about a range of topics – how he got into Kings of War, why he chose Xirkaali, how he painted the army, and more! Today’s blog is part one of two. Be sure to check back tomorrow for part two!

Stephan’s Background

Stephan is 40 years old, and lives in South Germany. He’s been playing Kings of War for around 11 years. He and several friends had previously dabbled with other miniature wargames, but in 2015 they switched over to Kings and War and they haven’t looked back since.

The Speed of Kings of War

Stephan’s group fell in love with Kings of War quite quickly when they tried it. “It was like, wow, the game goes so much quicker. The way units move…well, everything really!”. He told us that, with other games they'd played, it wasn’t uncommon to be playing for 4 or 5 hours and still only be part-way through the battle. By contrast, with Kings of War, you’d easily be able to finish a game in an evening – something that he and his friends really appreciated. Far more satisfying when every battle reaches its conclusion!

The Appeal of Multi-Basing

Stephan’s a keen modeller – he started out as a child, with kits for model aircraft, tanks and similar. He still loves that aspect of the hobby now, and highlighted multi-basing as his favourite feature of Kings of War from a hobby perspective.

Interestingly, he told us how adopting Kings of War led to something of a hobby renaissance for him and his group of friends – whereas previously they’d been content to play with grey plastic models, with Kings of War they were more motivated to get everything painted. “I just thought how much nicer everything would look if I painted the miniatures before sticking them to the unit base,” he said. “From that time on, I painted way more than before!”

The Newness of the Xirkaali

We asked Stephan why he chose Xirkaali, and the answer was pretty simple – because they’re new and different! He already has a number of painted armies for Kings of War, and he was in the mood to tackle something new, rather than add to his existing armies.

With Xirkaali being brand-new additions to Pannithor, and quite unlike any other existing faction, it was an easy decision for him to dive in. “I also really liked the Mongolian-inspired aesthetic”, he told us.

A “Basing First” Approach: Inspirations and Colour Scheme

From the outset, Stephan wanted the basing to be a prominent element in how his army looks. He did his research by looking at pictures of real-world Asian temples and other architecture, and this guided how the army looks. The idea for red and teal as the main colours came from those real-world inspirations – meaning that Stephan actually chose the colours for his basing elements first, and then figured out how to make the miniatures fit in with that afterwards. An interesting approach – and we’re sure you’ll agree that the results are quite striking.

(Note: The archways and other scenic basing elements are 3D prints. The STLs are from Titan Forge.)

Favourite Unit

When asked what his favourite unit in the army is, Stephan replied without hesitation -  the Matriarch.

He says she was the first miniature he picked out of the box when he opened it. “She’s just a gorgeous miniature. A really nice sculpt, and really easy to paint,” he added.

The “PR Effect” of Eye-Catching Basing

Stephan regularly plays in his local gaming club (shout out to the Snake Eyes Club!), where various different games are played and there’s a mix of people coming and going. One of the reasons why he put so much effort into the basing for his Xirkaali army is that he wanted it to be eye-catching, and to draw people’s attention to Kings of War. “I think basing is one of the things people notice immediately. For example, they might not look at one individual goblin and say ‘oh, that’s well painted’. But they would be a lot more likely to notice the look of a whole regiment of goblins, with some kind of cool scenic base.”

With that in mind, he wanted his Xirkaali army to act as an advert for Kings of War within the club. “It’s a ‘PR army’, if you like,” he says. And it’s working – Stephan told us how, a few weeks ago, he was giving a demo, and the army caught the attention of several other people, who came over and commented on how nice it looked. “That was intentional”, he says. “I wanted to make a statement with this army – this is Kings of War. Come join us!”

...and come join us tomorrow for part two of this blog, where Stephan will share insights on his painting process, and his tips for getting an army painted.