Kings of War Slow Grow Challenge Episode 2: Meet the Challengers!

New here? Be to check out the Intro Episode and Episode One in the Slow Grow series before diving into today's article! 

Over the past two weeks, we’ve talked about what the Slow Grow Challenge is, why we’re doing it, and how you can get started if you’re new.

Now it’s time to put some names and faces to it, and get cracking!

Four of us here at Mantic are taking part in the challenge, each building a brand-new army over the next 24 weeks. We’re all coming at this from slightly different places, but we’re committed to the same milestones and are looking forward to sharing the journey with all of you.

One of the themes of the slow grow is to show that building a sizeable Kings of War army needn’t be intimidating – it’s more than achievable if you break it down into manageable steps.

Let’s meet the four intrepid challengers who will be putting that idea to the test!

Alex – The Reformed Perfectionist (Trident Realms)

Starting With: Axel Tricklebrook Champions Company

AG: I’ve been in and out of the hobby for most of my life. As a kid I was building model aircraft and playing board games, and I properly discovered miniature wargaming around the age of 10 or 11. Like a lot of people, I drifted away in my twenties, then came back in my thirties.

When I got into Kings of War in 2021, I definitely had a sense of unfinished business. I’d never managed to paint up a full fantasy army when I was younger, and that always niggled at me a bit. With Kings of War, I started small (literally!) by building armies for the unofficial 10mm version of the game, before eventually moving into 28mm once I found a local group in 2024.

For the slow grow, I’ve chosen the Trident Realms. I love the new Depth Horror and Placoderm kits, and I’m really drawn to their mysterious and slightly morally ambiguous place in the lore – they’re not bad guys, but they’re not exactly good guys either.

I love all aspects of this hobby, but if I'm honest, I'm probably more of a gamer than a painter. I want my models to look good on the tabletop, but I’ve had to train myself away from the idea that every single model needs to be painted to the absolute best of my ability. I do have perfectionist tendencies, and they have definitely slowed my painting down in the past. These days, I try to focus on achieving a result I’m happy with in the most efficient way possible. I want to get my models on the table!

My biggest challenge over the next few weeks is that I’m moving house (internationally, no less!) right in the middle of stage one. Not ideal timing, but we’ll have to find a way around it!

Ross – The Fresh Recruit (Ogres)

Starting With: Arokamorra Champions Company

RC: Gaming has always been a big part of my life – tabletop and video games alike. Growing up in a small village in the Lake District, it was one of the best ways to get people together. Over time that turned into something a bit bigger; I now own hundreds of board games and have worked in the tabletop industry for nearly a decade.

But when it comes to Kings of War, I’m brand new.

I’ll be honest, I chose Ogres for two simple reasons: they have a very cool theme, and there are fewer minis to paint. That felt like a sensible way to ease myself into this.

Painting is still new territory for me. I’m not aiming for perfection. My goal is simply to take grey plastic and turn it into something colourful and alive. Theme matters more to me than technical precision – I want the models to feel like characters on the table.

What I’m most looking forward to is the community side of it all. Painting together on lunch breaks, sharing progress, and stepping away from screens for a while. There’s something about painting minis that just feels perfect as a way of disconnecting from the digital world for a bit.

I think the biggest challenge for me will be the initial learning curve. That needn’t be a negative though. Seeing other people out there in the community with way more skill than me is inspiring rather than intimidating. My main goal really is just to have fun, and improve along the way.

Dan – The Lore-Led General (Xirkaali)

Starting With: Xirkaali Battalion Box

DM: Miniature games have been part of my life since I was about 11 when I got my first box as a birthday present. Like many of us, I later drifted away during university, then came back to the hobby in 2014 when Deadzone caught my attention. I started a few Kings of War projects during 3rd Edition, but never quite managed to finish the kind of 'big army' we all dream of.

So that’s what I’m aiming to change with this challenge!

I’ve chosen Xirkaali, partly because I was lucky enough to sit in on some of the early discussions about them. They’d been on the internal radar at Mantic for years, with references and hints about them going back a long way. That sense of connection, combined with a great model range and their compelling backstory, made them an easy choice. I also really enjoyed how they were depicted in the novel Stand at Callenspire.

I wouldn’t describe myself as a technical painter, and am a very big believer that a strong colour scheme can make even basic painting look great on the tabletop. Slapchop, washes and drybrushing will definitely feature, and I’m aiming for slightly desaturated, earthy tones across the army.

The main challenge for me will be sticking to the schedule - between work and family life with two young boys, carving out hobby time takes some discipline! But that’s also part of the appeal – because when we make the time, it really is nice to pick up a brush and slow life down for a couple of hours.

Tobias – The Hobby Dynamo (Xirkaali)

Starting With: Xirkaali Battalion Box

TW: I got into wargaming when I was eight years old, and even then I was convinced I’d end up working in the industry. Since then I’ve built up a fairly sizeable collection – much to my wife’s amusement – across fantasy, sci-fi and historical systems.

My route into Mantic was actually through Kings of War Historical, which I’ve been told is a very obscure way of getting into a fantasy game! Since then I’ve built up a solid collection of Ogres, and also play Kings of War Champions regularly.

For the slow grow, I’ve chosen Xirkaali. I love their aesthetic, and I’ve got an orange-based colour scheme in mind that I think will look striking across the army as a whole.

I’d describe myself as an industrious hobbyist. Once I’ve settled on a scheme, I can get into a rhythm and churn through models at a good pace. The slowest part for me is always building – that’s where the real time investment sits.

In recent years I’ve focused on painting as many models as possible, which has nudged my style towards speed over detail. With the Xirkaali having a relatively compact model count, I’m looking forward to slowing down a little and adding more detail than I usually would.

The biggest challenge for me during stage one will probably be the fact that I’ll be travelling to quite a few events for work, which disrupts the schedule a bit. Not to mention that my son is turning two very soon – he certainly keeps me busy!

Building Armies in Bite-Sized Chunks

So there you have it! That’s the Slow Grow Challenge team from Mantic. We’ve got a range of different experience levels, hobby styles and life circumstances – but we’re all excited about building our Kings of War 4^th edition armies, and enjoying the process!

Between now and July, we’ll be working through the same challenge stages we’ve laid out for everyone else – one chunk at a time, building steadily towards fully painted 2000 point armies, which we’ll take to the battlefield in the summer campaign.

None of us are studio-level painters, but that’s part of the point – we’re real hobbyists building real armies. We’re also aiming to post a blog update every single week for the duration of the challenge – even during weeks when things go wrong or real life gets in the way.

Next week, our first hobby updates will begin.

If you’ve been reading along and haven’t yet jumped in – it’s by no means too late! Pick an army, make your first purchase, and come along for the ride. Everyone’s welcome!