Kings of War Slow Grow Challenge Episode 7: Community Spotlight

The Story So Far…

So, here we are at the start of Stage Two of the Kings of War Slow Grow Challenge, and it’s been a lot of fun so far! This week, we want to start with a brief recap of where we’re at and where we’re heading, before turning the spotlight on a couple of the slow grow army projects that have caught our eye out there in the community.

If you’re joining us for the first time, here’s a rundown of the previous blog episodes so you can get caught up:

• Introduction: Laying out the concept and the timeline for the challenge
• Episode 1: A guide on where to get started if you’re new to Kings of War
• Episode 2: Meet the four challengers from Team Mantic
• Episode 3: Our first hobby updates
• Episode 4: Painting begins
• Episode 5: Progress and obstacles
• Episode 6: Stage one milestone reached

And here’s a recap of the remaining milestone dates:

• Stage Two: Friday 1^st May
• Stage Three: Friday 12^th June
• Stage Four: Friday 24^th July

Be sure to get them in your calendar!

Shifting the Spotlight

With Stage One in the rear-view, we’re now heading into the second six-week block, working towards 1000 points.

So far, this blog series has mostly followed the progress of our four Team Mantic challengers. But one of the best parts of this project has been seeing how many of you are building armies alongside us.

This week and next, we’re turning the spotlight over to the community.

Team Mantic are still working away on our own armies and we’ll be back with updates soon. For now, let’s look at a couple of fantastic projects from the wider slow grow community.

Justin and Sons (Wisconsin, USA) – Elves, Trident Realms & Halflings

What first caught our eye about Justin’s project was that he wasn’t just sharing his own army – he was also posting updates from his two sons, with all three of them taking on the slow grow challenge together. At Mantic, we really believe in sharing the joy of this hobby with friends and family, so it’s great to see a father and his sons enjoying the journey together. On top of that, Justin is a king of batch-painting, and his methodical approach has already taken him well beyond the 500-point goal for Stage One. Here’s what he told us when we caught up with him…

Justin: I’m not new to Kings of War. A buddy and I dabbled in 2^nd edition, but I got started properly in 3^rd edition. My first army was a Goblin army that I built around the time of Covid-19, and I also built an Orc army for a Counter Charge slow grow a few years ago. What keeps me coming back to Kings of War is the feel of moving a large force around the table and the importance of positioning and movement. That’s always been my favourite part of wargaming, and Kings of War really delivers on that.

Justin's Elves - so much for "slow" grow!

For this slow grow, I chose Elves as a way to push myself as a player. I’d heard they are a great faction to learn with – they reward skilful play, but if you don’t use them properly you’ll get deleted! My approach to the hobby side has been simple: big batches and a well-considered workflow.

Lots of Tallspears!

I’m a bit weird in that I actually enjoy painting large numbers of miniatures at once! I focus on keeping the process moderately quick while still producing a solid result consistently. Stage One went exactly how I’d hoped. Deadlines always help me stay productive, and the challenge gave me a clear target to work towards.

Kindred Archers and more Tallspears

The highlight so far has easily been the family side of things. My two sons Greyson (age 12) and Caedmon (age 11) are taking part as well, building Trident Realms and Halflings respectively. They had already been playing Deadzone with me for a few years, but they’re new to Kings of War.

Caedmon's Halflings

We started playing some Ambush games together in January, and it’s been great to see them get stuck in. They’re already playing games down in the basement together without me!

Greyson's Trident Realm

Looking ahead to Stage Two, I’m planning on doing even more core infantry – as they say on Counter Charge, you’ve got to eat your broccoli first! Plus, I’m a completionist and I really like having plenty of options at my fingertips when building lists.

A message for other people taking part? Have fun, move at a reasonable pace for your lifestyle and play some games!

Adrian (Australia) – Forces of the Abyss

What mainly caught our eye about Adrian’s project was the visuals. Not only are his miniatures beautifully painted, but we were really impressed with the colour selection and the basing. It’s a very striking look – they’re Forces of the Abyss…but not as you might know them! Here’s what Adrian told us…

Adrian: I’ve been playing Kings of War since the end of 1st Edition, and this is far from my first army. Over the years I’ve built Goblins, Salamanders, Trident Realms, Ogres and Dwarfs, but for this slow grow I decided to revisit my Abyssals and start again properly.

Regiment of Lower Abyssals

I’m a big fan of the rich background that Mantic is developing for Pannithor, and I also love the elegance of the core Kings of War rules. But I’m a hobbyist at heart, and I think what really keeps me coming back are the modelling opportunities you get with multi-basing. and how great a Kings of War army looks on the table!

The army taking shape

For me, starting a new army is always a mix of opportunity and inspiration. In this case, the opportunity was to repaint my old Forces of the Abyss army – I was never happy with how they looked.

Old colour scheme vs. new colour scheme

The inspiration came from a narrative idea that really clicked. This army is led by a Basilean warband who were captured and corrupted by agents of the Abyss. They now lead the very forces they swore to fight against, having been deluded into thinking their demonic allies are instead holy warriors of the Shining Ones. That concept has been a big driver for the project.

Basilean-flavoured Abyssal Harbinger

I also wanted to push myself visually. Instead of the usual red demon look, I went with a pink colour scheme to create something more striking. The basing took longer to figure out but, with the help of community feedback, I eventually settled on a tiled “creepy temple” style.

I must admit, Stage One was tight for me, timewise. Finding time to paint is always the biggest challenge, but I’m really pleased with how things have come together. Finishing my first unit of Lower Abyssals was the moment of truth when I knew the concept was working.

Regiment of Lower Abyssals

Even though I’m doing this solo, living in a very remote part of Australia, the community side of the slow grow has been a huge motivator. For Stage Two, I’m leaning into a fire theme, adding units like Efreet and Flame Bearers, with cavalry planned further down the line.

Regiment of Tortured Souls

A message for other people taking part? Show off your work! I love seeing how others are building their armies. And no matter what level of experience you're at in this hobby, the community can be a great source of both feedback and motivation.

The Challenge Continues

Thanks for reading, folks! Next week we’ll be back with some more slow grow army projects from the community. The week after, we’ll check in again with the Team Mantic challengers and see how they’re getting on.

Until then, happy painting and happy gaming!