Update November 20, 2020: This article was written before the official rules for Kings of War Historical were released. The authors of that reached out to me in fact and asked if I wanted to be involved, but I didn't have the spare time back then... but still you can see how the authors or that also took inspiration from the idea that a spearman unit is a spearman unit and put a generic list first, which I borrowed from certain other games... still, I'm leaving these here because they may still give some inspiration, and also they just represent so much time spent! On with the original article!
Kings of War is a great set of rules, and the 2nd Edition is exceptional! The rules are from Mantic Games and are written by none other than Alessio Cavatore of Games Workshop rule-writing fame, but it isn't a Warhammer clone. Alessio felt that simple rules are the best, and he created a game with the same tactical complexity as Warhammer but without all of the needless complexity. It's design philosophy was to get past the fiddly rules learning and complex list-building of Warhammer, and straight to game play as soon as possible.
The rules, being as great as they are for fantasy battles, offer excellent potential for historical battles. They combine the opportunity for fantastic historical hobby content as well as great tactical complexity without all the fiddly rules associated with other historical rule sets (Hail Ceasar, Warhammer Ancients, Field of Glory, DBA, and DBMM to name a few). As such, the Kings of War Historical Ancient Combat - KoWHAC - party began for me and many helpful contributors!
To use the free supplements below, you must have a copy of the free Kings of War Rules from Mantic Games; with that rule set and the below supplements you're ready for some historical gaming.
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The ubiquitous image of knights in shining armour, bowmen releasing a volley, Arabs defending their territory from the religious orders, and British Noblemen defending their castles from the King are a lure for many historical gamers. This supplement is set to cover them all!
From the fall of England to the Normans, through the Mongol invasions, from the Hundred Years War to the fall of Granada this supplement covers 1100 to 1500CE. Download this supplement, grab your old knight figures, re-base your bowmen and set up some terrain because this massive supplement covers 400 years of medieval mayhem!
Last Update: February 23, 2016
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The age of Ancient Greece, the Persian Empire, and the rise of Alexander's Macedonia is a period that sees a radical diversity in army size, technology, and methods of warfare. As such, it offers great opportnity for gaming as is a favourite period for many.
This supplement covers ancient Greece and Greek colonies in Italy, North Africa, and the east. It also covers the expanse of the Achaemenid Persian empire from its rise to it's fall. Finally, it includes Alexander's Macedonia and all of the kingdoms and empires that it cam into conflict with. Finally, it follows the remnants of Alexander's successors up until the appearance of Rome in Greece.
Last Update: February 23, 2016
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The Roman Empire is a major icon in historical gaming and European history in general. Every historical gamer has at least considered collecting either a Roman army or an army of one of its enemies.
This supplement covers all of the armies of Rome, from early Camillan Rome, through to Imperial Rome, and finally Patrician Rome. Along with that, the supplement even covers Sub-Roman Britain, which is better known as Arthurian Britain. This supplement also includes all of the major enemies of Rome as well, from its easrly days to its fall.
Last Update: February 23, 2016
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The Viking Age is the period that really got me into historical gaming, which was a major factor in getting this supplement together. It covers pretty much all of Europe between about 800CE to 1100CE.
Every kingdom and culture that the Vikings touched during the period is represented, from the Anglo-Saxons, to the Franks, the Spanish and Andalusians, North Africa, Italy, all the way to the Middle East. Along with that it includes the Rus, early Slavs and Bulgars, the Magyars, Pechenegs, and Byzantium itself.
Last Update: February 23, 2016
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This supplement covers the English Civil War, which is currently supported by a fantastic line of figures from Warlord Games. This one was written by Thaddeus Urban who has gracefully allowed me to host this here!
The English Civil War period pushes the bounds of the Kings of War rule set into the 17th Century with gusto, bringing along with it units of pike & shotte men, dragoons, harquebusiers, and saker cannons.
This is currently in a stable version (version 2.1) and has seen peer-review and play testing. The current format and layout may change in the near future, but it's great for ECW battles as it is!