Perry Good...

Apologies dear reader, I couldn't resist the very poor title.

Recently I had the opportunity to play a learning game of Kings of War.

Being the indecisive type I ummed and ahhhed over whether I was going to collect this game (having quite enough games on my shelves already), and then over which army I might collect *if* I chose to...

Having already purchased a couple of boxes of plastics for use with Mordheim, I thought a fairly easy jump-in point would be to use the left overs as the basis for my army, so Kingdoms of Men (a catch-all army) seemed the easiest option.

First off let me say that Kings of War was a remarkably simple game, the stat line is minimal and the game play is straightforward. It is a very beer and pretzels style of game, where large armies can clash, fight for victory and head home for a pint of the best afterwards. The learning game I played was large enough, and was over in around an hour. There is a risk, when designing a simple game, of removing tactical depth, now I am hardly qualified (after one play) to judge Kings of War appropriately, but I enjoyed the game immensely. The choices you make impact the game significantly. The positioning of your units, the timing of your movements, your ability to attack a flank or outnumber your foe are all significant factors that require some thought both in deployment and maneuver. I'll write more on the game as I gain experience, but thus far I am impressed. I had a lot of fun, and am particularly thrilled to have found a big battle game that plays as quickly and simply as a skirmish game.

Having now (finally) begun to assemble my force I felt particularly inspired to comment on a singular observation: Perry Miniatures make some absolutely stunning figures. I have been putting together men-at-arms and archers from the 'English Army 1415-1429' box, and they are brilliant.

I am increasingly disliking the exaggerated miniatures produced at the 28mm scale, with over-sized weapons and proportions... it must be my age. As I have been putting the Perry figures together my appreciation for their quality and excellence has grown significantly. I enjoyed painting the ones I put together for my Mordheim band, I love the look of the Napoleonics models I have assembled for Sharp Practice, and the bases of miniatures coming together for my Kings of War force look stunning.

One of the sprues from the box (obviously archers), which provides some nice choices. The different sprues provide a different range of options; the men-at-arms ones had a variety of weapon choices.

All the pieces snipped off the sprue and trimmed, ready to be glued together and based. I am multi-basing the units for Kings of War.

The crisp detail in these figures is absolutely brilliant, the historical aesthetic, with good proportions and a variety of poses and expressions is also excellent (though the expressions are hard to note on those wearing full armour!). Each of the men-at-arms came with a detached visor which could be added (as above), glued as if raised (below), or not added at all.

Perry Miniatures are some of the absolute best quality figures I own. I know companies like Games Workshop and others have a reputation for producing high quality plastics, but for me, Perry Miniatures has become a favourite. The detail, variety of options, price and aesthetic are all huge ticks as far I am concerned. They are truly excellent, and well worth looking at.

Some Perry figures painted up for my Averlander warband for Mordheim.