You can now play Kings of War Champions entirely off your phone, for free. Mantic Games has folded the new skirmish version of its flagship fantasy battler into the Mantic Companion app, and from 10 April the full Champions rulebook, sample warbands, tokens and printable terrain are sat in the free tier alongside a built-in club and store locator. Paid subscribers (£7.50 a month from 1 May) unlock unit cards and stats for every Mantic-IP system.
Stop juggling Meetup, WhatsApp, and spreadsheets. One platform for your gaming group's events, RSVPs, and member management.
See how it worksChampions is Mantic's pitch for kitchen-table skirmish play: a small handful of units a side, twenty-minute games, and a deliberately low buy-in compared to Warcry or Kill Team. Mantic mini ranges aren't compulsory, which is the bit that matters for casual groups. Pull whatever fantasy plastic you have lying around, agree on stand-ins, and you're playing.
The reason this is news rather than just an app update is the Companion itself. Goonhammer's recent review was warm about how cleanly the app handles list-building and tournament admin, and free-tier list building plus a club locator means a brand-new Champions player can go from "what's this?" to "I have a warband and an opponent at my local club" without ever buying a book.
Got a regular group? Create a private community, poll for the best date, vote on games, and let your friends RSVP in one place.
Set up your group for freeFor UK gaming clubs and shops, this is a low-friction excuse to put on a Champions taster night. Pick a faction, hand someone a phone, get a couple of games in over a pint. If you fancy running one, list a Champions night on Backseat Gamer and let nearby players sign up.
Sources: Mantic Games | Goonhammer | Mantic Companion
