Trying out Kings of War

Foreword

Although my main wargame is Warhammer 40k, I do like and have played Warhammer Fantasy. I followed the rumors after 8th edition, and, like most gamers, I was appalled by Age of Sigmar. I was very sorry to see all my magnetized bases done for nothing, and resolved to continue playing 8th edition Fantasy as long as I had anybody to play with.
Given the above, I was excited to hear about a new-ish game that was to be "the spiritual successor" to Warhammer Fantasy. Enter Kings of War.

Kings of War - overview

With my vast experience of reading through the rules twice and playing 2 games at 700 points, here goes.
First of all, the game is very easy to jump into rule-wise. The starter rules are available for free. Yes, you can download the core rules (about 25 pages) and some army books to just try out the game. The full rulebook adds a couple more pages: tournament rules, magic artefacts to upgrade units and other things that you can actually live without. Compare that to the hundreds of pages of Warhammer rulebooks (and also to the 4 pages Age of Sigmar "rulebook") and you've got a simple and consistent ruleset that still has enough dept to enjoy.
Second of all, the game is also easy to jump into model-wise. This is unlike Warhammer Fantasy, where you need a vast collection of models for the simplest of games (looking at you, 4x10 hordes or 100-man Skaven armies). Each model you need to field (meaning: purchase, assemble, paint) is slowly removed from the table. In Kings of War, models are not removed unless the entire unit is removed. This means that you can model your bases as small dioramas, with only 50-60% of the needed models actually on it (this is endorsed by the company). Damage takes the form of counters.
As far as gameplay, I found Kings of War to be - again - simple and enjoyable. Movement is greatly simplified as opposed to Fantasy, much like all the other phases. The pacing tends to be quick and brutal. Both our 700-point games were over in around 30 minutes. Again, compare to the couple-hours slow grind of Fantasy battles, where two hordes could munch each other for endless turns.

On to the pictures!

Fantasy terrain is perfect for this game. Note the absence of templates and other tools. Dice and a ruler is all you need.
Also note that, since we didn't have the miniatures needed (in my case, no movement trays), we just used proxies for the bases. My opponent had a finished unit of orcs and used wooden boards for the rest. I had two units of appropriate size (the Flesh Hound equivalents and the monster on the far left); for the other 3, I cut out appropriate pieces of paper and placed a miniature on it to denote its type.

My Chroneas (the monster) moves in on the orc Gore Riders hiding behind the trees. Note the damage counter. In the middle, the Morax regiment (orcs wielding two hand axes) contemplate charging my Flamebearers (Pink Horror equivalents).

Having annihilated the unit of orc archers and regular regiment, the Lower Abyssals (Bloodletter equivalents) and Hellhounds move to encircle the Morax.

 For the second game, I placed my units in a bull's horns formation, waiting for the enemy to be drawn forward and be encircled. The orcs fell into the trap and were quickly annihilated.

My opponent's beautifully painted and arranged orcs, next to an orc hero on mount (the empty base) and my partially painted hounds.