Mantic Games is running a spring sale on its webstore, and it has one of the wildest deals I've seen in a long time. For $145 (£89) you can get a Mystery Battalion of miniatures that would ordinarily retail for $325 (£200), a full 1,000 point army for Mantic's flagship fantasy miniature wargame Kings of War. But there's one catch - you won't know what minis are in the box, or even which faction they're from, until you open the package.
Dare you take the risk? Kings of War is a rank and flank fantasy wargame that started life as a vehicle to sell cheaper alternatives to Warhammer figures, and that's how some people still see the range. But as you don't know what you're getting in a Mystery Battalion, it's really not much use for bulking out a Warhammer: The Old World army.
But it's a pretty damn good deal if you want to start playing Kings of War - which is still one of the best miniature wargames out there - and you don't care which army you start with. You can find everything in Mantic's Spring Sale via this link.
There are eight possible Mystery Battalions - Abyssal Dwarfs, Dwarfs, Empire of Dust, Goblins, Nightstalkers, Orcs, Ratkin, or Undead. If you order multiple battalions (perhaps because you're combining an order with your friends to save on shipping), Mantic guarantees that each box you receive will be distinct.
Mantic gives an example of the contents of the Empire of Dust Mystery Battllion, a mixture of plastic and resin kits. It contains forty plastic infantry that can be built as spearmen, warriors, or archers; ten plastic cavalry; three resin Wurm Riders; three resin Enslaved Guardians; a resin high priest; a resin standard bearer mounted on a horse; a chunky resin monolith; and a balefire catapult which is made from mixed components.
Mantic says "Kings of War 4th Edition is getting lots of support this year across two upcoming books, and new miniatures / kits for a whole range of factions - so we're making some space in the warehouse". There's no time limit on the deal, but stock is limited. Orders will ship in March.
Got a Kings of War army? Going to roll the dice on a Mystery Battalion just to see what you get? We'd love to see pictures in the Wargamer Discord community! We also have a dedicated deals channel in there, which is a great place to look out for bargains we discover. For a roundup of all the best stories on Wargamer each week, make sure you sign up to the Wargamer newsletter.