The Hook & The Big Reveal
Ever felt like you’re just guessing when building a Kings of War list? Or that the “meta” feels more like whispered rumors than hard facts? We’ve all been there.
Relying on gut feelings and anecdotal evidence from that one guy at the club can only get you so far. What if you could stop guessing and start knowing? What if you could peek behind the curtain and see what’s actually winning games?
Well, I’ve been locked away in the data dungeon, and I’m thrilled to unveil my latest creation: a shiny new Streamlit app that lets you dive deep into over 3,000 Kings of War tournament games! Stop reading, start exploring. Seriously.
Click here to check out the app right now!
This isn’t just a spreadsheet dump; it’s a tool for the data-hungry general. Want to know if having more scoring drops really translates to more wins? Curious how high Unit Strength lists actually perform on the table? What are the hard win rates of different army builds? This app lets you filter, sort, and compare to your heart’s content.
From Gut Feelings to Data-Driven Dominance: A Paradigm Shift
Remember the old days? Wargaming wisdom was passed down through thousand-page forum posts and whispered across tabletops. “Just build what feels right!” or “That new unit is clearly broken!” It was an era of intuition and hearsay.
But just like professional sports and esports have embraced analytics, competitive wargaming is ripe for its own data revolution. This isn’t about sucking the fun out of the game or finding the one “solved” list. It’s about sharpening your tactical edge and understanding the game on a much deeper level.
This app is the next big step in our mission here at Data and Dice: to bring statistical rigor and clarity to the beautiful chaos of the dice roll. It’s about turning your intuition into an informed, data-backed decision.
Cracking the Code: Inside the Archetype Machine
So, we have 3,000+ lists. That’s a mountain of data. How do we make sense of it all without drowning in an ocean of unit entries?
My secret weapon: Army Archetypes.
I’ve built a script that processes every single list, scales it to a fair 2,300-point baseline, and then categorizes it into a common playstyle. Think of it as your meta-decoder ring. It groups armies by what they do on the table.
Let’s meet the meta crew:
- Alpha Strike: The glass cannons and speed demons. They hit hard, hit fast, and want the game decided by turn three. High risk, high reward.
- Gun Line: The pew-pew perfectionists. Bringing enough ranged attacks to make a dwarf blush and force the enemy to come to them.
- Trash: The glorious horde. A tidal wave of bodies that wins through sheer board presence and objective supremacy. Who cares if they die? There are more where they came from.
- Grind: The immovable objects, the unbreakable anvils. Packed with high defense and nerve, these lists are designed to take a punch and still be standing on turn six. Good luck digging them out.
- Mixed Arms (Shambling-heavy): The versatile tricksters. A balanced offensive punch with a resilient, shambling core that’s hard to shift.
- Mixed Arms: The flexible all-rounders. A little bit of shooting, a little bit of combat. They are adaptable to almost any situation.
- Balanced: The chameleons. These lists don’t lean heavily into any one area but are solid across the board, ready to react to an opponent’s plan.
This classification system opens the door to understanding the big-picture trends. Are Alpha Strike lists really dominating the current meta? Are Grind lists underperforming? Now you can stop speculating and see for yourself.
The Fireside Chat: Where the Data Gets Spicy
Let’s get a few things straight. This is where the numbers meet the real world.
- The Archetype Arena: I know what you’re thinking. “My list is more of a ‘Grindy-Alpha with a splash of Trash’!” You’re probably right. Assigning labels can be contentious. Do you agree with how these lists are categorized? Do these archetypes capture the full spectrum of KoW armies? This tool is designed to spark discussion, not be the final word. Jump into the KOW Forum thread and tell me how you’d define them!
- Correlation vs. Causation: This is rule #1 of data club. The app shows what happens, not always why. Just because a certain archetype has a high win rate doesn’t mean it’s an “I win” button. Player skill, lucky dice, and specific matchups still play a massive role. Use the data as a guide, not a gospel.
- The “Fun vs. Optimal” Divide: Does crunching numbers this way take the joy out of list building? I argue it enhances it. Data gives you a new lens to look through. It provides new challenges (“Can I make a winning Trash list with this army?”), new insights, and a deeper appreciation for the game’s intricate design.
- Data’s Blind Spots: Remember, this data is from tournaments. Your casual garage games, club-specific scenarios, or games using homebrew rules aren’t in here. The data reflects a specific, competitive environment, so keep that context in mind.
Join the Data-Driven Crusade!
This is a living project. The thresholds I’ve set for these archetypes aren’t carved into stone tablets. As more 2024 and 2025 tournament data rolls in, I’ll be refining and updating these definitions to keep pace with the ever-evolving meta. (You can follow the nitty-gritty technical discussion over on the KOW Forum thread).
This app is in its first iteration, and it’s built for YOU. Your feedback is absolutely crucial to making it better.
I need your brainpower. Take the app for a spin and tell me:
- Does it work as smoothly as you expect? Any bugs or weirdness?
- Are there other stats or filters you’re dying to see? (e.g., filter by specific units, hero types, etc.)
- Do the archetype definitions hit the mark, or do you have better ideas for the thresholds?
- What awesome, mind-blowing trends did you uncover?!
Ping me on the forums, or use the contact form on the site to share your thoughts.
Go Forth and Crunch Some Numbers!
This is an incredibly exciting step forward for data-driven Kings of War analysis, and I can’t wait to see what insights you all dig up.
The power is in your hands now. Go validate your theories, spot emerging threats, and build your lists with more confidence than ever before.
Happy list-building!
