Spearhead vs Combat Patrol: Which Warhammer Game Should You Start With?

There are few things in Warhammer quite as satisfying as watching a carefully laid battle plan fall spectacularly apart. You’ve positioned your finest warriors perfectly. The enemy is exactly where you want them. Victory is practically assured.

Then you roll a double one.

Your opponent erupts with laughter, your general is suddenly in a very uncomfortable position, and the next ten minutes become considerably more entertaining than anything you’d planned. That’s Warhammer. And it’s glorious.

You don’t need a 2,000-point army or several months of painting to experience it, either. Enter Spearhead and Combat Patrol: smaller battles, predefined armies and a manageable first step into two wonderfully excessive universes.

Spearhead takes us into the Mortal Realms of Warhammer Age of Sigmar, where gods, monsters and mighty warriors wage endless war. Combat Patrol plunges us into the grim darkness of Warhammer 40,000, where an alarming quantity of firepower is the usual opening argument.

Both can get you rolling dice with a modest collection. But if you’re choosing a game to play regularly, rather than simply your first box of miniatures, there’s a more interesting difference to explore.

Spearhead vs Combat Patrol: The Differences at a Glance

Spearhead is our choice for a dedicated small-scale Warhammer game. Combat Patrol is an excellent introduction to Warhammer 40,000, particularly if you’re planning to build a larger army.

Both formats have rules written specifically for their forces. Spearhead’s advantage is the way its armies, boards, cards and changing battlepacks work together as a complete small-game experience.

At a glance	Spearhead	Combat Patrol
Warhammer setting	Age of Sigmar: gods, monsters and magic	Warhammer 40,000: alien wars and the far future
Army selection	Predefined forces	Predefined forces
Battlefield	30 × 22.4 inches	44 × 30 inches
Dedicated rules	Tailored warscrolls, faction abilities and battlepacks	Tailored datasheets, faction rules and missions
Distinctive features	Battle tactic and command cards, twists and compact objectives	40K movement, shooting and fighting in a smaller battle
Physical gaming support	Fire and Jade, Sand & Bone, and City of Ash gaming materials	Combat Patrol: Battlezone supplies boards and terrain
Our recommendation	A compact game to keep playing in its own right	A first taste of 40K, especially with a larger collection in mind

Neither format asks you to write a conventional points-based army list. Choose a force and learn what it can do. And if one setting already has you dreaming up colour schemes, pay attention: enthusiasm for your army matters more than winning a comparison table.

Spearhead: Small Armies, Proper Battles

Age of Sigmar is gloriously extravagant. Armoured demigods hurl themselves into battle against restless ghosts, towering monsters and Skaven: scheming humanoid rats whose enthusiasm for dangerous machinery is matched only by their enthusiasm for treachery. Spearhead squeezes that character onto a much smaller battlefield without asking every army to behave alike.

It was conceived as a game in its own right. Games Workshop’s original Spearhead introduction described a standalone format, with purpose-written warscrolls and rules. You use the specified force, with its own abilities and options, rather than trimming an ordinary army list until it fits.

The clever bit is what happens around those armies. Battle tactic cards give you scoring opportunities, while their command options make you weigh immediate help against potential victory points. Twist cards alter the conditions. A compact board gets the action moving, and suddenly that apparently straightforward scrap has become a series of awkward little decisions.

Do you commit to the tempting fight, or keep a unit where it can score? Spend a useful card now, or hold your nerve? The enemy general might deserve a thoroughly good kicking, but an objective can be worth rather more than revenge.

The Gaming Packs Make a Difference

Fire and Jade established the format’s board-and-card approach. Sand & Bone brought new battlefields in Shyish, alongside fresh cards and terrain. In 2026, City of Ash added another dedicated gaming pack.

That continued attention is the strongest argument for Spearhead. A new pack gives you another way to use an army you already own. You can explore the format by changing the battlefield, learning a different force or improving your play, without treating a bigger army as the inevitable next purchase.

There is organised play behind it, too. Games Workshop reported more than 50 sign-ups for its studio Spearhead league, and dedicated Spearhead events give players somewhere to take those small armies. There is plenty to enjoy after the introductory game is over.

Combat Patrol: The Far Future in a Smaller Box

There is, of course, a perfectly good response to all that: “Yes, but I want Space Marines.” Fair enough. If it’s the thunder of boltguns, the swagger of Orks or the cold menace of Necrons that brought you here, Combat Patrol has an immediate advantage.

Its appeal is straightforward. Pick a patrol, build the prescribed force and play a smaller battle that introduces the movement, shooting, fighting and objective-taking at the heart of 40K. It gives you a reason to finish a manageable collection before the temptation to buy an entire armoured company becomes overwhelming.

Combat Patrol does have dedicated rules. Its tailored datasheets, army abilities and missions are an essential part of the format. It is not simply a handful of miniatures using every rule from a full-sized army, and its fixed forces take much of the initial list-building work off your plate.

Combat Patrol’s Support Has Moved Forward

The 2026 changes deserve proper credit. Games Workshop’s July app update put current Combat Patrol rules in the official Warhammer 40,000 app for free, without a codex purchase or subscription. The app also supports its missions and scorekeeping.

Physical support has improved as well. Combat Patrol: Battlezone provides a dedicated battlefield with boards and terrain. It gives players a ready-made setting for their patrols to fight over.

Our preference for Spearhead still stands. Its recurring battlepacks and card-driven decisions give it the stronger identity as a compact game to return to week after week. Combat Patrol’s particular strength is letting you enjoy 40K while beginning a collection that can grow with you.

We would love to see that investment continue. There is plenty of room for a thriving small-scale 40K scene alongside larger battles, and a good Combat Patrol opponent is worth far more than an argument about which format has the bigger following.

What Do You Actually Need to Buy?

Start with the distinction between an army box and a starter set. A Spearhead or Combat Patrol army box generally supplies one force. It does not automatically include an opponent, a board, terrain and every gaming accessory. A suitable two-player starter set can cover much more of the table in one purchase.

• Your miniatures: one prescribed force per player, assembled for the format you intend to play.
• The gaming materials: the appropriate rules, missions or battlepack, a suitable battlefield, and its terrain and cards where required.
• The basics: dice, measuring tools and objective markers as needed.
• Hobby supplies: clippers and suitable assembly tools, glue where required, plus primer, brushes and paints when you’re ready to add colour.

Starting Spearhead

For two beginners happy to collect Stormcast Eternals and Skaven, Bomran’s Age of Sigmar Ultimate Starter Set is a particularly useful starting point. It brings those forces together with a Spearhead board, terrain, cards and gaming essentials.

Already have a preferred faction, or a friend who owns the battlefield? Choose an individual Spearhead instead. Shared gaming materials only need buying once for your table, so this can be a sensible way for two players to begin different armies.

The City of Ash Gaming Pack is a separate purchase of gaming materials. It is not the larger City of Ash boxed set containing two armies. That distinction matters when you’re deciding what will actually arrive in the parcel.

Starting Combat Patrol

Bomran’s current Warhammer 40,000 Starter Set brings Space Marines and Orks together with terrain, boards and gaming essentials. If those factions appeal, it is worth comparing the complete package with buying your first army and battlefield separately.

If your heart belongs to another faction, browse the Combat Patrol range below. The Combat Patrol: Battlezone is the separate board-and-terrain option, rather than another army box. A club or friend may already have suitable scenery, so find out what your first opponent can provide before filling your basket.

The carousels show Bomran’s listed ranges, including products that may be temporarily unavailable. Product pages carry the current prices and availability. For a fair budget comparison, add up the whole first-game setup, not just the army box; remember that paint and tools may be shared between either game.

New to assembling and painting miniatures? Our Warhammer for Beginners guide walks through the hobby essentials without turning your first shopping trip into a campaign of its own.

Choose Your Next Army

Ready to pick a side? Browse the Spearhead and Combat Patrol army boxes currently in stock at Bomran below. Whether you fancy a fresh painting project or a different way to fight, there’s plenty here to tempt your next army onto the table.

Which Is Easier to Fit into Real Life?

Spearhead has the smaller footprint. Its 30 × 22.4-inch battlefield is easier to accommodate than Combat Patrol’s 44 × 30-inch playing area, though both need some extra room for models, rules and dice. Measure the table before promising that it will all fit beside dinner.

For either format, give your first game a generous evening. You’ll be finding rules, learning unit names and discovering that the tape measure has somehow ended up under the terrain. Familiar players can play much faster, but a quick advertised game time is a poor deadline for a first lesson.

Spearhead’s integrated board, cards and fixed forces make it our preferred teaching package for someone equally interested in both settings. Combat Patrol is the more direct choice when the aim is learning 40K. In either case, a patient opponent who explains a decision before rolling the dice will do more for your first game than a perfect army choice.

Local company matters, too. Ask your club or gaming group what they actually play. A format you can enjoy regularly with friends has an enormous advantage over one whose opponents exist only in your shopping plans.

Can You Expand These Armies Later?

Yes. The miniatures can become part of a larger collection in their respective setting. For the full game, you move to its army-building rules and unit profiles; you don’t carry every small-format rule across unchanged.

If you already have your sights on a larger 40K army, our How to Start Warhammer 40,000 guide helps with the next steps. You can also explore Bomran’s Warhammer 40,000 range or Age of Sigmar range once you know what you enjoy building and playing.

But expansion is an option, not homework. A finished Spearhead is a finished playable force. So is a Combat Patrol. Learning its tricks, painting it beautifully or collecting a second small army can be every bit as satisfying as pursuing the next thousand points.

The Verdict: Two Great Ways to Play, but One Has the Edge

The biggest battle isn’t necessarily the best battle. A handful of units fighting over one stubbornly contested objective can produce exactly the sort of story you’ll still be telling after the terrain has been packed away.

Combat Patrol does a fine job of bringing 40K to a manageable scale, and its app and Battlezone support deserve recognition. If you’ve always wanted to command Space Marines, Orks or another far-future faction, it is a compelling place to begin.

If you’re undecided between the settings, though, Spearhead gets our recommendation. Its cards, purpose-built battlefields and continuing battlepacks make it an especially convincing game to collect and play on its own terms. The next step can simply be another battle.

Of course, if you’ve spent twenty years dreaming about painting an Ultramarines army, go and paint some Space Marines. The best army is the one that makes you excited to pick up a brush, and the best game is the one that keeps you coming back.

Even after that double one.

Rules and FAQs change as both games develop. Before playing, use the latest official rules and updates for your chosen force and battlepack, including the current Combat Patrol rules and supported patrols in the Warhammer 40,000 app.