If you struggle to get into Warhammer Age of Sigmar, this new game mode is for you

Warhammer Age of Sigmar is a great wargame, but it is a little dense – and publisher Games Workshop seems to recognize that, because it’s launching a more accessible match type.

Called ‘Spearhead,’ this is a shorter version of Warhammer Age of Sigmar that shouldn’t last much beyond an hour. In addition, you don’t need to worry about balancing armies or fussing with points beforehand; Spearhead boxsets come with smaller, pre-balanced armies that are ready to go. Apparently, every faction will get a Spearhead box.

Announced at AdeptiCon alongside the reveal that Skaven will be kicking off the next edition of Age of Sigmar, this new game type is basically the fantasy version of Combat Patrol for Warhammer 40K. Introduced last year, Combat Patrol is a bitesize entry point to the game that aims to make things as easy for newcomers and time-strapped players as possible. Like Spearhead, it also features pre-balanced army boxes that, while not being ‘pick up and go’ (you still need to build and paint the models) don’t require worrying about army compositions or buying extra models before you can start playing ‘full’ matches. 

It makes sense that Age of Sigmar would get this too – it’s a great idea, and not just for beginners who are intimidated by the full game. Those who can’t spare an afternoon to play (or don’t have the capacity to make and paint up a full army, which is wonderful but can be very time-consuming) have the perfect entry-point with Spearhead.

No matter what, it’s good that we finally have an answer to what purpose those previously-announced Spearhead boxsets served – they didn’t offer enough troops for a full army, and we already had Vanguard ‘start collecting’ packs. Case closed on that one, I guess!

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