Where to Start with Warhammer

We’ve all been there: intrigued by the Warhammer universe of miniatures games, but unsure of where to begin.

It’s natural to be uncertain. Just spending a few minutes looking around in Gamezenter’s extensive Warhammer section can overwhelming. There are so many cool-looking miniatures! And so many different names! It’s easy to get lost in this ocean of awesome gaming goodness.

But don’t panic! We’re here to help!

Age of Sigmar vs. 40K

The two primary Warhammer miniatures games are

Warhammer: Age of Sigmar, which is a fantasy battle game, and
Warhammer 40,000 (affectionately known as 40K), which is a sci-fi battle game.

To begin playing Age of Sigmar, you can’t go wrong with Age of Sigmar: Soul Wars, a starter set that gives you the complete rules of the game, dozens of miniatures from two different armies, and everything else you need to play. It’s easy to expand your Age of Sigmar experience with additional models and rule books.

If you’re interested in playing 40K, the best starter set is Warhammer 40,000: Command Edition, which provides two armies of miniatures, terrain pieces, a rulebook, and everything else you need to play. Again, if you enjoy the starter set, there are plenty more miniatures and rulebooks with which to further explore the 40K universe.

Boxed Games

Beyond these two core miniatures games, there are a number of Warhammer game lines that are set in the 40K and Age of Sigmar worlds, but aren’t tied directly to those games.

Blood Bowl: This classic game puts the “fantasy” into “fantasy football” as the players field teams of dwarves, orcs, and other fantasy creatures to score points in the most brutal sport of all.
Kill Team: Offering skirmish-scale battles in the world of Warhammer 40K, this game’s starter set is Pariah Nexus.
Necromunda: This miniatures game of brutal gang warfare is set in the shadowy underbelly of the 40K universe. The starter set is Dark Uprising.
Warcry: This skirmish-scale game is set in the Age of Sigmar, and focuses on smaller warbands rather than large armies. The starter set is Catacombs.
Warhammer Quest: This line of stand-alone board games feature adventures in both the Age of Sigmar and 40K worlds.
Warhammer Underworlds: This is a line of board-based miniatures games that includes not only its starter set, but the stand-alone games Beastgrave and Direchasm.

Where to Start with Warhammer