What is Age of Sigmar Spearhead, and what do you need to buy to play it?
Spearhead facts checked 29 October 2026.
Spearhead is a fast format for Age of Sigmar. Each player's force is one boxed set, played on a board of 30 by 22.4 inches, a quarter the size of a full battlefield. A game fits in about an hour.
To play you need two forces and a board with its cards. The Spearhead: City of Ash box holds two forces and a double-sided board, so it covers both sides on its own. The usual route is two single boxes and a gaming pack.
The three things a first game needs
- Two forces. Each side's force comes from a single box, so two players need two boxes. Our guide to choosing a first box helps you pick one.
- A board, terrain and cards. The Sand and Bone gaming pack (£34.76, sold out at the moment) holds six terrain pieces, a double-sided board, a 24-page book and 36 Spearhead cards. The cards are required to play.
- The rules. They are free. The Age of Sigmar app carries the core rules and each faction's Spearhead rules. The 24-page book in the Sand and Bone pack adds rules for four new forces but still assumes you have the core rules.
City of Ash: two forces and a board in one box
The City of Ash box holds two Spearhead forces, Skaven of Clan Eshin and the Cities of Sigmar force from Embergard. It also holds a double-sided gameboard, with the Shattered Crossroads on one side and the Ashen Bastion on the other, and a deck of Battle Tactic cards for each army. Each side of the board has its own Twist deck.
It costs £110.60 against an RRP of £140.00, and is sold out at the moment. The other route is two single boxes plus the Sand and Bone pack, which is sold out at the moment. With Khainite Shadow Coven and Spitewing Flight that comes to £184.86, and the pack works with whichever two boxes you choose.
How Spearhead differs from a full game
| Part of the game | What Spearhead does |
|---|---|
| Force | One boxed set per side, with its own Spearhead warscrolls |
| Board | 30 by 22.4 inches, a quarter of a full battlefield, small enough for a kitchen table |
| Rules | Slightly simplified: the advanced rules and advanced magic of full games are left out |
| Length | Four battle rounds, about an hour once you know the rules |
| Cards | A deck of Battle Tactics for scoring and commands, plus Twist cards that change each round |
Games Workshop describes Spearhead as a stand-alone game and a good primer for full-scale battles. The boxes are also the core of a bigger army if you later want one.
What can hold up a first game
- Only a box: a single army box is one force. Add a gaming pack for the board, terrain and cards, or choose City of Ash.
- Waiting for one particular box: the Spearhead range covers many factions. Start with another faction and buy the one you wanted later.
- Printing rules from an old download: rules change. Games Workshop's 28 October 2026 update tweaked four Spearhead forces, so use the app or the latest download.
Common questions
Are the Spearhead rules free?
The Age of Sigmar app carries each faction's Spearhead rules, and the same rules are free downloads. Updates arrive the same way.
Can I use a Spearhead box in a bigger Age of Sigmar army?
Games Workshop describes the Spearhead boxes as armies in a box that can form the core of a larger force, so the models you build for Spearhead are not wasted.
Should I build my Spearhead models with command parts?
Command models add no extra rules in Spearhead, but Games Workshop suggests building them anyway for bigger games. To start sooner, build the models as shown on the front of the box.
Spearhead format: Warhammer Community (Games Workshop's news site), 1 May 2024 and 17 May 2024. App contents: Warhammer Community, 15 July 2024. Sand and Bone pack: Warhammer Community, 25 May 2025. City of Ash: Warhammer Community, 14 and 16 April 2026. Rules updates: Warhammer Community, 28 October 2026. Prices and stock: this shop.