Which two Combat Patrols make a fair first game for two new players?
Use the pair Games Workshop boxed together: the Space Marines Assault Force and the Ork ’Ardmob, which come in the 11th Edition Starter Set at £126.40.
For any other pair an even game is not guaranteed, so treat the first few games as practice.
Who picked the pair
| Route | Who picked the pair | Our price |
|---|---|---|
| 11th Edition Starter Set | Games Workshop boxed the Space Marines and Ork Combat Patrols together | £126.40 |
| Two Getting Started boxes | Games Workshop: the same two Combat Patrols, sold as separate boxes | £172.22 |
| Two plain Combat Patrols | You, from any armies that have a box | £82.95 to £86.11 a box |
Why start with the boxed pair
Games Workshop put those two armies in one box and says the Starter Set has everything you need to play. That does not make the sides equal, but it does mean they were chosen to meet.
For what the Starter Set and the Getting Started boxes each add, see buying just one army from the Starter Set.
If you choose your own pair
- Check that both armies are supported in the Warhammer 40,000 app. Games Workshop said on 23 July 2026 that it covers the core Combat Patrol for each army first.
- Compare model counts and unit types, which can differ a lot between boxes.
- The first game may favour one side. In one April 2026 Reddit thread, replies said boxes priced alike are not balanced on points, the numbers games use to size an army. That was before the 11th edition arrived, and the value page has the detail.
- Swap armies for game two, so each of you learns both sides.
Who is playing
- A parent and child, or any two people happy with Space Marines and Orks, can share the Starter Set: one purchase, one rulebook, and each of you takes a side.
- Two friends who want an army each can buy a Combat Patrol each, for the armies they like. You will need terrain and a table, because a single box has no boards.
Common questions
Are Combat Patrol boxes balanced against each other?
Not reliably. In one April 2026 Reddit thread, replies said boxes priced alike are not balanced on points, so a pair can favour one side. The pair in the Starter Set is the one Games Workshop packaged to meet in a single box.
What if one of us keeps losing our first games of Warhammer 40,000?
Swap armies for the next game. If the same person keeps winning with either army, the cause is probably experience. If the winner changes, the armies were probably not evenly matched.
Do we each need our own rulebook to play Combat Patrol?
The Combat Patrol rules are free in the Warhammer 40,000 app, so you do not need a rulebook each. The Starter Set has one Core Rulebook, and the Core Rules are a free download.
Starter Set contents: Warhammer Community, 5 July 2026. The pair, Combat Patrol rules and app support: Warhammer Community, 23 July 2026. Core Rules download: Warhammer Community, 1 June 2026. Balance: replies in one r/Warhammer40k thread, April 2026 (opinion). Prices and stock: this shop, read live.