Warhammer for Beginners: How to Start in the UK
The easiest way to start Warhammer is to pick one game, read the free rules, try a demo or a beginner session, and only then buy a single starter box. You do not need to paint well, own an army or know the lore. You need a little curiosity and one afternoon at a table with someone patient.
This guide walks you through the choices in the order you will meet them: which Warhammer, what to buy, how a game actually runs, and where to play in the UK. We run beginner-friendly tabletop sessions at Mindful Gaming, so we also say what we see new players worry about most.
TL;DR
Warhammer is a family of miniature games. Warhammer 40,000 (far-future sci-fi) and Warhammer Age of Sigmar (fantasy) are the two most beginners choose between.
Read before you buy: the Warhammer 40,000 core rules are free to download, with a four-page quick start guide.
Buy one starter set, not several armies. Check the current price and contents on the official shop before you pay, as sets change with each edition.
Play a demo or a beginner session before committing. A first game teaches more than hours of videos.
Painting is optional at the start, and it is often the calmest part of the hobby.
Table of Contents
What Warhammer actually is
Warhammer is a hobby built around collectable plastic miniatures. You build them, usually paint them, and then use them to play tabletop battle games against another person. The two settings most newcomers meet are:
Warhammer 40,000 (often “40k”): a grim far-future universe of space marines, aliens and warring empires. It is described by researchers as the world’s most popular miniature wargame.
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: a high-fantasy setting of heroes, monsters and warring realms, with a slightly different rules system.
People often ask whether Warhammer is basically Dungeons & Dragons. Not quite. D&D is a roleplaying game: one player runs the world, everyone else plays a single character, and the story is made up as you go. Warhammer is a wargame: you command a small army, measure distances on the table, roll dice to hit and wound, and aim to complete mission objectives. Both are tabletop games, both are social, and plenty of people enjoy both. If you are curious about the roleplaying side, our Dungeons & Dragons range is a good place to browse.
Choosing your first Warhammer game
Start with the setting that makes you want to look at the models. You will spend hours with them, so the aesthetic matters more than any rules debate you read online.
If you like… | Look at | Why it suits a beginner |
Sci-fi, armour, big war machines | Warhammer 40,000 | The biggest community, lots of starter products and the most tutorials |
Fantasy, monsters, wizards, orcs | Age of Sigmar | Smaller forces and a self-contained starter format called Spearhead |
A quick, low-pressure try | A demo or beginner session | You borrow everything and decide afterwards |
A useful tip: choose the faction you find coolest, not the one a forum says is strongest. Balance changes with every update. Your enthusiasm for a army you enjoy painting does not.
What you need to start (and what you do not)
New players often assume they need expensive equipment or deep rules knowledge on day one. You do not. For your first game you need:
A few models. Either borrowed at a demo or from a starter set.
Dice. Ordinary six-sided dice. Most games use a fistful of them.
A tape measure. Distances are measured in inches.
A table. Roughly the size of a dining table for 40k, smaller for introductory games.
The rules. Free to read online.
Paints, brushes, glue, clippers and scenery can wait. Introductory sets are generally designed so that the first build is not daunting, and many beginner kits use push-fit models, but check the box description before buying, because contents differ from set to set.
Read the rules first, for free
The publisher has released the 40k core rules as a free download: all 62 pages, plus a quick start guide squeezed onto four pages. That article dates from the launch of a previous edition, so check the Warhammer Community site for the latest version before relying on any specific rule. Do not try to memorise anything. Skim the turn structure and the idea of phases, then stop.
There is also the free Warhammer Academy, an official set of digital lessons aimed at helping newcomers build confidence and learn at their own pace.
Starter sets: what the options look like
The official range tends to come in tiers. According to a Warhammer Community announcement on new starter sets, these run from lighter introductory boxes for complete novices to fuller starter sets with two Combat Patrol armies and scenery, and faction “getting started” kits that include a Combat Patrol, paints and a brush.
Here is how to think about them:
Introductory set: the gentlest start. A small number of miniatures, basic tools and paints. Good if you are not sure you will carry on.
Starter set: two small armies and the materials to play against a friend. Best if you already have someone to play with.
Faction Combat Patrol or “getting started” kit: one army you will actually grow. Best if you have fallen for one faction.
For Age of Sigmar, the beginner-friendly route is a Spearhead force: a complete, balanced force built for the smaller Spearhead game. Each one is listed at £91.00 on the official shop at the time of research, and the maker says it saves money compared with buying the kits one by one. Prices move, so confirm before you buy.
Our advice: buy one box, build it, play with it, and wait a month before buying a second. Most abandoned armies come from enthusiastic shopping before the first game.
How a game of Warhammer works
The fear of “too many rules” is common and mostly unfounded. A first game is a repeating loop. Taking 40k as the example, each round looks like this:
Command: you gather resources and use special abilities.
Move: you move units across the table, measuring with your tape.
Shoot: units fire at targets in range. You roll dice to hit, then to wound, and your opponent rolls to save.
Charge and fight: units that get close enough fight in melee.
Score: you earn points for holding objectives set by the mission.
The core idea is always the same: roll dice, compare to a target number, remove casualties. Each unit has a datasheet (a card or page) that tells you everything it can do, so you never have to remember it all.
Your first game, step by step
Use a small mission and a small force. Around a Combat Patrol on each side is plenty.
Play open-handed. Ask your opponent what they would do, and tell them what you are planning.
Expect to forget rules. Look them up together and carry on. Nobody is keeping score of your mistakes.
Do not worry about winning. Learning the loop is the win.
Painting: optional, but often the best bit
You can play with grey plastic. Many people do for weeks. When you want to paint, start with a few basic colours, thin coats and a large, forgiving brush. Painting is where many players find the calm side of the hobby.
A 2025 paper in the journal Religions, “Miniature Mindfulness”, looks at how painting 40k models can create a meditative, absorbed state, and how the hobby’s community can support the wellbeing of people who experience severe anxiety. It is one researcher’s study of a specific group, not a promise of any outcome, but it matches what many hobbyists tell us: the focus on small, repetitive tasks gives the mind somewhere to rest.
If you are interested in the wider question of what tabletop games can and cannot do for mental health, we have written about it in Gaming for Mental Health.
Where to learn in the UK
The fastest way to learn Warhammer is with other people. You have a few options, and they suit different personalities:
Official stores: these run demo games and lend you the pieces you need. Good if you want the manufacturer’s way of teaching.
Independent clubs and community groups: smaller, often quieter, and usually relaxed about experience level. Good if big busy shops feel overwhelming.
A friend who already plays: the most forgiving option, if you have one.
Online lessons and videos: useful between sessions, but they are no substitute for playing a real game.
When you contact any club, ask three things: is there a beginner session, can I borrow models and dice, and how many people usually come? Those answers tell you whether it will feel comfortable.
If you are anxious about joining a group
Walking into a room of strangers is hard for plenty of people, and harder for those who are neurodivergent or live with anxiety. A few tactics help:
Message ahead and ask what a typical session looks like.
Arrive early, when it is quieter.
Bring someone along for the first visit.
Say plainly that you are new. Hobbyists tend to enjoy showing newcomers the ropes.
Leave when you need to. Staying for 45 minutes still counts.
Research is encouraging about the social side of tabletop play. A study of Dungeons & Dragons with autistic adults explored tabletop roleplaying as a safe space and found that taking on characters and building worlds can help participants feel more confident. That study looked at D&D rather than Warhammer, so treat it as a sign of how structured, shared games can help, not as proof about any one hobby.
What we do at Mindful Gaming
Mindful Gaming CIC is a community organisation for tabletop gamers, and it is built around people who want a supportive, inclusive place to play, including those with mental health conditions and neurodivergent players. We run in-person game nights, workshops and beginner introductions to Warhammer and board games.
If you want to try before you buy anything, a few routes are open:
Book a large table for wargaming or board games for you and a friend.
Join one of our introductions to tabletop board and roleplaying games.
See how a Warhammer day runs: we have held a Warhammer 40k Combat Patrol tournament, which is a friendly format for people with a first small army.
For children, the Junior D&D Adventurers’ Guild subscription is 20 GBP per month. You can see it and our membership plans on the plans and pricing page.
You can see everything we offer, and book a session, on our online booking page. For a deeper walk through the 40k side, read our Warhammer 40k beginner guide.
Our perspective: go slowly and play early
We have watched many people come to a table nervous and leave having enjoyed themselves. The ones who stay are rarely the ones who bought the most. They are the ones who found a table where they felt welcome.
Here is what we would tell a friend:
Play before you spend. A first game tells you whether you like the hobby. A big box only tells you what you like in a photo.
Make the first session small. One small force each, one simple mission, no pressure to finish.
Let the pace be yours. Some people want to paint for a month before playing. Others want to roll dice in the first ten minutes. Both are fine.
Protect the social side. A good group makes you want to come back. A group that makes you feel judged does the opposite, and you are allowed to try another one.
Do not treat a hobby as a treatment. Gaming can be a pleasant, connecting part of life, but if you are struggling with your mental health, speak to your GP or a qualified professional as well.
Our aim is to make a place where the first visit is easy, whatever your age, background or neurotype.
— Craig
A simple first-month plan
If you like a plan, here is a gentle one:
Week | What to do | Spend |
1 | Pick a setting. Read the free quick start guide and watch one how-to-play video. | Nothing |
2 | Go to a demo or beginner session. Borrow everything. Play one small game. | A session fee at most |
3 | Choose one starter box or Combat Patrol. Build a few models. | One box |
4 | Play a second game with your own models. Try a first coat of paint. | A few paints if you want them |
After that, you will know whether Warhammer is for you, and you will have spent far less than someone who bought three armies in week one.
Common beginner mistakes
Buying an army before playing. You may not like the faction in practice.
Trying to learn every rule. Learn the loop. Look up the rest as it comes.
Skipping the datasheet. The unit’s own page tells you what it does.
Comparing your paint job to others. Online galleries show years of practice.
Playing alone, only. The hobby is at its best across a table from another person.
Giving up after a lost game. Almost everyone loses their first few. It is how you learn what works.
FAQ
How do you play Warhammer?
Two players each command a small army of miniatures on a table. You take turns moving, shooting and fighting, rolling dice to see what hits and what survives. A mission tells you how to score points, and the player with the most points at the end wins.
How much does it cost to start playing Warhammer?
Reading the rules costs nothing, as the core rules are free to download. A starter box is the main cost, and official prices change, so check the current shop listing. Paints and tools are an optional extra, and you can borrow equipment at a demo or beginner session.
Is Warhammer basically D&D?
No, though they share a love of fantasy and strategy. Dungeons & Dragons is a collaborative roleplaying game based on storytelling, while Warhammer is a competitive miniature wargame with armies and measured movement. Many people play both.
Do I have to paint my models?
No. You can play with unpainted models, and plenty of clubs welcome them. Painting is a separate part of the hobby that many people find relaxing, so try it when you are ready.
Is it too late to start if my friends already play?
Not at all. Starter products and beginner sessions exist because new players join all the time. Ask your friends to play a small, simple game with you, and borrow a force for the first go.
Sources
Download the New Warhammer 40,000 Rules for Free Right Here, Warhammer Community
Saturday Pre-orders: New starter sets for Warhammer newcomers, Warhammer Community
Miniature Mindfulness: Finding Spiritual Flow with Warhammer 40,000 Models, Religions (MDPI)
A critical hit: Dungeons and Dragons as a buff for autistic people, Autism journal
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