How to Play Warhammer Age of Sigmar

Age of Sigmar begins after the end of the world, which is a convenient place for a game to start.

The old world of Warhammer Fantasy has ended, and what came next is the Mortal Realms: realms shaped by the eight winds of magic, linked by portals called Realmgates and fought over by gods. Sigmar rules Azyr, the realm of heaven, and sends down the Stormcast Eternals, warriors forged from the souls of the worthy.

Age of Sigmar is a fantasy miniatures game from Games Workshop, and Bat City Games & Comics in South Austin is a good place to find out whether it's your kind of trouble. You do not need an army to ask questions. We answer them at the counter.

What is Age of Sigmar?

You build plastic models, paint them if you like, and play battles on a table with a tape measure and a pile of six-sided dice. The basic rules are short. The strange parts live on each unit's warscroll, the reference sheet that lists what it can do.

The edition most players are on launched in July 2024. Games Workshop gives away the core rules, a Quick Start guide and the Spearhead rules, and the warscrolls are free too, so you can read the whole game before you buy a single model. Warhammer Community lists the free downloads.

Which side do you pick?

Armies sort into four Grand Alliances. Here is a short tour.

• Order. The defenders of what is left. Stormcast Eternals are Sigmar's soldiers, Seraphon are lizard warriors carrying out a cosmic plan, and Lumineth Realm-lords are aelves with very good bows. The Vanari Auralan Sentinels are a unit of master archers for that army. Cities of Sigmar, Sylvaneth, Kharadron Overlords, Fyreslayers, Idoneth Deepkin and Daughters of Khaine round out the side.
• Chaos. The devoted and the ratty. Blades of Khorne, Disciples of Tzeentch, Hedonites of Slaanesh and Maggotkin of Nurgle each serve one Chaos God. Slaves to Darkness are mortals who chose that side. Skaven are ratmen, and there are always more of them than you think.
• Death. The undead of Nagash. Nighthaunt are ghosts, Ossiarch Bonereapers are armored bone, Flesh-eater Courts are ghouls who think they are knights, and Soulblight Gravelords are vampires who come with Fell Bats. We have heard all the jokes. We are the ones making them.
• Destruction. The loud ones. Gloomspite Gitz are goblins and squigs who follow the Bad Moon; Orruk Warclans include the Kruleboyz; and the Ogor Mawtribes are enormous and hungry.

Pick the one you keep going back to. You will be looking at it a lot.

What happens on a turn?

Each turn runs six steps in order.

1. Hero. Wizards cast spells, and heroes use their special abilities.
2. Movement. Units move up to their Move number in inches. A unit can run, which adds a die roll to its move, but a unit that runs cannot shoot or charge.
3. Shooting. Units with ranged weapons shoot at enemies in range.
4. Charge. Units that want a fight roll to reach the enemy, and they have to end up within half an inch.
5. Combat. Units within three inches of an enemy fight, and the players take turns picking which unit swings next.
6. End of turn. Finish any lingering abilities, then score.

How does an attack work?

Every attack, a sword or an arrow, runs the same four steps.

1. Hit roll. Roll a die for each attack. The weapon tells you the number you need.
2. Wound roll. Roll again for every hit, against the weapon's wound number.
3. Save. The defender rolls to shrug it off. The weapon's Rend makes that save harder.
4. Damage. What gets through comes off the target. Damage spills over, so two damage against one-wound models removes two of them.

Here is a worked example. A weapon hits on a 3 or better, wounds on a 4 or better, and the target saves on a 4 or better. With Rend 1, that save becomes a 5 or better. Roll to hit, roll to wound, and the defender rolls last. Most of the game is learning which numbers matter.

Why is Spearhead the smallest way in?

Spearhead is a smaller, faster version of the same game, and Games Workshop points new players to it. Each army comes from a single box. The board is roughly 30 by 22 inches, about a quarter of a full battlefield, and a game runs four rounds. Once you know the rules, it fits in a lunch break.

You win on points. Hold objectives, and you score. Pull off battle tactics, score small goals from your own deck, and score more. A second deck deals a twist each round that nudges the game toward whoever is behind. After round one, a priority roll decides who goes first, so one player can take two turns in a row. It is called a double turn, and everyone at the table will have feelings about it.

The units use the same stats and weapons as their full-game versions, so a Spearhead box is a real start on a real army. Play a few games, and you will know enough to go bigger. The Spearhead page on ageofsigmar.com has the official pitch, and the free Quick Start guide and Spearhead Reference cover the basics.

The launch box for this edition held two Spearhead armies, Stormcast Eternals against Skaven, and other factions have boxes of their own now. What is on our shelf changes, so browse the Warhammer collection and ask at the counter.

What else do you need?

A box of plastic comes with a little homework.

• Glue and tools. Some boxes push together. Others want Warhammer Colour Plastic Glue and a hobby tool kit.
• Primer. A spray gives paint something to hold. Chaos Black and Leadbelcher are common starting points.
• Paint. The Speedpaint Starter Set does base color and shade in one coat, and a shade like Nuln Oil picks out the details.

You do not have to paint to play. If you want to, you may paint at the table. Bring your paints and brushes, and clean up after yourself. Our paints collection covers the rest.

Where do you go from here?

• Read the world. Skaventide is a Black Library novel about Stormcast Eternals fighting Skaven in a ruined Aqshy, and Gloomspite is a Gloomspite Gitz story set under the Bad Moon.
• Play bigger. The General's Handbook holds the Matched Play rules for the season, the format for games between armies built to the same limits.

Frequently asked questions

How do you play Age of Sigmar?

Two players take turns moving, shooting, charging and fighting with miniatures. Dice decide whether attacks hit, wound and get through armor, and you win on points.

What is the best way to start Age of Sigmar?

Spearhead. Each army is one box, the board is small, and a game runs four rounds. The rules are free, so you can read them first.

Where can I learn Age of Sigmar in Austin?

Ask at the counter at Bat City Games & Comics, 5001 Highway 290. Warhammer Night runs every Monday, 6 to 10 PM, and we will tell you what we know about who is playing Age of Sigmar.

Ready to take a seat?

Visit us at 5001 Highway 290, Austin, Texas 78735. We are open every day, 10 AM to 10 PM. Warhammer Night is free, and you do not need an army. The Warhammer group focuses mostly on Warhammer 40,000 and Kill Team, so if Age of Sigmar is why you are coming, say so at the counter first. 

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