Smaller Armies, Full Games: Where Do Small-Format Warhammer Games Fit?

There’s a lot to be said for a game you can finish comfortably in an evening.

Smaller armies mean less to transport, fewer models to paint and an easier starting point for a new system. But does that make smaller Warhammer formats stepping stones towards bigger games—or games we want to keep playing in their own right?

At Mighty Melee Games, we’re increasingly interested in that question.

Combat Patrol, Spearhead and Battle March all offer a smaller way to play their respective systems. Our experience suggests they attract different audiences, and we’d like to understand those differences better.

What We’re Seeing at MMG

At MMG, Battle March and Spearhead have so far generated more regular interest than Combat Patrol. That is a local observation, not a judgement on the formats themselves—or a claim about the wider UK scene.

It raises a useful question: what makes a smaller format become someone’s regular game?

Is it the time commitment? The cost of an army? The rules? Having reliable opponents? Or simply enjoying that particular way of playing?

We’ve started looking at published UK events and club activity to see how our experience compares. The evidence is incomplete: many venues advertise events without publishing attendance or results. An event listing shows what an organiser offers, but it doesn’t necessarily tell us how many people played or whether they returned.

Help Us Map the Regional Scene

If you know of a Combat Patrol, Spearhead or Battle March league, club night or event, please share the organiser, town and public link in the discussion on our community Discord.

We’re especially interested in Shropshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, the West Midlands, North Wales and the North West.

We’d love to hear from players and organisers alike.

Spearhead: Your Main Way to Play Age of Sigmar?

Spearhead has clear examples of organised play beyond MMG.

The public record for Athena Games in Norwich lists a completed Spearhead event on 18 May 2025 with 16 players.

Closer to home, Quest Keepers advertised a four-round Spearhead event in Newport, Shropshire, on 2 August 2026. A participant’s published account described attendance of more than 20 players. We have treated that as a participant report rather than an organiser-published attendance total.

Sources: Athena event record, Quest Keepers event, participant account.

These examples don’t establish national popularity, but they show organised Spearhead activity beyond our own venue. What we’d like to understand is how often those players return—and what keeps them interested.

At MMG, players can use different valid Spearheads and gaming packs between rounds. We enjoy the variety that offers, but we’d be interested to hear how much it matters to you.

Would you happily keep playing Spearhead without ever building a 2,000-point army?

Does collecting another Spearhead appeal more than expanding your existing one? Or do you enjoy switching between Spearhead and full-size Age of Sigmar?

Battle March: A Smaller Army With Room to Make It Yours

Our default Battle March size is 750 points.

For us, the attraction is having room to build your own army while keeping the game manageable. Choosing units and shaping a force is part of the enjoyment, even when the collection is relatively small.

Other venues are trying different approaches. AFK Gaming advertises a 600-point event with three 90-minute rounds, while Incom Gaming advertises a 750-point event with seven games across the day.

Sources: AFK Gaming event, Incom Gaming event.

These are different approaches to a one-day event, rather than directly comparable tests. Points value, round length and scenarios all affect the experience, and published schedules alone don’t tell us how comfortably games finish—or which structure players prefer.

We haven’t established which points level players prefer more widely. That’s something we’d like feedback on.

Does 750-point Battle March give you enough army-building freedom and satisfying games?

Would a smaller points level be more appealing, or do you mainly see it as a way to build towards larger Old World battles?

We’re also interested in whether reliable Battle March events would persuade you to travel further than you normally would for an evening game.

Combat Patrol: Who Is It For?

Combat Patrol is the format we want to understand better.

It provides a clear starting point: a defined force with rules written for that format. That can make getting a game organised straightforward.

Our lower uptake doesn’t mean it only appeals to beginners. Marionville Models has published Combat Patrol tournament listings across several years, including an April 2026 event offering four 75-minute games.

Sources: Marionville event archive, April 2026 Combatville event.

Those listings demonstrate a recurring offer. They don’t give us verified attendance figures or tell us how many players returned.

So we’re keeping an open mind.

Would Combat Patrol appeal to you as a regular game, a chance to try another faction, or a supported introduction to organised play?

And if you already play 40k but want a smaller game, would you choose Combat Patrol—or would you rather bring a custom 1,000-point army?

We’d be particularly interested to hear from people who own a Combat Patrol but rarely play the format. What would make you give it a go?

What Makes a Good Small-Format Event?

At MMG, we use 90-minute event rounds for Spearhead and Battle March. We’re considering the same starting point for Combat Patrol: enough time to deploy, check rules, play the game and record the result.

Published examples vary, so we don’t think “smaller army” automatically tells us the right round length.

The aim is a satisfying day of complete games. A tight schedule can be enjoyable for experienced players, but we also want people learning a format to feel welcome.

Would you prefer three games and an earlier finish, or four games and a fuller day?

Do you want a competitive tournament, a relaxed gaming day, a league with flexible fixtures—or different options throughout the year?

Tell Us What You Think

We’d like to hear from MMG players, people gaming elsewhere and organisers running these formats.

Pick whichever questions interest you:

• Which format do you play—and is it your main game or an occasional alternative?
• What keeps you coming back, or stops you playing more often?
• What event would you book: Combat Patrol, Spearhead or 750-point Battle March?
• How far would you travel for it?

If you run a club or venue, we’d also love to hear which formats attract repeat attendance and what you’ve learned along the way.

Our Autumn leagues start on Monday 5 October 2026, with opportunities to play all three formats:

Explore the MMG Autumn League Season

We want to build a programme people look forward to returning to. Your experience will help shape it.

Leave a comment below, or share your thoughts on our community Discord. You can find the Discord link on our MMG Links page.

Mighty Melee Games — Battle. Bond. Belong.