Kill Team, Blood Bowl and Necromunda are three of Games Workshop’s smaller tabletop games. Each player uses a single small squad of models instead of a full army, so there is less to buy, build and paint, and a game fits comfortably into one evening. They make a gentle first step into Warhammer.
To play Kill Team, you pick a small team of elite soldiers from the Warhammer 40,000 universe and take turns activating them one at a time on a compact, scenery-packed board. Blood Bowl is fantasy American football set in the Warhammer world, with plenty of injuries. Necromunda is a gang warfare game set in the depths of a vast city, where your gang grows from game to game across a campaign.
You can find clubs and shops running all three on our Warhammer page. If you are brand new to the hobby, start with our guide to getting into Warhammer, which covers tools, paints and the bigger games.
Why the smaller games suit beginners
- Fewer models. One box is often enough to play, so your first purchase gets you to the table quickly.
- Shorter games. You can learn, play and pack away in a single club night.
- Every model matters. With only a handful of models each, you get to know what each one does, which makes the rules easier to remember.
- Faster painting. A finished team or gang is a realistic goal for a new painter.
- Friendly communities. Players of these games often meet in leagues and campaigns, which are built around regular, relaxed games.
Kill Team
Kill Team is a skirmish game set in the same universe as Warhammer 40,000. Each player controls a kill team, a small squad of operatives such as Aeldari Exodites, Astra Militarum or Tyranids, fighting over objectives on a small board covered in terrain.
How a game of Kill Team plays
The game is played over a series of rounds. Within each one, players take it in turns to activate a single operative, rather than moving their whole force at once. That keeps both players involved all the time, and every choice feels important. Operatives move, shoot, fight and complete mission actions, and you score points for objectives across the game.
Getting started with Kill Team
The official Kill Team app, free on iPhone and Android, includes the Kill Team rules, Lite rules, mission packs and updates, and the Lite rules are enough to learn the basics. The Kill Team downloads page on Warhammer Community also carries the latest rules for each team, along with regular balance updates.
New teams arrive regularly. In 2026 these have included Aeldari Exodites riding draconic steeds, revealed at the Big Summer Preview in June, and the Legion of the Damned, revealed at the Big Autumn Preview in September. Your local shop can tell you which boxes are in stock and which suit two new players.
Browse venues that run it on our Kill Team page.
Blood Bowl
Blood Bowl is a fantasy football game for two coaches. You each control a team of players on a gridded pitch and try to carry the ball into your opponent’s end zone to score a touchdown. Along the way, your players block, dodge and occasionally get carried off injured.
Turns and turnovers
A match is played in two halves of eight turns each. On your turn you activate your players one at a time to move, block, blitz, pass or even foul. The twist is the turnover. If one of your players fails an important roll, such as falling over during a dodge or failing to pick up the ball, your turn ends at once and play passes to your opponent. Good coaches make their safest moves first and save the risky dice rolls for last.
Leagues
Blood Bowl really comes alive in a league. You build your team from a starting gold budget and it carries on from match to match: players earn Star Player Points that buy new skills, and injuries can keep them out of later games. Clubs often run league seasons alongside casual one-off matches, known as exhibition games, and tournaments where teams reset before every game.
Getting started with Blood Bowl
The current edition is Blood Bowl: Third Season Edition, released in November 2025. The boxed game comes with a brand-new Bretonnian team and an updated Tomb Kings team, plus a hardback rulebook, dice, a range ruler and status markers, so two people can each take a team. Other teams and the rulebook are also sold on their own. The NAF, an organisation for Blood Bowl coaches, has a New Players page that explains the basics and the main ways to play.
Find Blood Bowl nights on our Blood Bowl page.
Necromunda
Necromunda is set in the underhive, the rusting, toxic depths of a vast vertical city. Each player leads a gang of fighters battling rival gangs in scrappy turf wars.
Campaigns
Necromunda is at its best as a campaign. Your fighters grow and change from game to game, so your gang slowly develops its own story. Campaigns are usually run by one organiser, who sets the schedule, tracks results and settles rules questions. At a club, this is often an experienced player who volunteers.
Getting started with Necromunda
Games Workshop revealed a new edition of Necromunda at its Big Summer Preview on 26 June 2026. Its new core set pits the Escher Blades of the Matriarch against the Goliath Forge Smelters, two eight-model plastic gangs, with a double-sided playmat, dice, a ruler, cards and Zone Mortalis terrain. Games Workshop describes the new core rules as quicker, more streamlined and more balanced, with more flexible campaign play. Underhive Crew boxes for six gang houses and new Gang Books are also on the way, so ask your local shop about release dates.
See venues that play it on our Necromunda page.
The three games compared
| Kill Team | Blood Bowl | Necromunda | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Two | Two coaches | Usually two |
| Models | One small kill team | One team | One gang |
| Game length | Short, fits easily into a club night | One match fills much of an evening | Varies with gang size and scenario |
| How it is usually played | One-off games, club nights and tournaments | Exhibition games, leagues and tournaments | Campaigns run by an organiser |
Playing these games in the UK
Warhammer stores
Official Warhammer stores are a good place for advice, a demo and help with painting your first models. Their tables are mostly used for demos and painting rather than open play, so for regular games the best places to look are clubs and independent shops.
Clubs and independent shops
Many clubs and independent game shops run weekly nights for Kill Team, Blood Bowl or Necromunda, or a general Warhammer or “specialist games” night where all three appear. Clubs often run Blood Bowl leagues and Necromunda campaigns, and new players are welcome to join at the start of a season.
Some good places to start are Southampton, which has several Blood Bowl league and friendly nights, Newcastle, home to a long-running Blood Bowl league, and London, with venues for Kill Team and Necromunda. The Southampton events calendar shows what is on each week.
What a first night is like
Across the Kill Team, Blood Bowl and Necromunda nights we list, 6pm is the most common start, and Tuesday and Friday are the busiest nights. Where venues charge, it is usually a few pounds (£3 to £6 in our listings), and some clubs let you visit for free the first time. Each venue’s listing has its own details.
Expect a friendly room with several games running at once. Tell the organiser you are new, and someone will often offer to play a teaching game or lend you a team for the evening.
Painting expectations
Unpainted models are usually fine at casual nights, so you can play while you learn. Some leagues, campaigns and tournaments ask for painted models, so check with the venue or the organiser before you sign up.
Your first game checklist
- Choose the game whose models and setting you like most.
- Read the free Kill Team Lite rules or the rules that come in your box.
- Contact the venue first to check the night is running and whether you need to book.
- Bring your models, dice, a tape measure or range ruler, and the rules for your team or gang.
- Arrive a little early and say it is your first game.
- Ask how a league or campaign works before joining, and when the next one starts.
- Enjoy the game, and ask questions whenever a rule is unclear.
Common questions
Is Kill Team good for beginners?
Yes. You only need one small team of models, the board is compact and games are quick, so you learn the rules fast. The official Kill Team app includes free Lite rules, so you can learn the basics at no cost.
What is a turnover in Blood Bowl?
A turnover happens when one of your players fails an important roll, such as falling over during a dodge or failing to pick up the ball. Your turn ends straight away and your opponent takes over. Planning your safest actions first is the key skill in Blood Bowl.
What is the newest edition of Blood Bowl?
Blood Bowl: Third Season Edition, released by Games Workshop in November 2025. The boxed game includes a Bretonnian team and a Tomb Kings team with a hardback rulebook, dice and markers, and the rulebook is also sold on its own for coaches who already own a team.
Who runs a Necromunda campaign?
Campaigns are usually run by one organiser, who sets the schedule, keeps track of results and settles rules questions, acting as referee and record keeper in one. At a club, this is often a regular who volunteers.
Do I need to paint my models to play?
Unpainted models are usually welcome at casual club nights, so you can play while you learn. Some leagues, campaigns and tournaments ask for painted models, so check the event details or ask the venue.
Can I play Kill Team at a Warhammer store?
Warhammer stores are mainly set up for demos, painting help and advice rather than open play. For regular games, look for a club or an independent shop with a weekly Kill Team or Warhammer night, and check with the venue before you go.