The Warcry game is a fast, close-combat skirmish game set in the Mortal Realms, the fantasy world of Warhammer Age of Sigmar. It’s not a Warhammer 40,000 game, but it shares design DNA with 40k’s Kill Team and often gets mixed up with it.
What the warcry game actually is
Warcry is a tabletop miniatures game where small warbands fight over objectives in tight, brutal melee. You roll dice, move your fighters, and try to control key spots on the board. It’s published by Games Workshop and sits alongside other skirmish titles like Kill Team and Necromunda.
The setting is the Mortal Realms, not the 41st millennium. That’s the big thing to get straight: Warcry is an Age of Sigmar game. If you’re looking for 40k skirmish, you want Kill Team instead.
How it plays
A game runs on alternating activations, so you and your opponent trade turns moving or attacking with one fighter at a time. That keeps both players involved and makes every decision matter.
Victory usually comes from holding objectives or completing a scenario, more than wiping out the other warband. Lists are small, often under a dozen models, so you can learn the rules and paint a force without a huge investment.
- Small warbands, typically 5 to 10 fighters
- Alternating activations instead of whole-army turns
- Scenario and objective driven, more than kill counts
- Close combat is the main focus
The other ‘Warcry’: a 2003 card game
There’s a second, unrelated Warcry. It’s an out-of-print collectible card game from Sabertooth Games, released in 2003 and set in the Old World of Warhammer Fantasy. Players built army and action decks and fought three battles, winning two to take the match.
That card game got a PSP adaptation called Warhammer: Battle for Atluma in 2006. It shares a name with the miniatures game but nothing else. If you see ‘Warcry’ in an old card game context, that’s the one.
How it connects to Warhammer 40k
Warcry doesn’t take place in the 40k universe and has no direct lore links to it. The connection is mechanical and structural: both Warcry and Kill Team are small-scale skirmish games with alternating activations and scenario play.
If you enjoy Warcry’s pace, Kill Team is the closest 40k equivalent. They’re separate settings, separate rules, but they scratch a similar itch for tight, characterful small battles.
| Game | Setting | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Warcry | Mortal Realms (Age of Sigmar) | Skirmish, 5-10 models |
| Kill Team | Warhammer 40,000 | Skirmish, 5-10 models |
| Necromunda | Warhammer 40,000 | Skirmish, gang warfare |
Key facts
- Warcry is a skirmish miniatures game set in the Mortal Realms, not Warhammer 40k.
- Games are small, fast, and focused on close combat and objectives.
- It uses alternating activations, so players trade turns one fighter at a time.
- A separate Warcry collectible card game existed in 2003, published by Sabertooth Games.
- Kill Team is the closest Warhammer 40k equivalent in scale and style.
FAQ
Is Warcry a Warhammer 40k game?
No. Warcry is set in the Mortal Realms, the fantasy setting of Warhammer Age of Sigmar. For 40k skirmish, look at Kill Team.
How many models do you need for Warcry?
Most warbands run between five and ten fighters, so it’s one of the cheaper ways into Warhammer miniatures.
What’s the difference between Warcry and the old Warcry card game?
They’re completely separate. The card game was a 2003 collectible card game by Sabertooth Games set in Warhammer Fantasy. The current Warcry is a miniatures skirmish game.