Short answer: Trench Crusade is a two-player skirmish miniatures wargame set in 1914 in an alternate history where the gates of Hell opened during the Crusades. Each player commands a small warband using six-sided dice. The full rules are free to download. You need a table, plenty of terrain, a few d6 and a tape measure in inches.
This guide accompanies the livestream above, a Turkish-language video by 40ip (youtube.com/@40ip). The guest is Deniz from the Efsunlu Fırça channel, who paints Warhammer and Trench Crusade miniatures and has been a member of the Kule Sakinleri gaming club in İzmir for 15 years. The stream spends most of its time on the setting, especially the Iron Sultanate. Here we cover the game side for English readers: how the rules work, what you need, and where to start. The stream was recorded in June 2025. Since then the rules have reached version 1.0 and official miniatures have moved to plastic, so we have added the current picture as well.
What is Trench Crusade?
Trench Crusade is a tabletop miniatures wargame that blends First World War trench warfare with religious fanaticism and alternate history. It is a skirmish game: instead of fielding hundreds of troops, you play every model individually, each with its own weapons and skills. In the stream, Deniz describes it as a game of roughly 5-15 miniatures per side.
The official Quickstart Rules give the background in a paragraph. During the Crusades, a heretical Templar order unleashed the forces of Hell on the world. The war has lasted more than eight centuries, and by 1914 it is fought by small warbands in the No Man's Land between trench lines. That is exactly what the game puts on your table. For the timeline, the Iron Sultanate and each faction's place in the story, read our Trench Crusade lore guide.
A common criticism comes up in the stream too: that Trench Crusade is a "40K clone". Host Nasip argues the resemblance is mostly the grimdark art style. The mechanics, scale and theme are different. If you want a reference point for a large army game, see our What is Warhammer 40K guide.
Who designed Trench Crusade?
The world and its visual language come from Mike Franchina, a concept artist and illustrator who has worked on Magic: The Gathering, Diablo IV and Path of Exile. The rules were written by Tuomas Pirinen, the lead designer of Games Workshop's Mordheim. Rascal published a joint interview with both of them.
Deniz sums up Pirinen's strength as making atmosphere felt through dice. A single bullet can drop a great demon or a hero. The sculptor is James Sherriff and the publisher is Factory Fortress Inc.
How do you play Trench Crusade?
Two players deploy their warbands at opposite edges and fight over scenario objectives. According to the official Quickstart Rules, the core system rests on a few simple ideas.
Turn structure and activations
Each turn has three phases: Initiative, Activation and Morale. The player with fewer models takes the initiative, with ties settled by a roll. Players then alternate activating one model at a time. A model can Move, Charge or Retreat, and can also Shoot and Fight once each. However, unless its weapon has the ASSAULT keyword, a model cannot both shoot and charge or fight in the same activation. Alternating activations mean your opponent never sits out a whole turn.
The success roll: 2d6 and +/- DICE
Almost everything is resolved with one roll: 2d6, where 7 or more succeeds, 2-6 fails and 12 or more is a critical success. Modifiers change the dice rather than the target number:
- +DICE: roll an extra die and keep the highest two, for example when shooting from elevation.
- -DICE: roll an extra die and keep the lowest two, for example against a target in cover or at long range.
- Risky actions: failing the roll ends the model's activation immediately.
Injuries and blood markers
There are no hit points. A model that is hit takes a separate 2d6 injury roll. On 2-6 it suffers a minor hit and gains a Blood Marker. On 7-8 it is Down, and on 9 or more it is Out of Action. A model can carry up to six Blood Markers, and your opponent can spend them to worsen your later rolls. Spend enough and the injury roll becomes three dice, all added together. Blessing Markers work the other way. The grinding, bloody feel of trench warfare comes straight from this system.
Morale
When half your warband is Down or Out of Action, you take a morale test. Fail it and the warband becomes Shaken. Fail again while Shaken and it flees, losing the game. Keeping your warband together matters as much as killing the enemy.
How does the campaign work?
You can play one-off games, but the campaign is where Trench Crusade shines. Your warband's ducats, experience and Glory Points carry over between battles. Models improve and buy new gear, while a model taken Out of Action can be lost for good. In the stream, Deniz mentions a 12-game campaign series and the idea of a patron backing each warband. Mordheim veterans will recognise the structure: the story of a lost veteran is as much part of the game as winning.
Are Trench Crusade rules free?
Yes. After a long open playtest, the game reached version 1.0. According to the official announcement, the digital rules are split into the Digital Rulebook and Warbands of Trench Crusade, and both remain free. Wikipedia's version history lists 1.0.0 in November 2025, and the current version is 1.0.2 from February 2026. Under the official Living Rules Policy, the rules are reviewed twice a year. Download the current PDFs from the official Trench Crusade site.
When the stream was recorded in June 2025, the game was still in 0.x, which is why the hosts say 1.0 is not out yet. The printed Kickstarter rulebook is for backers, and a separate print edition has opened for pre-order. You need neither to play.
What do you need to play Trench Crusade?
The Quickstart Rules keep the list short:
- A warband: models from your chosen faction.
- A flat surface: the Quickstart calls a dining table ideal. The rulebook suggests a 3x3 ft or 4x4 ft table.
- Plenty of terrain: trenches, craters, ruins and obstacles.
- Six-sided dice: a set of d6 in three colours.
- A tape measure in inches: all distances are in inches.
- The rules: the free PDFs.
The official Quickstart Rules sum up the terrain requirement in four words: "Terrain (and lots of it)". Source: Trench Crusade Quickstart Rules.
That emphasis is there for a reason. Because cover imposes -DICE, it genuinely protects your models. On an open table, the warband with the most firepower wins easily. On a dense table, movement, positioning and close combat matter. Deniz recommends trenches, ruined churches and mosques and shell craters, and admits a full table can take a year to build up.
If you want a trench line on the table quickly, our Siper Hattı Terrain Set is built for exactly this kind of battlefield. Filling the gaps with barbed wire and a sandbag set makes crossing between trenches properly dangerous. If you are used to centimetres, an inch movement ruler saves you converting every measurement.
What are the factions, and which is best for beginners?
Since the official post "On Factions, Warband Lists, and Warband Variants", list building has three layers: pick a Faction, then a Warband List, then optionally a Warband Variant. Three factions fight for the faithful and three for Hell. Here is a play-style view; the lore guide covers their stories.
- Principality of New Antioch: disciplined, well-equipped troops with strong firepower and the widest choice of variants, including historical flavours like the Prussian Stoßtruppen. A balanced way to learn the rules.
- Trench Pilgrims: faith-driven fanatics built for advancing and close combat.
- Iron Sultanate: Janissaries, Azebs, alchemical constructs and the assassins of Alamut. A versatile mix of elite troops and special tools.
- Heretic Legion: Hell's military arm, with assassins, naval raiders and heavy gear.
- The Black Grail: the faction of plague and decay, with one of the darkest aesthetics in the game.
- The Court of the Seven-Headed Serpent: a sin-themed faction representing the circles of Hell.
Our advice: pick the warband you most want to look at. You will paint and campaign with it for a long time. If you want a boxed start, the two warbands in Carcass Front make a natural first pairing.
Where do you get Trench Crusade miniatures?
This is where the stream and today differ most. As the hosts explain, Trench Crusade originally sold miniatures in resin and as 3D printing files (STL). According to Wargamer, 3D printing could not keep up with demand. The first plastic kit, a Prussian warband, was revealed at Essen in October 2025, and the move to a plastic range was announced in November 2025. Per Tale of Painters, the plastics for the first starter and campaign box, Carcass Front, are made by Archon Studio. The box contains:
- Two warbands: Heretic Naval Raiders (7 models) and Procession of the Sacred Affliction (9 models)
- Tank trap and naval mine terrain, tokens and dice
- A campaign book with a two-player narrative campaign and a 2-8 player map campaign
Release dates differ by source: Wargamer reported a March 2026 announcement for July, while Tale of Painters gives 31 August 2026. Check stock with your retailer. Wargamer's review also notes the box is light on terrain, so plan to add your own.
The third route is the most flexible. The game is miniature-agnostic, and the rules openly encourage using whatever models fit your vision. Scale is around 32 mm, on 25 and 32 mm bases.
How do you get started with Trench Crusade?
- Download the rules. Start with the Quickstart.
- Find opponents. Deniz suggests a group of 3-5 friends; local clubs and university fantasy societies are worth a visit.
- Pick a faction and start small. A few models are enough to learn.
- Build the table in stages. A few trenches and obstacles will do for the first game.
- Paint, but do not wait for it. Grimdark painting leans on mud, rust and blood; our mud and dirt effects guide suits trench soldiers well.
- Move into a campaign. After a few one-offs, grow your warband over linked games.
Why did Trench Crusade become so popular?
The rulebook Kickstarter launched on 29 October 2024 with a $66,666 goal and closed on 12 November 2024, raising more than $3.3 million, about 49 times its target (Wargamer, Destructoid). Wargamer puts the backer count at around 20,000. The stream and outside coverage point to the same reasons:
- An untouched theme. Deniz notes that neither WWI nor Abrahamic mythology had been explored much in miniatures gaming.
- A strong visual identity. Nasip credits Franchina's art; people followed the world before the rules existed.
- A low barrier to entry. Free rules, any miniatures and small warbands.
- Openness to the community. According to the stream, the team answers rules questions on Discord and is relaxed about fan work.
What is next for Trench Crusade?
The rules sit at 1.0.2 under the living rules policy, new releases are plastic, and the faction structure has been reorganised. According to Gaming Trend, the first global campaign, "Operation Leviathan", was announced in September 2026 following Carcass Front. Nasip is confident the game will become a major brand within a decade; that is a fan's prediction. We found no official video game, RPG or novel announcement.
Frequently asked questions
How many models do you need for Trench Crusade?
Not many. Deniz describes it as a skirmish of roughly 5-15 miniatures, and the two Carcass Front warbands have 7 and 9 models. You can start with a weekend's worth of painting.
Can I use other miniatures for Trench Crusade?
Yes. The rules actively encourage it. Just make sure each model clearly represents its unit and sits on a sensible base size. Tournaments may have their own rules, so ask the organiser.
What scale is Trench Crusade?
It is described as a 32 mm game, with 25 and 32 mm bases. Tale of Painters compares the Carcass Front detail and casting quality to Warhammer kits, so terrain for that scale works well.
Is there a Trench Crusade starter set?
Yes, Carcass Front, with two warbands, terrain, tokens, dice and a campaign book. You do not need it to play, since the rules are free.
How is Trench Crusade different from Warhammer?
Trench Crusade is a low model count skirmish with alternating activations, a single 2d6 success roll, free rules and open miniature choice. Warhammer 40K is a large army game built around its own miniature range, set in science fiction rather than alternate history.
Is Trench Crusade worth getting into?
If you want a small, campaign-driven game with heavy atmosphere, yes. Try the free rules with a few models first. Note that the game is classified for mature audiences and features strong religious themes.
Your trench line is set and your warband chosen. Now it is time to meet across the table. Join the Karargah, share your games and painted warbands, and if you are new to painting, our guides are waiting.
