Introduction
Trench Crusade is a skirmish-scale tabletop miniatures game that plunges players deep into a horrifying alternate timeline. During the Crusades, a heretical order of Templars dared defy the Almighty, breaking their sacred oaths and unleashing the forces of Hell upon the Earth. Now, over eight hundred years later, in the Year of Our Lord 1914, this brutal and merciless war between the forces of Heaven and Hell rages on. This is not merely a fight for survival. This is a cataclysmic struggle that will decide the very fate of humanity’s soul.
As both sides of the Great War prepare for massive new offensives, a different struggle takes place in the shattered wasteland of No Man’s Land. Here, small warbands of combatants stalk the cratered earth, scarred by artillery and ravaged by centuries of war. These warbands gather information and ancient artefacts, seek out enemy scouts and high-value targets. Some are saboteurs and assassins, working deep behind enemy lines. Many are on holy (or unholy!) missions to obtain relics or perform bloodsoaked rituals in long-lost temples, churches, and basilicas. Others scour the front for vessels worthy of possession or sacrifice.
These Rules
The rules you are reading is a gateway to playing games set in the world of Trench Crusade. You will find all you need to charge into battle and join the countless souls locked in this never-ending conflict.
In the first section, you will find a timeline of significant events in world history, and a short account of the world and the major factions fighting in the Great War.
Next, you will find the rules. These are divided into two sections: the Core Rules, which will teach you the fundamentals, and the Comprehensive Rules, which provide more detailed guidelines. You will discover that the rules are easy to learn and memorise, but will take skill and time to master.
After the Core Rules, you will find the section on how to link individual battles into a Campaign. The Campaign Rules are the beating heart of the Trench Crusade game. They allow you to craft your own stories, leading your warband from humble beginnings to legendary status in the Great War, where their deeds are spoken of in hushed tones in the bunkers and pillboxes of No Man’s Land. You will lose warriors and gain new recruits along the way. Others will suffer grievous injuries, but some will survive to learn deadly skills or acquire powerful equipment.
The rules are followed by an array of thrilling Scenarios for you to play, from daring trench raids to battles over armoured trains.
What You Need To Play
- A warband of 6–10 miniatures to lead into battle.
- A battlefield roughly 3'x3' (90x90cm), or any surface with 24" (60cm) between forces.
- Terrain (and lots of it).
- Three sets of six-sided dice in different colours.
- A tape measure with imperial inches.
- The rules (you’re reading them).
- Friends. No one fights the Great War alone.
In Depth
Trench Crusade is a miniatures game, so you will need model soldiers to represent the warband you command. A typical warband at the start of the campaign consists of 6 to 10 models. You can acquire these from online and physical hobby stores. Alternatively, if you own a 3D printer, a vast selection of printable digital files is available online.
We provide a full range of models for Trench Crusade, but we are also enthusiastic about our support for independent miniature manufacturers. We encourage players to use whichever miniatures bring your vision to life; the battlefield is yours to shape.
You will need a tabletop to play on. We recommend a playing surface of about 3 feet by 3 feet (90cm by 90cm). However, as long as there is enough space to leave 24 inches (approximately 60cm) between the two forces at the start of the game, play is still perfectly possible. In every game, your forces need cover to huddle behind in order to avoid incoming enemy fire, ruined towers to act as sniper nests, and of course, the ever-present trenches where you can engage your foes in desperate close-quarters combat. The general rule of Trench Crusade is: the more terrain there is, the better the game will be! We have included a comprehensive Terrain Guide tohelp you create immersive battlefields, using off-the-shelf terrain, scratch-built models, or improvised pieces.
You will also need a tape measure to determine whether your bolt-action rifles are within effective range. Trench Crusade uses the archaic imperial measurement system, so ensure your tape measure includes these esoteric units.
Next, you need something you can blame for any losses and defeats during your games. We call these things dice. Trench Crusade uses six-sided dice, which most wargamers already have in abundance. We recommend using at least three sets of six dice in different colours.
Most importantly, you need friends! A group of like-minded hobbyists to play with is the most essential ingredient for an enjoyable wargaming experience. Local gaming clubs and hobby and gaming shops are a great place to start looking for fellow players. You will find a thriving Trench Crusade community online across various forums, channels, and social media.
Finally, remember the golden rule of wargaming: There is no wrong way to do this hobby, as long as you are respectful and honourable to fellow players across the table and within the wider community.
Happy gaming!