Trench Crusade: A Beginner’s Guide to Warbands, Gameplay & Carcass Front

If grimdark miniatures, brutal skirmish games and alternate-history horror sound like your kind of tabletop game, Trench Crusade is well worth a look.

Trench Crusade has quickly built a passionate following thanks to its incredible miniature designs, dark setting and smaller-scale skirmish gameplay. Instead of building a huge army before you can start playing, you command a Warband of individual fighters, making it an approachable way to get into miniature wargaming.

Here at The Dragon Hangar, we've also got a growing community of Trench Crusade players already building, painting and battling with their Warbands — and with Warband sets now available and the new Carcass Front set arriving, it's a great time to get involved.

What Is Trench Crusade?

Trench Crusade is a tabletop miniature skirmish game set in a dark alternate version of history where the forces of Heaven and Hell are locked in an endless war.

Imagine the mud, artillery and trenches of the First World War combined with medieval religion, demons, corrupted warriors, strange technology and some genuinely horrifying creatures.

It's grim, weird and deliberately over-the-top.

Rather than commanding enormous armies, players build smaller Warbands made up of individual fighters. Each model matters, and building your Warband is a big part of the fun.

Why Is Trench Crusade Becoming So Popular?

The miniatures are probably the first thing most people notice.

Trench Crusade has a very distinctive style that stands apart from a lot of other miniature games. It's dark, heavily detailed and full of character, which also makes the range particularly appealing to painters and hobbyists.

But underneath the artwork and miniatures is a game designed around relatively small forces.

That makes starting a new Warband much less intimidating than committing to a massive army. You can build a force, paint it, start playing and then expand as you learn more about the game.

There's also plenty of room to personalise your force. Conversions, unusual colour schemes, weathering, mud, rust and battle damage all feel completely at home in Trench Crusade.

Choosing Your First Trench Crusade Warband

One of the best pieces of advice we can give new players is simple:

Pick the Warband you think looks coolest.

Seriously.

You're going to spend time building and painting these models, so choosing a faction that you actually love is usually more important than worrying about which one is currently considered strongest.

The different forces of Trench Crusade have their own themes, playstyles and fantastic miniature designs, so have a look through the range and see what grabs you.

With dedicated Warband sets now available, getting a force together is also becoming considerably easier for new players.

Do You Need to Be an Experienced Wargamer?

Not at all.

Experience with games like Warhammer 40,000, Kill Team, Necromunda or other miniature skirmish games will certainly help, but it isn't required.

Because you're controlling a Warband rather than an enormous army, there are fewer models to build and paint before you can start getting games in.

The best way to learn is the same way most tabletop games are learned — play a game, make some mistakes, ask questions and figure it out as you go.

And that's much easier when you've got other people to play with.

Trench Crusade at The Dragon Hangar

One of the best things we've seen since bringing Trench Crusade into the store has been the community forming around it.

We've already got a great group of local players building Warbands, painting miniatures, sharing ideas and organising games.

If you're interested but don't know anyone who plays, that's completely fine.

Come in, have a look at the miniatures and have a chat with us. You can also join our community and connect with other local players.

Miniature games are much easier to get into when you've actually got people nearby to play against, and that's exactly the kind of community we're trying to build at The Dragon Hangar.

Carcass Front – A New Way to Start Trench Crusade

The next big release for the game is Carcass Front, and it's particularly interesting for anyone thinking about starting Trench Crusade.

Carcass Front includes two complete Warbands — the Procession of the Sacred Affliction and Heretic Naval Raiders — along with introductory rules, terrain, dice, rulers and other gaming accessories.

It also includes the 96-page Carcass Front campaign book with expanded lore and rules, plus two different campaigns.

One is a linked narrative campaign designed for two players, while the other is a larger map-based campaign designed for 2–8 players.

That makes Carcass Front more than just a box of miniatures. It's designed to give players the pieces needed to actually start playing and then continue into a proper campaign.

For two friends wanting to jump into Trench Crusade together, or an existing tabletop gamer looking for a new skirmish system, it's a very interesting starting point.

Is Trench Crusade Good for Hobbyists?

Absolutely.

In fact, we'd argue that's one of its biggest strengths.

The setting practically begs you to experiment with weathering, mud, grime, rust, blood, damaged armour and grimy trench bases.

You also don't need to paint dozens and dozens of identical troops.

Because Warbands are smaller and the miniatures have so much individual character, you can spend more time making each model your own.

If you're someone who enjoys the painting and modelling side of tabletop gaming as much as actually playing, Trench Crusade gives you plenty to work with.

What Do You Need to Get Started?

You don't need to buy everything at once.

Start with a Warband you like, get the basic hobby supplies you need to build and paint it, and go from there.

If you're completely new to miniature gaming, we can also help you work out what paints, brushes, glue, tools and other supplies you'll actually need without loading you up with a pile of stuff you won't use.

Alternatively, Carcass Front provides a much more complete entry point, particularly if you're starting alongside another player.

Looking for Trench Crusade in Newcastle, Port Stephens or the Hunter?

At The Dragon Hangar in Raymond Terrace, we stock Trench Crusade miniatures and Warbands and we're continuing to grow the range alongside our local player community.

Whether you're already deep into the setting, you've seen the miniatures online and want to know what all the fuss is about, or you're looking for a new tabletop game to play, come in and check it out.

Most importantly, you don't need to already have a group.

We've got people playing.

We've got Warbands available.

And with Carcass Front arriving, there's never been a better excuse to head into the trenches.