I hate to say it, but the anti-woke brigade has come for Trench Crusade. Yes, theWarhammer-adjacentgrimdark tabletop skirmish game set in an alternate World War 1 where the demons of Hell were unleashed upon the world a millennium previous is apparently woke. Allegations that “cultural marxists” took over the game’s content abounded from the usual suspects on social media, and the game was quickly branded as “woke”.
This baffled me, as it has none of the usual trappings that enrage this mob. The miniatures are all supplied in unpainted resin, so there’s no ‘forced diversity’ to scream about. The lore is a quasi-religious crusade against infected Templars and Hell itself, which doesn’t strike me as particularly woke. So what are all the complaints about? Oh, the officialDiscordsays thatLGBTQ+ people are welcome.
If that sort of thing doesn’t bother you, then read on to find out all about one of the most original settings and check out some of the coolest miniature designs I’ve ever seen.
What Is Trench Crusade?
Trench Crusade is a tabletop skirmish game brought to fruition by Diablo andMagic: The Gatheringartist Mike Franchina, with rules by Mordheim co-creator Tuomas Pirinen and “brought to life” by James Sherriff, whose credits include 28 Mag and Ian Miller’s Grim Tarock. There’s a bigger team working behind the scenes, but this trinity of game design legends was enough to sell me on the concept before I’d even looked at the game itself.
When you do look at the game, though, you’re instantly sucked in. The grimdark art direction is exactly what many gamers, myself included, latch onto thanks to the ubiquity of John Blanche’s iconic brushstrokes. The lore is deep to the point of being a little overwhelming, but luckily there are plentiful breakdowns and a whole Discord full of friendly people willing to help you understand the intricacies of this demonic war. Just be careful, because some of them might be LGBTQ+.
Then there are the miniatures themselves. Sold as complete models or via STL file for you to 3D print at home, they’re wholly original and utterly gruesome. From the almost robotic armour of New Antioch to the demons of the Court of the Seven Headed Serpent, there are six entirely unique factions to choose from. If you’re anything like me, multiple will call out to you, and I really can’t decide if the depraved horrors of the Black Grail or the riches of the Sultanate of the Iron Wall.
The Sultanate in particular has very interesting lore. In a game so based on Christian heresy, this is an Islamic faction. But it doesn’t stray into the lazy stereotypes of portraying them as xenophobic extremists, it creates a wealth of lore that uses historical sources and world religion as a way to propel their story forwards.
Go Woke, Go Broke
If you go woke, famously you always go broke. That’s why the woke miniatures of Trench Crusade smashed their Kickstarter fundraising target just hours after launching. At the time of writing, theKickstarterhas reached 12x its initial goal, with well over half a million pounds raised to bring these miniatures to life. So is this game woke? Because it’s definitely not broke. Maybe the grifters ought to move the goalposts like they usually do.
It’s an expensive piece of kit. If you wanted the full shebang, miniatures for all six factions as well as the bespoke trench terrain designed for the game, you’ll be shelling out well over £600. But dropping half a grand on resin and paper isn’t the only way to play Trench Crusade.
The rules are available for free in both playtest and quickstart formats, and the community surrounding the game embraces conversions and scratch-builds like no other. Whether you’re working with Games Workshop kits like some people or sculpting straight onto a wire frame with putty and your own imagination, the world of Trench Crusade is ripe for creativity, and the community embraces that.
The Kickstarter itself says that “custom miniatures will always be completely legitimate” in the game, and that the creators are working on a third-party license so that others can sculpt miniatures for the system. It’s a breath of fresh air for those of us used to Games Workshop’s litigious ways.
My advice is to ignore the silly culture war that has kicked up around this latest Kickstarter and jump into the world of Trench Crusade for yourself. It’s rich, varied, and messed up in more ways than you thought possible. If I can persuade some of you, I can persuade my friends to get involved so I can finally get a game.
