Trench Crusade‘s unique blend of historic warfare and gruesome Catholic fantasy make it one of the most striking miniature wargames of recent years. Mike Franchina’s delightfully nasty art opens the door to a world I’d hate to live in, but I’m desperate to explore. Those initial images are also backed up by some of the most enticing, entrail-laden lore in the modern hobby. What is it that makes it so damned exciting?
For the uninitiated, Trench Crusade takes place on an alternate Earth where Crusaders opened a Hellmouth in Jerusalem. For the next 800 years, demonic forces flooded the world and tried to take it from the faithful and mortal. The wars you know were waged, but this time, humanity fights the forces of Hell. Now, it’s 1914, and the battle between Fallen and Faithful takes place in the trenches of No Man’s Land.
Longtime wargamer Tim Linward says this is the best grimdark storytelling since early 2000s Games Workshop. Personally, I’m much newer to the world of wargames – but Trench Crusade compels me just the same. I find myself drawn to its gruesome sanctity, its gnarly monstrosities, and its portrayal of humanity – both horrid and holy.
That’s why I jumped at the chance to chat with former Mordheim designer Tuomas Pirinen about Trench Crusade’s deep, dark lore. Wargamer has asked Pirinen for all sorts of wisdom, from slick rules design to mentoring the next generation of wargame designers. Now, I have a new question: if God is real, what is Trench Crusade trying to tell him?
Pirinen’s answer is personal rather than explicitly canon. He’s written basically the entire timeline of Trench Crusade, and all the gory details in-between, but faith is a personal thing – even when it’s in a fictional world.
“I believe that, in order for there to be free will, God can’t just solve your problems”, he tells me. “In the Trench Crusade universe, we are God’s children, and you’ve got to let your children grow up and make their own mistakes. This war was started by humans opening the gates of Hell, by their own free will.”
God, then, takes a hands-off approach in Trench Crusade. Even when the word of God powers Faithful troops, humanity has engineered it. Strange mutations and arcane machines fuel their forces, though the cost of that firepower is desecrating the temples we call mind and body. Pirinen tells me this is well within tradition for stories inspired by Christianity.
“Tolkien was extremely clear that The Lord of the Rings is a Christian, Catholic book”, he says, “and yet God doesn’t interfere”. “Eru Ilúvatar, Tolkien’s version of the Catholic God, isn’t throwing thunderbolts or resurrecting people. But when Gollum betrayed Frodo at Mount Doom, he slipped, not because God pushed him, but because God built a world where a betrayal born from free will suffers the consequences.”
Tolkien himself fought in World War One, though his whereabouts in the Trench Crusade canon remains unknown. It’ll probably stay that way, too. While many real world figures feature, from Jean d’Arc to Catherine of Sienna, Pirinen doesn’t want to simply repeat history.
“One of the most common questions we get is ‘what about Napoleon?’ ‘What about the Red Baron?’ ‘What about Tolkien?’ But if you do all that, it gets very gimmicky.” “Plus, you need to do a lot of research, because we want to do justice to any character from real-world history. Then, it starts becoming not your world or your story.”
Trench Crusade’s roots in reality make it more affecting, Pirinen says, and he thinks that’s one of the reasons the wargame has been such a runaway success. “When we show a map of the Trench Crusade world, everybody looks at what’s happening at home – and you don’t get that with a pure fantasy world”, he tells me.
Still, Trench Crusade cherishes its creative freedom. It means the designers can explore the “fascinating history” of countries like Ukraine and Ethiopia, but free of real-world events like war, occupation, and colonialism that strip these nations of agency.
“That’s much more interesting than repeating history”, Pirinen says. “People who normally don’t get featured in wargames get to have agency.” “I’m super proud we have players in Turkey and Africa, which isn’t common at all for a wargame”, he adds, “so I want to explore these areas too.”
Alternate histories aside, sometimes the truth is actually stranger than fiction. Take the throwing crosses you can wield as weapons. “We get a lot of people saying ‘but this is a complete fantasy!'”, Pirinen says “It’s real. 100%. They were real weapons.”
It’s a careful balance of creativity and authenticity, but Trench Crusade nails it to a cross. Both are backed up by huge amounts of care and research. Real Catholic Clerics help craft the lore behind the wargame. Pirinen even interviewed veterans of the Finnish Civil War, so Trench Crusade’s mechanics better represent the reality of Trench warfare.
“It isn’t a simulation game, but I wanted you to actually feel like you’re taking these daring dashes, throwing a grenade, and following up with a bayonet charge”, he says. “I wanted the lore, art, miniature, and mechanics to fulfill the fantasy, exactly as imagined.”
Dig underneath the interesting details, and you find what truly makes Trench Crusade lore compelling. It’s a big question, one that’s easy to empathize with: “When you are fighting the literal forces of Hell, how far can you go before you are indistinct from your enemies?”
Trench Crusade is a world where evil is real and tangible, and all humanity has banded together to resist it. But humans are far from righteous do-gooders. They mutilate themselves and others, use doctrine to manipulate, and even throw children into the line of fire. “Even if you’re fighting a just war”, Pirinen says, “it’s easy to go too far.”
These are the building blocks of a lore that truly enthralls. A profound premise, elevated by authentic real-world histories backed up by careful research. Throw in some of grimdark’s most creative minis, art, and storylines, and you’ve got a world that, however horrific, I’m dying to enter.
Trench Crusade and its 10/10 Carcass Front box set, are currently available at Essen. I’ve even more stories to tell straight from the booth, so sign up to the Wargamer Discord to hear them first.
Source: Wargamer
