Trench Crusade: Plastiksets Update
Trench Crusade geben ein Update, wie es in Zukunft mit den Platiksets für Trench Crusade weitergehen soll.
The future of plastics at Trench Crusade
Here at Trench Crusade, we recently released our very first plastic kit: The Prussian Stosstruppen Warband Box. This article will go into detail about the plans for the future of our plastic range, including the different types of boxes and how we plan to structure our future releases.
The Plastic range
The core plastic range for Trench Crusade includes 4 different types of boxes, as detailed below.
Here at Trench Crusade, we recently released our very first plastic kit: The Prussian Stosstruppen Warband Box. This article will go into detail about the plans for the future of our plastic range, including the different types of boxes and how we plan to structure our future releases.
The Plastic rangeThe core plastic range for Trench Crusade includes 4 different types of boxes, as detailed below.
Warband Boxes
Warband Boxes are the keystone of the plastic range, designed to provide the ideal entry point to each Faction and Variant for both new and experienced players.
A “Warband” is what we call a player’s forces in Trench Crusade. So as to live up to this title, Warband Boxes are a ready-to-play, 700 Ducat force (the starting points value for a campaign) composed of around 6 – 10 models. Of course, you need more than just minis to play a wargame, so each box also has a QR code on the back that takes you to a Warband Guide (which is also available directly on our website) containing the lore, rules, sample lists and assembly guide for the models within, as well as a link to the core Trench Crusade rules. Pair this with some dice and a tape measure and a Warband Box gives you everything you need to play your first games of Trench Crusade.
Each Warband Box is designed to capture the theme and unique rules of each of the Factions and Variants.
For example: the Prussian Stosstruppen Warband is known for its use of grenades, submachine guns and melee weapons including the iconic Tank-Splitter Sword, one of their unique pieces of wargear. Their special rules support the playstyle that these weapons bring and so, whilst they do have access to the entire New Antioch armoury, their warband box focuses on this overarching shock assault theme.
This theme is distilled into two sample lists that aim to get you into the trenches quickly whilst also offering a choice of playstyle.
The miniatures in the box are designed around these two lists with assembly options to represent their respective loadouts in each of them. Being able to focus on a specific set of profiles and wargear allows our team to really push the designs of the models in Warband Boxes, once again reinforcing the theme of the Faction or Variant.
Now this does come at the (completely assumed) cost of variation. There’s only so many things we can fit on a sprue, and with each box containing around 4 different units, including all the options for each of them would be impossible. Once again though, the goal of the Warband Boxes is to get players of all levels playing ASAP.
Troop Boxes
Troop Boxes are the first step to expanding your Warband, allowing you to tailor your core unit choices to your theme and style of gameplay.
Troop Boxes are for core units that are likely to be taken in number for a Faction or Variant, and not only have access to a large choice of gear, but also strategic and narrative reasons to be equipped with different weapons. If you’re familiar with the term “multipart” you’ll immediately understand what these Boxes are.
They contain around 3-5 unique bodies and a swathe of weapon and equipment options, as well as accessories and knick-knacks to help you add a personal touch to your models. When designing these kits, we’ll be taking into account what the unit in question would reasonably be equipped with. After that, we’ll be fitting as much as we can on to the sprues!
For example: the Stosstruppen Troop Box includes plenty of grenades, melee weapons (including Tank-Splitter Swords, of course!), submachine guns, and other equipment that a Stosstruppen might have. It won’t include weapons such as a sniper rifle or bolt-action rifle, as they aren’t something you’d see on a troop like this. They are included in the Prussian Yeomen Troop Box though, as these are the troops more suited to providing covering fire in this Variant.
Elite Boxes
Elite boxes are specialised troops that give warbands access to new and unique ways to play on the battlefield.
These kits concern units that can be taken 2 – 4 times in a Warband and are generally characterized by a unique style of gameplay and the more select choice of weaponry that accompanies it.
They strike a balance between the Warband and Troop Boxes: Epic, thematic poses that still have a nice variety of useful and fun ways to tailor the model to your tastes.
For example: Sniper Priests are a hero choice for New Antioch. If you include a unit as cool as a blind marksman monk in your warband, you’re going to want to splash out and get them a cool gun. This Elite Box includes two bodies in rather priestly poses that you can equip with a sniper rifle, machine gun, SMG or a grenade launcher. You’re not going to give them something as mundane as a bolt action rifle and, with their abysmal melee modifier, they’re never expected to be equipped with melee weapons, so don’t expect to find any of those on the sprue. The box also includes a nice variety of head and accessory options.
Hero Boxes
Hero Boxes, be they actual heroes, monsters or unique units, contain some of the most powerful and iconic models in the game.
These kits generally contain individual models that, due to their rules or the way they’re played, have fewer assembly options: some have only one possible configuration. On the flip side, this allows us to make these kits some of the most impressive in the entire range.
For example: The Prussian Hauptmann and Feldkaplan Hero Boxes are different poses from those included in the Warband Box, and will include a choice between the iconic Tank-Splitter Swords and a small selection of one-handed weapons and equipment.
Plastic, conversions and compatibility between kits
We’ve talked a lot in this article about how we “expect” models to be built, “normal” loadouts, etc. However, Trench Crusade is a game that encourages creativity and customisation, a notion that marries perfectly with plastic, which is hands down the best and easiest material to work with when it comes to converting your models.
Additionally, whilst we can’t provide every equipment option for every model, we aim to make our kits as compatible as possible with one another. Having bodies compatible with different arms and heads from kits of a similar size (don’t expect to be able to put Communicant arms on a Yeoman) will give you endless options for kitbashing and converting.
For example: we mentioned before that Stosstruppen don’t normally have sniper rifles. Well, maybe YOU want yours to have one. Maybe in your warband he’s a soldier known to drive his targets into cover from a distance before closing in for the kill? In which case, there is nothing stopping you from taking the sniper rifle arms from the Yeomen kit and putting it on a Stosstruppen body with just a little bit of work. If you’re feeling spicy you can sculpt some additional armour plates on the arms to really complete the Stosstruppen look…or maybe your soldier purposefully forgoes those armour plates in order to be a steadier shot?
Resin and STLs
As a lot of you know, Trench Crusade got its start leveraging 3D printing technology via a very successful Kickstarter back in 2024. However, it immediately became apparent that 3D printing would not be able to keep up with demand for the game and the growth of the community. Thanks to this explosive show of support, we are grateful to have been able to pivot to plastic kits in under a year, and these will be our focus going forward.
So as to be clear as possible with this: there will be no major releases in STL or Resin format in the future.
There will be a small wave of releases to round out the digital range once the Kickstarter is complete, but after that, we will only be releasing a very limited range of products this way. Things like accessories, special models and terrain. To confirm though, the current range of 3D files and Resin miniatures isn’t going anywhere and will remain available.
Whilst this may disappoint some of you, please understand that miniatures designed for plastic kits are exponentially more expensive to develop than resin miniatures, and it is just not viable to release them this way. In exchange however, plastics will allow us to reach many more players around the globe via distribution and retail stores, which for you means you’ll soon have many, many more crusaders to square off against, events to attend, and friends to make.
However, we are still planning to move forward with our Community License. It has been reworked to account for the success of the game, but the idea remains the same. You can expect more news about this soon.
Future releases
So, what can you expect from us going forward? Whilst there will be some brand new Factions and Variants, the bulk of releases over the next few years will be focused on existing Variants that already have rules written and playtested, which is already a lot. 22 of them to be precise! We’re aiming to release at least one Variant range a year for each faction.
Additionally, it’s through these Variants that we’ll be releasing the core Faction models in plastic. Most Variants have at least one unit whose design doesn’t need to be adapted to the Variant in question, and will be released as “generic” Faction models. We can intersperse these between other releases as and when the schedule allows.
For example: The Sniper Priests already look like they could have stepped straight out of Königsberg Cathedral and don’t need to be redesigned in order to fit in amongst the Prussian range. Therefore, they will be released simply as New Antioch Sniper Priests.
The Frontlines await
Everything explained here is the core of the Trench Crusade range, but is by no means the full extent of it. We have plenty of other things planned for the next few years but are purposefully not going to talk about it here so as to preserve the surprise. Rest assured Crusaders that when the time comes, you’ll all be the first to know!
Quelle: Trench Crusade
Ein sehr guter Schritt das Produkt in die Läden zu bringen. Bin Mal gespannt wie genau die Boxen aufgebaut sind. Aber freut mich da sie diesen Schritt jetzt gehen.