If you’re a wargaming fan, then you’re likely already familiar with the newest game taking the grim dark tabletop world by storm – Trench Crusade!
Trench Crusade is a skirmish-style wargame set within an alternate world where the forces of Hell have been unleashed, and now, in 1914, the forces of Heaven and Hell battle it out within the trenches of a war-ravaged earth. Created by artist Mike Franchina (Diablo 2r/3/4, Path of Exile 2, Magic: The Gathering) with rules by acclaimed game designer Tuomas Pirinen (Mordheim, Warhammer 6th edition) and brought to life by James Sherriff (28 mag, Ian Miller's Grim Tarock) and some of the greatest creative talents in wargaming, including the legendary John Blanche, it’s set to be a mammoth release.
The Kickstarter for the game has recently gone live, with tons of amazing-looking miniatures and what promises to be a gorgeous rulebook. At The Army Painter offices, we all became instantly enamoured with the unique aesthetic and models, no more so than our Lead Product Developer, Thomas!
Thomas: I've travelled to shows all around the world, witnessing the release of numerous new models over the years. However, nothing excited me quite like the artwork for Trench Crusade. As a huge fan of grim dark themes, especially anything related to John Blanche, I was thrilled when I saw the miniatures on Kickstarter. The translation of the artwork into a miniature range was truly remarkable, and I fell in love with the lore and setting!
Recently, we were fortunate enough to gain early access to a few model files for Trench Crusade. We quickly set the printer to work, and throughout the weekend, I couldn't stop myself from painting these incredible miniatures from the Mercenaries faction.
All the metallics across the models were basecoated with Warpaints Fanatic Death Metal overtop our Matt Black Colour Primer Spray. It was then lightly drybrushed with Warpaints Fanatic Gun Metal. This is, of course, entirely too clean for the grim dark look we’re aiming for, so these were then covered with thinned-down Warpaints Fanatic Effects Dark Rust and then a subtle layer of Warpaints Fanatic Effects Fresh Rust. I then finished it all off with a scratchy style highlight of Warpaints Fanatic Shining Silver. This relatively quick and easy recipe gets you some amazing-looking weather metallics, perfect for the hell-torn (literally) trenches.
For the reds, I wanted them to stand out more against the comparatively dark metallics. I started these with a basecoat of Warpaints Fanatic Mulled Berry. This was then highlighted with Warpaints Fanatic Dragon Red and Raging Rose. To punch up the redness a bit more and add some more depth I applied a thin layer of Speedpaint Blood Red, followed by a final crisp highlight of Warpaints Fanatic Raging Rose.
Arguably, the most striking part of the whole trio is the skin of the Communicant Tank Hunter. This sickly-looking flesh was basecoated with two thin layers of Warpaints Fanatic Patagon Pine and then shaded with Warpaints Fanatic Wash Dark Skin Shade. This was then highlighted with Warpaints Fanatic Mossy Green, before getting selective glazes of Warpaints Fanatic Wash Dark Red Tone and Magenta Tone to give it a look of rawness. A final highlight of Warpaints Fanatic Matt White was applied before using both Warpaints Fanatic Effects Dry Blood and True Blood in patches around the skin.
I spent about an hour on each model, and it was an immensely enjoyable experience! I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the line. If you're interested, check out their Kickstarter—I’m fully invested and even considering crafting a gaming table for it!
