True confession time: I’m a sucker for licensed merchandise.
I’ve often noted that one of the secrets to Warhammer’s success is that it has so many ways for people to engage with it. There’s the tabletop wargame, of course, but then you also have folks whose interest mainly is in the building and painting of the miniatures and models. Then you’ve got the readers and lorehounds, those whose consumption goes little further than the Black Library but eagerly devour book after book. Video gamers, too, have their niche, with the recent success of Space Marine II showing how much of an appetite there is for the world.
In a sense, it’s a bit like a buffet where you are free to take from as many dishes as you like, in whatever quantity makes you happiest.
For me, the sweet spot lies in building and curating my Black Library Museum.
The display of books alongside trinkets, curios, and models from the game has been a major driver of my engagement, and I spend a lot of time planning and researching what’s out there to build them1.
I have one stricture and that’s that whatever goes into the display must be official merchandise- no 3D prints, no knockoff trinkets. No judgment- I’ve seen some terrific displays that happily use those, but we all have our preferences and mine is for a museum rather than simply an art installation.
And so it’s with particular interest that I’ve begun keeping an eye out for what we’ll get to see from Trench Crusade, because I’ve started getting the itch to build one for that world as well2.
There isn’t a lot of it- yet- but the game is still in its relative cradle. And the appointment of Marc Gascoigne as Head of Special Ops gives me a great deal of confidence at what the future might have in store. After all he- along with Rick Priestley and Andy Jones- is one of the founding fathers of the Black Library.
But “not a lot” isn’t quite the same thing as none.
Visualizing a World
Jared Blando is a professional cartographer, illustrator, and published author3 based out of Portland, Oregon. If his name is not immediately familiar, there’s a fairly good chance if you play Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: the Gathering, BattleTech, or the Lord of the Rings RPG from Cubicle 7 Games that you’ve seen his work.
Given Factory Fortress’s track record of working with high-end, established industry talent it should come as little surprise, then, to learn that Blando has bent his efforts towards bringing the world of Trench Crusade to life.
The map at the top of this week’s roundup is indeed Blando’s, and it’s worth noting that if you’re looking to decorate your walls (or museum) with a bit of official Trench Crusade visualization, there are prints available on his website4.
Each comes signed by Blando in silver pen, and are filled with tiny details that bring the Trench Crusade world to life.
As Trench Crusade continues to grow and expand, I look forward to continuing to add to a Trench Crusade Museum as more official merchandise- and hopefully novels!- come available. With three different Black Library Readers’ Hall of Famers already penning short fiction for the world (Graham McNeill, Josh Reynolds, and Gav Thorpe), there’s every reason to look forward to what lies ahead.
And while it may be a bit overambitious at this stage to expect it, I can only imagine what a Limited Edition Trench Crusade novel might look like. Dare to dream, right?
Miniature of the Week
This week’s build from the Carcass Front box is the Lazarist Prophet.
The Lazarist Prophets who come to lead Processions of the Sacred Affliction are not motivated by desire or their own sense of destiny. None that are called “Father” by the afflicted ever set themselves on such a path. Whoever the prophet might once have been, the turn of the Rota Fortunae, the wheel of fortune, and God’s Will have wrought their works on them most thoroughly, afflicting them in body and mind. Only once they have shed all trace of Earthly treasures and all Pride in their old existence do they truly perceive and proselytise on the teachings of Saint Lazarus: of God’s unending love and His power over death, and how the Lord brings new life even when all hope seems lost.
I think my “favorite” thing about taking these high-definition pictures of models and minis is how I can immediately see something I missed with the named eye- in this case, a tiny sprue join on the back of the terrain, just above where it meets the base.
But in all seriousness, this is another beautiful sculpt filled with texture and detail. The wood-grain of the cross and rope braids give it a particularly tactile feel, and it was a very easy and straightforward assembly.
Onto the shelf you go, Father, there to await your coming brethren!
ICYMI
Here’s what’s been going on this week for Trench Crusade content!
Trench Crusade Official
The latest official lore drop is a feature on The Pillar of Jonah, an abandoned lightship warehouse with a mysterious guardian. It’s written by Graham McNeill and illustrated by Thomas Elliott!
Each Friday during the worldwide campaign, the Trench Wire has been bringing reports from Decisive Battles from games all over the world. This week’s included conflicts from Poland to Australia, as well as one up the way (a bit) from me in Illinois!
Results from Operation Leviathan are also being reported by Andy Chambers and Sammie Dae. The latest dispatch was encouraging news for the Faithful, who managed to advance on fully half the war’s ongoing fronts. With three stalemates, the Fallen only managed forward momentum on one. A rush and a push and the land is ours!
For those following the 2026 Arena Challenge, the end is right around the corner! Here two teams representing Factory Fortress, The Baron of Dice, The Army Painter, Trench Titans, and Army Painter’s Factory Team compete in an escalation campaign of building and painting Trench Crusade miniatures.
Mentioned in Despatches has been running every week throughout the duration of Operation Leviathan. Curated by Peter Hairston, MiD the column brings you some of the most striking Trench Crusade miniatures, terrain, and tables that have been shared across social media. Here’s this week’s!
Don’t forget, the game’s first-ever worldwide campaign Operation Leviathan will run until 19 October, and will leave its mark on the world forever. Make sure to get your results in!
Wargame Content Sites
Tabletop Battles pivots this week from warband content, instead going outside the game to look at the best ways to build up a local scene for Trench Crusade. Sometimes you have to be the change you want to see in the world, and if you’ve lamented the lack of a community in your area- or just want to skill up as a brand ambassador- make sure to check it out!
Community Content
The Saints & Sevens Trench Crusade podcast dropped a new installment this week, breaking into the Carcass Front campaign box and offering a full, in-depth review!
Coming at things from a game designer angle, the Trench Scribe Podcast dives into the art and science of scenario creation. “Are your your group's organizer, choosing which scenarios to run? Do you want to edit them for clarity, or even write your own scenarios? Listen as we discuss scenarios, game design, terrain, and more!”
After a notable absence, YouTube channel Trench Tactics is back! Not only do they explain what happened (they were hacked), but they return bearing gifts: a rundown of how to play every Faithful mercenary!
The Grimdark Fantasy channel put together a terrific little lore primer on the Court of the Seven-Headed Serpent.
Chimera Wargaming has been running a video series on building battlefields for Trench Crusade. This week they walk through the building of a sacred statue, a battlefield monument to help bring your games to life.
Bash & Brush shared a video of their first warband painting, the Procession of the Sacred Affliction. “I take you through how I painted the Sacred Affliction Pilgrims, the decisions I made along the way, and my thought process behind the colours, skin, weathering and overall look of the warband.” They look terrific!
Finally, the Trenchfoot Society had a chance to chat about upcoming Trench Crusade-compatible miniature campaigns with Scanner Barkly and Taylor Holloway!
Coming Attractions
Here’s a list of the known upcoming physical releases from Trench Crusade based on the available preorder information we have.
This section will be updated weekly in this column, with new or updated info presented in boldface.
Trench Crusade Rulebook (hardcover, 11/30)
That’s it for this week, see you again in seven days’ time. As for me, I’ve not some Raiders to put together…
This sort of stuff is the focus of the Black Library Bibliophiles series here (and previously on Tabletop Battles).
Which is noteworthy in its own right, as this is the first time I’ve felt compelled to go beyond Warhammer for this.
For those who want to learn how to create their own cities and maps, these should prove of interest!
I’ve linked to the canvas print here, but there’s also a poster paper option.