32mm grimdark miniatures set in the horrors of the Trench Crusade.
Important note:
* THE PRE-ORDER STORE IS NOW CLOSED
Latest Updates from Our Project:
A little token of our appreciation
7 months ago
– Thu, Apr 25, 2024 at 08:43:54 AM
Greetings pilgrims!
I hope you are all well. Just a quick update to say a couple of things:
1. Fulfilment is ongoing 2. Latest version of the Trench Crusade play test rules 3. A small token of our gratitude to our amazing, super patient backers!
Fulfilment
Things are still difficult here (please see last update) but I am steadily working through fulfilling all outstanding pledges. Please be assured that, if you have yet to receive yours, it will be on its way soon! Thank you again for bearing with me during a pretty tough time. :)
Play test rules
Tuomas has recently updated the latest version (v1.3.2) of the Trench Crusade play test rules (Kickstarter for the skirmish game is due later in the year). If you want to give it a go, feel free to download the rules here:
Since you have all been so incredibly patient and understanding, sending many messages of support (sorry I could not reply to all of them!), we at Trench HQ thought it would be nice to give you a little something. I sculpted a female version of the Communicant Anti-Tank Hunter and you can download the STL for free here:
You will find a supported and unsupported version, as well as the .LYS Lychee Slicer file if you wanted to tinker with supports/printer settings yourself. Apologies that this perhaps isn't of much use to folks without printers!
As always, a huge thank you from all of us for being such amazing backers!
Until next time,
James
It doesn't rain, it pours
8 months ago
– Wed, Apr 03, 2024 at 01:33:36 AM
Blessed pilgrims,
Really sorry that many of you are still waiting for your pledges. It has been a bit of a nightmare, since I have been doing the vast majority of it myself and we had a family emergency that came from nowhere (and is currently ongoing) and that has had a huge impact on our lives. I was hoping the family emergency would not have such a negative effect, but it has. It's been pretty tough, gotta be honest. I really wanted to avoid posting about it, but it has had such an impact on our lives that I now have no choice. I just want to be as open and honest as I can be with you.
That being said, I can't go into details about the crisis we are going through since it is very private and with devastating consequence. As much as I want to be open with you guys, something really bad happened and it is not something we are ready to talk about with anyone, including our extended family and close friends. It is something we are trying to come to terms with in our core unit, trying also to work out the best way to deal with it. It really came from nowhere and we are still reeling. Apologies for being so vague about it - I hope you can understand our need to keep things private.
We will get through this. I am still working on getting all your miniatures out to you, although it is taking longer than I had hoped. I am chipping away at it whilst we deal with our ongoing situation.
Again, so sorry for the delays - I am slowly getting through it! Everyone who has yet to receive their pledge will be getting their miniatures hopefully soon! Please bear with me.
Thanks again for backing and your incredible patience and understanding!
Big love,
James
Packing Party!
9 months ago
– Thu, Mar 14, 2024 at 10:58:08 AM
Blessed pilgrims, welcome to this quick update! Brought to you by the Synod of Strategic Prophecy in association with Beelzebub…
A couple of weeks ago I received a message from my mate Curtis up in the Lead Belt (Nottingham, UK). It had come to his attention that I was attempting to sort, bag & pack a ridiculous number of miniatures for fulfilment and, being a splendid fellow, he kindly offered to help! Roll on yesterday and I found myself driving a couple of hours up the road to his studio where we were joined by some equally awesome fellows for a Packing Party!
Let the packing commence!
It was a really great day – super productive and we also a good time chatting and networking, as you do. From what everyone said, much fun was had whilst also managing to sort and bag at least a couple of thousand miniatures (I haven’t managed to count them yet – all I know is there is a LOT)! The reason we have to bag everything carefully, apart from ensuring all the miniature parts and bases come together, is to keep the shipping costs down since the fulfilment centre charges extra for each item packed per parcel. It may work out as pennies per item, but when that is multiple items per order, and there are 2.5k orders, trust me that soon adds up!
Don't they look happy. Happy packing goblins.
So, I would like to give a big shout out and huge thanks to Curtis, Monk, Scott, Pablo, Dave & Ratty for helping me with this mammoth task. Also a shout out to Rob for very kindly letting us use his studio space. Thanks chaps, you really did us a solid and have literally saved me several days of packing!
Feel free to check these wonderful human beings out on their socials and give them a follow, if you are so inclined:
Left to right: Curtis, Scott, Pablo, Monk and yours truly. Never a finer bunch of reprobates have been assembled.
As per the last update, shipping is ongoing but this Packing Party has really helped to move things along. So thanks again Curtis and his crew! Big love guys.
And big love to all our patient backers! I am biased, of course, but your patience will be rewarded. :)
Cheers!
James
Heresiarch by Mike Franchina
Shipping update
10 months ago
– Fri, Feb 23, 2024 at 02:18:53 AM
Greetings, pilgrims!
This is just a quick shipping update to let you know where we are.
As per the last update, the First Wave was being done manually by me (in my living room) just because of the delays – I have been sending as many out as I can, prior to the fulfilment centres having available slots again. It’s been a huge amount of work but we are getting there!
I have one final batch of minis I need to collect next week and these will be going to the US fulfilment centre as soon as I have done quality control and ensured we have everything bagged correctly per SKU (stock keeping unit – basically a way for the shipping centre to identify each item).
Really sorry it has taken so long to get here, but the pledges are being sent out now and over the course of the next couple of months (depending on where you are in the world, plus we have been sending in backer number order for fairness). Some people will have received theirs already, others are in the post and more are on their way!
Brazen Bull concept
Here is the latest concept art by Mike Franchina for the Sultanate faction in the upcoming Trench Crusade game – the Brazen Bull.
“It is with artillery that the Sultan makes his arguments known.”
Due to the protection afforded by the Iron Wall, the Sultanate has always maintained excellence in artillery. However, the siege guns and heavy mortars that defend Those Who Believe on the ramparts of the Wall are far too cumbersome for small expeditionary forces. Thus in the year of the Hijrah 821, Sultan Bayezid III commissioned a new creature of war to act as living field artillery.
To fulfil this decree the Jabirean scientists of the Royal Artillery House have laboured for centuries to perfect the divine art of takwin. In their secret laboratories they performed countless experiments, learning many precious and costly lessons in the process. They have devised many things, but none more clever or ingenious than the Brazen Bull, called Boğa by the soldiery of the Sultanate.
The Brazen Bull is a monstrous being of immense power and vitality, capable of tearing even the bastard child of a devil clean in half. The Sultan’s armourers equip the Bulls with heavy artillery that even the superhuman Janissaries cannot lift, let alone use in battle: flame cannons, volley guns and holy blades blessed by the Word of the Great Protector.
Encasing its mighty frame is exquisitely decorated bronze armour of thrice hardened scales, covered in talismans of protection and the Grace of the Creator. On the battlefields beyond the Iron Wall, the Brazen Bull is an awesome and terrifying sight. It is a single-minded, fearless walking bulwark, a tower and shield which the war parties of the Sultanate rally behind. Such is the power of their weapons that the very earth shakes with their pounding, disrupting the enemy advance even when they fail to slay their target.
Links
If you want to be kept in the loop about the Trench Crusade game (designed by Tuomas Pirinen, in case anyone missed that!), here are some links for you:
Thank you as always for your support and patience. We are almost there pilgrims!
Cheers,
James
Shipping update
10 months ago
– Thu, Jan 25, 2024 at 02:01:18 PM
Greetings, pilgrims!
I hope the New Year is treating you well. This is a quick shipping update and a straight up apology from me - I seriously underestimated how much time would be required to do the First Wave manually (please see previous updates for more details).
The First Wave is being done manually by me (in my living room) just because of all the delays - I really wanted to send as many out as soon as possible, prior to the fulfilment centres having available slots again (which is February/March). I massively underestimated how long it would take me to sort through all the First Wave miniatures - quality checking, picking, bagging, making boxes, packing, address labels, customs forms... I bit off a bit more than I could chew! ;)
One box of several hundred Trench Pilgrims, with rifles and tilt shields/ailettes (which are annoyingly difficult to pickup!)
And lots of other boxes of miniatures that have been checked, sorted and require bagging with their assorted limbs, weapons and bases!
So sorry for the delay! Some people will have received their's already, others are in the post and more will be sent next week. Then I am heading down to Zealot Miniatures to collect the final batch of miniatures and will be sending those to the fulfilment centres to get the Second Wave (and by far the largest wave!) sent out in February and March.
Really sorry about all of this. As mentioned previously, if it wasn't for SioCast delays, this would all have been done and sent out a month or more ago.
Thanks as always for your support and patience! We are almost there!
