The Trench Crusade we have at home

[Pictors Studio]

I guess I didn't explain it well enough.  Blood Markers give you a +1 Dice.  A +1 Dice is different from a +1.  In the game there are + and - dice and they are added to the 2d6 you roll.  So if you have 3 +Dice you would roll 5d6 and if you have 3 - dice you would roll 5d6.  But in the case of the + dice you would take the two highest numbers rolled and in the case of the - dice you would take the two lowest of all the numbers rolled. 

You sum up your plus and minus dice before figuring out the total you need to roll and whether it is a plus or minus roll.  z.B. you have +3 dice for a variety of things and -2 dice for other things.  Total would be +1 Dice.  So you would roll 3d6 and take the best two numbers rolled.   If you reversed that and had +2 dice and - 3 Dice you would roll 3D6 and take the lowest two numbers rolled.

With blood markers you are using that system.  If you have 5 blood markers and you decide to use them on an injury roll (with no other modifiers) you would roll 7D6 and take the two highest numbers on any of the dice as your result.  If you rolled 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 6, for example you would take one of 3s and the 6 for a total of 9.  Armor then modifies that result.  It doesn't give - dice it gives a - result.  There are weapons that give + results but that is not how blood markers work. 

[Pictors Studio]

Anyway, here are some more Court models plus the last two Trench Pilgrims. 

The last of the Yoke Fiends:



The single Wretched in the set.  There is a limit to how many of these guys you can have.  They don't really do much except allow you to put blood tokens on them to make some of your powers work.  If they manage to kill somethings they get taken out of the warband permanently and get promoted in Hell or something.




The Locust, which is just a weird model.  From the rules it attacks with the hooks on its arms and if it charges it can also sting with the tail.  They don't seem super effective but they aren't a bad model to have in reserve.  You are limited to three of them per warband. 






I managed to get them all together for a group shot of the warband so far.



And the last two of the Trench Pilgrims, waiting to be killed by any or all of the above.

[Pictors Studio]

The Sorcerer is now done.



This is one fragile model.  Pretty neat looking.  I like how the intestines turn into a snake as they come out. 

[Freddy]

Nice models, I like their bases too.

[Pictors Studio]

Just two more Court models to go, but they are the big ones. 



This is the Hunter of the Left Hand Path.  He basically has a sickle that can decapitate people and a bolt thrower for an arm.  Just like so much else of the range a bizarre combination of imagery in one little package. 

[Pictors Studio]

This place has a history
The Heretics attacked us here
They burned the town and fields
We drove them away from here




My grandma often told me
She knew it peaceful here





The war took all the vigor
War took the best from here





When the wind turns
And blows the leaves from the trees
Harvest moon




I see the days grow shorter
I feel the nights grow cold
Young people feelin' restless
Old people feelin' old





I sense the darkness clearer
I feel a presence here
A change in the weather
I love this time of year



The Cobys worked this valley
They gave that land a go
They built a thriving business
Then came that early snow




They lost their livestock that year
They lost their sheep and goats
They sold the farm in springtime
Went south to work the boats





I see the days grow shorter
I feel the nights grow cold
Young people feelin' restless
Old people feelin' old
I sense the darkness clearer
I feel a presence here
A change in the weather
I love this time of year harvest



Ten years in this farmhouse
Ten years come this May
My simple needs are covered
Since grandma passed away
Long time since there's been trouble
That's what the people say
I told the new man when I
Sold the farm today

I feel a presence here
A change in the weather
I feel some evil here
I hear some frightful noises
I don't go out at night
Since Bobrow's youngest daughter
Disappeared from sight
I know they'll find her some day
They find them all that way
After the thaw in springtime
The snow melts away
I see the days grow shorter
I feel the nights grow cold
Young people feelin' restless
Old people feelin' old




This was our Trench Crusade game today.  It was set on a farm that had been built near the ruins of a village that had been occupied by the forces of Hell and then reclaimed. 

As a Black Grail broke through the lines they moved towards the strategically important food producing location.  A call for volunteers went out down the line and some of Prester Johhn's Trench Pilgrims answered upon the instant.  They rushed out to head off the menace.

The Black Grail forces outnumbered those of the Righteous.  Undaunted the Pilgrims advanced sending two of their number up past the farmhouse to take positions in the house to fire on the advancing minions of hell and past it to move to their rear and enfilade them. 

The thralls of the Grail made a rough line and advanced as quickly as their decaying, stumbling gait would allow them. 

Racahel advanced more quickly in her zeal to get to grips with the enemy, she quickly engage and brought one of the thralls to the ground with a well placed pistol shot, injuring another. 

The dour faced nun was caught off guard by how quickly the followers of the Black Grail could move and before she knew it one of the Corpse Guard was standing in front of her and his putrid shotgun barked, leaving a massive hole in her armor and chest.  Her body crumpled as it bounced off the wall of the farm house.

A yell went out as she went down and Lemeal charged the Corpse Guard, his sword flashing in the light before burying itself in his bulky enemy.  It was not enough and the Pilgrim was quickly submerged under a stinking tide of the blasphemous. 

The Trench Pilgrims advanced to Lemeal's support, Father Samael smashed a thrall apart with his Anti-tank hammer just as the thing was about to tear Lemeal's arm off. 

A shot from the window of the farmhouse brought down one of the thralls but then another Corpse Guard raised his putrid shotgun and blasted Brother Thomas down. 

As the Pilgrim emerged on the far side of the farm, two thralls broke ranks and moved towards him.  His nervousness at being on his own was reflected in his poor aim and soon the creatures were on him.  In desperation he skewered one with his bayonet before the soggy fists of the other battered him to the ground and fell on him, tearing him limb from limb.

Father Samael ordered everyone back and the Trench Pilgrim force withdrew from where Lemeal was beset by multiple opponents. 

A benediction of the father's lips was lost to the sound of a massive explosion.  Epsilon 17 had dashed out from the pilgrim's lines and dove straight into the ranks of the thralls tearing at the downed Trench Pilgrim.  The penitent was completely torn apart by the explosion of his martyrdom device and the forces of hell were momentarily brought to bay as several of their number went down in the explosion.  Sadly, Lemeal joined them.

The respite was just what Father Samael needed.  He charged straight into the Plague Knight, bringing his anti-tank hammer down at the perfect point.  The tip penetrated the Plague Knight's armour and the creature was blasted to the ground as the explosive force of the weapon tore it's head from the body.

The priest was also left reeling from the blast and soon two thralls brought him down.  One by one the Pilgrims went down, although they gave about as good as they got.

Eventually only the Castigator remained, he brought down a plague hound with his flail before falling to the combined assault of two thralls and the last of the Corpse Guard. 

[Pictors Studio]

We played another game of Trench Crusade today. 

The objective was for the Heretic Legion to find the Golden Fleece that was in one of the trees keeping the crops safe. 


The Heretic Legion started on one of the board edges, while two Trench Pilgrims were in the farm house and the rest arrived on the second turn on any board edge except the one that the Heretic Legion chose. 



The first Heretic to arrive got plugged right away, but the rest of the force quickly flooded the board, most of them make for a tree to the South-East corner of the farmhouse.

With the two defenders still plugging away at the attackers, the attackers managed to locate the Fleece in the first tree they searched.  It was the one in the South-West corner of the farmhouse. 

Quickly both forces converged on that tree.   The Heretic leader shot and killed both defenders in the windows of the farmhouse as he ran past.



But the forces of hell were not having things all their own way. 

The anointed and the Legionnaire that first reached the objective were rushed by a penitent from the Pilgrims' ranks.  The desperate ecclesiastic prisoner set off his martyrdom device before either of the heretics could stop him.  The resultant explosion knocked the anointed down and killed both the penitent and the heretic soldier. 



As the anointed stood back up he was rushed by the Prophet Samael and three Pilgrims.  While he blocked the first attack by Samael one of the pilgrims smacked him in the knee with a trench club and down he went.  Another of the pilgrims rushed him and stabbed him in the chest with a sword before blowing the heretic's teeth into the back of his skull with a pistol.



The objective was solidly in Pilgrim hands at this point.

The Castigator went after the Choirister and engaged in a brutal melee with him and another heretic soldier, neither of the soldiers of hell were able to make much headway against the well armoured fanatic.

Meanwhile the majority of the Heretic force rushed towards the objective and the Trench Pilgrims, filled with the fervor of their devotion rushed out to meet them.  The Heretic leader was taken down with a well-placed anti-tank hammer blow and another heretic soldier was clubbed to the ground, but the forces of hell slipped past the defenders and claimed the objective. 

[Pictors Studio]

I managed to get the Praetor done for the Court of the Seven Headed Serpent.



A pretty neat model.  The "wings" give a sort of Monty Python feel to them.  It would be neat if they would do some alternate wings that were a little more wing like.



I might do another one at some point with the wings converted somehow. 

[Tom Dulski]

 Damn that's disturbing 

[Basementboy]

Looks badass! Love the look of Trench Crusade, really cool.

[Manu Miniatures]

It is pretty cool mini, but I can't find anything disturbing in it. I painted too much Kingdom Death I guess

[Basementboy]

Ooh, you're very right there, KD has some delightfully freaky miniatures (the the slew of pinup models rather turned me off the range)

[Pictors Studio]

It has been a while since we played a Trench Crusade game but we managed one yesterday. 

This was set in the Sudan with the forces of New Antioch coming to the aid of their ally, Prestor John. 

As usual, those wily Courtiers of the Seven Headed serpent were up to no good.  They made an attack on a village centered around a small spring.  They wanted to poison the spring and thereby cut off the source of life for the village, effectively blocking one pilgrim route across the desert.

The Courtiers move in for the attack.  Some Yoke Fiends lead the way to soften up the enemy before the Hell Knights finish them off.

A Hunter of the Left Hand Path uses his Goetic powers to move right up into the village and knocks one of the mechanized armour infantry down.

The New Antioch heavy infantry try their prowess against the Hell Knights.

While their Lieutenant holds off two Yoke Fiends.

https://imgur.com/lWdjZa8

A yeoman drives back the Hunter

But only for a short period of time.

With all the yeoman dead, the elite forces of the Lord fight on, but it is too little, too late.

I hadn't tried out my Court army yet.  They were pretty tough.  The Mechanized armour is pretty tough to actually kill, but the Hunter was able to put blood markers on them very easily.  The Hell Knights were great.  I gave one an Ophidian rifle, which allows them to hit opponents at long range and behind cover with no penalty. The other knight had a great axe and was more than capable of going toe-to-toe with the mech armoured guy he was facing. 

The new Antioch forces were okay.  I feel like having more ranged weaponry in the hands of the walking tans would have benefited them more than the close combat weapons they equipped. 

Overall, it was a fun game and was pretty close with each side getting a model eliminated a turn for the first few turns after the initial turn.