Trench CrusaDe will change the game forever.

Bold statement, right? But I genuinely believe that if the designers behind new Indie darling Trench Crusade play their cards right, they could find themselves at the head of a paradigm shift in wargaming. Let me explain.

An Observer mini diorama, from Trench Crusade.

For years now, I’ve found myself surrounded by the conversation about why indie games don’t see the same success as Games Workshop products, despite there inarguably being some examples in the indie sphere of better quality games or models.

It’s been tough being an advocate of the indies in this position, because ultimately the conversation ends at a point that I (as an advocate) can’t answer back to. Player uptake.

You see, the obvious sticking point for any indie game is getting enough players not just to choose to play their game, but to choose it OVER Warhammer. If we’re evaluating our lives with any kind of honesty and realism, most of us don’t have time to play multiple games. If we DO have time, we are very unlikely to have time to paint multiple armies - it’s my belief that this is why we see skirmish games invariably being more successful in the indie space.

Lone Guard models from Relicblade

Trench Crusade already hits on the seemingly most important key to indie uptake, insofar as it’s a skirmish game… but they seem to have found something a little extra, which could (dare I say SHOULD) be the difference maker.

They’ve managed to capture the hearts and attention of the 40K community… the single largest group of wargamers on the planet.

This achievement is, to the best of my recollection, completely unprecedented in the wargaming industry. We’ve seen games pick up a little of the 40K playerbase, such as the great Battletech exodus a few years back. We’ve seen in-house GW skirmish games do well, such as Kill Team. What we haven’t seen is an external, independent developer come along and create something with such a huge mass appeal, directly to the 40K consumer base.

And that really matters.

I think it’s obvious that Trench Crusade is at least going to have a good first year or two - with over 5.5 million US sheckles in the coffers from their latest crowdfunding, they should have more than enough money to continue releasing models, developing the lore and the ruleset, and creating more art. The question I hope you’re asking is that if I’m so assured of their dominance going forward, WHY is that the case?

Simply put, Trench Crusade does everything that Warhammer can’t…and the new-skool fans love it, whilst the old-skool fans miss it from GW and crave a return. Trench Crusade is more grim and more dark than a hyper commercialised 40K could ever dare to be. It deals in real themes that hit home and shock you, but it does so with enough separation as to not cause genuine upset. Trench Crusade is the first game i’ve laid eyes on in YEARS that is genuinely shocking, but entirely in ways that make it attractive, not repulsive.

In a world of shareholder targets, a younger player base and a very public, global image to maintain… GW can’t make a game like Trench Crusade. This is exactly what makes me so sure that they have all the tools at their disposal, to take over.

a Trench Crusade Trench Priest.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m no fool… when I talk about Trench Crusade taking over, I don’t think for a second that it can dethrone 40K, nor is that something I actively desire to see.

What I mean is that it can (and I hope WILL) claim enough market share to become a real major player, that people actively choose to play over 40K…and that’s really important for the wargaming industry as a whole.

I firmly believe that if more players expose themselves to games other than 40K, we can break the more general cycle of “I’m interested in this game, but won’t try it because I’ll have no-one to play with.” Trench Crusade has stripped that excuse from indie doubters. It proudly displays that an indie game CAN offer assurance that you’ll find opponents… so when I talk about a paradigm shift, this is what I cross my fingers for.

Ultimately, a market where there’s more viable choice is a healthier market. When an industry is so clearly dominated by a single player, it cannot be viewed through any reasonable lens as being healthy. If Trench Crusade is the game that catalyses a change toward a more even distribution, it will truly be one of the greatest things to ever happen.

Oh and for the record… this benefits 40K players too. If 40K bleeds enough market share, price rises will have to stop. Inaccessible bundle locked miniatures will have to stop… the things you want will be done more. Literally everyone wins in this world…so lets hope Trench Crusade can put their money where my mouth is.

I’m hopeful.