Many wargamers have suggested that Games Workshop has recently been taking inspiration from Trench Crusade, an indie skirmish game that enjoyed a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign in 2024. The fact that a multi-billion dollar company would be so insecure that it would need to steal ideas from crowdfunded wargames is a little far-fetched, but Trench Crusade’s popularity has players drawing more connections than the New York Times puzzle page.
It started with the Death Korps of Krieg. These gas-masked trench diggers fit perfectly into the vibe of Trench Crusade, to the point where I converted them into New Antioch Yeomen and Heretic Troopers. But the Kriegsmen weren’t inspired by Trench Crusade. The truth is exactly the opposite. Trench Crusade has borrowed numerous Warhammer 40K aesthetics, including that of the WW1-inspired Astra Militarum faction, who predate the skirmish game by nearly two decades.
However, some people think that the timing of Workshop’s plastic Krieg release was influenced by the popularity of Trench Crusade, which earned over $3 million by the time its Kickstarter ended last year. This, too, I found difficult to believe. Games Workshop is well known for having long timetables, and the new Krieg miniatures will have been in some stage of production for years. So is that the end of the rumours?
The Inspirations Behind Warhammer 40K’s Blood & Zeal Kill Team
Then Games Workshop announced the Blood & Zeal box for Kill Team. The ‘Zeal’ half of the box is represented by Warhammer’s ecclesiastical faction, known as the Sanctifiers. In the wider game, they will likely be able to ally with any of the Emperor’s loyal servants, but feel especially attuned to Inquisitorial agents and the Sisters of Battle.
Not least due to the enormous statue of a winged Battle Sister included in the box.
Again, the Trench Crusade accusations surfaced. Many of these robed, chainsaw-toting characters perfectly fit the Trench Crusade vibe. That said, I couldn’t see these having been designed and released quick enough to be a reaction to the indie game. I could, however, see them having been designed a long time ago and held back until the perfect opportunity. A hotshot independent with a similar aesthetic? Pull the trigger, James.
However, things get a bit more complicated beneath the surface. While the Trench Crusade similarities are stark, some of the Blood & Zeal sculpts are based on classic miniatures themselves. The plasmagunner resembles an old Sisters missionary. The old fella with a hammer and a skull in a box? He’s called Josef, and appeared in Games Workshop’s 54mm game, Inquisitor. That monk with a chainsword? At the very least reminiscent of an old Eviscerator Priest.
While a good fit for Trench Crusade, it seems more likely that Games Workshop is taking inspiration from its own back catalogue rather than anywhere else. Let’s face it, the two games share a lot of DNA, and a religious-themed box set from the 41st millennium will naturally match up with the zealotry of Trench Crusade’s various dogmatic factions. But that’s not to say we can’t lean into that.
Converting The Blood & Zeal Kill Team To Trench Crusade
The miniature that stood out to me in this box – other than the Sister statue, of course – was the Priest. I need a Heretic Priest to lead my Heretic Legion, and he was the perfect fit. I started with the head.
I shopped one of the papal hats in half, hollowed out the skull area, and switched in a spare Krieg gas mask (also halved). With minimal Green Stuff work, it looked great. Then I repositioned the arm to allow for a full staff, which I supplemented with Green Stuff wraps and a heretical symbol made out of fractured coffee stirrers.
The only problem now was wargear. I want my Priest to carry a shotgun and shield (in my current list, at least), but there was nowhere on the model to put either piece of equipment. So I did the only natural thing and gave him a scenic base.
Modeled after a small trench or other dug out fortification, some more coffee stirrers and a vigorous application of Vallejo texture paste gave me the effect I was after. I leant my Priest’s shield and shotgun on a makeshift crucifix, perhaps the grave of a fallen comrade or the demarcation of his preaching spot. He’s carefully placed his weapons down in order to give a rousing sermon to the assembled heretics before they assail the gates of the iron wall in the name of the devil.
There’s plenty more room for interesting conversions in Blood & Zeal, but I’m looking for a couple of Anointed Heavy Infantry next, which will have to be sourced from somewhere else. I’ve also found the perfect rifle for a Death Commando. And no Heretic Legion list can go without the iconic Artillery Witch. I’d usually dust off the Green Stuff and raid my bits box, but at this rate I can just wait for the next Warhammer box and Games Workshop will do the hard work for me.
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Trench Crusade Isn’t Woke, It’s A Grimdark World War 1 Warhammer Alternative
Trench Crusade, a skirmish game from a Mordheim co-creator and MtG artist, unleashes the abominations of Hell on 20th century battlefields.