Trench Crusade v1.0.0/1.0.1 Changelog – Part I

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay. I’m finally back at work on the Trench Crusade rules. And really, there’s much work to be done! In the latest 2 weeks alone we got not one but two versions of the rules. I originally planned to showcase the changes from Playtest Rules v1.6.3 to Final Rules v1.0.0 but since the latter has already been superseded, I’m adding changes concerning 1.0.1 already. If you are familiar with 1.0.0 but haven’t had a chance to look thoroughly at 1.0.1 I’ll mark the later updates. Anything not explicitly tagged as [v.1.0.1] is referring to changes from Playtest to v1.0.0

Originally I just wanted to do a quick overview, there’s a few other places where the changes have already been treated in depth, but after starting to write down my list I realized it was too hard for me to choose what to keep in the log and what to leave out; having done 80-90% of the effort already, I settled for finishing the job, so here you go; enjoy the most comprehensive list of changes I’ve been able to collect.

A word of warning: I’ll only list the changes without any evaluation for my part here. If you prefer a more in-depth commentary I’ll suggest you to go to the Trench Talk Podcast YouTube channel where my friends Lakey and Lx analyze the new edition and compare it with Playtest 1.6.3.

Due to the sheer number of changes, I’ll split the article in two. Today we’ll address the Trench Crusade Digital Rulebook. Next time it will be the Warbands of Trench Crusade document to go under scrutiny. You can find both in their latest released version on the Trench Crusade Website (https://www.trenchcrusade.com/rules/).

Before attacking the list, a small gift for you to attempt to make up for the delay: I took the liberty to draft a Summary Sheet that condenses the Trench Crusades Core rules in 2 pages. I hope it could be a useful reference to have at hand. You can download it here:

• Core Rules
• Keywords
• Battlekit
• Campaign Rules
• Glory Items
• Scenarios

Core Rules

I assume that anyone reading here is already familiar with the Trench Crusade playtest rules. If not, I suggest to check the Rules of Engagement section of the website first.

Still with us? Good. You’ll be happy to know that the core mechanics of the game have been basically left untouched. We still have 2D6 rolls with a 7+ target score to determine the success of an ACTION, Injury Rolls, BLOOD and BLESSING MARKERS affecting actions and so on. What can be noticed is that terminology and wording have been harmonized and several rules have been streamlined, with the notable addition of a few new Keywords.

• Initiative: When determining who has Initiative for the round (and decides who activates first), players now only count the number of standing models they have on the battlefield. In addition now the player with Initiative decides the order in which simultaneous effects resolve during the Turn.
• Actions: Terminology surrounding ACTIONS has been redefined and made clearer. Now there’s a distinction between ACTION (intended as an activity a model can perform when activated) and the Success Roll, to see whether the ACTION can be carried on or not. Changing the terminology from Risky ACTION to Risky Success Roll also clarifies that ACTIONS that do not require a Success Roll, such as Move, are not affected by rules like Shaken or the Heralds of Beelzebub’s Maddening Buzz ability.
  All ACTIONS have also been individually named, including those granted by Battlekit or abilities, so it’s easier now to see which ACTIONS can’t be performed in the same activation (i.e. you can take any number of ACTIONS you wish and are allowed to during an activation, as long as they have different names).
• Movement: Move, Charge and Retreat are now three separate ACTIONS. The limitation that a model can only perform one of these three ACTIONS in its activation (in addition to a Dash ACTION) still remains.
• Charges: The Charge ACTION underwent significant changes
  • It is no longer possible to charge a model that is not in Line of Sight when the Charge is declared.
  • Only one model can be declared as the target of a charge, and it’s impossible to charge a model if that will cause the charging model to move within 1″ of an enemy that is not the target of the charge.
  • However, after the charging model has reached base contact with its target, it can use its remaining movement to continue the charge around the original target, remaining within 1″ of it, if that allows it to get within 1″ of other enemies.
• [v.1.0.1] Shooting: A model cannot make a Shoot ACTION in the same turn in which they performed a Fight and/or Charge ACTION unless they use a Ranged Weapon with the ASSAULT Keyword (previously only a Charge ACTION prevented shooting).
• Shooting Into Melee: When a model shoots at an enemy that is within 1″ to one of the attacker’s allies, you roll to determine if you hit your intended target or one of your models as before, but now if there are multiple enemies or friends involved in the melee, you don’t randomize the target a second time: If you roll 1-3 you can choose which one of your models to shoot at, while on a 4-6 you can target an enemy. As per [v.1.0.1] FAQ however, if there are no valid targets because, for example all the friendly models are out of range or not in Line of Sight the attack has no effect.
• Moving Across Terrain: models can move on a terrain piece as long as at least half of their base can stand on that terrain at the end of the move (so when climbing you need to also take into account any horizontal movement needed to end on the surface). Obstacles up to 1″ high and trench walls up to 3″ high are considered Open Terrain, meaning no roll to climb is required (only measure the distance moved to get on top of the terrain).
• Elevation: All rules concerning elevation have been harmonized to requiring a minimum height of 3″ (Elevated Position and Diving Charge bonus, suffering an injury roll from Falling/Jumping Down). [v.1.0.1] The height required to gain an Elevation bonus for Ranged Attacks has been changed from more than 3″ to 3″ or higher.
• [v.1.0.1] Diving Charge: In order to gain the benefits of a Diving Charge (which now only amount to a +1 DICE to the Success Roll to hit – the modifier to the Injury Roll is gone), a model needs to Jump Down from a height of 3″ or more and within 1″ of an enemy during the Charge. If they do, you can declare the charge to be a Diving Charge: you make a Risky Success Roll for the model. In case of failure you have to make an Injury Roll on the model, otherwise it doesn’t suffer any damage from the fall and can attack in Melee with +1 DICE.
• Flying: Flying models no longer suffer Injury Rolls for falling, and only trigger mines when they end their movement in contact with them. [v1.01.] They could move across Impassable Terrain but cannot end their move on it.
• Attack Actions: The ambiguity on Melee/Ranged Attack Actions and Melee/Ranged Attacks is gone, especially when it comes to multiple attacks. Now the Fight ACTION grants Melee Attacks and the Shoot ACTION grants Ranged Attacks. Multiple attacks granted by weapons, abilities and other effects (such as fighting with two Melee Weapons) now must be resolved one after the other during the resolution of the same ACTION so – barring some specific exceptions like the Submachine Gun – it’s no longer possible to make an attack with a Melee weapon, take another ACTION and then attack with a different Melee weapon.
• Melee Attacks: Speaking of Melee Attacks, there are a couple of significant changes:
  • It’s no longer possible to make an unarmed attack. A model must be use a Melee Weapon to make Melee Attacks. Models that previously didn’t suffer penalties for attacking unarmed now have special rules that allows them to make a Melee Attack even if they don’t have a Melee Weapon.
  • The rules for fighting with two weapons have been simplified: now a model with two Melee Weapons can choose the order in which they’ll use them when making a Fight ACTION, with the weapon used second always being the one which suffers the Off-Hand penalties. This also applies to a STRONG model wielding a two-handed weapon in one hand and another one-handed weapon (while previously the two-handed weapon had always to be used first).
• Cover: The rules for determining whether a piece of terrain grants Cover have been changed and now apply both in Melee (Defended Obstacle) and against ranged attacks. A model is in Cover from an attack when is (1) in contact with a piece of terrain that is (2) at least 1/2″ high, (3) at least as wide as its base and (4) between the model and the attacker (5) so that the attacker has partial line of sight to the model. In addition, a model with the COVER keyword (granted by some items, like the Shovel) counts as being in Cover even if the above conditions do not verify.
• Injuries: Terminology concerning Injury Rolls has been clarified. The +INJURY DICE and -INJURY DICE keywords modify the number of dice rolled, while the +INJURY MODIFIER and -INJURY MODIFIER keywords add or subtract a value to the final result of the Injury Roll.
  [v.1.0.1] A model cannot have a -INJURY MODIFIER better than -3.
• Down: Several significant changes to the Down status:
  • A model who is Down cannot move or be moved in any capacity.
  • The +1 INJURY DICE applied against a model who is Down, now only applies on Melee Attacks only.
  • If a model gets taken Down during its own activation, the activation ends (the Risky Action to immediately stand up is gone).
  • A model that begins its activation Down automatically stands up (and all its movement is halved for the activation), it’s no longer optional.
  • In v1.0.0 Models getting Down within 1″ of a ledge didn’t suffer the -1 DICE to the Success Roll they take to see if they fall (as they are effectively marked as Down after the roll). This line has been removed from [v.1.0.1]
• Bloodbath: A Bloodbath is always a 3D6 roll (4D6 with attack that already roll 3D6 to injure), so it’s not possible to spend multiple sets of BLOOD/INFECTION MARKERS to roll additional dice for a “double Bloodbath”.
• Morale: When a warband fails a Morale Check, it can choose to flee or to become Shaken (all Success Rolls the models take are Risky) for the whole following Turn, at the end of which it must make another Morale Check (even if less than half of its models are now Down or Out of Action): on a failure it will flee, otherwise it’s no longer Shaken. Nothing prevents however a Warband to become Shaken again in a later turn.
• One-Off Games: The suggested size for One-Off Games has been reduced from 900 Ducats / 8 Glory to 800 Ducats / 6 Glory.

Keywords

A few new Keywords have been added and several of have been changed.

• ARMOUR PIERCING (new): Reduce the overall INJURY MODIFIER from Armour/Shield by 1.
• ASSAULT (changed): Now an ASSAULT weapon is no longer restricted to making a single Ranged Attack in an activation when the model Charges.
• AUTOMATIC(X) (new): Weapons with this keyword can make up to X Ranged Attacks, in an uninterrupted sequence, to the same target or divided across several enemy models as long as they are all within 6″ of one another.
• BLAST(X) (changed): All BLAST weapons can now target either a model or a point on the battlefield. If they miss, the attack will have no effect unless it also has the SCATTER keyword. On a Critical Success, only the model directly hit by the attack suffers an Injury Roll with +1 INJURY DICE (before, all affected models did).
• BLOCK (new): applies a -1 DICE modifier to Melee Attack rolls for models that charged a model with this Keyword in the same activation.
• COVER (new): Grants the Cover/Defended Obstacle modifier on attacks that target the model with this keyword.
• FIRETEAM (changed): It has been clarified that Fireteam are chosen when the Warband is created, and can only be changed between battles in a campaign if one or both members leave the Warband for whatever reason. A mode can only be part of a Fireteam at a time.
  [v.1.0.1] Note that in v1.0.0 it appeared that models in a Fireteam had always to be activated together. This has been reverted and stated as being optional in v1.0.1
• FLAMETHROWER (new): Weapons with this keyword automatically hit the target, with no Success Roll needed.
• HEAVY (changed): When wielded by a non-STRONG model, HEAVY items still negate the +D6″ movement bonus during a Charge, but now only HEAVY Ranged Weapons prevent the model from moving ([v.1.0.1] this includes the Dash ACTION) and shooting (while previously a model equipped with a HEAVY Melee weapon couldn’t move/dash and shoot with a non-HEAVY weapon).
• HELD (new): Items with this Keyword always occupy one of the model’s hands, leaving only one hand free to wield weapons or a Shield.
• IGNORE ARMOUR, IGNORE [MODIFIER] and NEGATE [KEYWORD] (new): streamlined rules for effect that ignore/negate other rules (e.g. IGNORE COVER, IGNORE LONG RANGE; NEGATE GAS).
• IMPERVIOUS (new): an Armour or Shield with this Keyword cannot be negated by the IGNORE ARMOUR ([v.1.0.1] or ARMOUR-PIERCING) keyword.
• PISTOL (new): Updated rules for Pistols: they can still be used as a Ranged and/or a Melee weapon, but now when making Melee Attacks with a Pistol [v.1.0.1] a model can choose to se either its Melee or Ranged Characteristic (instead of the Ranged Characteristic as it did before).
• RELOAD (new): After making an ACTION that granted attacks with this weapon, the model’s activation ends.
• SCATTER (new): This Keyword collects and unifies the rules for artillery-like weapons, such as the Infernal Bomb or Burning Inferno, whose BLAST point of origin deviated by a number of inches equal to the degree of failure when attacking.
• SHOTGUN (new): Weapons with this Keyword that attack at Long Range suffer -1 INJURY DICE instead of the -1 DICE penalty to Success Rolls.

Battlekit

All items a model can take are now collectively called Battlekit, which is divided into 6 categories: Melee Weapons, Ranged Weapons, Grenades (the GRENADE Keyword having been removed), Armour, Shields (now separate from Armour) and Equipment.

As per [v.1.0.1] Grenades can be used to make Ranged Attacks but are not considered Ranged Wepons, so unless explicitly listed, a model that cannot have Ranged Weapons can have Grenades.

The vast majority of items special rules are managed through Keywords now, leaving bespoke rules only for unique situations. I won’t delve too much into each and every change here, as many are a direct consequence of the new keywords, just point out the most significant ones.

• Automatic Pistol: No longer has a -1 DICE penalty to injure.
• Heavy Flamethrower: Now has -1 INJURY DICE and the AUTOMATIC 2 Keywords, meaning it can attack the same model twice or two models within 6″ of one another, being therefore much more flexible.
• [v.1.0.1] Heavy Shotgun: Gains the SHOTGUN keyword and its Injury modifier has been changed to be a fixed +1 INJURY DICE and an additional +1 INJURY DICE at short range. In the end its profile is similar to v1.6.3 but it now also has a +1 DICE modifier to hit at long range.
• Submachine Gun: Grants the model wielding it two separate Shoot ACTIONS that can be split, with other ACTIONS being possible between the two.
• Bayonet: No longer counts as an additional Melee Weapon the model can take.
• Frag Grenades: No longer have a -1 DICE penalty to injure for models that are caught in the BLAST area.
• Satchel Charge: No longer ignores the Long Range penalty, but the IGNORE ARMOUR Keyword applies to all targets in the blast, not just the model that is directly hit by the attack. [v1.0.1] introduced the update from the FAQ that counted the Satchel as one-use only.
• Field Shrine: When deployed, it counts as Impassable Terrain. As long as it’s on the battlefield, it counts as 3 models If destroyed the maximum number of models in your warband is reduced accordingly (it doesn’t count as 3 casualties).
• Gas Mask/Infernal Brand: No longer grant -1 INJURY DICE against GAS/FIRE attacks respectively. Now they only grants the NEGATE GAS/NEGATE FIRE Keyword (ignore the additional BLOOD MARKER from GAS/FIRE).
• Musical Instrument: No longer limited to non-ELITE models.
• Shovel: With the changes to Cover, the COVER keyword granted to a model means it also applies against Melee Attacks.
• Special Ammunition (Armour-Piercing Bullets. Dum-Dum-Bullets, Incendiary Ammunition, Tracer Bullets) is no longer restricted to “rifle” and “pistol” weapons, now it can be assigned to any Ranged Weapon [v.1.0.1] unless it has the GAS, FIRE, SHRAPNEL or BLAST keyword.

Equipping a Shield or another HELD Item restricts the number of available hands also for carrying items, not just for using them. Whereas in Playtest rules a model could still have two Melee Weapons when equipped with a Shield but could only use one, now if carrying a Shield or HELD item it can only have a single one-handed ranged weapon and a single one-handed melee weapon.

Campaign Rules

The general framework of the Campaign Rules has pretty much remained the same as in the Playtest rules v1.6.3 (with the changes of the 1.6.4 Campaign Rules Changelog implemented). Players will still have the opportunity to see their warband progress and gain new skills, Battlekit, Glory Items, acquire Mercenaries etc. throughout the course of a Campaign. Here’s the most significant changes.

• Recruitment: It’s been clarified that all optional abilities a model can have (such as granting a Yeoman INFILTRATOR or promoting a Heretic Trooper into a Legionnaire) must be purchased at model’s recruitment unless otherwise specified (this was implied in the playtest rule but never really made clear).
• Campaign Forces: As already clarified in the Campaign Rules Changelog 1.6.4, the Threshold Value limits the total cost in ducats of the Force you can use during a battle. Any model in excess of the Threshold Value or the Field Strength cannot be brought into battle, does not gain experience and so on.
• Campaign Victory Points: Victory Points scored during a Scenario don’t translate directly into Campaign Victory Points: only the outcome of the battle does. A player scores 15 Campaign Victory Points for winning a battle, 7 for losing and 10 in the case of a draw.
• Scenario Selections: 4 new scenarios have been added (The High Ground, From Below, Fields of Glory and Don’t Breathe) while Storming the Shores and Random Scenarios have been removed. Now rolling a 6 on the Scenario Selection Table grants the player who played fewer games the choice of the Scenario (roll-off if tied) instead of the random-generated ones.
• Trauma Step: When a model is dismissed with 2 Battle Scar or is removed from the warband for receiving a third Battle Scar, its Battlekit is not lost and can be kept in the Warband’s Arsenal (except for pieces of Battlekit that cannot be removed from the model).
• Trauma Table: The following results have been changed:
  • Captured (12): If the ransom is paid, the model doesn’t lose its Battlekit as it happened before.
  • Head Wound(22): The model can no longer gain Experience Points (instead of losing the ELITE keyword).
  • Shell-Shocked(23): On a roll of 1-2, the model suffers a -1 DICE penalty for the whole game instead of not being able to be deployed outright.
  • Muscle Damage(34): In addition to the effect, when suffering this injury, the model loses all Battlekit with the HEAVY keyword.
• Promotion:
  • It is no longer possible to withhold the assignment of Promotion Dice in order to avoid promoting an unwanted model. All dice have to be assigned and rolled now.
  • The limit of one promotion per game is gone. Now as soon as you promote a model you discard any remaining dice assigned to that model and start rolling for the next model eligible for promotion (you still roll one D6 at a time to keep track of failed consecutive rolls)
  • Finally, promotion now happens before assigning experience, meaning a newly promoted ELITE will start acquiring Experience Points immediately.
• Skills: Several skills have been slightly changed.
  • Melee & Strength Skills:
    • Hard as Nails (9): Now it only converts the first Down result on the Injury Table into a No Effect (but see also Sixth Sense below).
    • The position of Surgical Strike(10) and Champion(11) in the Skill table has been switched.
  • Ranged Skills:
    • Gunslinger(4): When the model is armed with two PISTOLS, it can make a Ranged Attack with both, one after the other, during a Shoot ACTION, but if it does so it can only use one to make a Melee Attack ACTION in the same activation. When armed with one PISTOL, that weapon gains the IGNORE OFF-HAND Keyword.
    • Far Shot(5): Also applies to Arquebuses now.
    • Point Blank(9): As it the attack made with this skill is a Melee Attack, effects that apply to Ranged Attack such as the AUTOMATIC keyword no longer apply.
  • Stealth & Speed Skills:
    • Sixth Sense(3): The line of text that was part of Hard As Nails, granting a model with the TOUGH Keyword to change an Out of Action result to No Effect is now here. It’s unclear whether it’s intended.
  • Wildcard Skills:
    • Bad Company(5): The model now doesn’t count towards the maximum number of ELITE models you can have at the start of the Promotion step (meaning you can get an extra ELITE via Promotion but not through recruitment).
    • Friends in High Places(9): Grants a single re-roll during Exploration instead of two.
    • Glory Hound(10): The model must be on the battlefield at the end of the game to gain the benefit of this skill.
    • War Stories(11): Now it grants +1 Experience Point to all ELITE models in your warband that do not have this skill. As per [v.1.0.1] only one model in a Warband can have this skill.
• Patron Skills: Most of them have been updated to the version shown in the 1.6.4 Campaign Rules Changelog, with a few additional changes – most to account for the updated wording, but not limited to that.
  • Temporal Lord:
    • Each Procurement skill can only be taken once.
    • The minimum value of items affected by Armour & Equipment Procurement has been reduced from 20 to 15 ducats,
    • the minimum value of items affected by Melee Weapons Procurement has been reduced from 20 to 10 ducats.
  • Warrior Saint:
    • David and Goliath now grants a +1 DICE modifier to melee attacks against enemies on a 40mm base or larger instead of a 3D6 attack roll.
    • Dragonslayer now applies to every Melee Attack, not just when attacking a Down model.
    • Warrior’s Prayer: if successful, the model gains FEAR until the end of the Turn (instead of “until the end of its activation”).
  • Learned Saint:
    • Favoured by God and Pennies from Heaven: the model must be on the battlefield at the end of the game to gain the benefit of these skills.
    • Knowledge of Sciences: can only be taken by a single model.
    • Logistical Skills: Does not increase the Limit of models on a 50mm base or larger. If a model with this skill is removed from the warband, any model in excess of the Limit can be kept, but no more models of that type can be added to the warband. Also, as it’s written, it implies it affects the Limit of all eligible models (compare with Knowledge of Sciences that explicitly dictates to choose a single item). Probably meant to be taken by a single model if we also look at Sultan’s Favour, but it’s not clarified so far.
  • Infernal Noble:
    • 30 Pieces of Silver: the model must be on the battlefield at the end of the game to gain the benefit of this skill.
    • Blessed Murder and Sadistic: only work on Melee Attacks now.
    • Blood Sacrifice: now requires Line of Sight to the model you are placing 1 BLOOD MARKER on, and it cannot affect a model with the ARTIFICIAL, BLACK GRAIL or DEMONIC Keywords.
    • Lash of Acheron: now requires Line of Sight to the target.
  • Sublime Gate:
    • Rightly Guided: Clarified that the ACTION you choose must require an enemy to be chosen as the target or to be affected by the ACTION.
    • Sultan’s Favour: Does not increase the Limit of models on a 50mm base or larger. If a model with this skill is removed from the warband, any model in excess of the Limit can be kept, but no more models of that type can be added to the warband. Also, as it’s written, it implies it affects the Limit of all eligible models (compare with Knowledge of Sciences that explicitly dictates to choose a single item). Can only be taken by a single model in the Warband.
  • The Order of the Fly:
    • Cockroach Vitality: Now it prevents the opponent to spend BLOOD MARKERS to add +INJURY DICE to attacks on the model (instead of not allowing spending BLOOD MARKERS to penalize the model’s actions with -DICE).
    • Deceit of Beelzebub: Clarified how the positioning of the models during the teleport works.
  • Mammon:
    • Money Can Buy Anything: Can only be taken by a single model in the warband.
  • The Anti-Pope of Avignon: No significant changes
• Reinforcements: When reinforcing, you can only recruit new models for your warband (along with their Battlekit). You can’t purchase Battlekit for the existing models in your warband or to put in your Arsenal. (note however that you can reallocate Battlekit in the Quartermaster Step if you want).
• Exploration: Re-rolls on the Exploration Roll granted by skills and other effects have been separated from the “modify exploration roll” step. You now roll the Exploration Dice, apply any re-rolls at the same time (you can re-roll any single die once) and only then apply any other effect that modifies the Exploration roll.
• Exploration Locations: Now locations that grant the possibility to acquire a Glory Item let you choose an item up to a certain cost and get it for free. Specific Exploration Locations results have been changed in accordance to Campaign Rules Changelog 1.6.4
  • Common Exploration Locations:
    • Moonshine Stash(4): Added the option to Sell (any Warband) for 30 ducats.
    • Warband Strongbox(20): If you choose the Panoply option, reduce the cost of any Weapon you choose by 1 Glory Point, to a minimum of 1.
  • Rare Exploration Locations:
    • Ransacked Alchemy Workshop(12): Clarified that when you use the Curative Fluids, you only remove the Battle Scar but not the effect of a Trauma.
    • Book of Golem(17):The Golem comes with the Human Hands Alchemical Formula, and up to 50 ducats worth of Formulae. It cannot gain additional Formulae in a later battle and has the GOLEM keyword. In [v.1.0.1] it has been clarified that, being a GOLEM, it can’t gain the TOUGH keyword, so it doesn’t gain benefits from Massive Size.
  • Legendary Exploration Locations:
    • Battlefield of Corpses(6): Now the chosen pieces of Battlekit must come from your Warband’s Armoury.
    • Black Network Contact(14): You are limited to purchase items that cost 12 Glory Points or less.
    • Treasure of the Holies(16): Now grants D3 Campaign Victory Points as well.
    • Skull of a Saint(18): The Skull is now a HELD item. For Faithful Warbands, it now grants the INFILTRATOR Keyword to the model equipped with it, for Fallen Warbands it only grants 1 Glory Point at the end of the game if the model is on the Battlefield and is not Down or Out of Action.
    • Lock of Samson Hair(20): Gives STRONG and +1 INJURY DICE instead of STRONG and +1 to Injury rolls.
    • Patron’s Visit(23): New-ish (it was added in the Campaign Rules Changelog 1.6.4) result that allows you to immediately exchange up to 10 Glory Points for an equivalent number of Campaign Victory Points.
    • Golgotha Tektites(30): It now affects up to 2 suits of Armour. New Antioch warbands can choose instead to gain +15 Glory Points (instead of 15 Glory Points worth of items).
    • Fruit form the Tree of Good and Evil Knowledge(36): You can choose any Skill, including Patron Skills granted by other Patrons.
• Quartermaster Step: Retiring models with 2 Battle Scars now happens in this step (so after gaining Experience and Skills). When a model is retired from the warband, its Battlekit is not lost and can be kept in the Warband’s Arsenal (except for pieces of Battlekit that cannot be removed from the model).

Glory Items

Several Glory Items received some updates

• Battlefield Title: Cost reduced from 6 Glory Points to 5. Can also be taken by Court of the Seven-Headed Serpent and Cult of the Black Grail now.
• Beelzebub’s Embrace: Cost reduced from 15 Glory Points to 12.
• Bestial Skin Cloak: No longer gives the model wearing it 1 BLOOD MARKER at the end of its activation.
• Cruel Helmet: has the HEAVY keyword. The effect of the Helmet is not restricted to the first attack that targets the wearer. In addition, the wearer suffers 1 BLOOD MARKER even if the attack that targets it misses.
• Damascus Armour: Can only be removed if the model has been killed or declared Unfit for Duty (i.e. has to retire due to suffering too many Battle Scars)
• Demonic Aura Grenade: Now gains the ASSAULT keyword.
• Ducal Winged Armour: No longer “Counts as Machine Armour” therefore there’s no conflict with the limit of models in Machine Armour in the warband.
• Field Hospital: It is not assigned to a particular model in your Warband.
• Holy Grenade: No longer has -1 INJURY DICE on models that are not directly hit by the attack.
• Knighthood: The model with this Item must be on the battlefield at the end of the game for its effect to resolve.
• Locust Spitter: Range reduced from 24″ to 18″. Subsequent targets must be in Line of Sight from the previous target. In the case of a Critical Success, the +1 INJURY DICE only applies to the original target.
• Lordship of This World: [v1.0.1] the moved terrain piece cannot be moved within 1″ of another terrain piece.
• Masterwork Jezzail: The secondary target must be the closest model in Line of Sight from the original target. In the case of a Critical Success, the extra +1 INJURY DICE only applies to the original target.
• Restraining Muzzle: You can have 0-3 Restraining Muzzles purchased with Glory Points in addition to the 0-3 purchased with Ducats.
• Resurrection Engine: It is not assigned to a particular model in your Warband.
• Rocket-Propelled Grenade: Can also be taken by Court of the Seven-Headed Serpent or Cult of the Black Grail (Limit:1 in either case).
• Salvage Golem: It is not assigned to a particular model in your Warband.
• Tormentor Chain: [v1.0.1] Not a proper change, but due to the change to how Fight and Shoot ACTIONS interact it’s impossible, at least according to RAW to drag an enemy within 1″ with a Tormentor Chain (Ranged Attack) and attack it in melee in the same turn. Expect this to be fixed (and nobody will send Witchburners after you if you house rule it. Probably).
• Trench Dog: Must be assigned to a model in your Warband and is deployed at the same time of this model. Limit: 1 overall. If you spend 1 additional Glory Point to give it the FIRETEAM keyword, it can only form a Fireteam with the model it is assigned to. Trench Dogs do not count towards the warband’s morale (a discussion is currently ongoing on whether they count towards the Warband’s Field Strength – still waiting for an official clarification) and gain the Faction Keyword of the model they are assigned to.

Scenarios

• Terrain: Rules for terrain have been expanded and more detailed guidelines on terrain types and placement are provided. Each Scenario suggest one of three possible terrain archetypes to use: No Man’s Land, Decimated Ruins and Trench Lines. Explicit provisions are given to avoid placing terrain so that it prevents models from exiting their Deployment Zone or reach objective markers. Note: In most scenarios the players roll-off and the winner sets up the terrain. I would strongly advise against it. A better solution, at least for those scenarios that don’t require an attacker and a defender, would be to set up the terrain together.
• Infiltrators: INFILTRATORS are deployed alternatively, starting with the player who first ended deploying their non-INFILTRATOR models.
• Pre-Battle Abilities: The resolution order of Pre-Battle Abilities is decided by the player who wins a roll-off (instead of alternating the resolution between players)
• Victory Points: Each Glorious Deed is worth 1 Victory Point (in addition to the other benefits) when achieved.
• Specific Scenario Changes: (for the 4 Scenarios that never got into the Playtest Rulebook – From Below, Field of Glory, Don’t Breathe and The High Ground – changes from the playtest versions that are available in the Discord server are listed).
  • Claim No Man’s Land: Being the only player with models on the objective terrain piece grants control regardless of the number of enemies within 1″ of it. If both players (or no player) have models on the objective then count for majority. Controlling each objective is worth 2 Victory Points at the end of each turn regardless of the presence of enemy models.
  • Hunt for Heroes: Now has 4 objectives instead of 3. Each player has a stationary Machine Gun and a Gun Battery (use the rules for the Sultanate Grand Cannon) on their side of the board. The scenario has a set of Unforeseen Events.
  • Relic Hunt: D3 reinforcement models arrive for each player at the beginning of every Turn. The rule that allowed mandatory leader models to be deployed regularly instead of being kept in reserve if they are on a 40mm base or larger is missing.
  • Trench Warfare: The defender can deploy up to half of its Warband value in ducats (instead of half the models). Infiltrators used by the Attacker must be deployed within 12″ of their Deployment Zone.
  • Armoured Train: Train Wagons can only be accessed from doors. A model carrying a Crate can only do Move or Retreat Actions but it’s no longer prevented from being moved by other effects. The gun turret on the central wagon uses the rules of a Sultanate Grand Cannon.
  • Dragon Hunt: After a player has activated one of their models, they roll a D6: on a 1-4 they activate a Peasant (previously they always activated automatically), on a 5-6 they activate the Dragon. The base of the Dragon counts as Dangerous Terrain. The Dragon cannot attack a model on top of it. It will always attack with its Teeth and Claws in melee, and it will use its Tail Swipe as an additional attack if there are still enemies within 1″ of it after the Teeth and Claws attack. The Dragon’s Fire Breath has +2 DICE. BLAST 3″, FIRE, IGNORE ARMOUR and SCATTER (instead of having the characteristics of a Heavy Flamethrower. When the Dragon moves over a model it is not targeting, the Injury Roll suffered by that model has the IGNORE ARMOUR keyword. Taking Down the Dragon grants 3 Victory Points instead of 4.
  • Supply Raid: D3 reinforcement models arrive for each player at the beginning of every Turn.
  • From Below: Models can only extract vials from their own Deployment Zone. When the Beast Awakens, the game automatically ends in a Draw.
  • Fields of Glory: The guidelines to set up the battlefield are different (use the Trench Line Archetype). Two more Glorious Deeds have been added.
  • Don’t Breathe: The attacker can initially deploy up to 6+D3 models (instead of 6+D6).
  • The High Ground: Formerly Hill #223. The requirement for the height of the 5 Objective Markers have been loosened (each should be at least 6″ high). Mortars are no longer present. No extra Victory Points are granted for additional model on top of objectives.

And that’s all for the Trench Crusade Digital Rulebook. The list of changes for the Warbands of Trench Crusade document is already in the pipeline and will be released soon. Until then, heads down and dry feet!