Spring is almost upon us, and as a result, Factory Fortress are working on the first rule review, one of the two yearly changes made to the game. Part of this review process is a preview of a pool of proposed changes FF would like to make, along with the opportunity for players to share their feedback on them. Today we’re going to be taking a run through each of the categories and giving our own hot takes on what we think.

Grenades

Trench Crusade, Trench Ghost - Credit: Bair

So we’re starting off with a bang here and tackling a particularly pressing issue since 1.0 dropped: The grenade meta. As it stands, Grenades are a very cost-effective and deadly piece of equipment that, despite reflecting their real-life deadliness, are pushing the limits of being balanced.

Proposed Changes

Factory Fortress have proposed a few solutions:

Increase Points: Increase the cost of each grenade type depending on its effectiveness

Keyword Changes: Possibilities here include:

- - Remove the IGNORE LONG RANGE keyword
  - Add Risky
  - Add the -1 INJURY DICE keyword, or increase it if it already has it.

Modify the Grenade Rules: A proposed new special rule called “Fumble”, which reflects the risky nature of grenades. This rule means that if you roll a 2 or less on your Attack Success Roll, the grenade explodes in your hand, and the attacking model makes an injury roll on themself.

The Takes

Dandy: Out of the three proposed changes here, I’m leaning towards some keyword changes, particularly IGNORE LONG RANGE or RISKY. As part of this preview article, FF mentioned that their approach to rules is to keep them as close to real life as possible. I think lobbing a hunk of metal across a battlefield in the middle of a warzone would be particularly difficult, and so getting a -1 to hit at long range is fine. It does create a bit of a feels-bad issue when failing to hit with a grenade at short range and blowing yourself up; however, I think if this choice were taken, there may need to be a review of grenade ranges as a result. RISKY, on the other hand, is cleaner, but the consequences are much more crippling, especially for something like a Prussian Shocktrooper, who needs to rely on squeezing out as much juice as possible.

Norman: Part of the issue with grenades is the Scatter mechanic, which basically gives you some wiggle room on your hit roll to still get a hit if you miss. With that in mind I agree with Dandy, although I think you combine removing IGNORE LONG RANGE and the Fumble mechanic in order to create a risky weapon that you might think twice about throwing before you do an important charge. I’m less concerned about the feels bad here personally since it's gonna be hilarious when it happens to someone else. If it happens to me though then yeah it's obviously a bad rule.

Ryan: I think these changes are great. I agree with Norman that SCATTER is the abusable culprit here, although the point of grenades is to be able to lob an explosive and deal damage to enemies that you can’t see. I love that FF is going the route of making actual rules additions and tweaks other than simply changing points every which way too.

Loxi: To somewhat conclude what the others have said, I think the issue with grenades is their consistency. There is very little value for many characters to take pistols, not because pistols are necessarily bad, but because grenades just outclass them in a very similar bracket. I think this change doesn't just help grenades have a better identity in the game, but also gives a more distinct difference between pistols (consistency, slight range increase, dual wielding shenanigans) and grenades (powerful but a touch less consistent). I don’t expect this shifts the needle on what characters will want to take grenades, but I think it makes the choice of actually using them (or at least throwing them) a bit more of an actual choice.

Black Grail

Credit: MildNorman

The Black Grail has had a number of changes and glow up since first being introduced, and the April update aims to tune up a couple of units still needing some work: The Amalgam and Grail Thralls. The former is going to get a whole new profile, including some new upgrades, and Thrall also getting some upgrade options to diversify its standard profile.

Proposed Changes

Amalgam

The Amalgam has undergone a complete glow-up that focuses on its core identity: being a hodgepodge of assimilated weaponry and an absolutely unstoppable behemoth. Let’s take a look:

It’s not just a simple Profile glowup, though, as the Amalgam can include one of the following upgrades:

Grail Thralls

It’s not just the Amalgam that gets all the fun! Grail Thralls have always suffered a bit of a crisis in that they are all the same low cost model. To add a bit of diversity, each Grail Thrall can have one of the following Grail Strains:

The Takes

Norman: I think the Amalgam profile change is a slam dunk. I’ve run a couple test games with it at this point (one with a single Amalgam and one with two at 1k Ducats) and it feels like a really useful anvil piece in your toolkit now. I’m less sold on the Amalgam strains though personally. I think a lot of these are trades and make an already expensive model that much more expensive. The ranged bonus removes your ranged bonus and ASSAULT but your Infection markers still happen in combat and you won’t really be able to take advantage of Trample either. The Trenchblight upgrade seems very strong in theory, but with such a slow, big, model I can see the terrain piece it leaves behind being more of a nuisance than a benefit for you. Lastly generating a thrall is very strong, but you’re shedding your TOUGH for it. I think that one is the most attractive because it can be planned around, but a vanilla Amalgam is probably where I’ll default to.

The Thrall strains though are all amazing. Tapeworm Throng is the one that sticks out as the most powerful off the bat, but Bolgias Gut is VERY funny and Leech Grip is really solid. There’s a new Glory item too which juices all of these up, and there are some really nasty combos here. If you have access to 2 strains by then, I think you upgrade all your thralls to Hellfly Hosts and give them Tapeworm Throng by default and mix in Bolgias Gut and Leech Grip to taste. Hellfly Host with no downside is insanely good.

Ryan: I’m still waiting for when the true update to Trench Crusade happens and all these stinky Black Grail bing bongs get deleted from the universe. Sammie Dae, please answer my prayers, ty.

Loxi: I can see Hellfly Host being an actual staple, giving some extra mobility to a unit that shines with being obnoxious in the right place at the right time sounds stellar. More than anything, I think this update is a good statement from the team that some of the big baddies in the game need some extra gas to be a real threat, and this is a great step towards making some of these centerpiece models shine.

Dandy: I’m far from knowledgeable about Black Grail as a faction, but I gotta say, the flavour behind the Absorb rule is just fantastic. Similar to the Brazen Bull change below, FF know how to combine flavour and ability rules. I hope to see more abilities that play around with the core rules like this more!

Iron Sultanate

Lion of Jabir. Credit Mike Bettle-Shaffer

Iron Sultanate are without a doubt, an extremely fun army to play, with each variant offering key differences in play. Despite that though, they’ve often lacked the oompf against heavily armoured targets that many other factions can bypass. They always need to invest a little too much to get the job done, often at the expense of other important areas.

Proposed Changes

FF are targeting three core areas here:

Expanded Armoury

there's plenty more and you can find the rest here: https://www.trenchcrusade.com/news/april-2026-rules-review-the-iron-sultanate/

The first proposed change doubles down on one of the faction's more distinctive aspects: Unique armoury. Whilst New Antioch has a breadth of possible weaponry, the Iron Sultante have both breadth and uniqueness, where much of the Battlekit can only be found in this faction.

This expanded Armoury aims to add fill in the lack of anti-armour that the initial Armoury was missing. From glowing up some of the well-known weapons like the Halberd Gun, introducing general items like Gas Grenades for the IGNORE ARMOUR, but also adding completely new kits like Corrosive Ammunition. Here is the full list:

Updated Yüzbaşı and Brazen Bull

The Yüzbaşı is getting a small change, essentially giving them the STRONG keyword innately, as well as giving them the chance to get the Janissary Veteren upgrade for just +5 Ducats. For the Brazen Bull, they get a chonkier update, given their beefy status. Here, the changes refine how the Bull plays, namely a tanky bruiser that your opponent needs to deal with, or else it runs rampant on the battlefield. Here are the two new profiles:

Updated Abilities: Janissary / Yüzbaşı & Lion of Jabir

The final proposed change is just a few small changes on unit abilities, namely the Janissary and Lion of Jabir. For the former, we get the Mehterân ability, which is the same as the Janissary Veteren ability we saw on the Yüzbaşı. The Lion of Jabir get a nice little upgrade in the form of Ferocious Claws, which for +5 Ducats the Lion gets the CLEAVE 2 keyword.

The Takes

Ryan: Iron Sultanate players get to EAT in this update. Adding ARMOUR PIERCING to some of your bozo guns makes them extremely strong, especially for just a little 5 ducat upgrade. This means that if you want to go wide with a bunch of Azebs but kit them up to the moon, you have some viability. I also feel the Lions of Jabir were a little under represented, not for being bad but with just so many other solid options in the faction. Being able to add CLEAVE 2 makes them way more appealing, so I definitely intend on playing around with having some muscley meatballs roll down the battlefield and claw at my opponents.

Loxi: I cannot state enough how huge I think these are. I believe this pushes IS towards their strengths while still making them unique - you might not have a single, utterly powerful ranged AP weapon, but boy do you have a crazy amount of access to them now. Similarly to the Amalgam, the Bull getting a glow up is huge since it was quite the investment for a model that sometimes didn’t feel like it could pull its own weight.

Mehteran on the Janissary is a cool effect, I think this makes an instrument Azeb even more necessary in a lot of lists now, but the extra movement consistency is huge for an army that lives and dies on keeping up the pressure with well placed shots. I think Claws are great for lions just as a bit of extra punch, I don’t really think it’s a drastic buff but when your model has very few upgrade paths, anything can be nice for your extra ducats. STRONG by default on the Yuzbasi is fantastic as well, as I think a huge chunk of loadouts for the character really wanted to take the upgrade for it anyway. Halberd Gun/Shield captain loadouts are something I expect to see people blasting away with.

Dandy: Big fan of these changes. I think it would have been easy for FF to just give a couple of weapons with the IGNORE ARMOUR keyword and be done, but what they’ve done is really broken down a solution that fits into the IS approach: Namely, add battlekit and profile changes that require thought and overlap to make the most of it. I’m very excited to see how these changes play out in a House of Wisdom list! Speaking of that, I think the Flame Cannon and Bull change are great, and the synergy between them is going to make for some really amazing moments on the table that players are going to love to execute.

Mercenaries

Combat Biologist Credit: sammie_dae

Mercenaries are a vital and interesting part of the game, allowing variety in list building to fill in gaps, double down on a particular strategy or generally just add something unique to your warband. Given the variety of available Mercenaries, along with all the warband + Mercenary combinations, there’s undoubtedly going to be some issues of balance arising. For the proposed changes, FF are taking a look at the Observer, Mendelist Ammo Monk, Scripture Guardian, Sin Eater, Witchburner and the Goetic Warlock.

Proposed Changes

Observer

The proposed change for the Observer is the very definition of “suffering from success”. As a result of being able to bring so much to the table, the Observer is getting a Glory points bump to 5 Glory, essentially postponing when you’ll be able to grab this unit during your campaign. More importantly, for you 900/8 one-off lovers, you won’t be able to take your AT Hunter and Observer combo, now having to choose between the two.

Mendelist Ammo Monk

The Ammo Monk has always had a single job: Provide a +1 to Attack Success Rolls for your nearby AT Hunter, or give your St. Methodius Autocannon rocking Shrine. Whilst both have changed, it’s only the latter situation that gets nerfed. Now, we have a new set of abilities:

Scripture Guardian

Here, we mostly see a refinement of the current profile and cleaning it up for clarity and ease of use. Fundamentally, it stays the same.

Sin Eater

Like the Scripture Guardian, this is mostly a clean up of the current rule, but also a big of a buff to the Devour rule, allowing the Sin Eater to regenerate whilst it has devoured a foe.

Witchburner

The witchburnet, despite winning all known Swagger Awards within the Trench Crusade timeline, has not seen much use on the tabletop. The lack of fast movement and a premium price for what it does has left it on the wayside in favour of other options. Now the glowup is here, still maintaining its core identity.

Goetic Warlock

A very welcome glow-up for the Warlock, as it can now use a number of Goetic spells on the battlefield, playing perfectly into the Court’s game, as well as adding some Goetic flair for the Heretics. Along with that, we see some weapons changed and a nice ability which limits healing for enemy units in combat with the Warlock.

The Takes

Loxi: As a Knights of Avarice player primarily, I really like the warlock changes. It still maintains its role as a control tech piece, but now it has way more tools to actually play with in its kit. It’s also fun tech against Court now, as (if I’m not mistaken) you can use this to stop them from casting Goetic spells themselves, which is fun.

Rest in piss ammo monk, I think the new version is both going to be more interesting to play with and against. It still has the flavor of what an ammo carrier should do without just being a walking piece of equipment for your big gun. I can see some merit in the Witchburner now, I still think it’s a bit pricey but it’s better for your buck and can be really handy against rosters with a bunch of chaff. The other stuff is mostly quality of life, but I do like the Sin Eater being rewarded for playing more aggressively rather than just being a meat wall for your own guy.

Dandy: Let’s be honest, the Observer was just overperforming, and this change, whilst painful, is something that just needed to happen. Being able to contribute to the game in an extremely effective way whilst simultaneously standing on a back objective was just way too good. For the rest of the faithful Mercs, the AT Hunter and Ammo Monk get a nice, albeit maybe not necessary buff, as you were taking the +1 to Attack Success Roll normally, but still losing the -1 to long-range and an extra -1 for cover. Now you’re pretty much going to be shooting your AT at the standard +1 always.

I’m not going to lie, the new witchburner profile is an amazing glowup, and it’s packing a lot into that 6 glory. Like, a lot. I am still concerned that the lack of Dash means it’s still being left at the wayside. I do like the consistency of the movement, though, and I do like the way it compensates. I think I’ll need a few test games with him to see how it plays out.

Norman: Personally I think the Witchburner is way too good with the glow up. Being able to shoot dudes out of line of sight is massive and generating that many blood markers from there and the reliability that comes with scatter makes this really really good and somewhat non interactive.

Infiltrators

Death Commando - Credit: Ace

There’s no denying the power that Infiltrators have on the game. Being allowed to deploy outside your own deployment zone and to some extent dictate the flow of the early game is very powerful. However, not every scenario allows Infiltrators, and with some Infiltrator upgrades costing Ducats, it can seem like an unwise investment to grab them when possible.

Proposed Changes

FF have essentially proposed that the Infiltrator ability will do something else in Scenarios that don't allow the standard rule.

Forward Position: A simple free move before the game starts.

“Blending in”: Having Cover in Open Terrain until you make your first move.

Double cover bonus: Double your cover bonus when in your deployment zone.

- Adjacent to this would be a “Hiding” mechanic not dissimilar to the Heretic Legion Death Commando.

The Takes

Norman: I think Forward Position is the most interesting pick here. I’m not in love with Blending In particularly because the shovel already exists and very few folks take it. Double Cover is interesting, but if I’m in my deployment zone, I’d hope I’m not getting shot at all and cover isn’t gonna be what makes or breaks stuff there.

Ryan: I agree with Norman, Blending in kind of just buries the shovel (see what I did there?). A free, pre-game move is pretty solid, and I definitely don’t hate that idea, and thematically it makes sense to have your sneaky and fast infiltrate dudes being able to rush up forward past your main force.

Dandy: Adding another agree here for Forward Position into the mix. There’s too much lethality at range to be standing out in the open, and doubling the cover bonus can help mitigate that first turn shooting. There is a reason that everyone tries to obscure their units at deployment anyway.

Overall Thoughts

Norman: I think it's worth mentioning that this process is something that's really nice to see. Getting the community involved and having some transparency on the direction the devs are considering taking the game to is really refreshing. I’ve seen some folks treating these changes like they’re set in stone or the new rules, but it's important to remember these are just ideas, even the review content in april (which isn’t final) isn’t going to be the final word on these rules. With that in mind, I think they hit most of the pain points in this pass, at the very least I feel all my thorny issues with the game are getting at least a look.

Loxi: The ability to have the development shared with the community is massive, and frankly it’s something that should be mirrored by other studios. Most importantly, I think these changes are great - even if all of them might not be perfect solutions, these are addressing most of the current outlier issues with the system as a whole, and I think the awareness of these issues being apparent (and worth actually focusing on fixing) is really great to see. This is all great for the future of the game and I’m excited to see what will come in the future.

If you’re interested in checking out the changes for yourself and filling out their survey to make your voice heard, head on over to https://www.trenchcrusade.com/news/ and take a look.

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Tags: trench crusade | Rules Update