Trench Crusade's Carcass Front Reveal: The Goonhammer Hot Take

It’s Adepticon week! And to kick off their presence at the event, the folks over at Factory Fortress have announced a brand new campaign box, which serves as a campaign intro box for you and a buddy to get geared up and thrown into the trenches. Let’s take a look!

This is the first I have heard of Carcass Front.

For those who are not aware, the Carcass Front was originally planned as a Stretch Goal award during the original Kickstarter campaign. Given how Trench Crusade blew past all of its goals, not only will all Kickstarter backers get their promised rewards (and more) in the form of digital versions of almost all the content, Factory Fortress have now produced a physical edition of the Carcass Front, acting as a two-player intro box, complete with two new variant faction kits in the new sweet sweet plastic we are starting to see more of.

So what actually is the Carcass Front?

The Carcass Front, at its core, is a map-based campaign setting where forces maneuver and explore it, unlocking a unique narrative experience as they progress and ultimately seek to take control of the Carcass Front. The specifics haven’t been revealed, but the eagle-eyed among you may be able to make out some pieces of info from the promo shots, particularly of the map itself, which seems to have locations keyworded for specific resources or other elements.

This will likely be a riff on the existing campaign mode we have grown to know and love, and will provide an alternative and more structured way to run narrative campaigns for a more immersive and invested experience for all the players.

What’s in the Box?

The announcement emphasizes that the box serves as both an introductory start box for someone and a friend wanting to jump into the game, and as a new campaign setting, allowing veteran players to experience something completely unseen in Trench Crusade thus far. From the promo shots, it will include two 700 ducats warbands: The Heretic Naval Raiders and the Procession of the Sacred Affliction. So far, we have seen 11 of the 16 models so far, all looking fantastic. These warbands will have pre-generated lists for those who just want to jump in and start rolling dice. On the campaign side, there is a two-player narrative campaign called The Path to Leviathan, as well as the big Carcass Front Map campaign, which supports two to eight players. On top of that is the gorgeous-looking 96-page hardcover book, full of rules, art and lore. To round things out, some terrain pieces will be included to ensure the battlefield looks grim as it should. Lastly, there will be cards and record sheets which help players to track their progress across the campaigns.

From what we can gather, this isn’t even going to be everything in the box, with more to be revealed at a later time!

The Hot Takes

Dandy: I’m not going to lie, I did not expect so much from this box. Two new plastic 700 Ducats warbands, terrain, a full hardback book, two campaigns, and extras is fantastic. This is such a great box for new and experienced players alike, as everything included is new, regardless of whether you have played before. We’re all going to be playing this campaign setting fresh. It’s good to see more variants represented with plastic, with some amazing sculpts. I just can’t overstate how good this is for not only new players, but also the Trench Crusade scene in general. Sure, it’s nice to finally get some plastic kits in your local store, but getting a full-blown 2-player starter kit into stores is going to make all the difference.

Loxi: It's seeing a full box with art as hard as this that really solidifies how far Trench Crusade has come since the early days of pre-Kickstarter. It feels much less like an indie game and it's really starting to grow legs as a full fledged piece in the industry, and it's a very unique experience to watch it grow to this point.

This box will be great for newcomers and existing players alike, as it provides an absolute slew of content in one place. Even if you don't have as much interest in the structured campaigns themselves, this provides everything you need to get started with the game for pickup skirmish matches and starting warbands alike, so you'll have the ability to play the game however you want with this box and a willing buddy.

As far as the models go, this will of course be a big step in adding to the plastic ranges. The Heretic Naval Raiders will be our first Fallen faction to have some love in this regard, and we'll be getting our first Trench Pilgrims warband option as well. As Dandy already mentioned, the models just look aces - even if the style isn't your jam, the quality of them in the images we've seen look great and I can't wait to get my hands on them. A lot to look forward to here, so it's a great time to be a fan of Trench Crusade.

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Tags: Hot Take | trench crusade | Carcass Front