world of the crusade

Trench Crusade isn't just a game, it's an entire dark universe. I'd describe it this way: it's an alternate history of our world, where reality blends with horror, and the First World War is deeply intertwined with an eternal religious conflict. From this soil, the tabletop miniature wargame emerged.

How the world works
A key moment in the lore: in 1099, during the First Crusade, the Knights Templar captured Jerusalem. In the catacombs beneath the First Temple, they discovered an ancient artifact—a seal that prevented the forces of darkness from penetrating the human world. But the knights were seduced by promises of power and omniscience: they swore allegiance to the lords of the underworld, performed a sorcerous ritual, and opened a portal to hell. The city was lost, and the forces of darkness poured onto Earth. Since then, humanity has waged an endless war against demons and legions of heretics.

The game itself takes place more than 800 years later, around 1914. And here's where things get interesting: against the backdrop of the familiar First World War, an eternal battle with the infernal realm unfolds. Trenches stand side by side with infernal fortresses, and in battle, soldiers fight shoulder to shoulder with inquisitors and possessed heretics. The aesthetic is quite distinctive: soldiers in gas masks and medieval armor, tanks reminiscent of moving cathedrals, armor made of barbed wire and sacred texts. Mustard gas mingles with the sulfuric fumes of the underworld.

Who's here?
There's no single "good" camp in this world—the sides are complex and contradictory. I've selected several key factions to showcase the diversity:

The Court of the Seven-Headed Serpent is one of the influential forces that has its own motives and methods.
The Heretic Legions are mortals who have fallen under the influence of the forces of Hell and often become cannon fodder in their attacks.
Trench pilgrims (Trench pilgrims) are fighters for whom faith and war in the trenches are inseparable.
The Iron Sultanate is a union of Arab countries that built a giant iron fortress.