Welcome to the start of the Arena Challenge for 2026, this time focusing on the alternate 1914 world of Trench Crusade! The Arena Challenge is a hobby escalation campaign where participants build and paint their forces over the course of several months, sharing all their hobby progress along the way. We chose Trench Crusade as the focus for this year due to its more manageable size of only a few models per warband, its absolutely stunning minis, and the all-around grimdark majesty of its setting.
In fact, we had so many people excited to take part in this that we had a record-breaking 24 participants sign up! Not only do we have a plethora of talented hobbyists joining from within The Army Painter, but we also have participants from the creators of the game itself, Factory Fortress Inc.; the stacked roster of talent that is our very own Factory Team; the premiere narratively driven Trench Crusade YouTube channel, Trench Titans; and, newly announced here for the first time, everyone’s favourite purveyors of cube based 6-sided randomness, the Baron of Dice! Whew, that’s a lot. Is this the greatest crossover event since a certain 2019 superhero blockbuster movie? The jury is in, and DipIt declares us the winner—clearly an unbiased opinion.
As Trench Crusade is at its best when approached narratively, we’re going to do the same for the Arena this year. What does that mean? Well, a cool bespoke setting, some unique rules for building your warband and earning glory (an essential part of any Trench Crusade campaign), and some fun twists and turns along the way.
As I said, every good narrative needs a setting, so welcome to...
The Broken Isle
Deep within the churning waters of the Mediterranean Ocean, whispered tales tell of a mist-wreathed isle; its shores drenched in the blood of the innocent. Some say it once belonged to the forces of the faithful, a bastion of hope and resilience against the overwhelming might of Hell. Its miles of rugged landscape carved with trenches, redoubts, and bunkers, interspersed with garrison townships and fortress cities. Lost decades ago, none can be certain whether it fell in fire and blood, or if it was merely abandoned for some unfathomable reason.
Others claim it has lain with the Heretics since the time of Jerusalem's sundering. A siren’s call to those who venture too close and a staging post for heretical invasions of the kingdoms of Europe, since deserted for choicer lands.
One thing that all can agree upon is what lies at the island’s heart—a crumbling edifice of malefic intent. A large and archaic amphitheatre, carved deep into the bedrock of the isle, honeycombed with sprawling catacombs and lined with unknown treasures. Amongst these mere baubles and trinkets is said to be entombed something of great import. An item worthy enough of fortifying an entire island, yet cursed enough that none dare move it from its resting place, until now.
Whether this item is a relic of God’s will or the downfall of the faithful’s meagre resistance, none can know for sure, but the time has come to discover the truth. Warbands of faithful and fallen alike have set sail for the Broken Isle to lay claim to its defences, munitions, treasures, and above all, the dark secret that lies at its heart. Many shall brave the challenges ahead, but only one shall emerge victorious from the shadowed eaves of the amphitheatre, the stadium, the arena...
Now that we all know where we’ll be fighting, it’s time to learn how our contestants will be taking part.
- Each warband, at the end, must have 700 ducats worth of models, minimum. You are allowed to paint more if you desire.
- There is a series of deadlines assigned for them to meet when it comes to painting their warband.
- Each warband starts with 0 glory points. You can only earn these through Hobby Glorious Deeds as detailed below.
- There are no other ways to obtain items or models that cost glory to add to your warband.
Hobby Glorious Deeds
Okay, so now we know both where they will be fighting AND how, but what about who? It’s time to meet the participants!
Joining the forces of The Fallen from left to right, top to bottom, we have, repping The Army Painter: Tyler Mengel, Amy Ratcliffe, Thomas Coltau, Lasse Sell, Jeremy Clark, and Joachim McLaughlin. Joining us from Factory Fortress Inc, aka the creators of Trench Crusade itself we have Lyle Lowery, editor of The Trench Wire, and Stéphane Nguyen Van Gioi, one of their talented studio painters. Felipe Creighton rolled only 6s and joined us from the Baron of Dice, and last, but certainly not least, we have the devilishly talented Dave Taylor, Adam Loper, and Courtney DeVries from our very own Factory Team.
Meanwhile, on the side of the Faithful, again from left to right, top to bottom, joining from The Army Painter offices are: Adam Abramowicz, Ian Huxley, Jason Thompkins, Tim Engleman, Rasmus Carstensen, and Jonathan Beveridge. Repping Baron of Dice is Joey Jobes, and from the popular YouTube channel Trench Titans (an offshoot of Tabletop Titans) we have Brian Leyva and Adrian Phillips. And once again, rounding out the team are our talented Factory Team members in the form of Phil Hall, Sam Lenz, Jake Krajeski, and, wait, what's this? Is that Dave Taylor again?! That's right. This man is so dedicated to Trench Crusade that he'll be making TWO warbands for the Arena. We can't wait to see his game against himself...
Which faction is everyone playing? You'll have to wait until next time to find that out (or go follow everyone on their Instagrams and other social media channels, linked above on their names or channels. They may start sharing their progress sooner!). We can safely say it's a good mix of all the available factions, including some new ones coming out soon!
While we’ll only be reporting on those taking part officially, we would love for YOU to join the crusade! Simply pick a warband, follow the rules above (or not, I’m not your boss), and start painting. You can document your progress online by using #arenachallenge2026 and join our Discord to post in the dedicated Arena Challenge channel and see everyone else’s progress. We’ll even feature some of the best from amongst the community on our official channels.
Stay tuned for our next official update, hot on the heels of this one, with everyone’s first test models as they delve into the world of Trench Crusade and get this grimdark party moving!
Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to stay abreast of all the latest updates and bookmark our Arena hub on the blog. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, BlueSky, Threads, and TikTok to see all the latest news and tutorials.
