With the inclusion of theme forces in No Quarter Prime, players now have manifold opportunities to expand on the different Factions and themes of the Iron Kingdoms. Many themes introduce new concepts to the world, which makes for fertile ground to develop content for the Iron Kingdoms Roleplaying Game.

The material presented in this Insider is intended to spark the imagination of players and to test out new rules, new gear, and new concepts. Feel free to leave your thoughts on our forums HERE.

The Trencher Corps

The Trencher Corps has never shied away from allowing non-human recruits into its ranks. Unlike the stuffy attitudes of some other service branches, the Trenchers are equal opportunity armed forces; provided recruits are big enough and tough enough to meet the demands of the service, they are welcome to fight and die on behalf of their countrymen.

For many years, aspiring trollkin and ogrun who enlisted as Trenchers were given tasks that focused primarily on their great strength and endurance—jobs like porting ammo or entrenching for hours on end. But in time, the corps adopted new practices to better suit the qualities of these recruits, filling out the Trenchers with specialized roles like the Trench Buster and Trencher Express Teams.

Career Options

Trench Buster (Trencher)

Trench Busters combine the weapons of the Cygnaran Armory with the natural physical prowess of the ogrun race. Carrying enormous assault shields and lobbing incendiary shells at the enemy, Trench Busters provide cover for a trencher advance as living bulwarks. Their job is to be at the forefront of an advance on enemy positions, where they break up concentrations of enemy soldiers and pave the way for their soldiers-in-arms to perform devastating assaults.

Only Cygnaran ogrun can be Trench Busters. A character cannot have both the Trench Buster and the standard Trencher careers. A character starting the game as a Trench Buster must choose Man-at-Arms, Military Officer, Ranger, Rifleman, or Soldier as a second career.

A character taking this option:

starts the game with the Shield Guard ability but does not start with Dig In.

begins with a cinder bomber, combat shield, and 10 cinder bomber grenades but does not begin with a bayonet, entrenching spade, or military rifle.

Trencher Express Sharpshooter (Trencher)

The role of the Trencher Express Team is to provide point elimination of heavy targets. Part sniper teams and part portable light artillery, Trencher Express Teams provide Cygnar with versatile and mobile weapons in the field.

All Trencher Express Sharpshooters are trollkin. Few others could effectively wield the immense Raevhan Express rifle, much less fire it repeatedly without suffering broken bones and bruised flesh. The role of sharpshooter is one of the first to be set aside exclusively for trollkin members of the Trencher Corps, so many view it as a prestigious position. The deployment of Trencher Express Teams and their use in propaganda on the home front has encouraged a new generation of young trollkin to enlist, those who hope to be counted among the ranks of the sharpshooters.

Only Cygnaran trollkin can be Trencher Express Sharpshooters. A character cannot have both the Trencher Express Sharpshooter and the standard Trencher careers. A character starting the game as a Trencher Express Sharpshooter must choose Military Officer, Ranger, Rifleman, or Soldier as a second career.

A character taking this option:

starts the game with the Keen Eyed ability but does not start with Bayonet Charge.

begins with a Raevhan Express heavy hunting rifle, trench knife, and spyglass but does not begin with a bayonet, entrenching spade, or military rifle.

New Gear

Cinder Bomber

Cost: 75 gc

Ammo: 1 (cinder bomb shell)

Effective Range: 60 feet (10˝)

Extreme Range: —

Skill: Light Artillery

Attack Modifier: –1

POW: 14

AOE: 3

Description: The cinder bomber is a breech-break indirect fire portable artillery weapon carried by ogrun Trench Busters. A cinder bomber fires impact-detonating alchemical incendiary shells based on the design of cinder bombs to flush defenders out of enemy emplacements. While a cinder bomber has relatively short range, the ability to fire the weapon over the heads of the front line and into more vulnerable formations, or to lob shells down into an occupied trench, makes it ideal for the role of the Trench Buster.

Special Rules: This weapon causes fire damage.

When attacking with this weapon, the user can ignore intervening characters except those within 1˝ of the target.

A character with STR 8 or higher can use this weapon one handed.

This weapon can be used as a POW 3 melee weapon with an attack modifier of –1. This weapon can be used as part of a Bayonet Charge. Used as a melee weapon, this weapon gains +2 to charge attack damage rolls.

Additional cinder bomb shells cost 10 gc.

Raevhan Express Heavy Rifle

Cost: 210 gc

Ammo: 2 (heavy round)

Effective Range: 84 feet (14˝)

Extreme Range: 420 feet

Skill: Rifle

Attack Modifier: 0

POW: 14

AOE: —

Description: First developed to hunt the Raevhan buffalo of northern Khador, the Raevhan Express is one of the largest-caliber hunting rifles in the Iron Kingdoms. The standard configuration is a side-by-side double-barrel break action. The weapon is not traditionally shoulder fired, as the immense recoil causes bruising in the best case and can break bones in the worst. In Cygnar, trollkin gunners of Trencher Express Teams are the exclusive users of the Raevhan Express, as the trollkin gunners regenerate the minor fractures and bruises each pull of the trigger creates.

Special Rules: A character must have STR 7 to use this weapon.

A character hit by this weapon is pushed d3˝ directly away from the attacker. On a critical hit, the target is knocked down. A living character hit by this weapon loses Tough and cannot have damage removed for one round.

A character can discharge both barrels as a single action. Make an attack roll with an additional –2 penalty. If the attack hits, increase the POW of the attack by +4. After resolving the attack, the attacker suffers d3 damage points.

Reloading each barrel of a Raevhan Express requires a separate quick action. Blasting powder, bullets, and metal casings for five rounds costs 4 gc.

Find more of the gear and additional details on the Trencher Corps in No Quarter Prime 01!