As the first in what will become a series of my thoughts about specific sub-factions for Trench Crusade, I'm starting with my favourite faction in Red Brigade. This faction really does hold a spot in my heart as it is quite unique for New Antioch and is also something I really love thematically.
Unique Rules
Displeasure of the Church- Clerics and Sniper Priests both occupy the same slot, with you being able to take 1 of each or 2 Sniper Priests. 1 of each is all you really want I think, as the Cleric gives you a decent bit of support and a 2nd Priest will just take up cost and Fireteam slots more that you will want just as much on your other models.
Fury of Saint Ernest- Molotovs for 5 Ducats still aren't great, and no Troop Flag doesn't matter when you have the Red Banner anyway. This rule does give you the best thing in Red Brigade though- the Gunslinger Lieutenant. Lieutenant with double Automatic Pistols can put out a ton of shots, and use the guns in melee as well to make a really terrifying leader. I love gunslingers in any game, and this build of Lieutenant is my favourite thing to play in Trench Crusade from a fun point of view.
Glory Hounds- This is basically what lets you buy Dogs for Ducats as a normal part of the warband, although they must be half your total models or less. It also gives you double Glory points for Glorious Deeds that you score with Dogs once per game, which will let you earn Glory for things like gear and Mercenaries far quicker assuming you can claim them with the Dog.
No Retreat- No Red Brigade model can voluntarily leave combat. You have a few ways to get around this, but this is a really big factor in how you should play Red Brigade. You'll get in combat eventually and should give everyone a melee weapon so they can brawl, knowing you can't leave unless your opponent is dead.
Remember the Fallen- Skipping Reinforcement and Exploration to instead reclaim all the gear of models that die in the previous game is quite good, assuming you suffer mass casualties and lose a ton of gear that you can't regain as easily. This will usually be used to get Glory Items back, as without it you can just Reinforce and get not only the value of the Battlekit that's lost, but buy the wielders back too.
Wear and Tear- Starting with Blood Markers is a big downside, and you will need to play into this knowing that you can have some really rough matchups. Hiding the important pieces is one thing, but taking Medi-kits is equally as important to mitigate the downside a little. This rule also means you have an especially rough time into Court as you basically give them a free Goetic spell if they go first, and if that spell is a Burning Inferno from a Sorcerer? It's going to really hurt
Unique Equipment
Red Banner- The first thing I spend Glory on when I have access to it. This is a Troop Flag and a Polearm in one, but with a better bonus than the Troop Flag as it gives +2 Dice rather than just +1. This is all to say, it's excellent and the official sculpt on a Shock Trooper looks really great.
Blood Cloak- 5 Ducats for Skirmisher, this acts as a great way to avoid being engaged when you don't want to be. It won't always work, but it will help at least some of the time.
Unique Units
Crimson Communicant- A few things together make Big Red something I will always take without fail in Red Brigade lists as the 2nd model after the Lieutenant. The melee stats on this thing are already great, without factoring in that they get an extra dice for every Blood marker they have and can't have Blood spent on their melee attacks. That alone makes the Communicant a great brawler and it can hit really hard in melee, although it can become easier to kill as your opponent absolutely will spend the Blood on damage rolls. The other big plus for it though is the Atonement Bell, which can knock enemies out of combat and even trigger extra attacks on your own models. It means you have ways to get out of combat, but also that you can get 2 attacks with a Greatsword on this guy for relatively little effort. I like to Fireteam him with the Lieutenant to guarantee things get out of combat with the Lieutenant, and I can keep shooting dual auto pistols as much as possible.
Trench Dogs of the Red Brigade- Another mainstay of Red Brigade lists, the Trench Dogs come in a few varieties and are pretty valuable in all their forms. The ability to give Grenades to the dogs for 5 Ducats and use it on any model within 1" is fantastic, as it gives you Ducat economy and makes the dogs great support pieces for Fireteams (which they can also pay to form extra Fireteams giving you a total 4). 2 dogs can also be upgraded into Mercy Dogs which carry a Medi-kit that gives +1 dice to anyone using it within 1", so again fantastic economy although these 2 together make dogs into a pretty easy target as they can't take armour at all. The ability to move around prone friendly models is also quite nice, although with the restriction that it can't be done if any of them are engaged so will often not be useful. Attack Dogs having +1 dice to attacks is nice, although not as great utility as Mercy Dogs, and the 1 Guard Dog you can take is good for potentially screening Infiltrators, although again not as great as the other options. As dogs they get +1 dice to Dash natively, making them much faster with their 8" movement as compared to the usual 6", and can attack in melee despite not having melee weapons.
New Antioch Units
Lieutenant- You're playing Red Brigade, you have to take a Lieutenant and are you really playing this sub-faction without playing a gunslinger? Double Automatic Pistols is my go-to build every time, with the armour being the only thing I change out depending on how much I have to spend. Sure you could build them differently, but at that point you're deliberately not using some of the warband rules.
Sniper Priests- Your long range option. This is what you take if you want to be able to pick things off early game, which you really do want, and gives you board control in a faction where you likely will have a majority of close-range combat models. Starting a campaign with a Sniper Priest is good because it gives you early access to advancements too, and they're pretty reliably levelling up early if they can get a Glorious Deed or 2.
Trench Cleric- The Cleric I think is highly dependent on whether you want anti-FEAR tech in a campaign, because that's the most use you'll get out of it. As an ELITE it's the least important of the 4 you have access to, and as such will probably not make it into a starting campaign roster but will likely be added in later down the line. Anti-FEAR is quite great though especially for a melee-focused warband, so it should always at the very least be considered every time you can add to a roster.
Yeomen- Your basic troop variant. Couple of Yeomen with Bolt Actions and Bayonets are fine enough, and I like using a Yeoman as the body for a Musical Instrument to help everyone else get up the table. The Westfalia Yeomen sculpts are all great too, so later in a campaign I try and fit them in. Usually they're later takes as I want to fit Shocks, Dogs, a Medic and an Engineer first if possible and build out later
Shock Troopers- My favourite troop in the New Antioch roster, the Shock Troopers are great close assault troops which play really well into the Red Brigade playstyle. +1 dice in melee and more reliably charging makes for a perfect Fireteam partner for Trench Dogs, as you can move quicker to keep up with the extra movement on dogs and access their grenades before charging in. I like sword and board builds to give them a bit more staying power, but double melee is quite tempting as well as you can get a lot of damage out between a grenade throw and then 2 melee attacks. All around Shocks are a really solid unit to take in any Antioch list let alone in Red Brigade, and I will always take 2-3 at least.
Combat Engineers- Satchel Charge access mostly, but they're also pretty good budget skirmishers with built-in Engineer Armour helping a lot against other grenades and Artillery Witches. My preferred build is Satchel Charge, SMG for a mid-field threat that takes some heat away from the Shock Troopers or Lieutenant/Communicant Fireteam, or goes untouched and has the potential to wreak havoc
Mechanised Heavy Infantry- A great way to get some heavy armour into your warband, but they are primarily ranged units and don't get any bonuses in combat. I still think building them for skirmishing with Heavy Shotguns is the best use for them, as the only STRONG models in the warband they can move and shoot reliably with a gun that hits really hard.
Combat Medic- As a 0-1 choice I think the Medic is something you always take for Red Brigade, because it gives you access to a reliable Medi-Kit on a solid platform. The armour goes a long way, and although it won't always matter Misericordia can do work on taking out downed opponents.
Mercenaries
Communicant Anti-Tank Hunter- Red Brigade tend to lack a bit of long-range punch, and that's what the Anti-Tank Communicant is for. AMR access is fantastic, and on a fairly tanky platform it does a lot of work every time it hits the table. Definitely worth the Glory investment, and although I don't think personally it makes it into one-off lists over the other Mercenary options it is something I consider.
Mendelist Ammo Monk- Although the gunslinger blast combo is gone, the Ammo Monk can still be quite reliable with traditional Red Brigade builds in a campaign. Having access to +1 to injure on a gunslinger Lieutenant is fantastic, and BLAST and SHRAPNEL is still great on a Sniper Priest early game while you move the Lieutenant into position. It's not the always take it used to be, but it does still have very good applications.
Combat Biologist- A favourite Mercenary of mine for Red Brigade, because it has such a nice package for supporting the warband that it works really well for relatively little Glory. The Vivisector being able to push enemies out of engagement gives you a 2nd source outside of the Communicant, and free Gas Grenades is just nice to have to put some more Blood out there early. Plus the model is just awesome and I love getting it onto the table
Scripture Guardian- Although it is quite decent it is very expensive, and Red Brigade have a lot of other good options for their Glory for cheaper. I'd go for any of the 3 above before I'd go for a Scripture Guardian, and honestly probably also an Observer and Mamluk
Witchburner- Even after the changes, it isn't really that great for the cost. Really cool model, but unfortunately doesn't really help Red Brigade at all in ways you can't get elsewhere
Observer- Another fantastic take, because the Observer is generically quite good and comes with a Medi-Kit to help take Blood off. Not much to say, for 3 Glory it is more than good enough
Mamluk Faris- An extra Fireteam option if you really need 5 Fireteams, it can also be a really tough lynchpin with Polearm and Shield
