The Crucible: Havoc & Harmony

The Crucible: Havoc & Harmony

Wave 2 of The Crucible Tabletop Game: New factions, new rules, and new list-building app. 

The Crucible is a brutalist sci-fi tabletop wargame where players command opposing armies of 3D-printable miniatures across hostile alien terrain.

This campaign includes:

• Two new faction STL ranges: The Trichorites and The Xianbei!
• Ruleset version 0.6, free and easy to use!
• The Crucible Command, a free list-building app!
• 2 Game modes: The Crucible: Flux Skirmish & The Crucible: Pater War!
• An opportunity to help shape the game as it develops, get stuck in!

Following the success of The Crucible: Blood & Darkness, which was fully funded in 9 minutes. Since then, people have been printing, painting, and playing The Crucible: Pater War, while the rules have continued to develop through testing and feedback. The feedback was people wanted to be able to play a shorter, skirmish version of the game. We are proud to introduce publicly for the first time: The Crucible: Flux Skirmish!

Now, with Havoc & Harmony, we’re returning to the setting with two new factions, new miniatures, and the next stage of the game’s development.

If you liked what The Crucible: Blood & Darkness began, The Crucible: Havoc & Harmony is the next step.

This campaign introduces the Trichorites and the Xianbei: two very different factions, each with their own visual identity, playstyle, and place in the setting. It also expands the game itself with multiplayer rules and missions, including both team games and free-for-all battles.

For new backers, this is a chance to enter The Crucible as it continues to grow. For returning supporters, it’s the next major expansion of a game already taking shape on the table.

What is The Crucible?

The Crucible is a sci-fi miniature wargame set within an enclosed and hostile system created by the god-like Xennin, who built it as a place where captive species could be observed, manipulated, and forced into conflict. 

Within it, war is not accidental. Conditions are engineered. Survival is distorted. Civilizations rise, collapse, and are remade inside a system that rewards extremity and turns conflict into a way of life.

That setting shapes every faction in the game. Each one is not simply a military force, but a culture formed under pressure, with its own logic, traditions, and way of surviving the Crucible. They have Patron Xennin, entities whose mastery of technology make them godlike to their subjects. Some Xennin shape societies in the shadows, yet others demand great edifices and some demand blood sacrifice. 

The first campaign, The Crucible: Blood & Darkness, introduced the militant Red Choir and the esoteric Veilborn. The Crucible: Havoc & Harmony expands that world with two more factions whose identities are very different from one another, but equally shaped by the same hostile environment.

The New Factions

The Trichorites

The Trichorites are one of the harshest expressions of life in the Crucible. Their culture is shaped by transformation, competition, and physical extremity. They do not share one single idea of perfection, but several conflicting ones, each pursued with conviction and brutality.

Some remake themselves through augmentation and force. Some through appetite and predation. Others through obsessive attempts at transcendence or beauty. Across all of them runs the same logic: life is tested through conflict, and weakness is something to be removed.

This gives the Trichorites a faction identity built around aggression, pressure, and instability. They are direct where other factions are cautious. They escalate where others endure. Their violence is not incidental, it is part of how they understand survival.

The Xianbei

Where the Trichorites are forceful and unstable, the Xianbei are deliberate. They are a faction shaped by discipline, ritual, and refinement. The Xianbei are not removed from violence, but deeply committed to mastering it.

Their culture places a high value on control: control of the self, of movement, of action, and of expression. Warfare is not simply something they endure. It is something they formalise, study, and embed into a wider system of meaning.

That gives the Xianbei a very different role within the setting. They are not chaotic. They are exacting. Their violence is structured, intentional, and often elegant in form, even when it is merciless in effect.

Gameplay and Rules

The Crucible is already being played, and the rules are continuing to develop over time through testing and feedback. We heard your feedback and proud to release our new skirmish version, based on the same DNA you know and love, but with less minis and more reactive gameplay. 

This campaign supports ruleset version 0.6, which we are now calling Pater War giving backers a clear and playable starting point from day one. As with the first campaign, the aim is to keep refining the game in a way that responds to real use on the tabletop.

That means this project is not only about miniatures. It is also about continuing to shape a playable game around them: we are a community first. 

Backers will be able to use The Crucible: Command, the free list-building app, to create forces and engage with the game more easily as it develops.

New Multiplayer Rules and Missions

One of the major additions in Havoc & Harmony is the introduction of multiplayer rules and missions.

All referenceable in our new app: Crucible Command

This is an important step for the game. The setting of The Crucible has always suggested unstable conflicts, shifting alignments, and situations where several forces may collide at once. Expanding the rules to support multiplayer play allows the game to express more of that identity on the tabletop.

For players, it also opens up new ways to use their collections, introduces different forms of tactical decision-making, and makes the game easier to bring to a wider group.

What You’re Backing

This campaign is built around two new STL faction releases and the continued development of the game around them.

Depending on pledge level, backers will be able to support:

• The Trichorites
• The Xianbei
• Both factions together
• Stretch goal content, if unlocked

The exact contents of each pledge tier can be presented visually in the reward section, but the overall structure should make it easy for both new and returning backers to choose between a single faction entry point and a full expansion option.

Why Back This Campaign

Pledge Tiers

Pledge Tier 1: Havoc Set — Trichorites

A faction pledge for backers who want to enter the game through the Trichorites.

Includes:

• Full Trichorites STL faction set
  • Iron Drover Leader, a beast for slaughter made manifest. 
  • 10 highly detailed and dynamic Gorgers, rippers of flesh and metal. 
• Supporting a growing, player-driven tabletop game. 

Pledge Tier 1: Harmony Set — Xianbei

A faction pledge for backers who want to enter the game through the Xianbei.

Includes:

• Full Xianbei STL faction set
  • Kuai Lam, Ethnarch of the Xianbei, with her captives
  • 5 highly detailed Artnographs, killers with precision and style.
• Supporting a growing, player-driven tabletop game. 

Pledge Tier 3 — Havoc & Harmony Set

A combined pledge for backers who want the full campaign offering.

Includes:

• Full Trichorites STL faction set
  • Iron Drover Leader, a beast for slaughter made manifest. 
  • 10 highly detailed and dynamic Gorgers, rippers of flesh and metal. 
• Full Xianbei STL faction set
  • Kuai Lam, Ethnarch of the Xianbei, with her captives
  • 5 highly detailed Artnographs, killers with precision and style.

Pledge Tier 4 — Merchant / Commercial

A pledge for approved backers who want commercial rights for eligible faction files.

Includes access to:

• Full Trichorites STL faction set
  • Iron Drover Leader, a beast for slaughter made manifest. 
  • 10 highly detailed and dynamic Gorgers, rippers of flesh and metal. 
• Full Xianbei STL faction set
  • Kuai Lam, Ethnarch of the Xianbei, with her captives
  • 5 highly detailed Artnographs, killers with precision and style.
• Eligible STL files covered by the licence
• Be the leaders in the community of The Crucible. 

Pledge Tier 5 — Xennin level supporter

A pledge for keen supporters of The Crucible. 

Includes access to: Havoc & Harmony Set, plus...

• Full Trichorites STL faction set
  • Iron Drover Leader, a beast for slaughter made manifest. 
  • 10 highly detailed and dynamic Gorgers, rippers of flesh and metal. 
• Full Xianbei STL faction set
  • Kuai Lam, Ethnarch of the Xianbei, with her captives
  • 5 highly detailed Artnographs, killers with precision and style.
• Signed by the author lore booklet, limited edition print
• 1 on 1 painting lesson with an award-winning, miniature painter. 
• Our gratitude

Stretch Goals

The Crucible: Havoc & Harmony  Stretch Goals Table

Goal

Funding Level (HKD)

Funding Level (USD)

Reward Description

01: Ritual Base Toppers

$3,100 HKD

$400 USD

Sacred Ground: A set of 15 themed base toppers. Choose between the Gorged Pits of the Trichorites or the Refined Pavilions of the Xianbei.

02: Faction Terrain STL

$7,800 HKD

$1,000 USD

Hostile Architecture: Unlock faction-specific terrain pieces. Includes a Trichorite Feeding Spire and a Xianbei Archive Pillar.

03: Flux Skirmish Expansion

$15,500 HKD

$2,000 USD

Branching Paths: 3 new narrative missions for Flux Skirmish, featuring persistent character progression rules and unique "Havoc" events.

04: Gaming Accessories - Basic

$46,500 HKD

$6,000 USD

Tools of Master: STL files for themed D8 dice trays, Flux Point counters, and objective markers for both Pater War and Flux Skirmish.

05: Exclusive KS Infantry Squads

$62,000 HKD

$8,000 USD

The Extremity Vanguard: Unlock a Kickstarter-exclusive squad for both factions: the Trichorite Flesh-Weavers and the Xianbei Silent Guard.

06: Gaming Accessories - Deluxe

$78,000 HKD

$10,000 USD

The Ethnarch's Kit: Premium 3D-printable gaming aids, including a modular movement tray system and a "Crucible" themed combat gauge.

07: New Infantry Squads

$155,000 HKD

$20,000 USD

Reinforcements Arrive: A second full infantry squad for each faction: the Trichorite Carrion-Seekers and the Xianbei Pattern-Seekers.

08: App Store & Google Store Release

$232,500 HKD

$30,000 USD

Crucible Command Ascendant: Official public release of the Crucible Command App on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store for all backers.

Crucible Command

To support the game as it grows, backers will have access to Crucible Command, the free list-building app for The Crucible.

This gives players an easier way to build forces, experiment with faction options, and stay engaged with the ruleset as it develops. 

Crucible Command features: 

• Listbuilding
• Match tracking
• Missions, (competitive, narrative, and up to 6 players)
• Personal stats
• Rules reference, (keyword search, step-by-step guides, and more)

Who we are: VW Games

We are are gamers first, and collectively have been for decades. We play multiple different game systems from narrative driven model based RPGs to gigantic epic scale battles. The Crucible is a work of passion: passion for gaming, for the power of community through the tabletop, and for making a game that we ourselves would play. 

Production and Delivery

The core files for Havoc & Harmony are currently in their final stages and receiving finishing touches.

That means the main body of the campaign is already well advanced, and our focus is on preparing the files for release in a clear and reliable way. The goal is for the core faction content to be as close to ready as possible by the time the campaign ends.

As this is an STL-based campaign, fulfilment is more direct than with physical manufacturing. There are no tooling, freight, or warehouse stages to manage. Even so, final preparation still takes time, and we want to be realistic about that rather than overpromise. Time and care is being taken into testing our minis on multiple printers, resins, and set-ups.

How stretch goals affect delivery

Stretch goals will add value to the campaign, but they will also require additional design and production time.

If stretch goals are unlocked, those files will need to be properly developed, refined, and prepared for release after the campaign. In practice, that means hitting stretch goals may extend the delivery timeline for stretch goal content, even if the core faction files are already near completion.

Our aim is to keep the core campaign content moving forward without unnecessary delay, while being honest that newly unlocked models or extras are still work that has to be completed to the same standard as the rest of the release.

In other words:

• Core campaign files are in finishing-touch stage
• Unlocked stretch goals will require additional development time
• The more stretch goals unlocked, the more post-campaign production time may be needed
• We would rather communicate that clearly now than rush content later

Our approach

We are players and we made The Crucible as a game we want to play first. We are and always will be player driven.  

As the campaign progresses, we’ll communicate clearly about what is ready, what is still being finalised, and what stretch goal content may require additional time. That way, backers can understand both what is close to delivery and what is still in active development.

How will you get your minis?

We proudly use MyMiniFactory for file delivery. This allows us to immediately share our high-quality, passionately made files and provide ongoing and rarely needed tweaks going forward.