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Post by mottdon on Sept 5, 2017 20:00:10 GMT
Empire is the army that I have the most experience with in my decade (give or take) of playing Warhammer Fantasy. I've played against every army out there except for Chaos Dwarfs or DoW. Empire is definitely one of the most "middle ground" armies available. They have a unit that can address almost any situation, so they are very capable of being customized to play a certain army if you know what's coming and don't mind upsetting your opponent. That being said, while they have access to pretty much every category needed, they are masters of none. They require much dependence on supporting units and work very well cohesively, but require buffs and other boons to win most combats. Army Rules:Regimental Units: These units have the "Detachment" special rule which allows them to purchase a unit half their size (a 40-man parent unit can have between a 5 to 20-man detachment) without access to a command group (the parent unit's command group will count as their command group). The point cost for this detachment will count toward the category of the parent unit. They can always use the parental unit's Ld value as long as the detachment is withing 3" of the parent unit unless it would otherwise be higher (if a character was in the detachment for example). The parent unit also will pass on benefits from Frenzy, Hatred, Hold the Line, Immune to Psychology, Stubborn, Steadfast, or Stupidity if within 3". That means a 5-man unit of Archers acting as a detachment for a unit of Greatswords (or a unit of Halberds with a character sporting the Crown of Command) will also benefit from Stubborn. Or a parent unit which has a Warrior Priest providing them with Hatred, will also benefit the detachment. Other buffs like MR from a Witch Hunter are not specified and do not transfer to the detachment. If a charge is declared against a parent unit (and the parent unit does not declare a flee reaction), if unengaged, the detachment may declare a Support Fire or Counter Charge reaction immediately after the parent unit declares it's reaction. - Support Fire - if the detachment has one or more missile weapons, it can basically make a Stand and Shoot reaction. This is nice if you want to soften up a charging enemy that has a regen save but it would also require you to have a BSB with the Banner of Eternal Flame in the detachment unit - not the safest place for him to be, but it can work. I've used this against a charging Hydra before.
- Counter Charge - this is the more common of the two reactions used. If the parent unit is charged, then you're almost guaranteed a flank charge as well. The problem with this is your opponent's use of chaff. A smart opponent, if he really wants to get into your parent block, will have thought ahead and positioned his chaff unit in a way as to block your counter charge.
Most opponents will simply charge the detachment, hoping to kill them and overrun or reform to face the parent unit in a subsequent turn, but this can be a gamble as well. If the detachment is benefiting from the parent unit's Stubbon, then that charging unit can find itself tied up in combat with a lesser threat and have it's flanks open to a charge from the parent unit on the next turn. Most opponent's will also try to line up charges on both the parent as well as the detachment for a one-on-one match, stealing the strength of an Empire formation. This is why it's good to have one of the two available detachments acting as chaff for the parent unit. (5 man units of Archers work well for this purpose.) It can break up your opponent's lines and retard his combined charge tactic.
The Imperial Armory:
The Empire has quite a few weapons at it's disposal.
The Mechanical Steed - Forget it. Stupid. I really don't know what GW was thinking with this one. The ONLY things it has going for it is Impact Hits (D3 - not even the good one) and T4 which would transfer to the Engineer mounted upon it's back. Those benefits aren't really worth the 25 point upgrade cost on your Engineer, especially since close combat isn't really where you want your Engineer to be. (If you want the mobility of a mount, then take the warhorse option.) On top of this, it also suffers from a rule called Unreliable. Roll a D6 at the beginning of each of your movement phases and subtract D3 from your movement FOR THE REST OF THE GAME on a roll of 1. No benefit. I could almost see this being worth the risk if on a result of 4-6 you gained some movement benefit, but this just isn't the case. I suppose GW was simply tired of making that model.
Full Plate Armor - 4+ armor save
Grenade Launching Blunderbuss - At S6, this is the Empire's high strength missile weapon choice. It suffers from Slow to Fire and Move or Fire. So if you give it to an Engineer, he's got to sit near his cannon crew and hope an opponent comes close enough for him to use it that one time, before he gets charged. Not really worth it. The champ in a unit of Outriders can take one as an upgrade option if you think that the unit will need a high-strength attack, but this is really the only option I can see using it.
Hochland Long Rifle - Now this can be fun, but you have to dedicate to it if you want to be effective with it. It gives you the chance to get a 36", sniping shot off at your opponent's general. Engineers, Steam Tank Engineers and Handgunner Champs can all take one as an upgrade option. At 20 points a piece though, you'd better be committed to it. I've fielded as many as 5 in one army before with pretty good success (2 Engineers, 2 Handgunner Champs, and one on the Steam Tank. - I also took 4 Witch Hunters in that game, so my opponent was sweating bullets the entire time! Lol!). It isn't something you take for tournament lists though. Pigeon Bombs - This is another fun option in friendly games. You think the HBVG is the only 24" ranged threat close enough to hit your two approaching units? Surprise! This Pigeon is dropping more than just poop on your head! Not really reliable to be taken seriously though. Repeating Handgun and Repeating Pistol - They both give you multiple shots, but one double's the weapons range. The Repeating Pistol can be taken with a standard Pistol giving the shooter 4 shots and making up for the lack of range. This can be a good option for a Pistolier Champ. I'll continue in subsequent posts analyzing the rest of the Empire army. |
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Post by mottdon on Jun 12, 2018 21:38:38 GMT
Named Characters: (Most of these will be an "All eggs in one basket" deal, as they are mostly quite expensive and the intrinsic nature of the Empire army will need to revolve and rely on the abilities they bring to your force.)
Karl Franz:
The main man himself. The Emperor. Arguably, one of the best named characters for the Empire. He has the option of taking either Ghal Maraz or the Reikland Runefang. (Always take Ghal Maraz. Both wound automatically with no armor saves allowed but Ghal Maraz causes D3 wounds in addition. Well worth the extra 30 points! This is also quite considerable since it takes his low S4 out of the equation for the most part.) He comes with a 4++ ward save and Magic Resistance (2), making him very tough to snipe via magic. He also has the option of being taken on foot, horseback, on Deathclaw (Imperial Griffon) or on an Imperial Dragon. He also has the Inspiring Presence rule that has an 18" bubble instead of the normal 12". This can also be extended to a crazy 24" if he is mounted on Deathclaw or the Imperial Dragon. (Not too shabby!) Considering he is the ONLY Empire character with LD10, this can come in quite handy, if you can handle the hefty price tag.
In my opinion, horseback is the way to go since he'll get the +1 armor save from being mounted, but also an additional +1 for barding, something lacking from other mounts. While the 5 & 6 wounds of Deathclaw and the Dragon are nice, Deathclaw is sorely lacking an armor save and the Dragon's Breath attack is only S4 for a 300 pt mount. Not only this, but Karl also gets the protection of any unit of knights that he may join, benefiting from their Look Out Sir rolls or Ludwig's Bodyguard ability, if he's taken as well.
Overall, fun character, but expensive.
Kurt Helborg:
The man with a moustache plan. He is WS7, making him the best fighter for the Empire. He carries a Runefang, so there is a high likelihood that his 4 attacks will wound. Not bad. He also comes with the Laurels of Victory, which doubles the count of Combat Resolution his wounds do. (It is worth noting here, that this does not double the number of wounds he causes, but rather just when totaling up the CR.) Any unit of Reiksguard he joins gains Immune to Psychology. Reliable wound-dealer.
Balthasar Gelt, The Supreme Patriarch:
Loremaster of Metal. Mounted on a Pegasus which has the normal upgrade options, but close combat really isn't where you want this guy. It does, however, allow you to get him to where he'll be most effective, or out of sticky situations. He has MR(1) which will increase to MR(2) if there is there is two enemy wizards or MR(3) if there are 3. No more beyond that point, but grants him some measure vs magic missile attacks. He also has a 3++ ward save vs shooting attacks making him very hard to kill from a distance (hence the Pegasus). His magical staff grants him +2 bonus to all casting attempts, giving him an automatic +6 to any spell he wants to cast. (Note that he still can only add his wizard level (4) to his attempts to dispel.)
Basically, keep him out of close combat, and attack things with plenty of armor. Great option if playing for fun though.
Elspeth von Draken:
Loremaster of Death. Yeah, Death. Bet you weren't expecting to find that in an Empire army, huh? VERY EXPENSIVE at 590 points, but her equipment....dang. Plus, SHE"S RIDING A CARMINE DRAGON!!! She has a magic weapon (The Pale Scythe) that gives her Killing Blow (Loremaster of Death - makes sense) but also gives her +1 to all dispelling rolls (it's real power). She also carries a item called Death's Timekeeper. This is a super-cool piece of equipment. Once per turn, it allow her to re-roll a single dice for her or her Carmine Dragon. If she doesn't use it during her turn, at the end of her turn, she may recover a wound lost previously. That's pretty awesome.
Her Carmine Dragon, has one of the best Dragon attacks in the game. It's breath attack has a range of 12" and can be fired as a cannon (including the "bounce") shot. the biggest deal is any model touched by the line of the blast suffers D3 wounds with a strength equivalent to 10 minus the target's Toughness, with no Armor Saves allowed. DANG. It also causes Terror and has a 2+ scaly skin, so you better hope your cannons are firing property.
Her real weakness is that she's very squishy and the Lore of Death has a relatively short casting distance. But with the ability to fly, she could easily get to a flank and send a Purple Sun crashing down her opponent's lines before they have much time to maneuver out of the way.
Volkmar the Grim, The Grand Theogonist:
This guy simply doesn't do much more than a MUCH cheaper Arch Lector will do. He get +1 to cast Battle Prayers, effectively allowing you to reliably one-dice Prayers and save your PD. He also has Regen (5+), and gets +2S as long as he is mounted on a War Altar. (This means that you pretty much HAVE TO take him mounted on a War Altar, or you are basically paying 60 points for +1 to cast a Battle Prayer [This assumes you equipped your Arch Lector or Warrior Priest with a 30 pt MR(2) item.]) Not worth it IMO. He does have WS5 as opposed to an Arch Lector's WS4, though. Still....
Marius Leitdorf:
The crazy dude. He has a special rule which makes you take a LD test on 3D6, discarding the lowest. If failed, you have to roll a D6 and see what happens. Half are good (like a Free Reform) and half are bad (like taunting your enemy and giving them Hatred against him for the rest of the game). He's probably the most economical way of getting a Runefang in the Empire and also has an additional hand weapon that he can use from horseback, if you can stand the crazy.
Ludwig Schwartzhelm, The Emperor's Champion:
Karl Franz's bodyguard. Second best moustahce in the Empire. His biggest ability is giving an 18" BSB bubble for the army. Nice. He also has the Sword of Justice, which gives him Killing Blow and can reroll any failed To Wound rolls. Not bad in a challenge. If he's in the same unit as KF, then on a D6 roll of 2+, he can intercept the first wound KF would normally take. He can't interfere if KF is in a challenge.
By placing Ludwig in the same unit as Karl, you are also giving your army an 18", Ld10 bubble with rerolls for any failed Ld tests. Not only that, but his unit will also have Immuce to Psychology, MR(2), and Hold the Line! from KF, so they aren't going anywhere.
Luthor Huss, Prophet of Sigmar:
Brute turned Priest on a mission. If you want a bad-ass priest, take this guy. He comes equipped with a 4++ ward save, a 3+ armor save and carries a great weapon. Once per game, he can harness the power of Sigmar and increase his WS, S, T and Attacks by D3. He also knows his own unique prayer "Unbending Righteousness" which gives his unit Stubborn. Imagine him in that same unit with KF and Ludwig.
Markus Wulfheart:
Not a lot of Empire players like this guy, but he doesn't bather me that much. He's basically a mobile Bolt Thrower. He has a special rule that allows him to reroll To Hit against Monsters as well as any unit of Huntsmen that has been upgraded to Wulfhart's Hunters. They also gain Immune to Psychology along with Markus. His "Amber Bow" magical weapon will always wound on a 4+ and causes D3 wounds. (Note here also, that the bow is only S3, so the monster would still get any armor save it has with no negative modifiers - the biggest difference between him and a regular bolt thrower, but the Empire's closest thing to a bolt thrower.) That kinda sucks.
Theodore Bruckner:
This is the Empire's closest thing to a character beat-stick. With S5, T4, W3 and WS6, he better than most humans. (Think Paul Bunyan) He also carries the "Liarsbane", a magical weapon that gives him +1 on both To Hit and To Wound rolls. But wait! He also carries a magical lance (yes, two magical weapons!). "Stormlance" gives him the bonuses of a normal lance, but also confers the Killing Blow special rule. His last magical item is the Baleflame Amulet which gives him a 5+ ward save, but also will deal D6 wounds to the model that killed him with no armor saves or regeneration saves allowed. As far as special rules go, he has the "Hand of Judgement" rule which basically says he can't be the general of your army and if he fights in a challenge, he has the Unbreakable rule. This character also can me mounted on his demigryph "Reaper" (counted as a monster - so consider this if you're thinking about putting him in a unit of Demigryph Knights). Rather hefty at 335 points, but will be able to deal lots of damage to hard targets. That's pretty much what you'd want this guy for. A combo charge with a unit of Demigryph Knights and Theodore can be devistating, but that's going to be a lot of points tied up in those two units. Very vulnerable to cannons as most stand-alone characters are.
Lietpold the Black:
Big douchebag. Stats nearly as good as Kurt Helborg (including WS7 - just as good as Kurt, with the same S and T, but only A3 and I5 as compared to Kurt's A4 and I6). So not too bad in the stats department. His rules are good, but can backfire, similar to Marius Leitdorf. He has a 3+ ward save, but should he ever fail this save, then starting in his next turn forward, he will no longer get that save and instead suffer -2 penalty to his T and Ld values. He does give himself and any unit he joins an extra attack on the turn they charge into combat. The biggest thing is that he has a bad reputation in the Empire and as such, he must always be the general of your army and no Grand Master, Warrior Priest (of any kind), Steam Tank, Karl Franz or any Elector Count may be included in his armies. That could potentially hurt, especially with how often Empire forces tend to rely on Warrior Priest prayers and hatred, and Steam Tanks. He also has the Gore Prow sword, which grants him Multiple Wounds (D3) and ASF on the first round of combat. At 245 points, he's really not a bad choice if your game plan didn't rely on Warrior Priests or Steam Tanks.
Captain Edvard Van Der Kraal:
Infamous leader of the Manann's Blades from Marienberg. A tough old sea-dog who doesn't mind fighting dirty as long as it gets the job done. He may always make a Parry Save as though he were equipped with a sword and shield, even though he has a Brace of Pistols. In addition, after all attacks have been made, he may make an additional single attack with the Killing Blow special rule, to indicate his tendency to "fight dirty". He is also known for being extremely luck and able to bounce back from wounds that would normally fell a man. As such, he has the Regeneration (5+) rule and is immune to Killing Blow. Any unit of Manann's Blades that contains Edvard, may take the Sea Bride Standard (50 pts). It gives them +1 to the distance rolled when pursuing an enemy. This could have potential if you are relying on them breaking and running down your opponent. Still a rather hefty price tag that would also require other forms of assistance to be truly reliable enough to equip, IMO.
Jubal Falk:
Sharpshootiest of Engineers. He can choose to upgrade one regiment of Handgunners to Ironsides, which, for +2 points, gives them heavy armor. Meh. That makes a rather expensive core unit (11 points a piece) with the same stats as a core troop. That 5+ armor save might make them last a tad bit longer vs shooting attacks, but at that price, your enemy is probably going to be putting that heavy armor to the Close Combat test rather quickly with fewer troops to get in their way. The bigger advantage to making them Ironsides, is that as long as Falk is with the unit, they get to reroll missed shots of 1. That might actually make them worth it since they will be shooting using his BS4 and will hit on 3's (without taking modifiers into account). No bad. Falk himself gets a magic item called a Mercurial Shot. It is a one use item but can be used to snipe characters since he carries a Hochland Long Rifle. It hits at S6, Armor Piercing and Multiple Wounds (2). If it misses, then the shot is wasted. GREAT for taking out annoying BSBs! Worth the 95 points in my opinion since a regular Engineer with a HLR will cost you 85 points and comes with no armor as opposed to the Heavy Armor of Falk. Worthy consideration.
Generic Characters:
General of the Empire:
What can I say about this guy.....meh. Almost identical to a Captain, except that this one has W3, and Ld9, can take up to 100 points in magical items as well as an Imperial Griffon as a mount. Not sure this guy is worth the cost increase, but that's honestly up to the user. By the time you spend all the points for those things that would require you to take him over a Captain, then other's opponent's equivalents will be able to crush your General all day long. (I'll talk more about the mount options later.)
Battle Wizard Lord:
Your basic Lv4 option. He almost always needs the Lv4 upgrade, a Talisman of Preservation and usually a Dispel Scroll (unless you are taking a Lv1 scroll caddy as well.) A Power Stone is another good Arcane Item option on this guy. One more way to kit him would be a Talisman of Endurance and the Book of Ashur. You sacrifice a little defense for strong offense, but if he's just sitting behind your lines in an Archer Bunker, then might as well go for it. I rarely take this guy on a Wizard Wagon (Hurricanum/Luminark) because he can be targeted up there and only has his Ward save to protect him.
Arch Lector:
Great general choice for your army. His primary role will be buffing your troops and letting them do the fighting. He can also take a War Altar into battle and I'd highly recommend it if you have the points. It can give your Arch Lecor a bubble effect for any prayers he casts, which is huge in an army that relies on synergy and buffs to give them the edge in battle. Not to mention that the War Altar is one huge component when building a "Light Council" army.
[I'll go ahead at take this moment to describe what a "Light Council" is and how it works. If a Light Wizard casts the spell Banishment, it is cast at S4 +1 for every additional Light Wizard within 12" of the original caster. So, for instance, if I were to take a Lv4 and had two Lv1's nearby, then Banishment would be cast at S6. This is the basis for taking a "Light Council". Any army can do this that has access to the Lore of Light, but the Empire's War Altar also has the Banishment spell in the Griffon statue on top of it, as a bound spell. And since there are now three additional Light Wizards nearby, it is a S7 magic missile. This is huge, because not only is it a second chance to cast the same spell twice in the same round, it will never suffer a miscast, so feel free to throw 6 dice at the spell. This forces your opponent into a tight situation because, if it isn't cast with Irresistible Force, then your opponent has to either burn a Dispel Scroll, try to dispel with a higher dispel roll, or simply suffer the impact, knowing that there's another one on the way. Then there's all of the other cheap Light spells that can happen as well. This can be a terrible army to face for Undead or Demonic armies.]
The War Altar can also take an upgrade "Horn of Sigsimund" which will give the Arch Lector/War Altar Terror. He can be mounted on a Warhorse with barding upgrade as well, but if you are going to go that route, you might as well just take a Warrior Priest instead, unless you are making him your general. In that case, you might want the extra wound. I usually equip him with a Shield for the extra protection and leave the fighting up to the rest of the army as he is there mostly as a buff to your troops and not to kill things. Many will equip him with a GW for that added strength bonus, and simply give him the Armor of Meteoric Iron since he won't have much of a save otherwise. I almost never take the additional hand weapon for the same reasons I usually take a Shield. (Maaaaaybe if I know I'll be facing a ton of tarpit troops like Zombies, Skaven Salves, etc.
Arch Lectors and Warrior Priests have three prayers that they may attempt. They all act as bound spells (power level 3), so the character isn't adding a Wizard Level the way casters do, but there is also no miscast result for rolling double 6's. You merely have to roll more dice than your opponent. (Note that your opponent may add his caster's wizard level to dispel your prayers, though.) The three prayers are, Hammer of Sigmar (re-roll failed To Wound rolls), Shield of Faith (5+ ward save in Close Combat) and Soulfire (gives him and his unit Flaming Attacks, as well as any models in base contact with the priest suffer a S4 hit [S5 vs Undead or Demonic] with no armor saves allowed. If these prayers are cast on a Regimental (parent) unit, it will also effect it's detachment units within 3".
Grand Master:
This is the most offensive generic option for the Empire. Equip this guy with a Runefang and Other Trickster's Shard, and he'll cut a bloody path through your opponents. He'll have at least a 2+ armor save, as well as a unit of Knights charging into battle with him, so you know you'll do some damage. He is Immune to Psychology and as a result of his Master of Battle special rule, confers ItP to his unit as well. Great general option for the Empire. The only drawback is that he must go with a unit of Knights or Demigryphs.
Captain of the Empire:
This will be your main combat fighter. VERY cost effective at 60 points, he can be as versatile as you want him to be. A popular choice is to mount him on a Pegasus (the infamous Captasus) and give him Full Plate Armor, Sword of Might, Dawnstone, and Enchanted Shield (Charmed Shield if you're worried about cannon sniping). That will give him a 1+ armor save - rerollable - with a S5 attack. Not to mention that the Pegasus can also attack and has an additional Stomp attack. The fact that he can fly, makes this guy great at war machine hunting, clearing chaff, protecting backfields, or getting flank and rear charges off.
Battle Wizard:
Lv1 or upgraded Lv2. Mostly used as a Dispel Scroll caddy but also to ensure that your Lv4 can stand a better chance of getting the spells you really want him to have. Simply choose your Lv1 (or 2) to have the same Lore as you Lv4, then let your Lv1 (or 2) roll first for his spell selection. If you're lucky, then he'll roll some of the spells you really don't want your Lv4 to have, if he does manage to roll for a spell you actually want on your Lv4, then opt out of it by taking the Signature Spell, keeping it around for your Lv4.
Warrior Priest:
Again, this is a great option for your army, just like the Arch Lector, but his spells will be more localized to the specific unit he is assigned to. Usually taken if there is no War Altar fielded, or on fringe units that are outside of buff support from Wizard Wagons, BSBs, etc. Hatred is huge.
Master Engineer:
This guy babysits war machines. Not much more to it. If you want to have some fun with your opponent, equip a ME with a horse, and Pigeon Bombs. Ride up to within 24" of your target, and let them fly! Better yet, take 5 ME's with this loadout and release 5, S4 Pigeon Bombs in your opponent's face! Truly hilarious! I wouldn't recommend this for anything other than fluffy games, though. They require a roll of 5-6 in order to go off properly, and any result of 1 and blows up in his face! Lol! There are other shenanigans that can happen with MEs (like taking 5-6 all with Hochland Long Rifles and taking out characters that you really don't want to face in close combat - Ogre Tyrants, Vampire Blender Lords, Heirophants, etc.) Otherwise this guy needs to babysit your war machines, giving them rerolls for misfires.
Witch Hunters:
Bad cop of the Empire. This guy is cheap and can cause some good extra fun in games. Not necessary for any Empire army build, but certainly doesn't hurt to include. His stats are exactly the same as a Warrior Priest, but plays a completely different role in-game. This is a seek and destroy character. (I must add in here, I personally believe he would be MUCH more useful if he had been given a mount option [Warhorse], but alas, 8th edition doesn't include one.) He has the option of taking either a Great Weapon of Brace of Pistols. He also has the special rules, Accusation, Grim Resolve, and Tools of Judgement.
Accusation allows you to pick a single model in your opponent's army as his primary quarry. He gets to re-roll all failed To Hit rolls against that model and also has the Killing Blow special rule vs him. In addition, if he chooses to shoot at his primary quarry, he has the Sniper special rule. This is why most players choose to equip their Witch Hunters with a Brace of Pistols. It gives them a chance to Snipe/Killing Blow that character in the Shooting Phase, but in addition, during close combat, he gets 3 attacks.
Grim Resolve doesn't give him the Fear special rule, but acts as though he had it, by letting him ignore the effects of Fear causing units and treating Terror causing units as though they only caused Fear.
Tools of Judgement allows him to re-roll failed To Wound rolls when attacking Wizards, Undead, or Demonic models. This can be quite effective when combined with the Accusation special rule.
He also comes with MR(2). Many people tend to overlook this rule, but if you place him in a unit of Halberdiers or Greatswords, and have a Luminark of Hysh parked right behind, then you suddenly have quite a strong defense vs magic missiles. This is a nice added benefit to his inclusion. I also like to have him in units to act as a second line of bodyguard for the general after the unit champ is gone. Facing down a Chaos Lord? Why not try to get a Killing Blow off on him? Might not work, but...what if it does? Another fun fluffy way to play is to take 3-4 Witch Hunters and let them run solo, targeting their quarry. That many Sniper shots can really put the pressure on quickly! Plus, you also have several cheap character speed bumps and potential flankers to muck things up for your enemy. (This is another area that having a warhorse mount option would be incredible.)
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Post by mottdon on Jun 25, 2018 22:00:30 GMT
Core Units:
Halberdiers: (May be a parent or detachment unit)
The bread and butter of Empire troops. If your list doesn't contain at least 40-50 of these guys, you're probably doing something incredibly wrong, or totally fluffy. Normal human stats across the board, but as the name suggests, packing Halberds, giving them S4. Park a Hurricanum behind these guys and a Warrior Priest in the unit and they suddenly become a force to be concerned about. Low on any kind of save (light armor) so they'll go down in droves, but that's why taking units of 50 has become standard for these guys. Shields aren't really worth it, unless you're playing a very shooty elf or Tomb Kings army.
Spearmen: (May be a parent or detachment unit)
Supposed to be the cheap defensive option for the Empire, but they are simply inferior to Halberdiers 90% of the time. The S4 greatly outweighs the extra row of attacks. Not bad as a cheap bunker for your Lv4, or a unit protecting your backfield, but usually left at home. And since they are carrying Spears, then they don't get a Parry Save from a Shield if you choose to give them one. Usually taken in a bus formation to minimize attacks back and make the most of that extra rank of attacks.
Swordsmen: (May be a parent or detachment unit)
I really, really want to like these guys, but having WS4 to start out with still doesn't make them better than Halberdiers. They are more defensive than Spearmen, however, with the higher WS and being able to get a Parry Save from their Shields. Adding a Hurricanum usually doesn't do much for them since any opponent that they'll face who has WS4, will probably outclass them in many other ways as well. Leave at home unless you need their slightly better than average defense and try to get Wyssan's Wildform off on them. That'll make them a serious contender.
Crossbowmen: (May be a parent or detachment unit)
Probably the best ranged unit for the Empire. 30" range at S4. Close to Handgunners, but more range so have a larger "under half" distance to avoid negative modifiers. Pricey at 9 points, so probably won't take too many in most games.
Handgunners: (May be a parent or detachment unit)
Here's another unit that I'd love to see better. 24" range and Armor Piercing. Better against heavily armored armies. Same cost as Crossbowmen.
Archers: (May be a parent or detachment unit)
This is the cheapest option of a shooting detachment available. Most players choose these guys for little 5-man detachments because they can act as cheap chaff for their parent unit, can provide some support fire, but also have the Skirmishers rule, making them harder to shoot off the board and out of the way of a charging enemy unit. This Skirmishers ability also makes them great bunkers for wizards and spreads out any template hit that may damage them sue to a miscast or whatever. They are only equipped with a standard bow, so don't expect them to do too much offensively.
Free Company Militia: (May be a detachment unit, but not a parent unit for a detachment)
These are the Additional Hand Weapon option unit for the Empire. No save of any kind, so might be worth keeping near a Luminark if that's important to you. If you take a larger unit (30-40 strong) it is probably worth considering giving these guys a Warrior Priest to provide hatred as well as buff them with prayers. Send them into a unit of Skaven Slaves or Night Goblins and watch them go to town. Otherwise, I'd probably only take them in units of 15-25 men.
Knightly Orders:
Creme dela creme. These are your classic knights in shining armor. They have two options. Lance and Shield or Great Weapon. The former will have a 1+ armor save, and the GW option will have a 2+ armor save, making them incredibly resilient. One unit of Knights may be upgraded to Inner Circle Knights for 3 points each. This is totally worth it since their strength will increase to S4. Add the +2 for Lances (on the charge) or Great Weapons, and they are now hitting at S6. That's enough to give most monsters pause. (Ever wonder why knights charging down a dragon was such a classic scenario? That's why.) And since these guys are mounted on horses, they have a nice charge range and area of denial. The horses can attack as well, but they aren't good enough (stat wise) to be reliable. Pretty much every Empire force will include at least a few of these. Smaller unit of 5 can be wonderful chaff clearers and war machine hunters.
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Post by mottdon on Jun 26, 2018 16:50:15 GMT
Special Units:
Greatswords: (May be a parent or detachment unit)
These are the veterans of many battles and carry Greatswords (as the name implies) into battle. They also are equipped with Full Plate Armor, giving them a 4+ armor save. They are Stubborn so there is no need for a character with the Corwn of Command in there. Having a Warrior Priest in with these guys is almost a must. You definitely want them hitting as much as possible, so that that S5 attack can get through as much as possible. If you are facing a heavily armored army, then you can also equip them with a Razor Standard for an extra degree of armor penetration. At 11 points a piece, they are rather expensive, and there are arguments as to their overall effectiveness vs point cost, but the option is there for the Empire if you need it. Personally, I like using them as they never fail to pack a punch (even if they get punched back rather hard) and are always a threat on the tabletop. If you want a strong center to your lines, this might be the way to go. Just expect to spend upwards of 500 points on one unit.
Demigryph Knights:
Whatever your personal preferences toward an army of humans having monstrous cavalry, they exist and are undeniably strong. This unit mixes the heavy armor saves of knights with their incredibly hard-hitting monstrous beasts' attacks. That combination is usually enough to make most opponents extremely wary, but also throw in other gems like Armor Piercing attacks from the Demigryphs, Fear, Stomp attacks, as well as a long charge range, then you have a scary proposition to face. These units seem to be optimal when taken in unit of 4 strong, attacking from a flanking position. If you decide to take a unit of say, 8 strong, there won't be much that will stand up to such an assault. (This 8 strong unit has been the only time I ever beat an Ogre Bus with Tyrant, Slaughtermaster, and Bruiser BSB, in a straight up fight.) But if you do decide to take this unit in your army, be prepared for much complaining from your opponent, because most people don't like to think of the Empire units as "hard to take down".
Reiksguard Knights:
These are supposedly the best of the best of the best of knights. With Stubborn and the stat line of an Inner Circle Knight, it's hard to debate that idea either. With a 1+ armor save and a S6 attack on the charge, they can do some damage without taking much in return with most matchups, BUT at 27 points each, they are a very expensive unit. If you choose to add their Grand Master, Kurt Helborg into their midst, then you have one extremely pricy target on the table. But with a Ld9 (with Kurt), Stubborn and ITP unit, then most opponents are going to be forced to take them down the hard way.
Huntsmen:
The scouting option for the Empire. Not bad since they are only 1 point more than a regular archer, but still with only a human stat line. Their best use is to block opposition Vanguard moves, while clearing a path for your own (Outriders anyone?). If left alone, these guys can easily get into a backfield and wreak some havoc. Not a bad choice, IMO.
Pistoliers:
Fast Cavalry harassers. Get in the way, chaff units up, attack backfield war machines and wizard bunkers. That's what these guys are for. I only ever take them 5 strong with a Musician. Nothing else is hardly ever worth the points. Even armed with a brace of pistols, they hardly ever hit and wound much. But that's not really why you take them. Still, you might get lucky.
Outriders:
Now here's where you can get some decent damage into play. Even though they have the option to take barding on their mounts, I rarely do, because it will take away they VERY VALUABLE Vanguard move. Send some Huntsmen out to ensure their Vanguard position, move them up within firing position of your chosen target, hope you get the top of turn 1, unleash hell, then when they are charged, perform a Feigned Flee maneuver and set up to do it again. 3 shots a piece from 10 Outriders = 30 S4, Armor Piercing shots. That'll put a dent in most opponents. Just make sure you pick an appropriate target, and make sure that you have some chaff redirectors/clearers. Small units of 5 basic knights work really well for this.
Great Cannon:
This is why people hate the Empire. Probably the most complained about unit in the game, the Great Cannon is a crucial component of any Empire army. It is the great equalizer for other army's monsters. Take this ability away from the Empire, then they automatically become THE bottom tier army. Even with it's inclusion, they are considered the most average army in the game. That says a lot for it's role within the game. Most lists should include at least one of these bad boys. If you are relying on it taking out some of your enemies, then include a Master Engineer to babysit it.
Mortar:
Ain't what it used to be. In 7th edition, these were more common than cannons, but they were severely nerfed in 8th edition, raising their cost (from 75 points to 100 points!) and lowering their strength (S3 to S2 splash zone), effectively knocking them out from competitive play. In lower point games, these could be fun, when killing 1-2 models can be crucial and cost of units critical to the build of your army, but most of the time, these simply aren't worth it in 8th.
Flagellants:
The crazies. They can be super fun to play with and hit like a hammer, but with no save, these guys will go down in droves. In order to be a hard threat, you need to take at least 40 in a unit and push them as quickly as possible toward your enemies. They have Frenzy, so they can be baited quite easily, but they will mow down anything that would be considered "chaff". They are also Unbreakable, which is a wonderful rule to have when you want them to stick around and do as much damage as possible before making way for the finishers of your army. Their "End is Nigh!" special rule is really quite nice. At the start of Close Combat, the unit will take D6 S3 hits. If any models take wounds as a result of this (martyrs), then they get certain bonuses. 1 wound = Fanatical Fury (Re-rolls To Hit), 2-3 wounds = Strength of the Penitent (Re-roll To Hit & To Wound), 4+ wounds = Insensible to Pain (Re-rolls To Hit, To Wound and +1 Touchness) for the entire unit. This is why you'd want to take around 40 of these crazies. That can absorb their Martyr wounds as well as any taken on the way in, and still be able to dish out copious amounts of damage. A great unit for anchoring the middle of your lines initially, just be sure to have something to follow in their wake, since they will almost certainly die to a man. [Former editions allowed them to be taken as a Core unit as long as they had a Warrior Priest in the unit. This was a VERY popular build for many Empire armies (Holy army of Sigmar), and makes so much thematic sense. Sad to see that kind of fluffiness gone.)
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Post by mottdon on Jun 26, 2018 16:50:26 GMT
Rare Units:
Helblaster Volley Gun:
This is probably one of the best units you can take for the Empire. Straight up. A lot of people give so much credence to the Steam Tank being the biggest bad for the Empire, and while true, it is nasty, it doesn't compare to the HBVG. When this thing is on target, it can obliterate entire units. I just had a recent game vs WE and I took one of these. Top of turn 2, I targeted a unit of 30 Dryads. I dialed up 30 shots from it (well, originally it was a 10, 10 , and 2, but I used my Engineer's re-roll to give that 2 another go and wound up rolling a 10. Super pay-off!) Anyway, at the end of that round of shooting, there were only 6 Dryads left. It changed the pace of the entire game. That's what this artillery can do for you. If you decide to be particularly nasty to your opponent, take 2 of these and set them up in a cross-fire shot pattern. Talk about "No Man's Land"!
The HBVG almost always requires an Engineer to babysit it though. Just plan ahead and take one for it. Well worth the points! If you combine this fire power with that of the Cannon, there really isn't anything that the Empire can't handle. Just be sure that you don't get your own units in it's line of fire and give it enough time to soften up some targets before you engage your opponent.
Helstorm Rocket Battery:
I have to admit, I don't have enough personal experience with this one. I have it in my Empire stockpile, but I rarely ever bring it. The few times I have, it has been completely underwhelming. In theory, it should be amazing, sending out as many as 3 separate rockets to hit your enemy with small round templates. The real failure for this piece (IMO) is when it comes to the S3 under the hole. The splash is S3 as well, so it can be great for clearing out hordes of basic troops, but anything more and you'll find yourself hard-pressed to do much with it. Save this one for the Skaven Slaves and Zombies.
Steam Tank (Stank):
This is probably the most feared unit in the Empire. When it comes down to it, it's, well...a Tank. That's what it's meant to do. Sit there and take brutal attacks and shrug them off. It has a 1+ armor save, T6 and 10 wounds! That alone makes people hate it, but the fact that it has a mounted cannon and steam gun just sets it over the top in most people's opinion. But once you've played a couple of games with it, you realize it's not all that people crack it up to be. It comes with several built-in problems. First, it can potentially blow up. This happens from time to time as well. It akin to a Wizard being sucked into the Warp. Secondly, it can only attack in your turn. That means your opponents have twice as many chances to get some wounds through on it. Third, the more wounds it takes the worse it gets. After it takes 5 wounds, it becomes more of a hazard to do anything with it than not. I've seen many Empire players who either abandon it to collect rust on the battlefield rather than push it and potentially lose those points for it, or simply, charge the heck out of it, straight into the middle of their opponent's forces and attempt to max out the boiler hoping to blow it up in their faces, taking as many down as possible with it. (I tend to fall into the latter category.)
Truth is though, unless you can manage to get it into some squishy foot troops, it'll probably wind up just tying up some big monster in CC where the two will just sit there for the remainder of the game. It is certainly an iconic, unique, fun unit to take in games, though.
Celestial Hurricanum:
The first of the two Wizard Wagons to be introduced to the Empire, this is the more offensive of the two. It provides +1 WS to all troops within 6" (this works great for Hablerdiers and Spearmen, boosting them from WS3 to WS4. Less advantageous for Swordsmen and Greatswords, since they are both already WS4, unless they encounter another opposing unit that is WS4 as well.), it adds 1 power dice to your magic phase in each of your turns, and also has an innate bound spell called the Storm of Shemtek. This is a rather "Meh" spell. It is cast on a 4, but only has a 24" range, and scatters a small round template D6" just like a Stone Thrower. That same D6 roll determines what kind of storm is cast. 1 = Sudden Downpour (nothing happens other than the target getting really wet. - No impact on the game.), 2 = Iceshard Tempest (All models hit by the template take a S2 hit. More importantly here, however, the units hit by the template suffer -1 To Hit until the next magic phase. Potentially useful here.), 3 = Raging Tornado (If the target is under the center hole and not in CC, then roll a scatter dice and turn the unit to face that direction and a Hit roll can be turned any direction the caster chooses. Great for screwing up your enemy's lines and plan of attack.), 4-5 = Lightening Strike (Models under the hole take a S6 hit and the splash take a S3 hit.), and 6 = Meteor Strike (The model under the hole takes a S8 hit with Multiple Wounds (D6) and the splash hits are still at S3). This is kinda one of those "Why not" spells, that if you have the dice, just throw 'em to scare your opponent if nothing else. I'd never throw more than two dice at this spell since you don't get to add a wizard level to it's casting (making it that much easier for your opponent to dispel) and due to it being very unreliable for rolling a good result (50/50 shot). I will say that it has a very good psychological effect on opponents though. Most opponents don't know what it can do (even after you tell them) and are terrified by the potential just because "a spell from a Wizard Wagon MUST be powerful" kind of mindset. If you throw this out first, then it'll put your opponent in a tough decision as to what to stop and what to let go. Couple this with the priest prayers, you can really start drawing off a lot of Dispel Dice or get some stuff through.
Luminark of Hysh:
This is the other Wizard Wagon and is the more defensive minded of the two. It will provide all units within 6", a 6++ ward save as well as give you 1 dispel dice in each of your opponent's magic phases.
As with the Hurricanum, it has a bound spell (cast on a 4) that is called Solheim's Bolt of Illumination. Basically a magical Laser Cannon. It has a range of 36", S8, that causes Multiple Wounds D3, as well as Flaming Attacks. It penetrates ranks as a Bolt Thrower would. No Armor Saves vs this thing. It can also reroll any failed To Wound rolls vs Demons and Undead. This is definitely the more potent of the two Wizard Wagon spells, super-useful and easy to cast. I really like this wagon. Not to mention, it's 10 points cheaper than the Hurricanum.
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Post by mottdon on Jun 26, 2018 18:41:01 GMT
Mount Options: So these are the available mount options for Empire characters. I won't really go into detail for mounts like Demigryphs that are more of a unit choice themselves, and not given as an option for character's to take.
The Imperial Dragon:
According to the Empire fluff, there is only one of these in Altdorf. Karl Franz is the only character who has the option of taking this guy (I wish that was different, since that would make characters like the General more viable). His special rules include; Fly, Scaly Skin (3+) and Terror. He also has a S4 Breath Weapon attack with Flaming special rule. Certainly not a bad monster (there are worst - Forest Dragon) but nothing to write home about. I'm not sure that he's worth the price tag, especially after you tack on the cost of KF and Ghal Maraz.
Imperial Griffons:
These guys look ccol as f**k on the table top.....too bad they suck. The rules as written aren't bad, Fly, Terror, Bloodroar (enemy must roll an additional D6 and discard the lowest result when making a Terror test), and Two Heads (may make an additional "Chomp Attack" in addition to the attacks shown on it's profile, which gives it +1 To Hit vs Large Targets), but it's the glaring lack of ANY kind of save (armor or ward) that is it's downfall. If you can manage to get past it's T5, then you can would it. Period. No take backs. After paying the 170 points for it, plus 55 points in upgrades, you bet I'd want to protect it with SOMETHING. Personally, I think that this was just one detail that the writers forgot to add when writing the book. They had just introduced this new model with the book release, so they almost always make big centerpiece models like this a juicy unit to go out and purchase. There was really no reason not to give it an armor save. (I and my friends usually house rule it to have some kind of armor save. Usually 4+.)
Imperial Pegasus:
These are great for getting your characters around the board quickly and into position to do what you need them to do. GREAT on Captains (often referred to as Captasus)! They can often fulfill a wide variety of roles on this mount. War machine hunter, flanker, backfield guardian, chaff clearer - you name it. It's a cheap option with high mobility, almost ensuring that you'll get the charge off. It is also a critical element in a "Flying Circus" army build. A pair of these (Captasus's) can alternate charging in and attacking a unit each turn until you either break them and run them down, get killed yourself, or the game ends. I've held up HUGE units that I simply didn't want to engage with the rest of my army, using this tactic. The upgrade options, Iron-Hard Hooves (re-roll failed To Wound Stomp attacks) and Swift as the Wind (re-roll any dice result of 1 when determining charge range) are, IMO, situational at best. It really depends on what you want your Pegasus to achieve. Are you needing to be sure you get charges off with this guy? - purchase Swift as the Wind. Are you wanting to do max damage in combat? - purchase Iron-Hard Hooves. They really aren't very expensive upgrades (15 points total), but might not really be all that useful to you. With the combined profile, it will give your character at least 3W, which is a huge boon for Hero-level characters.
Warhorse:
The everyman's mount. It may not be amazing in the stat department, but don't count it out! Often, the horse's attacks are the ones that land the final blow! Ninja horse! The nicest thing about them, though, is the +2 armor when taken with Barding. That +2 to armor saves are what makes knights as resilient as they are. On top of all that, the additional movement range and low cost for a mount are really helpful.
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Post by askaval30 on Jun 29, 2018 15:34:20 GMT
so? where's the rest?!  |
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Post by mottdon on Jun 29, 2018 18:43:22 GMT
Workin' on it during breaks at work! Lol!
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Post by FvonSigmaringen on Jun 30, 2018 7:19:41 GMT
Good work. When I have more time, I will go through it more thoroughly, but here are some comments that came immediately to mind regarding Detachments.
- Support Fire & Flaming Attacks: a WP in the Regimental Unit will have the same effect, at least if he can successfully cast Soulfire.
- Since we are on the subject: you could add that Battle Prayers, successfully cast, will also target any Detachments within 3"of the Regimental Unit. Note also that once successfully cast, they will remain active on the Detachments until the start of the next friendly Magic Phase, even if they are not within 3" of the Regimental Unit anymore. That should be a relatively rare occurrence, though.
- Counter Charge: alas, you are almost guaranteed NOT to have a flank charge. Since the exemption of the previous editions is gone, the position of the Detachment vis-à-vis the target when the charge is declared determines whether it gets a flank charge, and a Counter Charge has to be declared immediately after the charge reaction of the Regimental Unit. At that time, the Detachment is more likely to be in the front than the flank arc of the target. |
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Post by FvonSigmaringen on Jun 30, 2018 10:10:16 GMT
Mechanical steed: as its Troop Type is War Beast, the Troop Type of the combined model Engineer + MS becomes Cavalry, where you use the T of the rider, not of the mount.
Repeating Handgun: it is Move or Fire, and therefore not really suited in a unit of Pistoliers. If you do take a Pistolier champion (Outrider), I would say that for 10 pts. a repeater pistol is a no-brainer. Indeed, the only reason I always take the Outrider upgrade is the Repeater pistol.
Edit: Giving the Outrider a Repeating pistol is like getting a second Outrider, but for 10, instead of 28 points.
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Post by mottdon on Jun 30, 2018 11:48:38 GMT
I'll add those when I get into adding more stuff too, though, I think the Counter Charge issue may be more of a RAW vs RAI topic, better suited for it's own thread. This needs to be more of a quick reference and good strategies thread.
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Post by FvonSigmaringen on Jun 30, 2018 16:32:46 GMT
Karl Franz: perhaps it is wortwhile to point out that any unit he joins will benefit from his MR and the Hold the Line special rule.
Marius Leitdorf: a bit counter-intuitively, but because of the Paired Weapons rule, he has in fact 4 Attacks with the Runefang.
BRB Official Update Version 1.9, p. 14:
Q: Do all attacks made with Paired Weapons (including the Extra Attack), use all of the Paired Weapon’s special rules/bonuses? (Reference)
A: Yes.
On a side note: would it be better to identify the Forgeworld characters as such?
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Post by FvonSigmaringen on Jun 30, 2018 21:03:57 GMT
Jubal & the Ironsides: why do you think they can shoot with his BS?
Master Engineer: I would add that he is best used in combination with the HBVG. A drawback is that he cannot use any shooting weapon himself (including pigeon bombs), if he uses the MoB rule, which, unfortunately, he must declare before any eligible war machine has fired.
If you use him on a horse to go gallumphing about in the rear of the enemy, you may have the opportunity to spring this just for fun on your opponent: the ME gets a "Look Out Sir" roll, if he is "within 3" of a war machine." A war machine - it does not specify "friendly."
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Post by askaval30 on Jul 3, 2018 11:52:46 GMT
the ME gets a "Look Out Sir" roll, if he is "within 3" of a war machine." A war machine - it does not specify "friendly." RAW not as RAI, I'd find myself another opponent if anyone tried these shenanigans with me.... |
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Post by knoffles on Jul 3, 2018 13:49:06 GMT
mottdon just in case it was unintentional (and I’m only mentioning it as you have completed the following post), the Witchhunter section is blank
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