The Empire Tactica: This Tactica is based on my personal playing style for the Empire, as well as my personal experience with other Empire players.

Overview of Stats:

Average MV of 4
Average WS of 3-4, Heroes are 5, Special Characters top out at 6, with one at 7.
Average I is 3-4, Heroes are at 5, Grand Masters and one Special Character at 6
Average BS is 3-4, Heroes at 5
Average LD is 7, Some Special at 8, Heroes at 8, Lords at 9, and one Special Character at 10
Average cost for troops is 5-8 for most core, and 10-23 for Cavalry and other Elites
Average attack of 1, heroes 2-3, one special character has 4

Strengths:

Have access to nearly every Missile Weapon Type
Have access to cannons and a vast array of unique war machines
Have cheap affordable troops, so they can horde easily or outnumber easily
Units are defended with Detachments that can counter charge and always S&S
Have access to moderately cheap cavalry, and fast cavalry
Have access to a very effective and relatively cheap unbreakable troop choice
Have very cheap heroes and supportive characters
Have access through mages to every BRB Magic Lore
Have access to BRB magic items as well as there own Magic items
Have access to priests that possess very powerful bound spells
Have access to a cheap stubborn special choice

Weaknesses:

Have average to low leadership
Have average I
Have low WS and average BS
Have low attack count
Several war machines are very delicate and misfire (malfunction) often or are sensitive
Must depend on their numbers/ranks to win combats
Cannon is 10 pts more than Dwarf cannon for only a range benefit
Characters are significantly weaker than nearly every races characters
War Machine crews are very weak
Knights (unless upgraded to inner circle) depend on breaking units on charge or must be used in a supportive role

Individual unit analysis:
Detachments: Are always half the size of the parent unit. They can charge if parent unit charges, which means they will be able to make a flank charge even if normally unable (meaning angle or position but as long as they have the MV). They can also counter charge which is similar to the rule above but if the parent unit is charged. Also missile unit detachments can always stand and shoot even they parent unit would be unable to do so.

Halberdiers:	This unit is dependent on using its ranks and supportive detachments to win out combats. You can expect units of these troops to number at least 20, and up to 40-50. They are 5 pts each. Detachments will often be one unit of Handgunners and another of Free Company or Swordsmen. WS 3, Str 3, I 3, LD 7. They wear light armour. Count on Freecompany or Swordsmen more than Handgunners. Unit will make up Empire Center. Sometimes one will see Spearmen as detachments. Often this unit will be led by a Captain with basic equipment or cheap magic items, but often with basic equipment. Slayers and Small units may be threatened by this unit. When one considers the +1 Str bonus, this unit can be slightly deadly if enough attacks hit, so Slayers are vulnerable. This unit is used for offensive maneuvers and its detachments will be used for counter charges. Recommended Unit to combat this unit:

Warriors with Handweapons and Shields around 20 large up to 30.

Spearmen:	This unit is even more dependent on using ranks and supportive detachments to win out in combats, because it lacks the punching power of Halberds. They are 5 pts each. WS 3, Str 3, I 3, LD 7. They wear light armour. However if charged the unit will attack with 3 ranks, which will result in 16 attacks (15 plus champion). However they will hit our troops on 4+ and wound on 5+, so they will cause less damage than Halberdiers can. Detachments for this unit are often the same as Halberdiers. This unit will be used defensively and used offensively only if the Empire player is very good or is desperate. Slayers and Small units may be threatened by this unit. Unit will make up the Empires center. Again this unit is often led by a basic captain. But for either this unit or the Halberdiers they can have a General in the unit or a loaded out Captain. The Recommended unit to combat this unit:

Warriors with Handweapons and Shields around 20-30

Swordsmen: 	This unit is often deployed as its own individual unit or detachments of missile troops. They are 6 pts each. It is not rare to see them accompanied by Free Company however. This is one of the Empires best unit, they have WS 4 and I 4, so they are some of the Empires best but still Str 3 and LD 7. They wear light armour. They fight with Hand weapons and shields, so no special offense, but obviously receive that 6+ ward. This unit will often be deployed on the Empires flanks or in checker pattern between Spearmen and Halberdiers. Small units must watch out for this unit. They are used as Supportive units to complement Spearmen and Halberdiers attacks. This unit will often contain Warrior Priests or Offensively built Captains and Generals. Recommended unit to deal with this unit:

Warriors with Handweapons and Shields around 20-30. Or Longbeards of same construction.

Knightly Orders (non-Inner Circle):	 This unit is some of the Empires most survivable. They have WS 4, but I 3, and still Str 3. But they do possess 1+ AS when using Shields and Lances. They can take Great Weapons, but unless upgraded they will not often be seen doing this. In this edition they will be used for Flanking attacks, supportive attacks, and to deal with small units, skirmishers, and lone characters. They do have LD 8. They will now be seen in units of 10 (previously 5-8) or even 15. They are very expensive at 23 pts. With Lances they are Str 5 on charge. Often deployed on flanks or center flanks (next to main blocks). They will chew through troll slayers or small units of our missile troops. This unit is a missile fire priority because of their expensive nature. Recommended unit to deal with this unit:

Longbeard Warriors using Great weapons, or Ironbreakers each of 20-30.

Handgunners:	   This unit will often be deployed as individual unit or as detachments. They are armed with....Handguns, and fighting Stats of 3's (besides LD and MV, and W and Atks). They have no armour. If independent unit will be 10-15 large. They are dealt with by any of our units, either through combat or through missile fire. They will hit on 4-5+  very often and are not completely effective for their 8pts. They will focus fire on our Ironbreakers and other Special choices. 

Archers and Crossbowmen:   This unit is similar to Handgunners, but have more range. They are harder to deal with because we must match them for range, but still easy to combat. 

Free Company:   This unit is nearly always a detachment. However they can sometimes be found as independent units. They have basic Empire stats, but they are armed with 2 hand weapons, so they will present more attacks if horded. Often 25-45 members of this unit. If the unit is 30 large, you will see 20+ attacks. This unit can overcome slayers and small units by shear number of attacks. However they will not last long against a similarly numbered unit from our list. Recommended unit to combat this unit:

Warriors with Handweapons and shields or Longbeards of around 20-30 large.

Greatswords: 	  Nearly always a independent unit (cannot be a detachment) and will often have missile fire as detachments if it is selected as parent unit. Can be seen in sizes ranging from 15-35. They have WS 4 and LD 8, but otherwise they are normal stat Human troops. They wear full plate so a 4+. They wield Great Weapons, but only hit with Str 5. They are stubborn and often the armies General will accompany this unit or a Warrior Priest. They come at 10 pts each. They can be surprisingly resilient and it seems the Dice Gods love them very much, and you will find them surviving much longer than expected. They are deployed move often than not in the Empires dead center, and are used as an offensive unit, and the enemy will throw them against our elites. The Recommended unit to dead with this unit:

Warriors and Longbeards with Greatweapons. Longbeards should be preferred over normal warriors. Ironbreakers are an excellent pick here as well.

Pistoliers:	This unit is the Empires fast cavalry. They wield brace pistols, champion can wield repeater pistol. You will see them in numbers around 5-8, sometimes 10-12. 15 is very rare. They have basic Human stats, Champion however has BS 4. Champion can fire 4 shots using a Pistol and Repeater Pistol. They are 18 pts each. They will be used in this edition to shoot and harass our small missile units, war machines, and rangers. They will also be used as supportive Flank and Rear chargers, but only if the Empire player only needs that extra bonus to really break us. Often deployed on flanks. I can see this unit being taken less often than in the previous edition. Recommended unit to deal with this unit:

Quarrelers. The Pistoliers only have 5+ armour, and Quarreler’s range will be the key here. Handgunners would be fine, but their fire is better used on Knights. Gyrocopter is most likely the best fit for dealing with this unit, as it can keep up with them, and the Str 3 blast will still successfully wound the Riders.

Outriders:	This is the Empires heavy fire fast cavalry. But I have not seen many Empire players taking this unit in the last edition, and I have doubt that their use will be increased in this edition. This unit is an upgraded version of the Pistoliers, as they have BS 4, and the Champion has BS 5. However they are armed with Repeater Handguns, and so they can move or fire, so their use is not as effective as the Pistoliers. They are 21 pts each. They can take barding but it is rarely picked as an upgrade as it removes the fast cavalry rule from the unit. The Champion can choose to take a repeater pistol, a grenade launcher, or a Hochland rifle. The Grenade launcher is a 16” Str 6 shot with Armour Piercing. The Hochland is the Character/Champion sniper rifle. It is common for the Champion to actually have the Repeater Pistol however, as the unit moves forward to a strategical position and can still shoot those 3 shots, then in the next turn they unload their repeater Handguns. Besides this strategy, the unit is used the same way as the Pistoliers. The Recommended unit to deal with this unit is the same as the Pistoliers.

Cannon/Mortar:   The Cannon is simply the longer ranged version of ours. The mortar is essentially a stone thrower, Str 3 under the Template, -1 to AS, under the hole it is Str 6, cancels armor, and causes D3 wounds. It is ranged 12”-48”. It is the large template. The Mortar is 75 pts, and the Cannon is 100. The Recommended unit to deal with this:

Gyrocopter or Cannon or Stone Thrower. It will come down to a duel between the machines. The Gyro is a good choice as it is mobile shooting platform, but it is risky to use against the cannon, as it can be shot and killed.

Flagellant Warband:	The Flagellant warband is the Empires unbreakable troops. However they are very weak, with WS 2, BS 2, Str 3, T 3, and I 3. They wield flails that provide +2 Str on first round of combat. The unit will often be 20-30 strong. They are frenzied, so they will get 2 attacks each, champion gets 3. They wear no armor. However they can sacrifice D3 of their number to get benefits. If one dies, they get hate, if 2 die they re-roll failed wounds, and if 3 die they get +1 to Combat Resolution. These are cumulative, so if 3 die they get all three benefits. This can prove very deadly, and the unit can shell out 20+ attacks. Each model is 10pts each. They will be deployed in center or center flanks. Often small units will take their place near war machines. The recommended unit to deal with this unit:

Slayers. Lets see who's unbreakable unit is better. However if you wish to not take slayers, Longbeards with Handweapons and shields, Ironbreakers, or even a Gyrocopter can be used very effectively against this unit.

Helblaster Volley Gun:	At 110 pts, compared to our 120 pt Organ gun, the Helblaster is a very powerful and very dangerous weapon for us and for the Empire player. With a range of 24” the Helblaster will get shots off the first or second turn, so expect the threat to begin early on. It fires with three barrels, each which roll on the Artillery dice, so that’s a total possible 30 shots at Str 5, with a AS modifier of -3. Even if one barrel misfires the other barrels can still possibly fire depending on the misfire chart roll. Empire players must shoot all 3 barrels, even if the target ends up out of range. All shots must roll to hit on the crews BS which is 3. Normal modifiers for shooting and such apply. The misfire chart has 5 possibilities. The first is the weapon explodes, but the shots of any previous barrels are still resolved. The second is it jams, and it cannot fire that turn or the next. The next is that it cannot fire that turn, the fourth is that one barrel (the one that you are rolling for) cannot fire but the others can, and the fifth is that all barrels fire 10 shots, but the machine is destroyed. Probably the most dangerous war machine the game, the recommended unit to deal with this is:

Gyrocopters, Stone Throwers, Quarrelers, or Miners. It all depends on where the Blaster is positioned. Miners are only viable if you can get a charge without being fired upon, same for Gyro. Stone Throwers are a good pick because you can get the machine even with indirect fire, protecting your machine. Quarrelers can out-range it, but their shots are better against other units.

Helstorm Rocket Battery:	This war machine comes out at 115 pts. Its shots range from 12”-48”. It is Str 5. It is fired in a similar way to the stone thrower, but it follows a new rule called Inaccurate: Place the template normally, and then roll the artillery dice. If it shows a misfire, roll on the Rocket Misfire chart. If it shows a number, move the template directly away from the Rocket Battery along the line of fire a number of inches equal to the number shown on the dice. Then roll for scatter, re-rolling any misfire results. It uses the 5” round template. It should be dealt with in the same way as the Helblaster. 

[u][b]Steam Tank: 	[/b] [/u] Coming out at 300 pts, the Steam Tank is an expensive but very powerful investment. The Tank is even more powerful in this edition than the previous, coming in at T 10. It is unbreakable, has ten wounds, causes terror, has 1+ armor save, and cause D3 impact hits at Str 6. It moves and charges using steam points, which is a very complex system of movement so here is the errata explaination on the subject:  To charge with a Steam Tank, first declare the charge as normal, and then specify how many SP you are using to charge with. The charge range of the Steam Tank is equal to 3" per SP that is spent. In addition, each SP spent on the charge adds D3 to the number of Impact Hits inflicted by the Steam Tank in the Close Combat phase. Note that you do not add the roll of 2D6 to the charge range when a Steam Tank charges, and that the target unit may make a charge reaction as normal. Curitosiy of Games Workshop errata. 

The Steam Tank fires using its steam points. Steam points are generated between 0-5, as selected by the player. You must roll a D6 if 1-5 steam points are generated, then you must add the number rolled to the steam points generated (so if 4 steam points are generated, and you roll a 4, then the total is 8). Then compare this to the remaining wounds on the tank. If the total is over the remaining wounds then the tank looses one wound and SP are not generated. 

The best way to deal with the Tank now, is to attack it with Cannon or Stone Thrower fire. In previous editions it was possible for a tooled up lord to combat it, but now it is much harder. So the best way is with Missile fire. A tooled up Bolt Thrower is a good way to deal with the Tank, using 2 runes of penetrating and a master engineer to guide the shot.  Avoid combat with this thing if all possible. It causes D3 impact hits for every steam point used, so a possible D3x5 Str 6 hits can be generated. 

 It can fire a Steam Gun for 1 Steam Point, which is Str 2 and no armour saves using the flame template, the Main Cannon is fired for 2 SP, and is Str 8, D3 Wounds, no save, and fires as a cannon. In the previous edition it could fire into combat, but I do not believe it can now, as the errata eliminates the fourth paragraph. 

[b]Captain:[/b]  This character is very plain. He has WS and BS 5, Str 4, T 4, I 5, and LD 8, and 3 Attacks. Despite his low stats, he can take a massive amount of battle equipment, nearly every missile fire weapon that is known, pistol, handgun, longbow. He can take light armour, heavy, and full plate. He can take halberd, lance, 2x Hws, shield and great weapon. He can be mounted on warhorse with barding, and pegasus. It is common to see basic Captains with mundane equipment leading infantry units. Captains with magic items will often be riding a Pegasus. They are never that hard to combat, and can be defeated sometimes by champions.

More on characters and magic items later.