I have been thinking about getting a 2nd army, and was wondering how The Empire stands up as an army.
I know they can be a bit shooty, but is that all they can do? or do they have a good mix of units? thanks
Thinking about Empire.
Moderator: The Dread Knights
Thinking about Empire.
Rejoice and Revel in the Triumph of the Dark.
The Empire's book is really quite versatile, and by no means is a shooty/gunline army the only direction you can take them. With cheap wizards and access to all the rulebook lores they can perform as a magic heavy army. If you like cavalry you can make a list based around knights on crusade with pilgrims (flagellants). They are also spoilt for choice in terms of infantry, so hordes of state troops are an option too. Artillery is a powerful addition to the army, no mistake, but there are more interesting and viable options on hand for a decent enough Empire player.
Empire = my other army.
They have the best warmachines with Dwarfs, in variety and efficiency. Warmachines don't win battles, but they help tremendously and no serious Empire goes at war without. In addition, Engineers improve dramatically the artillery.
They have very affordable magic with access to all 8 Lores. In addition, their excellent priests help to dispell anc can cast, too. With the help of a few magic items, this makes a good magic defence and decent magic offence. But magic does not win battles.
They have rather cheap infantry, offering some choices, but all are crappy save the elite infantry. Infantry is an absolute necessity, in large numbers. Flagellants make a good tar pit... till they last, not long.
They have affordable shooters. However, shooting does not help much against armoured blocks that are found nowadays. Many Empire generals don't bother anymore to take much or any shooters.
Their core cavalry offers the best armour (1+), but is known for not killing much. Although it used to be possible to play an all cavalry army, this is no longer efficient.
Their only monster is the steam Tank. Very expensive. It relies on Life Lore to stay alive through the battle.
As a conclusion, there are not too many ways to play the Empire, it requires on a balanced army, fielding a bit of everything. The variety lies in offsetting the balance a bit.
They have the best warmachines with Dwarfs, in variety and efficiency. Warmachines don't win battles, but they help tremendously and no serious Empire goes at war without. In addition, Engineers improve dramatically the artillery.
They have very affordable magic with access to all 8 Lores. In addition, their excellent priests help to dispell anc can cast, too. With the help of a few magic items, this makes a good magic defence and decent magic offence. But magic does not win battles.
They have rather cheap infantry, offering some choices, but all are crappy save the elite infantry. Infantry is an absolute necessity, in large numbers. Flagellants make a good tar pit... till they last, not long.
They have affordable shooters. However, shooting does not help much against armoured blocks that are found nowadays. Many Empire generals don't bother anymore to take much or any shooters.
Their core cavalry offers the best armour (1+), but is known for not killing much. Although it used to be possible to play an all cavalry army, this is no longer efficient.
Their only monster is the steam Tank. Very expensive. It relies on Life Lore to stay alive through the battle.
As a conclusion, there are not too many ways to play the Empire, it requires on a balanced army, fielding a bit of everything. The variety lies in offsetting the balance a bit.
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Thanks for your reply, The other army i was also looking at was Lizard men, and i seem to be leaning to them a bit more actually, i like the look of the models, and they just seem a little tougher, more resilient i guess. But i will wait until i get my DE army fully sorted out. still need to get some harpies.
Rejoice and Revel in the Triumph of the Dark.