Bending Plastic – Hair Dryer Method

Have you ever had problems with ranking up your models in a unit? Have you ever wished that some of your plastic models were posed differently? Have you ever wanted your model's arms would bend slightly higher? Wanted so much but never thought of how to accomplish that? Bend it! Of course, you don't just bend it with your bare hands, that would break them. So how do we do that without damaging the model?

CAUTION: The method below can and have a chance of damaging your model. Proceed with this method with caution and at your own risk. The owner of this article will not be responsible for any damages caused by following the methods described.

Okay, now that you've read the caution above, please follow the steps here very carefully. Also be very careful as not to cause yourself harm as it will deal with HEAT.

Hair-dryer with custom paper nozzle

First, get yourself a hair dryer. A normal heat producing hair dryer would do. As you can see in the picture above, I used a normal hair dryer but attached to it is a custom made nozzle. Next, get a piece of paper. I would suggest to use A4 sized paper. Roll it up into a cone shape and tape it up that the shape would not go loose. Then you can use a rubber band and tie the nozzle to the hair dryer like in the picture. With that, you're ready to bend!

At this point, you're messing with elements of danger. Both to you and your plastic model. Get yourself a pair of gloves which you know could withstand heat. Wear them.

Bent banner can be used as cloak

Next, place the hair-dryer on the table with the nozzle facing away from you. Make sure you do not have anything else in front of the nozzle area. This is because when you switch on the hair-dryer, the wind will blow away a lot of stuff in front of it. Once you have a clear space in front of the hair-dryer, try switching it on. If the hair-dryer moves, try to anchor it with something (a book or anything that could weigh it down). Switch it off and prepare your model.

Once you are ready, switch the hair-dryer on, move your model with the intended part to bend to the nozzle. Hold it gently but not too soft that the model will get blown off by the wind. Pay careful attention to your model. If the part you wish to bend is very thin, you have to be very careful as the heat might soften the plastic very quickly and bend by itself or worse, melted off! If the plastic part you wish to be is at the size of a normal Empire human plastic model's arm, it will take a few seconds before the plastic softens up for you to bend.

Reposition model to pose in the way you wanted

Try put around 5 seconds and move it away from the hair-dryer and try to use some light force to bend it to the direction that you want. If it's still hard, then put it to the hot air again. Repeat this a few times till if softens up a bit that you can slowly bend it the way you wanted.

This method requires practise and I would suggest that you try it with the plastic sprues first and not on your actual model. Different brands of hair-dryer or different sizes may vary in terms of heat strength and effectiveness.

Lore of Light – Magic for Empire

The Lore of Light, as described in the rulebook as the lore that exceeds in scourging and destruction of supernatural creatures. The Empire constantly fights against undead and Daemons of Chaos. So how would Lore of Light help the Empire win battles? Here's a simple description of how to use Lore of Light in the Empire's battle against the supernatural.

Shem's Burning Gaze

The most basic spell in the lore. Magic missile. It is very easy to cast, have decent range and does flaming attack. Against the undead or daemons, the lore attribute changes the spell to hit an additional D6 number of hits. If you feel that Strength 4 may not be enough, boost it up and raise the strength to 6. With 2D6 number of hits, on average, you would be able to do about 6 wounds against normal troops.

Pha's Protection

This spell increase the survivability of Empire troops by a lot. This is increased even more coupled with The Speed of Light (explained later). Not only it helps during close combat but any range shooting would suffer an additional penalty to shoot at the unit. Even warmachines that doesn't require a Ballistic Skill would drop it's chances to 50% to shoot at the unit. Especially useful to protect Empire's “hammer” or “anvil” from enemy fire. Remember, Empire troops die easy.

The Speed of Light

This spell increases the target unit's Weapon Skill and Initiative to 10. That would mean that even the most skilled warriors would only have 50% chance of hitting the unit. If possible, stack Pha's Protection on them and make them even more harder to hit, reducing the opponent's chance to hit to a mere 33%. That would increase the survivability of the unit and also to hit back against your opponent. Very useful against High Elves even though they may strike first but then they cannot re-roll against your high initiative.

Light of Battle

Empire troops have low leadership and it is not uncommon for units to panic or break in combat. This spell could be a lifesaver because it automatically rallies the fleeing unit. Furthermore, this unit will pass any leadership test until the caster's next magic phase. There had been many cases when a unit flees causing a chain reaction to other units to flee as well. Cast the boosted version and all those fleeing units would rally. Don't underestimate this spell especially when you play a list where your units are not accompanied by characters or army general nearby.

Net of Amyntok

I have found this spell to be very useful when playing against Tomb Kings or High Elves or Dark Elves who likes to field a huge number of archers in a unit. In order for them to shoot, it forces them to take a Strength test of which failing the test would disable them from shooting at your unit. Another of it's usefulness is to prevent opponent's redirectors from blocking or manoeuvre against you. Empire big blocks are pretty difficult to move around terrains and a lot of times, opponents would use redirectors to redirect out main unit from our intended location.

Banishment

Though it may sound like just a mere magic missile of Strength 4, this spell deals 2D6 hits and forces the target to re-roll successful ward saves. Sometimes we would face our opponent's characters leaving their unit for some strategic (or foolish) purpose. That's the right time to cast this spell on them and though they may think that they have ward saves to protect them but when they are forced to re-roll their successful saves, it may not be so safe any more.

Birona's Timewarp

This spell turns any Empire unit into formidable warriors with additional attack and always strike first and it last until the caster's next magic phase. So if you managed to cast this spell at a unit that has successfully charged a unit, they would be ensured to have the effect for two rounds of close combat. Stack The Speed of Light with them and you'll have a unit that hits well with re-rolls.

When you plan to choose Lore of Light for your wizard, always bear in mind to have a plan ahead of your battles. Determine the right moment and right sequence to cast your spells. Especially those which you can stack the effects and cause your unit to be very formidable in close combat. The best part is that we can also have the Empire War Altar which casts the Lore of Light spells at bound power 5. Though easily dispelled but reserve some of the dice so that you would be able to get off the spells to your advantage.

Lore of Shadow – Magic for Empire

Empire gets to use all the eight lores of magic. One of my favourite lore to use is the lore of Shadow. The Empire army does not have very strong fighters and needs support in order to succeed in battle. Lore of Shadow could accomplish this role easily with the spells that comes with it. Let's examine each of this spells and see how they could help the Empire.

Melkoth's Mystifying Miasma

Signature spell. Very low casting value. Huge benefits that comes with this spell. 48 inches range and it's a hex spell. Last until caster's next Magic phase. It reduces either Movement, Ballistic Skill, Initiative or Weapon Skill by D3. So how does that help the Empire?

• Movement. Quite often the Empire find opponent deathstars or units coming at them with their top speed. Slow them down by reducing their base movement by D3. This means that potentially you reduce their base movement by 3 inches and 6 inches due to march. This also means that you would have an additional turn of shooting at the opponent's deathstar.
• Weapon Skill. Empire core troops often face opponents hitting them at 3s thus having a lot of casualties in close combat. Reduce their weapon skill by D3 and sure enough, they'll be hitting at 4s thus dropping their chances to hit down to 50%.
• Ballistic Skill. Miasma have the range of 48 inches. That means that you could probably cast it at the opponent's shooting troops. Annoyed by your opponent's bolt throwers? Reduce their Ballistic Skill and drop their ability to hit at your crucial models. Just remember not it does not work on Tomb King's shooting.
• Initiative. This would allow the Empire core troops a chance to hit first. Also would be able to reduce the opponent's like High Elves to re-roll To-Hit with their Always Strike First and high initiative. Drop their initiative by 3 and they can't reroll. This spell also in combo with Pit of Shades. Drop their initiative first, then cast Pit of Shades or Penumbral Pendulum and see your opponent's face cringe.

Miasma also comes with a boosted version which is cast at 10+. This boosted version drops all four stats by D3. Very useful when it was cast on an opponent in close combat when you reduce their ability to hit you and also reduce their chance to re-roll and to reduce your numbers first.

Steed of Shadows

The ninja spell. Very low casting cost and very unlikely to have your opponent to dispel this. A lot of times opponents would just ignore them because it does them no harm. True, that is when your wizard wishes to get away from the imminent charge but on the offence, your wizard may “fly” to your opponent's flank and maybe be able to cast The Penumbral Pendulum which then would do massive damage (if they're low initiative.

The Enfeebling Foe

One of the best support spells in the lore. It's not too high to cast but if you can get it off against your opponent, it will definitely increase the survivability of your unit in close combat. It's a Remains In Play spell with some decent range, your wizard would have to be too near where the action is. If your wizard is too far away, then boost the spell and have a range of 36 inches away. Of course, it would be harder to cast the spell. Once successfully cast, the target loses Strength by D3. Imagine Ogres at the strength of a normal human and other normal troops needing 5 or 6 to wound your troops. Definitely this spell could turn around a combat into your favour.

The Whitering

Another one of the best support spells in the lore. It's harder to cast and have a boosted version which doubles the range to 36 inches. The spell would reduce the Toughness of the target unit to drop by D3. Empire troops have low strength, thus wounding opponents would usually be at 50% chance or worse. With The Withering, the chances for you to wound increase dramatically (especially when you get a 3 on D3) which then even monsters would fear from your state troop attacks. This would also work on shooting phase where the target would lose much higher numbers with their Toughness reduced.

The Penumbral Pendulum

This is one of the spell which would work well against low initiative targets or target's that have been reduced their initiative with Melkoth's Mystifying Miasma. It would be even more painful (to your opponent) if you manage to get your wizard to the flank of the unit. How to get to their flank? Steed of Shadows. On a straight line, 6D6 inches range from your wizard, a Strength 10 hit with multiple wounds (D3) would do massive damage to your opponent's unit. Effective against Dwarfs, Lizardmen (if you could get it off) and Ogres.

Pit Of Shades

One of the effective spells against opponents with low initiative or target's hit with Melkoth's Mystifying Miasma (reduced Initiative) would be this spell, Pit of Shades. It uses the small large template which scatters by a D6 and anything touched by the template would be sucked into it if they failed their Initiative test. Those models that have failed are immediately removed from the game. No armour saves. No ward saves. No regeneration saves. No saves whatsoever. For a more devastating effect, opt for the boosted version which uses the large template but it will then scatter by 2D6 inches. This spell could spell doom for an Ogre deathstar if it hits right in the middle of the unit.

Okkam's Mindrazor

Want your core state troops to kickass? Want a horde of swordmen with the warrior priest attached kill off opponents in a single blow? Okkam's Mindrazor will help you do that. The spell lasts until the caster's next magic phase. Means that if you managed to charge your unit and successfully cast the spell on that unit, it will definitely whack a lot of damage. This spell can be cast from 18 inches away or double the range in it's boosted version. It takes a lot of dice to cast the spell but on the right moment, I'll throw all six dices if I have to. Try cast it on a charging unit of flagellants.

Hopefully with the spells explained, you can see how this lore could turn Empire troops to be formidable combatants. Whether you weaken your opponents or boost your own, slow them down while you soften them up or outright cast a devastating spell that would cripple your opponent's most important unit. Remember how you can combo the spells or how to tactically use the spells to your advantage. When it all works, your opponent will have a much difficult time handling your army.

Arch-Lector - Leading The Empire

One of the armies which I have collected for about 10 years is The Empire. Ever since the seventh edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battles, I had been using the Arch-Lector as the leader of my men. Here's an article of why the arch-lector has been the number one choice as the overall general of my army.

Arch-Lector

The army general would always be the arch-lector. The arch-lector provides a solid leadership to the units nearby, magic defense, support abilities and potential character killer. Here is a clearer explanation of what I've just said:

• Leadership - I usually would field him in the center among all the other units. This would enable him to provide his leadership of nine to all the troops nearby and the range is improved if he's mounted on the war-altar.

• Magic defense - When is dispel dice ever enough? The more dispel dice you can get, the better it is. The arch-lector provides two dispel dice on top of the dispel pool that you receive. He's not a wizard that provide any wizard level for dispelling but that's a job for Battle Wizards to handle. He did his part by just providing the two dice.

• Support abilities - Join the arch-lector into a unit and he'll cause the unit to have Hatred to all enemies. Empire troops don't have very good combat abilities. With Hatred rule, re-rolls are a big big help. The arch-lector could also "pray" during the magic phase which could buff the abilities of characters, make the unit that he joins unbreakable, heal or does direct damage to units in base contact. He could also pray for himself to have a 4+ ward!

• Character killer - Some inexperienced players might laugh when I say this but the Empire have one of the finest magic items available for their characters. Equip him with Van Horstman's Speculum(VHS) and your opponent's fighty character would avoid him. Ever heard of the cannon ball on a stick? That's one of the most scariest magic item the Empire could bring. The arch-lector relies on magic items to put him on par with other combat characters. I'll explain later on what sort of gear that I usually equip him with. He have only two attacks, average strength and toughness and pretty low weapon skill for a lord class character. So he have to choose his opponents wisely or he won't be able to be the character killer that he should be.

Sounds like he's an invincible character which wipes out all opponents in his path! Well, I wish that were true but almost every character have their weaknesses. The arch-lector have a few thorns at his sides which will be described as:

• Challenge Only- The arch-lector could only perform well when he's facing a one-on-one duel. If you get into a challenge, you would have a better chance (if you're equipped for it) but if the opponent could decline your challenge and still hit you well with their unit, the arch-lector would face a difficult time.

• Shooting Magnet - Your opponent may know that your arch-lector have only a toughness of four and would probably launch all manners of shooting at him. Of course you would have "look out sir!" protection from the unit you join him with but what if you field him on a war-altar? The 4+ ward save is nice but it's only fifty percent chance of saving your character.

• Power of Four - Sounds like something interesting right? Well, it's not. Though the prayers of Sigmar are easily cast, at four plus, is also easily dispelled. The remains in play prayers can be easily dispelled during your opponents phase. This means that the prayers won't last long unless your opponent or yourself have forgotten about it!

Okay, now that I've explained his benefits and weaknesses, you're now going to field him with your army but wait! What do we equip him? I would normally equip him based on the role which I would want him to do. If he was suppose to be the leader which won't require him to excel at close combat, I wouldn't need to spend so many points into his equipment. Sometimes just a great weapon and heavy armour would be enough. But but but... he's the general! You might say. I would reply that he's a cheap general that only need his leadership of nine. Okay, so if you want more protection for him, Armour of Meteoric Iron would be the best choice. So how would I equip him?

Arch-lector Mounts

• Mounted on barded warhorse. Dawn armour. VHS. Sword of Might. Shield. This setup is used when I field him in a unit of knights (inner circle or vanilla). Charge your opponent and issue challenge. The Dawn armor is to give you much needed reroll on armor saves (1+ in this setup). Sword of Might is just to give additional strength (moar is always bettar!) and VHS speaks for itself.
• Mounted on war-altar. Armour of Meteoric Iron. VHS. Sword of Sigismund. This is the most common setup which I field. I like having my general on the war-altar which is considered a large target and extends his leadership bubble to eighteen inches. Sword of Sigismund is to make sure he hits first and hopefully take out the opponent in the first round of combat. His task is to provide leadership in the early turns and then go character hunting. Greater Daemon's would hate to face him.
• Mounted on war-altar. Dawn Armour. Mace of Maelstrum. Shield. Cannonball on a stick. This is more of a risky setup but fun when you opponent knows that you deal a strength 10 D6 wound weapon. The Dawn Armour is there to help you survive longer although only with 2+ armour saves with this setup.
• Mounted on war-alter. VHS. Shield of the Gorgon. You exchange the number of attacks and reduce the number of attacks by 1. Imagine swapping your Arch-lector attacks with a Chaos Exalted Hero. Reduce further by 1 attack. See your opponent's face. Smile. You still have 45 points for choosing the right magic weapon in this setup.
• On foot. Armour of Meteoric Iron. Great Weapon. Simple setup. He's there to provide leadership and Hatred to the infantry that he joins and not to kill your opponent's general or character. Notice how cheap this general is.

So there you have it. A general worth fielding and depending on the army size, probably enables you to probably field another lord class character. The arch-lector is not the super killing machine (go Chaos if you want that) but like a mortal man, he's dependable and could give the support that the entire army needs.

Equipping your characters with Magic Items

What to Equip your characters

When I started playing Empire, I would spend hours just thinking of the right combo of magic items for my characters. Some of them often ended up not optimized or spent without using any of it at all. So here is a quick guide on what magic item to equip for your characters and some description of how they would be used with your characters.

Captain of the Empire

• Icon of Magnus, Enchanted Shield. The Captain is often used to lead state troops into battle and with the Icon of Magnus in his hands, you do not Fear your enemies. Even Terror has been reduce to fear tests only. With the Enchanted Shield, added with Full Plate Armour, it gives you more protection and survivability of the captain. As of weapon choice, you could give him a magic weapon or simply a great weapon since he have better armour to receive hits.
• Dragon Bow. A lot of people tend to forget that the Captain have a Ballistic Skill of 5. With the Dragon Bow, the Captain could shoot a single Strength 6 with 36 inches range shot.
• Aldred's Casket of Sorcery. This is best with a Captain riding on a Pegasus with some good protection. Fly to your opponent's line of defence with their Spell caster nearby and at the end of your movement, remember to “Steal” their spell. You have a fifty percent chance of stealing away their spell and cast it back on themselves. Once the spell is casted from the casket, the spell is lost for the remainder of the game. Watch your opponent frown as his key spell was taken away from him. Best feat of this item is that you can do it at the end of every movement phase.
• Dawn Armour. Equip this on a mounted Captain with a barded warhorse and holding a shield. You will have a 1+ rerollable armour saves. It still leave you with 15 points to spend on magic items of your choice.
• Sword of Fate. More and more monsters have started to appear in 8^th edition. So this item will give you the chance of killing off your opponent monsters with it's 2+ to wound regardless of Toughness and each wound counts as D3 wounds! Make quick short work of your opponent monsters with this sword. If I were to tailor against my opponent's army, if I suspect they would field a monster, I would field my character on a Pegasus and equip him with this sword.

Battle Standard Bearer

• Holy Relic or Talisman of Protection. Both give the same amount of protection and cost the same. You will need to protect your Battle Standard Bearer as he is important for all those leadership check that your army will have to take. Remember, Empire does not have very high leadership.
• Dawn Armour. Rerolling armour saves. You'll need all the protection you can get.
• Ogre Blade or Sword of Power. I once fielded my Battle Standard Bearer with a unit of Inner Circle Knights which acted as a “hammer” unit. Field him with full plate armour, barded warhorse and charge into your opponent unit like knights (units that are not huge in numbers). Issue challenge with the BSB so that he would hopefully be protected from all other opponent attacks. With Strength 6, you should be able to kill off your opponent character or champion. Beware of opponent character killers so pick the right target.

Warrior Priest of Sigmar

• Armour of Meteoric Iron. Warrior Priests cannot equip fullplate armour. So for the additional armour, why not go all the way and have the 1+ armour save.
• Van Horstman's Speculum. Trade stats in a challenge. This is especially good against a very fighty opponent that dish out a lot of attacks and high strength for its base strengths. Trade your two attacks for more attacks that you cannot usually do.
• Enchanted Shield, Sword of Might. This combo only takes up 30 points. I usually use this combo when I field my Warrior Priest with a unit of knights. Arm him with Heavy Armour and mounted on a barded warhorse. This will enable him to have 1+ armour saves and Strength 5 to boot.
• Armour of Destiny. Fits the Warrior Priest finely especially on a mounted warhorse. Though it will only grant him 3+ armour saves but he will also have 4+ ward saves. Equip him with a great weapon and he will survive to deal two Strenght 6 hits against your opponent.

Battle Wizard and Wizard Lord

• Rod of Power. I almost never leave home without it. This arcane item which is uniquely for Empire only is one of the best items an Empire Wizard can have. Store up to 3 dispel or casting dice each magic phase (friendly and opponent's) to be used next phase. A lot of times we need to defend or make sure some spell would be successfully cast. This is one way of ensuring we have the dice needed for that one particular magic phase.
• Dispel scroll. A simple scroll that would dispel the spell casted by your enemy. Saved units their lives with this one magic item.
• Van Horstman's Speculum. Field your wizard with a unit of knights and charge out against your opponent's army general. See you opponent's army general run away from you. Why? They would probably know you have the Speculum on your wizard. He will avoid having reduced to Weapon Skill 3, Toughness 3 and 1 Attack against your wizard in the challenge. It's funny when you do not have to tell your opponent whether the wizard is having it or not and see the reaction on your opponent's face.
• Holy Relic or Talisman of Protection. Your wizard could not wear armour (except for Armour of Tarnus) so it means that he could easily be targeted and wounded with his low Toughness. 4+ ward saves could save his life.
• Armour of Tarnus. This is useful only for mounted wizards on a barded warhorse. In this setup, he will have 3+ armour saves and 5+ ward saves. A setup that can be used with a Wizard Lord that charges into combat with VHS in his hands.

General of the Empire

• Sword of Fate, Talisman of Protection or Holy Relic, Enchanted Shield. Mounted on a Pegasus like the Captain setup above, the General could also perform the same task. A monster killer with more protection. Although I prefer the cheaper version like the Captain above, the General would last longer and could fly in and give the necessary Leadership when his troops needs it.
• Armour of Meteoric Iron, Holy Relic or Talisman of Protection. This setup is mainly just for the General to provide his Leadership to the troops. He should be placed right in the middle of the entire army. Also feasible to equip with Dragon Bow to utilize his Ballistic Skill of 5.
• Dawn Armour, Holy Relic, The Other Trickster's Shard. The combo goes with a General mounted on barded warhorse, equipped with great weapon. He has a 2+ armour save with a 4+ ward save that enables him to survive hits and then hit back with three Strength 6 attacks. The Other Trickster's Shard is there to reduce the chance of surviving the attack by the general. Quite an effective combo for the general who joins the “Hammer” knight unit.

Templar Grand Master

• Holy Relic or Talisman of Protection, Laurels of Victory. The Templar Grand Master already comes equipped in a 1+ armour save. For more protection, the Holy Relic or the Talisman of Protection gives him the additional 4+ ward saves. Equipped with the lance, on the charge, the Templar Grand Master deals four Strength 6 hits. With the Laurels of Victory, each wound counts as 2 Combat Resolution. Meaning, on the charge, the Templar Grand Master has the potential of 8 Combat Resolutions himself!
• Laurels of Victory, Sword of Sigismund. This combo is useful against lower toughness opponents which would be easily wounded and low armour saves. ie. Elfs (all three of them), skaven, Empire infantry, goblins, skinks and some of the Toughness 3 daemon units. The high initiative of the Templar Grand Master and the Always Strike First from the Sword of Sigismund enables the Templar to reroll to-hit attacks ensuring maximum hits to be delivered and the Laurels of Victory to double up the wounds for Combat Resolution.
• Sword of Bloodshed, Potion of Strength. The one hit must kill Templar Grand Master. This combo is used when wish to kill off an enemy unit or character. On the turn that you wish to do the kill, declare that you're using the potion, charge in, with seven Strength 7 attacks, you should be able to kill off any opponent character that you have to face.

If you would have noticed, I've left out the Arch-lector of Sigmar. That's because I have a special article for the Arch-lector himself as the Arch-lector is my favourite selection for my army general. As with the magic equipment chosen above, they are just some examples of what I have used before and have some degree of success in them. Of course, the dice rolling is another matter themselves but with the equipment stated above, one should have a picture of how the Empire could be equipped and played. Empire don't particularly do well in combat but buffed up with some magic items, they can do the damage and give the opponents a pleasant surprise.

Here are some other good potential magic items which I have not described above that can be equipped to the characters of the Empire:

• Mace of Helstrum. The cannonball on a stick. Exchange all your attacks for a single multi-wound Strength 10 attack. Risky but blessed with “Hammer of Sigmar”, you have the potential chance of killing off your opponent. No matter what they are.
• Shield of Gorgon. This is a very interesting shield which would reduce your opponent's number of attack by 1. Potentially charge into your opponent's unit and reduce off at least 3 attacks from their side.
• Wizard's Staff. This is an arcane item which enables you to roll 7 dice when casting a spell. Especially useful when you just need to get a spell to go off and that extra dice could just make the difference.
• Dragonbane Gem. This cheap item gives you the best protection against flaming attacks in shooting, close combat and even magic. It takes up your talisman item's slot but you usually don't use too many talismans in your army list. Try it and soon you will like it.
• Dawnstone. It's not too expensive but allows you to reroll your armour saves. Especially good for characters in knight settings (ie. Fullplate armour, mounted on barded warhorse and a shield). Might just give get you the double protection your character needs.

A lot of the magic item combos are best created to suit your own playing style. There's not right or wrong except for the difference of opinions in a game. Sometimes one may opined that a risky move is better while another might choose the defensive way of protecting their characters. But all in all, it's just a game where you need to remind yourself that it is a hobby that we all enjoy and the point is to have fun.

The Empire Described – Rare Choices

A simple description of the Empire rare troops and how I would play them

Why would these units be called Rare units? Because you should have too many of them! Otherwise it wouldn't be fair to your opponents. Of course every army would also have their rare slots where these units have the strength to turn the battle around by themselves or winning the battle. It would always be a tough decision to choose which Rare unit to choose as all of them are equally useful. They all have their randomness in them but easily overlooked with their awesome abilities. Let's break apart each of these units and see what they are capable of performing:

• Steam Tank – This monstrosity causes terror to those that opposes it. Imagine you're standing right in front when the freight train is moving right at you with full speed. Yes, it causes Terror. As in the rules as well. At Strength 6 and Toughness of 10. What?! Yes, Toughness 10. All opponents unless buff with some magical ability or weapon would require a roll of 6 in order to cause a dent at it. There's still a 1+ armour save if those people managed to get lucky. I would think that the Steam Tank would perform best when you generate 6 steam points and charge it full at the opponent. Since you can measure the distance, you would know exactly when to charge and how much steam point to generate. Try not to generate 5 steam points when you're not charging, you may not know when you may generate too much and cause a wound to the steam tank instead. Try not to charge the steam tank to an opponent unit which could take enough casualties and return with many attacks back at you. Remember, all hits against the steam tank are considered auto-hit. So try not to charge into a unit of 30 Chaos Warriors and hope that the tank would not be scratched. The Steam Tank also have a cannon which could be used if you still have two remaining steam points during shooting phase. Don't forget the steam gun at the turret which could deal a huge amount of damage to low Toughness opponents. Yes, we couldn't field too many of them. It's almost unfair to our opponents.
  
• Helblaster Volley Gun – A potential of maximum 30 (thirty) Strength 5 armour piercing shots per shooting phase. Of course you have to be very lucky (or unlucky) to be able to roll that many shots. You roll three times the artillery dice to determine the number of shots fired. Add the total rolled to determine how many shots were fired in this phase. The drawback of the Helblaster Volley Gun is that it's also a misfire magnet. Meaning, you have a good chance of rolling misfire which have the potential of blowing if apart. But even if that happens, all hope is not lost as in the misfire chart, if you roll a 6, it goes Kaboom! This means that the Helblaster Volley Gun just fired all the ammunition and blew itself up as well. The other weakness is that it still requires to roll to-hit with the crew's Ballistic Skill of 3 but when you roll high number of shots, those successes will hurt your target.
  
• Helstorm Rocket Battery – This is my favourite to field. The Helstrom Rocket Battery. It could miss quite easily but when it hits the target, it bring massive pain. With a Strength 5 large 5 inches template, large units are your favourite target. It bounces like the cannonball and then scatters like a mortar which makes it a little difficult to hit. I would just shoot them like how I could with the great cannon but probably slightly closer to the target. Watch your opponent cringe when it lands directly at the centre of a large unit. The misfire chart is pretty funny too, some element of Orcs and Globins in it, you could fire the rocket at your own lines. You wouldn't want that so, try not to misfire with our rockets. Due to it's randomness, sometimes I would scare my opponents when I field two Helstrom Rocket Batteries!
  
• Flagellant Warband – The crazies! These guys are not cheap but they're very useful. To tarpit an opponent unit, to deal massive number of damage, psychological effect or simply they are just fun to field. These unbreakable, Strength 5 on the charge and frenzied guys could hold off opponents and giving you the chance to strike where it would hurt your opponent. Added with “The End is Nigh” rule, sacrifice D3 models and you would probably be able to reroll to-hit, reroll to-wound and +1 Combat Resolution on that round of close combat. Of course if you only sacrifice one model you would be able to reroll to-hit. Sacrificing two is the best when you reroll both to-hit and to-wound. The third gives you an extra Combat Resolution which I would prefer not to have. An extra flagellant alive is always best to have. Don't leave them open to enemy shooting or magic as they don't wear any armour and with Toughness 3, they fall very easily.

Here you go, the only four Rare choices that the Empire could have. Playing with the Empire, you would always face the problem of choosing which unit to field. If you would field a moving tidal wave, I would suggest that you would either bring Flagellants or Steam Tank. This would enable you to cover your flanks and to hit hard at your enemy units. These two unit choice could hold up on their own as they are both unbreakable units. Both have their weaknesses but if played right, they would at least catch the attention of your opponent. As for the Helstrom Rocket Battery and Helblaster Volley Gun, these two are stationary units where they would not move. Make sure you place them correctly during the deployment phase that they would be able to see their intended target(s). The Helstrom Rocket Battery is usually placed at the back and probably in the middle so that it could shoot directly into the centre of my opponent's deployment zone while the Helblaster Vollery Gun could serve to hold off opponent's flanking units. Have a strategy ready when choosing between these four unit types. All four of them would at least have some psychological effect on your opponents. Have fun playing them, I always do.

The Empire Described – Special Choices

A simple description of the Empire special troops and how I would play them

As how I have described the core choices in a previous article, the Empire army would not be able to win battles if you would only field the core choices (probably the same with all other armies). Of course the Empire would be best fielded with their Elite choices that would greatly increase the army strength. Here are the Special choices for the Empire army.

• Great Cannon – One of the most feared choice that the Empire fields. The Great Cannon. Why? Strength 10, multi-wound damage, no armour saves, maximum range of 60 inches and goes through ranks as a single line template. That's why. Single model characters fears it, monsters fears it, knights dare not show their flanks to it, other warmachines fears it and even buildings are not safe from it. I would sure to bring either one or two to the battle field in every game as just their mere presence would cause some psychological effect on your opponent. Just don't roll misfires frequently and you'll come to love these big guns.
• Mortar – Empire mortars are underestimated greatly. These explosive round will land a 5 inch round template on the enemy troops. Though it's only Strength 3 but it makes up for the number of models that could be hit with it. Very dangerous if it was put against an army with mostly Toughness 3 and below troops.
• Pistoliers – These are fast moving, fast shooting and fast dying guys. With vanguard, you could bring them forward and with their 16 inches fast cavalry rule, if you get first turn, you will be able to get to the enemy deployment zone in the first movement. Disrupt enemy movement or even their formation and probably even do some damage. Their drawback is that they are weak defensively and easily taken off by shooting or magic. These guys don't see much action in my army.
• Greatswords – The Elite Empire infantry who wields swords as tall as themselves if not taller. If these guys were cheaper in points, I would field them in a few hordes. They are all fitted with full plate armour which makes them pretty good at surviving because they will need any armour they could get. Being Toughness 3, they have to survive before landing a blow on their opponents due to the greatweapon that they wield. As in the Warrior Priest and you have a pretty good hard hitting unit. But make sure they survive the initial hit by their opponents first. Stubborn is a nice bonus on top of this unit.
• Knights of the Inner Circle – Solidify your rubber lances with these knights. At base Strength 4, the Inner Circle Knights will pack a bigger punch to your targets. It's up to you to equip them with great weapons or with lances. Both have their pros and cons but you will be hitting your target with a Strength 6 hit. I have used these knights with success. Bring a mounted Warrior Priest with them for the Hatred rule and prayers could sometimes make the knights very solid blocks.
• Outriders – Men on horses with machine guns! Well not exactly. Outriders could shoot 3 shots per shooting phase on horses. They have Ballistic Skill of 4 which is great and making them shoot targets at 5+ at long range. When the enemy troop gets too close, move them away with their Movement of 8 ( 16 inches if you march). They can't fire if they had moved so remember to place them correctly. They are similar to Pistoliers where they can get shot down easily but at least these guys would be deployed around your own deployment zone and receive the Inspiring Presence of your general. One of the best thing about Outriders is that you could equip the Champion with the Hochland Long Rifle. It is a gun that could shoot 36 inches and you could “Snipe” opponent characters with it. It's a single Strength 4 shot that pierces armour. In two quick lucky rounds, you could probably take out your opponent's wizard!

In 8^th edition, opponents could move much faster and easily gets the charge on the second turn of the game. With fliers and fast cavalry units that could vanguard and high movement our warmachines are easily caught and destroyed. It would be best for to have a strategy devised for both the mortar and the great cannon early during deployment itself so that they could be able to gain back their points before they are rendered useless or destroyed! I would usually deploy the warmachines last but also remember to have some protection for them. Usually I would use the handgunners or crossbowmen that would shoot and perhaps redirect incoming threat away. 

Outriders and pistoliers are our only fast cavalry available. With vanguard, you could almost certainly get to shoot on your first turn. But beware, if you push them in the open with vanguard, they could be the first shooting target that you opponent chooses. Remember, these guys are weak to shooting and would easily panic when a few of them have fallen. Have some psychological effect on your opponent when you deploy the Outriders by declaring that the champion have the Hochland Long Rifle. Their weak wizards or sorcerers would shiver at the sound of that gun. Pistoliers are still useful in baiting your opponent and shooting them when you out manoeuvre your opponent units. They are pretty annoying with their 16 inches march move and could reform in any way at the end of movement. 

Inner Circle Knights have many times been my favourite “Hammer” unit. Have a Warrior Priest to join them and the Arch-Lector on the war-altar following behind. Equip the Steel Standard on the knights as well. Quite often your opponents would move their units into a range that is just slightly away from your average charging range. With the Steel Standard, you may catch your opponent offguard with the additional D3 movement on the charge. Try to cast some magic to draw away dispel dice from your opponent but reserve the final two dice for yourself. Then cast “Birona's Timewarp” from your war-altar to the Inner Circle Knights that have charged. Hopefully your opponent will not be able to dispel it and your knights have two attacks, Hatred, Always Strike First at strength 6 (lance). 

To conclude, remember that these special troops have great potential and would perform greatly if you roll well and deployed correctly during deployment. Spend a few extra seconds to think during deployment and you would not regret it. Protect them well and max out their potential and win games with them.

The Empire Described – Core Choices

A simple description of the Empire core troops and how I would play them

Have you watched movies like Troy, Return of the King (LOTR), Two Towers (LOTR again), Kingdom of Heaven, Braveheart, King Arthur and Gladiator? These are just some movie names that inspired one to play the Empire. Thousands of men on foot marching covering hills with their numbers towards their doom. Knights supporting flanks taking out enemies at the sides causing much disruption in the opponent's enemy lines. Knights performing deeds of great honour, killing devastating monsters and saving the day. Wizards casting spells that burns their foes charging at them. Wizards causing catastrophic magic that cripples the enemy army. Inspirational leaders leading the men towards the inevitable doom. Leaders jumping up to face the seemed invincible enemy and slaying them against all odds. 

The army of men. In the game of warhammer fantasy battles, Empire men do not have strong “stats” that could face the blunt of battle blindly. The entire army needs the support of each other and with the combined strength, the army could do well. I would not suggest it to a new player who would just want an army that would just move straight and kill what they could charge. Playing the Empire would require you to have some strategy involved when you start deploying them in the tabletop.

When fielding an army, you would require at least 25 percent of the total points to be from the Core choices. Meaning that you would not be able to field an army without any of the core choices. But which of the troops to choose? Here's a little description based on my own opinion that would probably help you to decide.

• Swordmen – During 7^th edition, these were my favourite blocks. Now at 8^th edition, they're still not so bad. With the “parry” rule, it means that they would always have a 6+ ward save on top of their 5+ armour saves. They are an option as detachments for their better defense. I would field about 15 of them in a 5 x 3 formation and use them to counter-charge or bait opponent units.
  
• Halberdiers – These now form my usual blocks of men. With halberds, they deliver a Strength 4 hit which would help a great deal when we need to cause wounds. Add a warrior priest to lead them to battle and they would have Hatred rule which greatly increase the strength of the unit. I would usually field them in a unit of 40 strong and form them up in a horde formation. Make sure I could maximize my number of hits and get a good chance of wounding.
  
• Spearmen – Another unit which I would field as detachments. They are cheap and could fight up to three ranks if they were charged or in subsequent combat rounds. I don't usually give them shields as detachments should be as cheap as they can be.
  
• Free Company – Cheap two attack per model units which would die easily. They're my other choice for detachments. Free companies would work well for those lightly or not armoured opponents.
  
• Handgunners – The cracking sound of muskets and bullets piercing through armour. What better units to protect your warmachines. They're not very accurate but at Strength 4 armour piercing, opponent knights don't really like these guys.
  
• Crossbowmen – Shooting from 30 inches away, Strength 4 to wound. Field them at the back and torture your opponent's units. Similarly with the Handgunners, they are not accurate but the strength of each hit makes up for it. These are good for softening your target before hitting them with your close combat units.
  
• Archers – The only skirmishers in the whole army. These guys are also one of the options that I would use as detachments. Mainly to be used as screens against shooting. A little bit expensive screen but with Skirmish rule, they would have to hit these guys at a further -1 “To Hit” penalty. Upgrade them to Huntsmen and they will have the “Scout” ability. They won't be able to do much damage to your opponent with only Strength 3 shooting or close combat. I use them mainly to harass my opponent if I know they would probably be fielding warmachines that are lightly defended.
  
• Knightly Orders – One of my favourite core choices. Reliable men that are tough to kill. Of course that's because of their 1+ armour saves. These knights are mostly used as bunkers for my mounted army Battle Standard Bearer or mounted Battle Wizard. As they are heavily armoured, you don't have to worry about these guys getting shot or magic shot at unless against high strength or those ignore armour damage. They have good defence with their high armour saves but when it comes to their offensive abilities, I have come to learn of the term, “Knights of the Rubber Lance”. They have Weapon Skill of 4 but somehow, they just could not deliver the punch needed when they are required to do so.
  

Depending on your army list and play style, you should pick the units that complement your other units. So far in the 8^th edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battles, in my opinion, if you would want to hold an opponent unit until you could flank it with a “hammer” unit, field a huge block Swordmen and have many ranks in them to ensure you would have Steadfast rule if you lose the combat. That would help you to sustain the combat until your own turn to flank or rear charge the opponent that had charged you. If you would want your core troops to be able to hit your opponent, bring in Halberdiers in a horde formation. Field a Warrior Priest with it and it would be able to deliver quite a number of wounds and win combat. 

In the 8^th edition, the units now move faster and have a longer potential charge range. This would mean that shooting units would have lesser turns to fire and cause massive damage to opponents. This is unless of course if you bring huge numbers of shooting for example a gunline army. I would think that shooting are not useless at all but you have to pick the right targets. Causing two or three wounds to a unit that consists of 40 models would not have any impact but it would mean a panic test to a flanker unit that consists of only five or six models.

In conclusion, the Empire core troops won't be able to kill all in their path like Chaos Warriors but they might just be able to do enough timed correctly and with the right targets. They are weak defensively but cheap enough to be able to suffer the losses in order to achieve a greater purpose. They are like pawns in a chess game waiting for the right time for you to make the Checkmate!