The Empire is the largest and most powerful of all
the many and varied realms of the Old World. Cut out of
rugged country, the Empire is bordered by tall mountains, and
split by raging rivers. To the North are the sweeping plains
of Kislev, and throughout the land are dark forests and vast
stretches of wilderness.
In all of these untamed places are enemies,
indeed, it could be said that the Empire is surrounded on all
sides - the mountains are riddled with Night Goblin tunnels,
Beastmen lurk in the dark forests, and the forces of Chaos
march down from the North. It is this proximity of danger
that has shaped the darker nature of the Empire. To maintain
the precarious position of safety, the armies of the Empire
are second to none!
INFANTRY
The backbone of the Empire army is made up of good, sturdy infantry. The basic Imperial trooper is equipped with a Halberd - an excellent weapon against tough troops like Orcs or Beastmen.
Of course there are plenty of different ways to arm your infantry. Equipping a unit with spears makes for a more defensive regiment, while the double-handed weapons of the Greatswords are fantastic in dispatching the toughest of foes, but the drawbacks are going last in combat, and being unable to carry a shield.
The most heavily armored and trained foot troops are
the Reiksguard. These are the personal bodyguard of the
Emperor, and they make a very effective and hard-hitting
unit.
PLUG THE FOE WITH MISSILES
While the Elves (Wood Elves especially!)
may be the best at archery, they certainly have not cornered
the market! Empire troopers can be armed with a great variety
of missile weapons: the bow which allows troops to move and
shoot, the crossbow, a more powerful, but slower loading
device, and the hand gun, a gunpowder weapon that has a slow
rate of fire, but is more effective at penetrating heavily
armored troops.
KNIGHTS
Chivalry is not as rampant in the Empire as it is in neighboring Bretonnia (hence the Imperial use of gunpowder, war machines, and foul language), but there are still several Knightly Orders. In the Empire the Knights tend to be used as the striking part of the army (not as the entire army, as with Bretonnia!).
The different orders are the Knights Panther,
Knights of the Blazing Sun, and the Knights of the White
Wolf.
IMPERIAL GUNNERY SCHOOL GRADUATES
Thanks to the Artillery School in the city of Nuln
and the Engineers School in the Capital of Altdorf, the
Empire is quite well-equipped with innovative war machines.
There are many different devices for an Imperial General to choose from, the key is picking the right tool for the job. The Imperial Cannon is long-ranged and perfect for destroying large monsters such as Giants and Dragons. The Helblaster Volley gun with its multiple barrels is capable of annihilating massed units in one shot!
Special note must go to the highly mobile War Wagon and the destructive and hard-to-kill Steam Tank.
The Repeater Hand Gun is also available for units of mounted troops known as Outriders.
EVEN MORE TROOPS
Of course the Empire can call on even more troops. From the province known as the Moot come Halflings, a diminutive race that make excellent archers. The Emperor can recruit from the plains of Kislev, home of fierce Nomads that fight with such skill on horseback it seems as if they were born there. Ogres, Dwarfs, and the doom-obsessed Flagellants can also be counted amongst the Empire's many ranks!
MUSTERING YOUR OWN ARMY
If you are interested in collecting and playing with your own Empire Army the best place to get started is the Warhammer Armies Empire book. This vital tome describes the land, politics, and history of the Empire, as well as supplying the all-important army list and troop review! There are special characters, including all the present Elector counts, and the Emperor Karl Franz himself!
Special rules for Empire-only equipment and magic items are included, as is a battle-winning Empire Tactics section. As with all Warhammer Army books, this one has a full-color section showing painted examples of many models. There is even a page detailing the various regimental colors of all the different states and provinces, so interested army builders can put as much painting and historic detail into their forces as they wish!
Remember, keep your shield up and your powder dry. Now, forward for the Emperor!