The Empire are, in a word, resilient. By default, they field large numbers of slow-moving infantry, supported by a powerful static artillery line and swift, but relatively lightly armoured, vehicles. Empire automata act as powerful shock troops, spearheading a force of infantry that is tough, deadly at short ranges and very difficult to budge once they reach their destination and set shields.
However, speed is a factor, especially in Clashes like Supply Drop where both sides must move quickly from the first turn. There are no Empire transport units and repositioning your infantry after initial deployment can expend vital inches of movement. To fill this gap, the Empire can employ fast-moving specialist units, like Jindoyun Steambikes and Bulnabang Flying Infantry to seize and contest Objectives in the early turns of the game or rapidly redeploy to meet new enemy threats.
Utilising static artillery also means you may need to divide your forces to some extent, assigning some units to protect your big guns, lest they become easy prey for flanking enemies or aerial sorties. Fortunately, there are some excellent choices to fill this role, including the Baio Flak Launchers and Ruishi Lion Automata, if you can spare the points.
In terms of modelling and painting, the Empire sculpts are fantastic; they are highly detailed and have a really unique design aesthetic that blends a range of ceremonial Asian styles into a steampunk aesthetic. However, this is not an army for the faint-hearted - assembling an army can be a big job. This is, in part, because of the large unit sizes for core Green Banner Infantry and, in part, because many other infantry units are inexpensive in terms of their points cost and in Empire Battlegroups more units can be taken higher reinforcement levels than other factions.
That means the number of individual infantry you will need to assemble and paint is likely to be larger than many other factions. In addition, some Empire sculpts are fiddly to assemble – many Green Banner Infantry shields are included separately on the sprue, which gives you a lot of variability in terms of assembling the models, but it’s also a lot of work given how many models form each unit. So too, the Bulnabang Flying Infantry and Green Banner Jezzail team shield holders each come in two parts and need to be assembled to make a single infantry model, leaving you with a choice of painting before, or after, glueing.
Each Empire unit has a function worth considering depending on what you may face in terms of your opponents force and Clash scenario, but when building your army, don’t leave home without:
- Automata. They hit very hard and never get scared or run away. The Empire field three different variants of automata and while they cannot claim objectives, they can certainly deny them to your opponent with extreme prejudice.
- Green Banner Rocket Teams. An all-star unit with a solid ranged attack that can target any enemy unit and fire indirectly. Put them ‘On Lookout’ in difficult terrain for protection and then indirectly attack a target of your choice each turn, when it activates.
- Tanshe Artillery Chariots. Another all-rounder with an indirect attack option that can attack both Heavy and Light targets. The Tanshe can also be called forward to use its scythed wheels to devastate enemies in a lighting charge and claim Objectives, making it a terrific reserve unit.
- Doksuri Fighter Squadron. These stylish aircraft make excellent armoured vehicle hunters, their VETERAN (2) rule makes it likely that every sortie will yield a result.
While these units should be used with care:
- Jindoyun Steambikes. While they may not have the same offensive punch as some other cavalry, Steambikes can provide the Empire with much needed speed for Objective grabbing or even a cheeky flank attack at a pinch, so long as they keep their distance. As a further bonus, they yield few Victory Points if they are Annihilated.
- Fangun Medium Tanks. While the Fangun is a versatile tank, don’t be fooled into thinking it can go toe-to-toe with other main battle tanks or heavy armour. Rather, Fanguns should use their speed, PIONEER special rule and long ranged weaponry to maneuver into a favourable position against their chosen target and potentially remain in cover, before attacking.
- Bulnabang Flying Infantry. These troops require a little forward planning if you want to get the most from their CORROSIVE FUMES (3”) and HIT AND RUN (6”) special rules, but like the Jindoyun, they offer an important fast-moving option that can SOAR forward to grab objectives early in the game, and then immediately defend them using their STALKER rule. For more aggressive play and Objective protection, purchase the COUNTERCHARGE Boon to allow the Bulnabang to interdict enemies as soon as they activate, using their SUPRESSIVE Melee attack.
- A Wall of Clay and Iron. In Armoured Clash units don’t generally block line-of-sight. The Jiānhùrén Terracotta Automata are an exception to this because of their BULWARK special ability. A good tactic is to push the automata ahead of the main battleline from the outset, using a FORLORN HOPE Boon and then moving a Green Banner Flame Team right behind them. Once these units get close to the enemy you can use the FOR THE EMPIRE! Empire Faction Battlegroup special ability to discard a card and allow the flame team to ignore the automata for the purposes of line of sight. If played successfully, the Automata pivot in unison and the flame team behind them open-up, bathing nearby enemies in a devastating torrent of fire. Then the automata join ranks once more to prevent a return volley. However, it should be noted that this tactic won’t be effective at blocking return fire from larger size enemies, those on terrain or using indirect fire.
- Behemoth Busters. If you’re concerned about the offensive power of an enemy Behemoth, try taking two reinforced units of San Lei Heavy Artillery. This twin punch dishes out two attacks per round, each 12 dice, that should quickly degrade and reduce the offensive output of your opponent’s mechanical monstrosity. Ideally you deploy the guns behind some dense terrain that allows them to see virtually any towering enemy Behemoth, but blocks smaller enemy units from targeting them in return. Of course, this is a risk if no enemy Behemoth materializes – in which case you may have to risk open deployment for these guns, as the San Lei can’t fire indirectly.
- Corroding Enemy Morale. The Empire aren’t the only faction that employs large numbers of infantry, but many other large enemy infantry formations have a relatively low Discipline rating. In this case, using a combination of CORROSIVE FUMES to Disorder enemy units and then hitting them with attacks that have the SUPRESSIVE weapon quality can not only reduce enemy offensive power, but even force them to retreat from critical Objectives, as your opponent suffers penalties to their Discipline test. This means that a mix of Bulnabang Flying Infantry, Laoshan Landship, Fengbao Heavy Launchers and any of the many Empire flamethrower attacks can leave even the largest enemy formation reeling, and falling back, opening the path for your units to seize Objectives.
- Slow and Steady Wins the Race. The humble Green Banner Infantry Platoon can be a remarkably hard rock to shift (for their points), especially if they manage to go full tortoise-mode on an Objective. Of course, their slow pace means they are likely to need to spend several turns moving at double-time to reach their Objective (during which time they are vulnerable to enemy fire), before spending a turn ‘Taking Cover’ and setting their shields. Once they are set though, the increase in Defence against the number of stands can be significant – for example, a reinforced unit goes from being able to take 32 hits before being annihilated, up to a whopping 48! However, this strategy only works if the infantry holds their nerve and pass their Discipline tests, so the placement of a nearby commander may be essential if a prolonged or Suppressive bombardment is expected.
Overall, the Empire offer a very versatile and comprehensive play-experience, which can reward the hard-work of assembling and painting so many infantry with a resilient force likely to stay competitive until the last turn of the game. They are likely to perform better on tables where there is a good amount of difficult terrain (given the relatively light armour of their tanks and how many of their units have the PIONEER special rule) and in Clashes which offer Victory Points each turn, as their waves of troops advance across the table in the mid and late phases of the game.
