Playing With Detachments

[Melissia]

Playing around with Empire lists, namely detachments. This one is 750 points.

Heroes: 100 Pts
Captain w/Hammer of Judgement, Armor of Meteoric Iron

Core: 650 Pts
19 Halberdiers w/Shields, Musician, Standard Bearer
-- Sergeant w/Shield
-- 10 Archers Detachment
-- 5 Halberdiers Detachment

19 Halberdiers w/Shields, Musician, Standard Bearer
-- Sergeant w/Shield
-- 10 Archers Detachment
-- 5 Halberdiers Detachment

14 Handgunners w/Musician
-- Marksman w/Hochland Long Rifle



________[Archer Det]________[Archer Det]
[Halb Det] [Halberds] [Handguns] [Halberds] [Halb Det]

[Makarova (M.I.A)]

Not a bad list, but I'd exchange the archers for crossbowmen or handgunners if you plan on playing defensively (and try to get some cavalry if you plan on playing offensively), they're simply more powerful. S3 don't kill. You could also, if you wanted to, exchange one or both of the Halberdier detachments for Free Companies, both are about equally good for an offensive flank charge and it'll get some diversity in if you want that. I'd drop the Hammer of Judgement as it kind of sucks, and give the captain either a Sword of Might or a common great weapon. If you go for the great weapon, I'd increase the handgunners to 20 and split them in two units of 10, or drop 4 of them and try to squeeze in some cavalry.

[Adam Selene]

I like how you have placed the archers in front of their units, with empire I always have the problem of a really long line because:

a) some units don't benifit from general leadership/battle standard.
b) lots of weak points that are only 5 Halberdiers stopping knight from breaking through and rear charging/war machine killing.

this may be less of a problem for you, at only 750 points you shouldn't be facing to many knight units ect.

[Melissia]

Archers are skirmishers, therefor they work for screening quite well on longer lines. It's why I picked them, not so much for damage as for screening. If I switch them to xbowmen, I need to basically make my xbowmen into the front rank of my halberdiers, though that shouldn't really be hard.

[Makarova (M.I.A)]

There's nothing inheritly wrong with bowmen, they do screen better as you said, but don't expect them to kill anything but light infantry and fast cavalry.

[Melissia]

Well the entire point of that front detachment is simply to fire a few shots and then absorb the initial charge, get killed or flee, and then the halberdiers charge the next turn. The side detachment then moves to deny rank bonuses to the enemy.

The real problem I think I might have is the handgunner squad in the middle... but if they focus fire on any heavy cavalry they can find, they should be able to manage decently enough if I put my captain in there.

[Makarova (M.I.A)]

It's not a bad plan, but putting the captain with the handgunners is risky. They will die if fighting on their own even with him in there, and if things go wrong you've lost your hero. He's more safe with the halberdiers. The handgunners are still angled well enough for a flank charge, and that's all you can ask of them really.

Few opponents will charge you in the middle into that very obvious trap, they'll try to focus on one flank or even line up their army for a side attack, so keeping flexible is good.