Empire `General' tactics
Empire `vs Vampire Counts' tactics
Empire `vs Dwarves' tactics
Empire `vs Skaven' tactics
Tactics in progress......
Tricks in Progress.....

Tactics vs Horde armies
The two biggest horde armies are Skaven and Orcs & Goblins. If played properly these armies will take up the entire opposing board edge. Your army will pale in comparison.
Generically these two armies have the disadvantage of low leadership.
As I have yet to play a good game vs O&G in 6th I will mostly use basic advice concering them. Skaven, using Ravening Hordes, have been my opponent tons of times. Since my friend and I play quite a bit against each other, we often know one another's tactics and troop choices and so most of the games are 50-50 in wins and losses.
Skaven are actually better troops than humans. Think about it. They move at 5" and have a higher iniative. When they are used in their base unit size of 20+, they have a comparable or better leadership even!
But the large advantage of playing Empire is your choice of troops available. Now this of course means you have to have a ton of figs and some of us aren't this lucky. Just use the figs that you have and play the style that works for you. Fortunately I have enough figs to play different styles and have had luck using them all.
Missile heavy vs hordes.
The biggest trial of using missile troops on horde armies is that it never really seems to leave much of a dent in the force that is bearing down on you. And of course there is always the ever-present 'missile screen' of cheap troops. Always shoot at elite troops first. These guys are of course more expensive and your opponent will feel their loss. As I have said elsewhere try your damnedest to have some sort of flyer or scouts or fast cav to hinder your opponent's march moves. Skaven move at 5" and if they are humming along at 10" they are gonna be on you fast! Mortars are a must as are hellblasters.
Your troop choices will have to be tough enough to take on anything that gets through. Flagellants and Greatswords fit the bill. Core foot troops should either have detachments of missile troops or HtH troops. Flanking will of course take away the horde army's usually large rank bonus.
Try and use small units of knights or pistoliers as protection vs O&G's wolfriders. I would take cannons on even number with mortars vs O&G since they have access to chariots, war machines and giants. Mortars should be in good numbers against Skaven. Tightly packed, lightly armoured, gigantic units of T3? Wheeeee.
If you want to be really nasty, the Hochland long rifle in every Marksman hands eats up points but is effective in slaughtering enemy heroes.
Combat Heavy vs Hordes
I am experimenting with taking nothing but HtH troops in my Empire armies. I have so far won 2 out of 2 games vs Dark elves and won 1 out of 2 games vs Skaven.
My record is now a little better. I have lost versus Chaos Demons (using Annual rules), won versus Skaven quite regularly and am 50-50 vs enemy Empire forces.
What I do is take large blocks of troops and take full detachments. I now only take 1 detachment each parent unit. Deployment is getting to be a real trial.
Heroes will generally lead a unit but I have had some success with leaving my general on foot running around on his lonesome and supporting a fight when needed or just being within range for his Ld to be used.
I enjoy this style. It is aggressive and my opponent is usually quite shocked to see no missile troops and my men adavancing on his position! I do take pistoliers as I have found their initial charge into the rear of a unit combined with another unit attacking the front to be an easy enemy rout. The biggest advice I have for HtH-heavy armies is coordinate your attacks. Gang up on the enemy. This is usually easy with detachments. Do the math. A 20 strong unit with command in the front will equal a 20 strong with command enemy in combat result. But take away that rank bonus with a flank attack and you are winning with a +5  (not taking into account wounds caused) right off the bat! This is found by rank +3, flank attack +1, and outnumbering +1. Pursue and run rampant. This works far better than hoping 10 handgunners kill enough to make a panic check.
I am still using the 6 across unit. Some of my units work better as 5 across or I don't have enough figs to warrant it. Halberdiers are usually 30 strong with 6 across. Swordsmen are 20 strong with 5 across. Flagellants are 6 across but only 18 strong. I want more attacks available as they usually won't win combat unless they charge.
Taking the Griffon banner is excellent with the combination of detachments. These detachments pursue the fleeing enemy when the parent unit can't. This example is the killer of high leadership enemy troops. With the loss of rank bonus with detachments on the flank and your CR of outnumbering, doubled ranks, std, etc is almost a guaranteed result of the enemy needing snake eyes to pass their break test. Ever see the eyes of an opponent who just lost an elite unit to a lowly unit of halberdiers with free company detachments?

Some tricks to try out!!
-If you are using a fairly defensive Empire force with lots of shooters and war machines, try and take advantage of anything that will hinder march moves. The longer you have to shoot at the enemy, the better. This can be achieved through the use of:
*Flyers in the backfield. Heroes on mounted, flying monsters work well. If the mount in question is a Griffin, then the terror will cause even more havoc. Once in the backfield of an enemy, the flyer can do a number of chores. Kill war machines, simutaneously hitting the rear of an enemy while your HtH troops hit the front, charge fleeing troops and auto-killing them if within it's 20" charge range, or wizard hunting.
*scouting Huntsmen. Fairly self-explanatory. Just remember that Huntsmen are there for a small role. They don't have the ability to do much damage to large troops so run at the first opportunity.
*Pistoliers. If the enemy has a limited number of missile troops then the pistoliers can run rampant. Pistoliers can easily defeat decent sized core units if they get a rear or flank charge.
*DoW units like Lumpin Croops halflings, the Birdmen of Catrazza and others fit the role nicely if given the opportunity

-For a fairly unbreakable Empire force, try this....
*Elector count with the Rod of Command in a big unit that has the Griffin standard and detachments. (autopass 1st Break test but with >+7 to CR)
*Battle Standard bearer with Banner of Sigismund in a unit of inner circle Knights (Stubborn unit with a reroll and a 1+sv)
*Unit of Greatswords (stubborn unit)
*unit of Flaggelants (unbreakable)
*Steamtank (terror causing, unbreakable)
And then various other tools like pistoliers, mortars and hellblasters
WARNING  all of these taken together may get you physically beaten by some opponents
 
 
 
 

You are aware of the endless possibilities and combinations that leading an army of Empire troops affords you. The only thing that stands between your choice of units you have and troops you want is...... money. (literally)
 With the new figs that have been released the cost of an Empire army has actually improved! Plastics allow for cheaper cost and are a lot easier to convert.
 Your core troop units must be large. Especially take into account of armies with missile troops as they will most likely weed your men out as you advance or hold your position. Use the detachment rule of 5+ unit size to take smaller more maneuverable units.
 I am experimenting now with ranks of 6 across. With the corner touching rule, this gives you more attacks because of the smaller base used for human size models.. This is really noticeable when fighting against a  unit with a frontage of 5 or 4 wide. When playing a defensive role, your unit will usually be charged by a reduced enemy (due to missile casualties) and you will want as many attacks as possible after the enemy has had a chance to attack. With frontage of 6 you can afford to lose 3-4 men and then strike back with any heroes and champions that are still standing base to base.
 Magic items are a personal choice. Some people gear their men to the maximum allowed. I like to take the points in rank-and-file instead. I dole out magic to achieve a role for the fig in question. More attacks are needed for combat result or wiping out war machine crews or lone wizards, higher strength for taking out monsters or good saves for endurance in battle are some examples. The lesser items are excellent for adding a bit of fighting ability to a character.
 A quick look at the core HtH troops will show you this:
Spearmen give you more attacks but 7 points for 5+sv
Halberdiers allow you to wound T3 on a 3+ and a -1 armour sv mod but 6+sv in HtH
Swordsmen will hit on a 3+ vs WS3 and have a 4+save for 6 points
*Missile units* I like to take 12 men in a unit. I find 10 across is a little too big but I like 8 across with the final 4 in the back rank for the rank bonus in HtH.

 Core troops

 Swordsmen
 Swordsmen are excellent for use against low toughness and many numbered opponents like Skaven. With the new rules of a further +1 sv for handweapon and shield, this gives them a save of 4+ in HtH for 7 points. They are best used as a detachment since they can't get any options as a detached unit and they don't really need them. Swordsmen work well against any Elves as their WS will be equivalent to the elves' WS. This means a 4+ is needed for everyone.

 Spearmen
 Spearmen are best used against numerous foes and as a defensive force such as Undead and Beastmen maybe. These units can be created to accommodate heroes in the front ranks and then have more backup in combat with the second rank attacking as well. They shouldn't be used as detachments since detachments will usually charge the flanks and charging negates the spear advantage.

 Halberdiers
 Halberdiers are excellent for use against high toughness armies such as Orcs and Chaos. The S4 attack will give you that equal terms for wounding (4+) and will punch through armor. Shields are often a waste of points unless you anticipate getting shot to hell. Their only detriment is that their armour save blows.

 Handgunners
 The best missile choice. With the first shot being +D6" this will allow you to peg almost any enemy at the beginning. Since you won't be moving when you shoot you will generally hit on a 4+ (minus  range mods) Handgunners are great because of the extra save modifier (-2). If you spend the points for a marksmen, make sure you have the points for a Empire-only missile weapon! Any of the choices are good. Use the appropriate choice for the army you are against. The Repeater pistol is a bit of a waste because of it's range. It's multi attacks in the first round may be nice tho if you anticipate the handgunners eventually fighting.

  Crossbowmen
 Crossbowmen are great for defensive, hard hitting, long range missiles. Deployed with 2 ranks on a hill they are deadly. Again, no moving means hitting on a 4+ (- range)

 Free Companies
 These guys are the choice for detachments! Taken 6 wide, they will smash your enemy's flank with 12 attacks! Hmmm.... actually 6 across is nice for main solo units but for a detachment their numbers should be 4 or 5 across. The enemy's flank shouldn't be more than 5 long anyway. Their low S is a factor but who cares. They're bandits anyway! A good Mordheim warband looks great as a unit and everyone knows that well painted figs do better.

 Archers
 They skirmish. Not really a factor. I'm not fond a bowmen. Empire is spoiled with it's S4 missile attacks. I always used to use halflings. However the Huntsmen are nice as they can be used as flanking troops or used to get behind an enemy and affect his march moves. The huntsmen also get the longbows.  I will take archers only to use my now-useless halfling figs.

 Knights
 Knights were too expensive, both in points and money,  for me to use them in a game smaller than 3000 points in 5th ed. Now with decent points cost and new plastic figs I will always field some. The new knight box set is a must for your army since they come with everything to allow you to create a unit to match your army theme.
 With full plate armour and an increased move (M7) due to the rules dropping the weight penalty for heavy armour, knights can be a hard-hitting unit that the Empire needs.  Having a 1+ save means that anyone not fleeing from your charge will be hard pressed to do any damage to the knights in subsequent rounds. If you have the points, taking the Inner circle option is a must. Use your knights to roll up one flank while you shoot the rest of the enemy's troops to bits. Unless the knight unit is large, don't use your knights as hard chargers. Use their movement to maneuver and fight the fights you will win.

 Special Troops

 Greatswords
 I would only take these in a big game. No way! All the time now. Their 4+ save is good against missilers and the great weapon S bonus of +2 would help punch through heavily armoured troops. Their stubbornness is not really that great as you will be testing on an 8. Remember that heroes in greatsword units will not be stubborn so you can either test on their modified Ld or the greatsword's unmodified 8Ld. Field them in medium size units and use them for support roles for war machines or missile troops.
Screw that! I now have a unit of 18-20. They cause fear in opponents. These bad boys are great for a parent unit with detachments.

 Pistoliers
 These are now great troops. Use the fast cav rules for flank harassment or find a hole in the enemy's battle line and aim for war machines or missile troops. Remember that each fig can move it’s max of 16”. This will enable you to position yourself out of charge arcs and give you maximum potential for missile fire. Never throw them into combat against big units unless it is to support. Always remember the fusillade rule and smash the enemy with two S4 hits and a horse attack per fig in HtH. This can be ultra nasty when say 6 pistoliers charge the rear of a unit. Their unit strength is 12 so they will negate rank bonus in the enemy and you will get +2 to your combat result. This will crush normal size units. Try a unit of 8-12. This can give you maximum flexibility for role use.

 Cannons
 Take these first before any others. Cannons allow you to hit deep ranked units and also allows you to threaten those Demons, wizards or heroes on monsters. It always seems like Chaos needs a cannonball to the head before they realize the threat of a cannon. Always aim for a hero in a unit since your opponent just might roll a 1 for the `lookout sir'.

 Mortars
 Mortars are good for huge enemy ranks. Skaven and undead will be shocked to see you plant that 5" template over them. Or try and target war machines to kill the crews.
 

 Rare Troops

 Flagellants
 A must have if you want a good toughness, nonbreakable troop. Their low WS stinks but you will usually be hitting on a 4+ anyway. Our house rule is that flail's +2 in the first round of combat applies to EVERY combat the flagellants fight in. So throw them forward when the time is right and teach the heretics the wrath of Sigmar! Just keep them safe from too much missile fire. If you know you will lose combat, use the A2 to take out heroes or champions in base to base combat. This can greatly weaken an elite unit fighting the flagellants.

 Hellblaster
 A must have. They cost a little more now but with their new misfire tables, they should stick around a little longer. Use them to protect an entire avenue of approach. Watch as your opponent grinds his teeth in frustration. Use your missile troops to panic his screening troops and then open up on his more valuable units. If at all possible set the Hellblaster up so as to shoot at skirmishing troops. Units like Skaven censer bearers that are a -2 to hit normally are still hit automatically. If possible try and buy whichever Hellblaster fig you like best. I am partial to the old machine but others may feel differently.

 Dogs of War
 In bigger games you will have room for them. Ensure your opponent doesn't mind! I have a feeling that the Steamtank and the Outriders will return in a future White Dwarf as new units with new figs and rules. A unit of pikemen would fit any Empire army just fine and would be excellent for a defensive plan of attack.
 

 Heroes
 My tactic used to always be my general on a pegasus. The general was the only hero able to take on a small unit of skirmishers or war machine by himself. Heroes with 2 wounds sometimes died too quickly. But now with Meteoric Iron armour being a save of 1+ and Lord and heroes having A3 and 5WS/BS I will use a hero on the pegasus and allow my general to lead a unit and stay in the battleline to utilize his Leadership of 9.
 The other use of a flyer is to stay out of charge arcs and hinder your enemy's advance. By staying within 8" you disallow his march moves and allow you more time to shoot his troops. Your opponent will have three choices: have your battle line become fragmented but get shot up and then overwhelmed, slow to keep in line but get shot up or concentrate force onto the offending flyer but get shot up. This tactic has always annoyed my Skaven opponent!

 Lords

 Elector count
 Toned down considerably in 6th. He is a given in small games. On foot and with the plate armour/Handweapon/shield combo he will be save 2+.

 Templar Grand Master
 Very expensive. Plus he will be in a big unit of knights. Big games only.

 Wizard Lord
 I was never a big magic fan for Empire. Gunpowder was my reason for choosing Empire. If you want magic go use High Elves or Lizardmen! He is expensive and can't fight. If you want to throw your opponent for a loop then in a 2000 point game take a Hero as General and use a Wizard Lord. More than likely you will have magic superiority. However he is a must in a <2000 game.

 Captain
 Good to mount on a pegasus and hunt war machines and skirmish units. A good points value for the many roles a hero can play.
 Battle Standard Option:  Now the army's Standard will hang around a little longer. If I have the points I am likely to take him solely to have more magical standards. I like magic standards since they affect the whole unit and not just one character.

 Warrior Priest
 Oh yeah. I love the theme of a priest in battle, smashing the enemies of his god and invoking prayers to harm his enemies or bless his followers. He is a good value for his defensive dispel role, his battle ability, his minor spells and his ability to HATE foes of the Empire. With this ability passed on to the anyone he accompanies, he should be included in a large, strong unit.

 Battle Wizard
  Take one 2nd level wizard for dispel scrolls and such in small games. In midsized games maybe try and grab two mages.  Some magic items can do the same job for less points (ie standard of Arcane warding). You should probably take higher level mages in big games if only for defense against enemy magic. Undead and Lizardmen are a big deal. Magic can really bite you in the ass if you underestimate your opponent. I speak from experience. I really like the lore of the Heavens. Second sign is excellent and the other spells allow you to hide your mage while hunting your opponent’s magic users.

 Master Engineer
 A good idea but is it needed? I tend to roll a LOT of misfires and feel that they would be a good safety for cannons and maybe bring a few hits with a mortar. They must have one of the special weapons since their BS4 will make the points cost worthwhile. In HtH they will tend to die but a Van Horstmann's Speculum will shock the hell out of any heroes on flying monsters.
 

 Mounts
 The griffon is nasty. The `flyer in the backfield' tactic becomes a little more dangerous with a terror causing creature running amok.
 Pegasus are good for the points cost. The figures were hard to find for awhile but with Balthasar Gelt mounted on one it shouldn't be so bad. My advice is to try and order the old pegasus that the old Empire or High Elf hero was mounted on. It looks nastier and more likely to crush its rider's foes.
 

Fighting vs Vampire Counts

A Vampire count army have some advantages but a good player will take advantage of their disadvantages.
VC have no access to missile troops or war machines. This means that an Empire general should play defensively and weed the advancing undead forces.
All the war machines at your disposal will do fine. Mortars work excellent on the large units of undead troops, as do the rank killers of a cannon. The cannon should aim at large targets first such as Dark coaches, heroes on winged nightmares or whatever. If you do aim at a unit, aim at the hero. If your opponent rolls a 1 for `look out sir' then so much the better.
The Hellblaster should be highly protected. This war machine will make a huge hole in masses of troops. It's greatest weakness is being shot at and no VC army will be doing this shy of banshees.
Arrows, bullets and crossbow bolts should be aimed at key units such as dire wolves, vampire bats, bat swarms or even Black knights. Skeletons and zombies are too numerable to make a difference. Invokations of Netek will just make more anyway.

Countering the Vampire count's advantages are simple.
VC armies are magic heavy. You must counter this with your own wizards or magic items. Items fail in dispelling spells that affect the undead tho.
Sigmarite priests are very effective since they give you 1 dispel dice (equal to a 1-2 level mage), empower any unit they are in with Hatred for undead and have better stats than a wizard.
Big units of fear-causing undead are nasty. If a fear-causing unit outnumbers you and wins combat then your unit will automatically flee. To combat this ensure that your own units are big. The War Banner and Griffin std are excellent magic choices. The Icon of Magnus allows one unit that accompanies the hero equipped with it to become immune to fear. Detachments are good but they have to combine attacks. If they are facing a big unit alone then they will usually lose. Remember the immunity for Empire units from panic caused by fleeing detachments!
Banshees are equal in points cost to a cannon but in the hands of an experienced VC general can be far nastier. Take them out with small units that can guarantee you at least 2 points in combat results such as outnumbering, ranks, standard. I use either Lore of the Heaven's lightning, heroes with magic weapons or a hero with the Dragon bow. Whatever works.
Vampires are still something to be feared. Take them on with big units or a powered up hero. If a vamp is alone on foot ignore him as best as possible or aim war machines at him. A hellblaster will rip any single fig to pieces. This tactic has made my main VC opponent fear my cannons and his Vamp general usually skulks around behind terrain and this hinders the 12" within general march move.
Well that is all I have for now.
Good luck destroying the forces of undead and laying them to rest for the second time.
 

Battling the Hard and Stubborn Dwarves

-Mobility is the key. With the fact that dwarves move their measly 3" your main advantage will be to take the fight to where you want it to be.
-A defensive dwarf general will be able to give as good as he gets and will generally come out on top because of his high toughness and access to heavily armoured foot trops.
-Knights and pistoliers are a must. With their long range movement you will be able to move where you want to go and make the dwarf fight on your terms. Since dwarves have the same access to war machines your knights are going to be targeted and smashed with no armour saves available. The need to take smaller units of knights and coordinate their charges is a must. Terrain should be utilized if it is available. Once in HtH the 1+ save will keep the knights around til more troops can be brought to bear. Pistoliers will get shot as well if targeted by missile troops and their minor save won't help. Use pistoliers to move and shoot and be as much of a hindrance as possible. Try and get behind the dwarf lines and shoot up war machine crews.
-Something that will help the Empire player is the fact that you will outnumber the dwarves. Losing any number of their costly troops will cause any dwarf lord grief. You however can lose men a little easier.
-Don't depend on panicking dwarven units with missile fire casulties. Dwarves are harder to make run with their higher Ld and are more likely to stick around in combat.
-Your own missile troops should aim for more vulnerable targets such as slayers, war machines and especially gyrocopters. These flying machines are a pain in the ass and need to be taken care of early. The armoured foot troops of the dwarves wil mostly be unaffected by xbows and arrows. The -2 save vs handguns will bring some down. Huntsmen will be effective at maybe taking down a crewman or two. Try and see that your points are better spent.
-Wizards are a personal choice. In small games the dwarves will generally dispel most spells and make the wizard worthless. I would say that unless the dwarven general is going to field the Anvil, take heroes or engineers.
-Your own war machines need to be kept safe while trying to destroy your opponent's. This won't be an easy task. A cannon would be a better choice over a mortar. The hellblaster would be effective to guard an avenue of approach.
-Using a hero on a pegasus with some tooled up magic for extra attacks or strength would do nicely. Fly in around the flank and get to the war machines and take them out.
-Never try and take on an equal sized unit of dwarves in HtH. Your humans will lose. Dwarves will be hitting on a 3+. You will be hitting on a 4+ and unless you have halberds, wounding on a 5+. Use your detachments to take away their rank bonus. Again mobility is the key. Use your movement to envelope the dwarven unit. Try and use a missile detachment to draw the dwarves into a charge and then flee. Then hit the dwarf unit with your HtH units.
 

Exterminating the foul Ratmen with extreme Prejudice
With the new book out for Skaven and a couple of battles under my belt I have seen some huge differences between 5th ed, Ravening Hordes and the new 6th ed Skaven.

Notes seen of the Skaven armies
-Grey Seers aren't quite the powerhouses of old. With GW's new outlook on wizards vs fighters, the Grey Seer is more killable due to lack of armour, low WS and Attacks. Plus the Screaming Bell now is just as likely to harm the Grey Seer as it is to harm you.
-Watch out for more defensive Skaven armies. With the Warplightning cannon, Jezzails, Ratling guns and Warpfire throwers a Skaven army can shoot you to pieces before you come to grips. That is if they don't blow themselves up first.
-Skaven now have a more generalized movement. Seems that clan Moulder and clan Eshin troops have M6 while the rest have M5. This means that a good Skaven general could have M6 troops on one flank so as to wrap that flank while the rest of the army either shoots you to death or moves forward.
-Censer bearers are nasty, nasty, nasty. They are probably the hardest hitting skirmish unit in the warhammer world. They each have the opportunity to kill figs in base-to-base before striking a blow as their smoke kills on a failed toughness test. Then there is the frenzied attacks of S6 on the first round with their flails. Oh did I mention that they reroll misses on the first round as well??? Yeeesh. Shoot these bastards or lead them around the battlefield with fast troops. Don't offer them sacrificial units. If they break, then the censer bearers will charge your rear or flank as they have 360 degree charge arc as they are skirmishers.

Notes on tactics to use for Empire against Skaven
-With the ability to add leadership bonuses to heroes from ranks, the big key is to eliminate the rank bonus. This is easily achieved through the intelligent use of detachment's countercharges or simultaneous charge.
-Mortars, mortars and more mortars. With the 5" template, Skaven's big units make a mortar gunner salivate. Hellblasters are great too for reducing Skaven numbers. WARNING If you do this too much, a Skaven opponent will label you a cheesy/beardy git.
-Most missile troops like handgunners generally won't make much of a dent on fast moving Skaven hordes. Concentrate fire on elite units like Stormvermin, Rat Ogres and Censer bearers. Censer bearers NO LONGER get the -1 to hit due to their censer smoke.
-Use cheap troops or skirmishing bowmen to draw frenzied troops forward. They must charge the closest target. Flee as a charge reaction and leave the frenzied troops open for a countercharge. Pistoliers are #1 for this role as they can freely move next turn if you make your rally roll (Fast cavalry rule page **)
-Use fast cavalry, heroes on flying mounts or huntsmen to hinder march moves. This allows you more time to fire and whittle down the numbers or to break up your opponent's battle line. This is even more benficial if your flyer causes terror and the Skaven units flee as a result.
-Watch out for Skaven tunnelers. These specialized Gutter Runners can pop out behind your lines on the second turn! These troops are lightly armoured and generally weak but against missile troops or war machines, they will come out on top. Try and have a fast unit of your own such as heroes, knights in small numbers or pistoliers to counterattack these tunnelers.
-Generally for foot troops, Swordsmen are the way to go vs Skaven. With equivalant iniative, higher WS and a 4+ save they will last longer. Halberdiers will get cut down as they will attack after the Skaven have gutted them and their weak 6+ armour save.
 
 
 

 "Well men, these are my words for today. At another time I will go on about army themes and large scale tactics. For now I wish you and your soldiers good fighting."
 The old man stretched his old bones and limped from the Amphitheater.