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Shazbot's Empire Sketchbook - TWH2

Need better guards in your settlements? Look no further.

SFO Edition is ready right here.
TEB-only version available here.

All righty, so I finally got the Frontiersmen in campaign. I also made a new unit and got it in campaign and custom battles as well. Let's go over them:

Frontiersmen are skirmish infantry presently recruitable from the Tavern chain, but I'd like to make records for having them recruitable from the fur chain or whatever else looks like it'd employ actual hunters. They're an irregular force of riflemen with high accuracy and long range, boasting nearly the same rate of fire as Riflemen and Guards thanks to their breech-loading weapons. Compared to Repeater Riflemen, they have less damage per second, though more per volley, less range, and slightly less accuracy, but with half the cost. They make decent snipers, are useful for destroying artillery, and their low cost and early accessibility make them good for starting armies in need of a long-range answer to enemy units that might be otherwise difficult to reach.

War Wagons (Helblaster Canister Shot) are another insane piece of artillery I cooked up, and seem pretty comfortable with the other overkill carnage machines available like the custom tanks and volley howitzer exploding everything around them. These are Helblaster Volley Guns on War Wagons and loaded with canister shot, so they're each nine giant shotgun barrels fired in rapid succession, sending ripping storms of oversized musket balls into enemy formation, each punching through multiple ranks of bodies. The macabre display of violence this machine is capable of is almost too inhumane to use even against Chaos and other such evil creatures. Almost.

At long last, here we are. All righty, so what is this? Really just something I play around with but also thought it'd be fun to share, and I feel they also give the Empire some mid-late tier variety. Images are a bit outdated as they don't show that I bumped health up a bit to put them on par with other units, but you should get the general idea of what they're meant to do in battle.

First batch of units follows a "medieval warband" theme and includes warriors from every human culture under one banner and likely as mercenaries seeking to lend their service to a worthwhile or well paying elector count. The standard warband units hold the line remarkably well and can wield superior shields while knights and ranged units, mounted or on foot, provide the killing power.

Taking a bit of inspiration from the potential of Empire technology, we're brought closer to 17th-19th century warfare. Line infantry come in three flavors: Musketeers armed with inaccurate smoothbores and well trained in close combat to properly hold the line, but only against infantry. Riflemen who carry Ferguson style breech-loading rifles and boast solid melee skill as well but a pathetic health pool and low armor that makes them dummy vulnerable to missile and especially splash damage. And Guards are elite line infantry with the shooting skill and weapons of Riflemen, an inspiring aura that quickens reload time, and far superior melee to the Musketeers. Grenadiers burn foes with quicklime rounds, repeater riflemen are a lethal skirmishing force, and pikemen are powerful in melee, and even more so against cavalry, but are vulnerable against ranged weapons with their low hit point pool much like line infantry. Cavalry options are elite Horse Guards, lancers and short long-range carbine skirmishers.

Heroes include a selection of RPG type support Champions, among them are a Paladin, Ranger, Shaman, Enchanter, Druid, Battlemage, Berserker, and Shadowknight. More powerful Officers boast better fighting skill and include the Colonel with area effect buffs that particularly affect ranged units, the Banner Lord with contact skills to properly lead by example in the midst of combat although only one skill may be active at a time, and the Champion of Myrmidia with skills designed for tactical application appropriate to a champion of the Goddess of Strategy and War.

And then I made a tank that fires explosive grapeshot, has a turret that shoots fire, and can squish things with an improved ramming prow. That wasn't enough, so I took a Gyrocopter and tinkered with it to add explosive rounds to the nose gun, but otherwise it's the same with standard bombs ready to drop. The Organ Gun got a makeover before being introduced to the Empire and is now a Volley Howitzer that fires explosive shells in a moderate arc. The Bretonnian trebuchet and Dwarf bolt thrower were two things I moved over as is simply because I like them.

- So while this whole thing is for fun, I'm still absolutely open to feedback about it and especially if there's some bug or issue that should demand my attention.

- This'll likely change a bit as I find things I think my custom made army dudes simply can't live without, like eventually figuring out how to make an ammunition toggle like the elf bolt thrower has? Maybe I can give lots of ammo choices to my tank or other war machines, maybe even missile units, if that ever becomes the case. like new ammo types which I learned sort of yay.

- Contact effects in the unit card still just have the icon of a shield. Swear on me mum I'll get that sorted one day, but of course if anyone's got it figured out then I'd appreciate that knowledge. Hah! I found it!

- Units are only for the Empire currently, 'cause I tend to prefer that faction.