Ancient, orderly, proud, the Celestian Empire has endured for seven centuries and refuses to be cowed by the arrogant demands of upstart Powers.

Bound by the Jade Pact of the Immortal Celestian Emperors, the Seven Realms of the Empire pool their military resources into a fighting force that is more than capable of repulsing the probing attacks of the other Great Powers.

To take up arms against the forces of the Empire is to face an avalanche of advancing infantry, supported by statuesque war-automata whose mechanical minds possess no concept of pity or fear. These relentless legions are accompanied by bizarre war engines, with swift artillery chariots, nimble steambikes and ball-shaped battle tanks racing across the battlefield, their movements obscured by billowing clouds of noxious fumes. From behind the main battleline, multi-barreled cannons and hellish heavy launchers ceaselessly bombard enemy forces with explosive shells and spheres of alchemical fire.

Woe betide those that dare defy the will of the Jade Pact.

Greetings, emissaries of the Empire.

This blog aims to help you create your Empire force and use it tactically on the battlefield. It covers their key strengths and challenges to watch out for, and provides guidance on how to build an effective Empire Force, along with example Force Lists for all three Force Scales.

How the Empire plays

The Empire has access to a wide range of relatively inexpensive units, which means they will often outnumber their opponents. Most Empire units are highly specialised and excel at executing a specific battlefield role or attacking a particular target. These two characteristics make the Empire a great starter Faction for a budding General who is eager to get to grips with Armoured Clash, as the numbers they can bring to the field make them quite forgiving while their specialised nature clearly communicates their intended battlefield role. 

Thanks to the Penetrating weapon quality, the Green Banner Jezzail Teams can annihilate high-damage-limit units with ease, making them perfect for picking off hardy battle tanks and damaging Behemoths. Jianhuren Terracotta Automata are an Infantry unit impervious to small arms fire and can cut enemy Light targets to ribbons due to the Shock weapon quality—so get them into fights with enemy Infantry and Cavalry as quickly as possible! Tongshi Lion Automata excel at ambushing enemy Armour and Artillery units, and can use the Flame Projectors built into their mouths to decimate Light units at close range. To get the most out of these units, why not place them in a piece of Dense Terrain, ready to ambush any enemy units foolish enough to draw too close? 

Should your enemy bring Aerial units to the fight, the rocket-launching Ruishi Lion Automata and the mobile Biao Flack Launcher can easily reduce Aircraft and Rotorcraft to spectacular fireballs of burning wreckage. Empire Armour units are often unconventional but effective, with the Fangun Medium Tanks and Yan Shou Flame Tanks able to move through Difficult and Dense Terrain without penalty due to the Pioneers special rule. This is an attribute shared by many of the Empire’s automata units, meaning that many of your Heavy units can easily enter terrain to gain valuable protection from enemy attacks. 

The Empire has access to two Behemoths, each of which performs a distinct Battlefield role. The Laoshan Landship sports an immense, crushing roller, which can make short work on any enemies foolish enough to get in its way, making it perfect for spearheading an offensive thrust into the heart of an enemy Battlegroup. With two powerful, long-ranged, anti-Heavy attacks, the Wutai Landship serves as a back-line bastion that is the bane of Armour and Artillery units. 
Both of these lumbering war engines have two Special Rules that provide extra offensive and defensive capabilities. Corrosive Fumes (5”) gives nearby enemy units the Disordered status, an effect that an Empire General can use to lower the Discipline values of an entire enemy front line. This increases the chances of these units failing crucial Discipline tests, which can cause them to gain the Suppressed status or even Fall Back, an effect that can be very useful for pushing enemy units off Strategic Objectives or away from your own units. Obfuscating (5”) helps obscure these Behemoths, and any friendly units close to them, from ranged attacks, an ability that allows you to use these towering vehicles as solid anchor points for the rest of your Force.    

Battlegroups

The Empire Faction Battlegroup allows you to Bolster up to two Infantry units and a Cavalry unit and has the For the Empire! Commander Bonus, which allows you to discard a Command & Conquest Card to ignore the presence of friendly units when making a Ranged Attack. This helps you to build up overlapping fields of fire without incurring the Concealed Combat Rating Penalty so that you can make the most of the large number of units at your disposal.

The Empire Canglong Guardian Auxiliary Battlegroup gives a General the opportunity to include a Bolstered Field Gun unit in their Force, as well as extra units of San Lei Heavy Artillery, making it a great option should you face an opponent whose Force contains a large number of high-value Heavy targets. It also provides the Celestian Guardians Commander Bonus, a Special Command that provides a +2 Discipline Bonus when successfully issued to an Empire unit, which can help keep your units in the fight. Indeed, the well-timed use of this Special Command can keep a unit on a Strategic Objective at a vital moment or save it from Breaking so that it can continue the fight.

The Empire Baihu Strike Formation Auxiliary Battlegroup is a great option if you want to overwhelm opposing forces, as it allows you to Bolster up to two Infantry units and up to two Cavalry or Armour units. This is especially effective in Skirmish and Battle-size Clashes as these Bolstered units can really overwhelm their targets thanks to their enhanced combat capabilities and staying power. Additionally, the Battlegroup’s Commander Bonus, The Swooping Crane, increases a unit’s speed by 2” if successfully issued. Whilst this Speed increase might seem small, it can prove vital for getting a unit into contact with a Strategic Objective or close enough to an enemy unit to attack that Activation.

Boons

The Empire also has access to two unique Boons. Tempered Sturginium Blades is a once-per-round ability that grants the Devastating weapon quality to the Melee or Impact Attack of an Infantry or Cavalry unit involved in a Close-Quarters Combat. This enhancement can mean the difference between winning a Close-Quarters Combat or transforming certain defeat into a hard-fought stalemate.

On the other hand, Enhanced Alchemy provides an ability that allows you to increase the range of the Obfuscating (X”) and Corrosive Fumes (X”) special rules for the duration of a single Round. If your Force contains Laoshan Landships, Wutai Landships, and Bulnabang Winged Infantry, this Boon allows you to plunge the whole enemy battleline into chaos with some careful positioning. In the case of your Behemoths, this Special Command can also help you to shield a greater portion of your units from enemy fire, an ability that can really help should you need to make a big push across a dangerous killzone.

Key Strengths

The Implacable Wall

The durability of the Empire’s Infantry and Cavalry units (with relatively high Defence and Damage Limits and Special Rules, like Pavises) means they can take real punishment, even when exposed to heavy fire.

The relatively inexpensive Green Banner Guard Platoon contains a large number of models and has the Pavises Special Rule, which allows this unit to always benefit from Taking Cover, regardless of circumstances. These features make the unit ideal for holding onto Strategic Objectives, especially when Bolstered. Additionally, the Jianhuren Terracotta Automata have the Bulwark Special Rule, which means that you can use them to completely shield your squishier Infantry and Cavalry units from Ranged Attacks, so long as they fully block Line of Sight from the attacking unit’s Officer.

Even if some of your more fragile units are wiped out, the high number of units your force can contain means that you can always send in the next wave to overwhelm your degraded opponents. The Enhanced Alchemy Boon synergises particularly well with these tactics, as the increased range it gives to the Obfuscating (X”) rule allows you to swath an even larger part of your Force within the protective cloud of your Behemoths’ monstrous exhausts.

Impassive Guardians

Units of Jianhuren Terracotta Automata, Tongshi Lion Automata and Ruishi Lion Automata have the Heavy target category, making them impervious to Ranged (Light) attacks and an ideal counter to units, particularly Cavalry and Infantry, that are not equipped to take on Heavy targets. Additionally, these Empire units have the Automata special rule and so do not care about Suppression or Disorder. As they automatically pass any Discipline tests, they are helpful for limiting the number of Command & Conquest Cards you need to spend from your deck each Round. However, the Automata special rule also comes with disadvantages, as they cannot be issued Commands, nor control Strategic Objectives. Be sure to remember this, lest you accidentally try to use one of your automata units to control a Strategic Objective mid-Clash!

Burn Them Out!

Fire is something of an Empire speciality, and plenty of their support units sport potent, short-ranged attacks that possess both the Suppressive and Torrent weapon qualities. The former inflicts a -1 Discipline penalty on the target unit, whilst the latter ignores the Concealed Combat Rating Penalty, a combination that makes these attacks ideal for roasting Infantry, particularly if they are stubbornly hunkered down in cover or garrisoning a Defensible Building. Get these units as close to their targets as possible before unleashing a punishing torrent of liquid fire, an attack that is sure to take its toll on any Infantry and Cavalry units that are trying to take hold of a Strategic Objective.

Watch out for…

The Ying and the Yang

Whilst the Empire has many different tools for dealing with troublesome foes. These units are often specialised, however, and generally struggle against anything that is not their preferred target. Be sure to know where each of your units excels and where it struggles so you can ensure the most favourable engagements. It's easy to get overwhelmed and send your automatons to capture an objective they can't hold or to send your weapon teams into a Close Quarters Combat they will struggle to win. By focusing on the bespoke battlefield roles of each of your units, you can put their specialism to use and support them by having friendly units close by to mitigate particular weaknesses.

Quick to Anger, Slow to Rouse 

Whilst the Empire does have fast units in the form of Bulnabang Winged Infantry, Jindouyun Steambikes, Tanshe Artillery Chariots, and Biao Flack Launchers, its reliance on Infantry and lack of transports means that Empire forces are generally quite slow. Be sure to use Commands and Special Commands that increase the Speed values of your units to get them into combat and onto Strategic Objectives as quickly as possible.  You can also utilise abilities that allow them to make a Manoeuvre before the start of the first Round, such as the Vanguard (X”) special rule and the Forlorn Hope Boon.  

Quantity over Quality

Many Empire units have low Discipline values and are therefore particularly susceptible to Suppression, especially when Disordered. Suppressed units must make a successful Rally Test (a type of Discipline Test) at the start of their turn to make use of both their Move step and their Attack step, and gain the Suppressed Combat Rating Penalty for the duration of this turn, which can really limit their combat capabilities once they start to lose models. This can quickly grind your advancing battleline to a halt so be sure to use every tool to increase your units’ Discipline and strengthen your cowardly battlelines with fearless warrior-automata. 

Building your Force

There are several ways of building your Empire Force.

The Empire Faction Battlegroup Starter Set supplies you with all the models you might want for your first Battle-scale game, with a powerful Behemoth and a broad array of different Infantry, Cavalry, Field Gun, Armour and Artillery units. This makes the contents of this box perfect for creating a starting force with a decent balance of different unit types.

If you are looking for something smaller, the Empire Introductory Set, which mirrors the Empire contents found in the Battle for Singapore Two Player Introductory Set, provides a similarly balanced Force that is ideal for trying out your first Skirmish games.

If you are interested in expanding or specialising the contents of your Force, such as by adding to a Faction Battlegroup or by including an Auxiliary Battlegroup, several smaller boxes are available, which can cater to your needs. Should you decide that another Behemoth is required, the Laoshan Battlegroup Set allows you to build either a Laoshan or Wutai Landship and a small number of Cavalry, Field Gun and Armour units at Basic size. If you are looking to take advantage of a particular Battlegroup, why not use the Empire Infantry Regiment and the Empire Armoured Regiment to either add more of, or Bolster, your preferred units.

These boxes can easily be combined to create Force Lists tailored to your personal preferences, as shown in the examples below:

Skirmish-Scale List (1,000 points)

This Force List can be made by combining models from the Empire Introductory Set and the Empire Infantry Regiment. It makes the most of the myriad Infantry units available to the Empire to ensure that you have plenty of options for controlling Strategic Objectives. The theme of this army’s composition is balance, with the selection of units ensuring there is at least one dependable counter to each target category type. The Green Banner Flame Teams, Jianhuren Terracotta Automata, and Fengboa Heavy Launchers will prioritise Light targets, the Tongshi Lion Automata, Green Banner Jezzail Teams, and Fangun Medium Tanks serve as the anti-Heavy contingent, and the Biao Flack Launchers will primarily engage with Aerial targets.

Battle-Scale List (2,000 points)

This Force, composed of units that can be built by combining the contents of the Empire Faction Battlegroup Starter Set and the Empire Introductory Set, takes advantage of the large number of units that can be Bolstered in an Empire Faction Battlegroup and an Empire Baihu Strike Formation Auxiliary Battlegroup. These large units of Infantry and Cavalry pose a significant issue to the enemy, both in the number of hits they can receive and the sheer size of their Attack Pools. Indeed, as your opponent spends multiple turns trying to wear down one of your large units, other elements in your Force can manoeuvre into position without encountering serious resistance.

Cataclysm-Scale List (3,000 points)

Taking models from two Empire Faction Battlegroup Starter Sets*, this Force List demonstrates just how many Full-Strength units an Empire Force can contain in a Cataclysm-scale Clash. The two Behemoths each serve a separate role, with the Loashan moving forward to break open the enemy battleline whilst the Wutai uses its long-ranged cannons to bombard Heavy targets from afar. The Celestian Guardians Commander Bonus provided by the Empire Canglong Guardian Auxiliary Battlegroup can help to prevent your large units from falling back due to failed Discipline Tests, which could prove vital for getting your footsloggers across the Battlefield without any setbacks!

*Whilst these box sets do not contain the resin commander models that come with the Empire Introductory Set, you can convert the Officer of one of your Green Banner Guard Platoon units to create a Green Banner Command Platoon unit. For more information on representing Commanders on the Battlefield, see the Armoured Clash Designer’s Commentary.

In Short…

The sheer quantity of units an Empire Force can field means that you can easily outnumber and overwhelm an opponent who fails to appreciate the Faction’s capabilities. The Empire is generally one of the slower Factions in Armoured Clash, with the majority of its units being Infantry and possessing no Transport units. As such, you are unlikely to be bringing the full might of your army into the fray until late in the Clash. This can work to your advantage, as you can bring in fresh units just as your opponent’s Force is starting to degrade and lose coherency, ready to challenge depleted units for control over Strategic Objectives.

Although many of your units suffer from low Discipline values, you can always supplement your battlelines with powerful automata units immune to the effects of Suppression. Empire units are often rather specialised, each with their own distinct advantages and disadvantages, which clearly communicates their role on the battlefield. So long as you know which engagements your units will excel at and where on the battlefield they need to be, they will prove their worth, particularly if the dice and the Command & Conquest cards go your way!