Empire Unit Analysis
LordsArch Lector - A cheap source of Ld9, and he provides an intriguing mounted Lord option when on the War Altar of Sigmar. Otherwise very similar to a Warrior Priest.
Balthasar Gelt - The Supreme Patriarch is pricey (and rather vulnerable to magic), but casting at +6 and Loremaster are very good things you can't get without him.
Battle Wizard Lord - This is the one Lord I would not go without; high-level magic is very important, and he gives you a cheap ticket to the party.
General - He is the cheapest source of Ld9, but he doesn't have any abilities you can't get elsewhere, and that makes him the odd man out.
Grand Master - The beefiest of all Empire fighting Lords, he also provides a rare boon in Immune to Psychology for a Knight unit. Limited in application, but mostly worth it.
Karl Franz - While the Emperor does offer Ld10 in a large radius, his points cost is very high, so he's really only an option in larger games.
Kurt Helborg - He offers the highest Weapon Skill in the army and synergizes with Reiksguard. Trouble is, Reiksguard aren't at their best when fielded in the big block a character like this would want as a bunker. I think he's searching for a purpose.
Marius Leitdorf - Mostly a mounted General with a Runefang, he does offer a couple of perks in +1A and some of The Mad Count results, though those can be bad too. Meh.
Volkmar the Grim - Though the bonus to Weapon Skill and prayers are nice, his gear is mediocre at best. I'd rather have a normal Arch Lector.
HeroesBattle Wizard - These guys are cheap, and provide spells as well as someone to carry useful Arcane items. I recommend that you pick Lores with good signatures.
Captain - Apart from the BSB, Captains tend to be a luxury. That said, a Pegasus-mounted backfield infiltrator or a cheap boost to Leadership (plus Hold the Line!) on an infantry unit isn't bad.
Captain Battle Standard-Bearer - Most armies are very much in need of a Battle Standard-Bearer, and Empire is no exception. Re-rolls for Leadership tests are critical, and Hold the Line! is a nice rider for having him in a unit. And he's cheap.
Ludwig Schwarzhelm - While the 18" re-roll range is nice, I don't like that he's locked into a mount, and his defenses are nothing special. Color me unimpressed.
Luthor Huss - A mounted Warrior Priest with some "secret sauce", plus a 4+ Ward save and a Stubborn prayer, all for a marginal points increase over the norm. Sweet.
Markus Wulfhart - A waste of a character, given that Empire doesn't struggle against monsters and his abilities aren't that good. No. Just no.
Master Engineer - This guy ups the performance of nearby war machines, and he has access to several weapons, though I'm not a fan of any of them. He's nice if you have the artillery to benefit from him.
Warrior Priest - These guys offer several cheap Bound Spells, above-average Ld, and (most importantly) Hatred for the units they're in. Pretty useful.
Witch Hunter - An intriguing character, he brings some nice Magic Resistance, and can pick at an enemy character (particularly if he's a Demon, Undead, or a Wizard). Not reliable, but he can be a nice boost to a unit or a lottery ticket for the Snipe-a-Character Roulette.
CoreArchers - These guys make nice chaff units, particularly when fielded as 5-man Detachments. Larger units can serve as mage bunkers and sources of Look Out, Sir! for Engineers.
Crossbowmen - Not exactly a powerhouse and Move Or Fire is annoying, you could do worse than S4 hits and 30" range.
Free Company - Anything you do with these guys, Halberdiers or Spearmen can do better. A fluff choice.
Halberdiers - The State Trooper I recommend in most armies, these guys are cheap sources of S4 attacks, and while fragile, you can mitigate that with support and sheer numbers. A good choice.
Handgunners - Against the sort of targets that are threatened by small arms fire, Armor Piercing is not as good as longer range. Overshadowed by Crossbowmen, and that's saying something.
Inner Circle Knights - While these guys are pricey, they get better stats than most Empire troops, a magic banner, and the standard Knight gear options (though in this case I give lances the edge). If you're not going for Halberdiers, this is likely your main Core unit.
Knightly Orders - Good Weapon Skill and gear options (I prefer great weapons on these guys), speed, and great armor saves. You should see a couple of small units of these regularly.
Spearmen - The cheapest unit available to Empire, and you can give them Shields for respectable armor saves. Not flashy, but decent.
Swordsmen - The best defensive infantry unit in this section, they make for a nice bus as well as CR-denying Detachments. A bit pricey, though.
SpecialDemigryph Knights - This is the Empire's best point-for-point fighting unit, and it's not close. If you're looking to win fights and run units down, these are your guys. That said, if left unsupported, they will tend to get into grinding combats (because they can't really break Steadfast).
Flagellants - Very squishy, and their secondary effects are unreliable, but they will do some damage on Round 1 and they have to be slain to the man. Overpriced, but not useless.
Great Cannon - Artillery is important, especially if it's accurate. A cannon with a proper firing lane hits hard and hits often, and as such I consider it an integral part of a competitive list.
Greatswords - If you're looking for a big unit that puts out respectable damage and is very hard to get points out of, these are the men to do it. Combine Stubborn with Hold the Line! and a BSB, and these guys are virtually immovable.
Huntsmen - They're cheap and can Scout, but at the end of the day, they're just guys with bows. Only the weakest of units will be bothered by them, though they can redirect in a pinch (but that just makes them overpriced Archers).
Mortar - Its Strength outside of the central hole leaves something to be desired, but if you can get Toughness debuffs and large blocks of infantry to hit, it can put on some hurt.
Outriders - Their rate of fire is pretty intimidating, and their range isn't an issue thanks to being Fast Cavalry. I feel they need to be fielded in units large enough to be a threat, as they are too pricey to be redirectors and chaff killers.
Pistoliers - While Fast Cavalry with Braces of Pistols has potential, the price tag (considering their stats) is too high.
Reiksguard Knights - Basically Stubborn Inner Circle Knights with no 1-of restriction, these guys are best as mobile roadblocks to hold the foe down while you bring your army to bear.
RareCelestial Hurricanum - A bonus to hit is nice, as is bonus power dice every phase, it has an OK Bound Spell, and it can provide Impact Hits in a pinch. A quality support piece.
Helblaster Volley Gun - The range could be better, but whatever is in range is going to get beat up. Have an Engineer provide a re-roll on an artillery die and his Ballistic Skill for best results.
Helstorm Rocket Battery - On the surface, this looks like a nice block-muncher, but the variable number of rockets and the fact that they always scatter just kills this thing. It's not worth its points.
Luminark of Hysh - Bonus dispel dice and a 6+ Ward for nearby units doesn't have the same pop as the Hurricanum's more aggressive benefits, but they're not bad, and the Bound Spell is nice.
Steam Tank - This bad boy is the most versatile unit in the Empire army - it has great Toughness, Wounds, and armor, it hits hard on the charge, it has a cannon, and it can spit out breath weapon shots. It gets a bit wacky as it takes damage, but even then it will still function. I consider it to be a necessity in competitive Empire lists.
Magic Item Analysis
Empire ArmybookMagic WeaponsRunefang - An awesome weapon that Empire doesn't quite have the stats to exploit. Best on a Grand Master.
The Mace of Helsturm - Too expensive for a magic great weapon with an alternate attack routine.
Magic ArmorThe Armor of Meteoric Iron - While a 1+ armor save is great, this only appeals to a Warrior Priest or Arch Lector, as the other fighting characters can get there in other ways.
Helm of the Skavenslayer - The price is high for +1 armor and Fear, and I'm not sure whether the extra effects against Skaven are good or not.
Magic TalismansWhite Cloak of Ulric - A penalty to hit is nice, especially on characters riding monstrous mounts, and it gives you a 5+ Ward (2+ against flaming) as icing. Pretty nice.
Magic StandardsGriffon Banner - A variable bonus to combat resolution is not worth this much, plus no magic gear on your BSB and being unable to chase foes down.
Steel Standard - This amounts to +1 Movement on units with barding, and re-rolling 1s on charge/pursue/flight rolls is pretty cool. A nice item.
Enchanted ItemsRing of Volans - While not getting to choose the spell and being One Use Only are annoying, getting to choose the Lore you want is nice.
Van Horstmann's Speculum - This can be a way to keep enemy characters from savaging your army, though only applying on challenges is limiting and the stat swap being forced make it iffy when unit champions are present.
Warhammer RulebookMagic WeaponsBerserker Sword - Not a whole lot different from just +1A, and it has drawbacks. Not a fan.
Biting Blade - Armor Piercing is not flashy, but it's cheap and reasonably effective.
Fencer's Blades - Weapon Skill 10 and +1A is a nice offense-defense combo.
Giant Blade - A big Strength bump, but the price tag gives me pause.
Gold Sigil Sword - Striking at I10 is nice, though you'll have to endeavor to put some steam behind those hits.
Obsidian Blade - Given that Empire characters aren't very beefy, not allowing armor saves has use, and while wounding will still be an issue, this item is cheap enough to allow for some nice defensive gear.
Ogre Blade - A nice Strength bump at an affordable price.
Relic Sword - I'd rather boost my Strength than "settle" for wounding on 5+ all the time.
Shrieking Blade - If you're running a lone character, Fear (and immunity to Fear) is useful.
Spellthieving Sword - Kill the mage and you don't have to worry about his spells.
Sword of Anti-Heroes - A bit of a gamble, but you only need one character in the unit to win.
Sword of Battle - +1A is nice, but nothing special.
Sword of Bloodshed - Lots of attacks... but not enough Strength for them to matter.
Sword of Might - A nice, cheap Strength bump.
Sword of Strife - This gives you the attack output, now you need the buffs.
Sword of Swift Slaying - Striking first and potential re-rolls are nice, though you can get the latter elsewhere.
Tormentor Sword - A cool ability, if you manage to wound. Also very cheap.
Warrior Bane - A cheap way to get magical attacks, and it might do something every once in a while.
Magic ArmorArmor of Destiny - A juicy Ward save, though the armor save leaves something to be desired.
Armor of Fortune - I wouldn't lower my armor save for anything less than a 4+ Ward.
Armor of Silvered Steel - You can get this save (or better) for way less points. Terrible.
Charmed Shield - A nice way to protect important pieces from counter-battery fire.
Dragonhelm - More armor is always nice, and this one comes with a handy Ward save against flaming.
Enchanted Shield - +2 armor for next to nothing. Nice.
Gambler's Armor - Why an Empire character would take this is beyond me.
Glittering Scales - Sure, it's a low save, but sometimes the best defense is not getting hit. A bit corner-case, though.
Helm of Discord - I like the armor bump, but I don't see the secondary effect happening often.
Shield of Ptolos - Put on real armor and have a 1+ save against everything instead.
Spellshield - MR1 isn't worth this much.
Trickster's Helm - Forcing opponents to Wound you twice sounds nice, but Empire doesn't have the Toughness values on their characters to really stop foes cold.
Magic TalismansDawnstone - Re-rollable armor saves are quite the commodity.
Dragonbane Gem - Dirt cheap, and a quality Ward save against flaming.
Luckstone - A one-use re-roll might save your character's bacon.
Obsidian Amulet - A solid amount of MR, but you can get this for cheaper by employing a Witch Hunter.
Obsidian Lodestone - Lots of MR (maybe even overkill). Decent, I guess.
Obsidian Trinket - A touch of MR, it's unlikely to make a difference unless the target already has a Ward save.
Opal Amulet - One good chance at a save is better than several bad ones, especially when you only have 2-3 Wounds.
Pidgeon Plucker Pendant - Conditional as heck, but a solid save when it does come up.
Seed of Rebirth - A poor man's 6+ Ward save. Meh.
Talisman of Endurance - A decent save, though the dropoff in quality from 4+ to 5+ is pretty noticeable.
Talisman of Preservation - A potent Ward save that should find its way into most (if not all) Empire lists.
Talisman of Protection - Too weak to matter much.
Arcane ItemsBook of Ashur - Expensive, but +1 to cast and dispel matters.
Channeling Staff - Effectively doubles your odds of succeeding on a channel. Could be worse.
Dispel Scroll - I consider this the essential component of an army's magic defense, and am very leery of not including it.
Earthing Rod - A "break in case of emergency" item to make sure your Wizard stays in the game.
Feedback Scroll - The opportunities to use it are limited, and it doesn't have enough bite to justify letting a spell through.
Forbidden Rod - A bit risky, but it's not like power dice grow on trees for this army.
Power Scroll - A nice way to cast powerful spells for cheap and try to sneak them past an enemy that's out of dispel dice.
Power Stone - Extra dice in case you're trying to meet a tough value.
Scepter of Stability - A nice extra boost to dispel to make sure you stuff a critical spell.
Scroll of Shielding - If your opponent is casting a big damage spell, this Ward save can minimize or negate the impact.
Sivejir's Hex Scroll - It's tough to catch a L4 with it, but it's a nasty trick to spring on anyone using a combat caster with a low Wizard level.
Staff of Sorcery - Pricey, but +1 to dispel rolls can keep an enemy magic phase in check.
Trickster's Shard - Just doesn't come up often enough to matter.
Wand of Jet - If you're going for a tough cast and find yourself falling short, this can put you over the top.
Enchanted ItemsArabyan Carpet - If you want a character to fly around, I'd opt for a Pegasus.
Crown of Command - Stubborn is a nice ability to have, especially if the rest of your force lacks it.
Featherfoe Torc - An interesting way to protect your characters from flying monster riders.
Fozzrik's Folding Fortress - While Empire small arms troopers aren't the best, a bunch of them garrisoning a building make for a major annoyance.
Healing Potion - Looks nice at first, but most characters don't have the Wounds for you to milk this.
Ironcurse Icon - Dirt cheap, and this sort of shooting inflicts enough hits for a 6+ save to matter.
Potion of Foolhardiness - Very cheap, and ItP plus an extra attack are nice to have.
Potion of Speed - Sometimes, the difference between victory and defeat is who goes first. This figures to put you on the winning side.
Potion of Strength - A formidable Strength bump, which can help a lot if you have the attack output side covered.
Potion of Toughness - This can help your character hang on for a critical round of combat.
Ruby Ring of Ruin - I would just cut out the middleman and bring a L1 Fire caster.
The Other Trickster's Shard - Mitigating Ward saves can be key when fighting enemy characters.
The Terrifying Mask of EEE! - Amusing name, and useful on a lone model not expected to provide Ld.
Wizarding Hat - Bring a real Wizard.
Magic StandardsBanner of Eternal Flame - Although Priests give you easy access to fire, sometimes having it always on is necessary.
Banner of Swiftness - This can either help patch up your infantry's low Movement, or give your cavalry even more speed.
Gleaming Pennant - A cheap emergency re-roll for units that will spend time outside BSB range.
Lichebone Pennant - There are easier and better ways to get this benefit.
Rampager's Standard - Too expensive for anything but a BSB, so not that useful.
Ranger's Standard - Decent on a big block of Knights, meh elsewhere.
Razor Standard - Every bit of armor penetration counts, especially for units whose job is to grind.
Scarecrow Banner - Very cheap, but too conditional.
Standard of Discipline - Can wean a unit off the Ld bubble, or provide you with the coveted Ld10.
Wailing Banner - Causing Terror can be useful in the right army.
War Banner - Too many points for just +1 CR.