The TVI Tactica: Empire Battalion Concept Tactics and its Variants
Revised for 7th Edition Warhammer and the New Empire Book
Contents
Foreword
What is the Battalion Concept?
Core Blocks
Detachments
Vanilla Knights
The TVI Philosophy
Maneuver Elements
Army Design
Fighting the TVI Way
Battalion Concept Variants
It Isn’t For Everyone
Summary
Tim Walker aka “The Village Idiot” aka “TVI” was the winner of the Charlotte Grand Tourney in 2003. His playing style is unique in that he focuses one of the strengths of the Empire; the detachment rules.
From the Warhammer-Empire.com forum:
“I think the number one strength of the Empire army is the detachment rules. These rules open tactical possibilities that other armies can only dream of. Unit-on-unit, if we engage an enemy infantry block with our detachments intact, we are going into combat with a +5 to combat resolution with ranks, flank, and numbers.”-TVI
What is the Battalion Concept?
Many folks ask what is a TVI-list or an Empire Battalion? It is a balanced approach to playing Empire. An Empire Battalion consists of several elements.
“So I went about building my army, three large blocks of 30 swordsmen, deployed 6 wide x 5 deep are the backbone. Each block of swordsmen has 1 or 2 detachments of 12 free company deployed 6 wide and 2 deep”.-TVI
Core blocks can consist of most Empire infantry models, but normally it applies to Swordsmen, Spearmen and Halberdiers. The main thought pattern of the Core Block is that it needs to be large. A unit of 25-30 infantry is the norm for the main block. This allows the unit to lose a significant number of models before losing its valuable rank bonus. In the age of “five-wide suicide”, the closer to US 30 you can get the better off you are, especially since the Empire troops have gotten slightly cheaper.
Though many folks have ran the numbers the best core block of troops for the Empire are the Swordsmen. Spearmen are the next best block and Halberdiers are by far the worst. Spearmen and Halberdiers can be deployed with or without shields but in any type of heavy missile environment the shield is appreciated. It also allows the troop block to go with hand weapon and shield, which is sometimes, needed depending on the type of unit attacking.
Atchman and TVI’s Armies at the Necromicon 2003; Over 6 feet of Empire goodness!
There are many preferences for size and types of detachments. Detachments are found in several styles: combat detachments, “speed bumps”, and shooting detachments.
The most traditional type of combat detachments for the TVI-style lists is detachments of 10 Free Company. Other folks swear by Swordsmen or Halberdiers for their detachments, but it really it comes down to individual preference and experience. Even spearmen will work as a detachment
Missile detachments are common as well. Small units of archers work well with the Battalion Concept list to shield the more valuable main blocks and the combat detachments. Archer detachments can also be used to marchblock enemy units to give the Empire Battalions more time to maneuver.
Detachments of Crossbowmen and Handgunners are often found in an Empire Battalion. The rule of thumb is to deploy this in such a way as not to create weak points in an otherwise strong line. Since the TVI-concept requires movement to work, static shooting lines are not encouraged. That means that you need to either deploy your shooting detachment on a nearby hill, rank them up and use them as an additional combat detachment, or deploy them behind the main battleline to shoot at enemy units that happen to penetrate the line.
“Speedbump” detachments are of minimal size and made to be as cheap as possible. These units are normally used to divert enemy units. Another use for these is fleeing to force enemy units to move their full distance so that Empire elements can take advantage of their new position.
In the Battalion Concept, the “speedbump” is often used to force an enemy unit to charge a main block of your choice. The “speedbump” is annihilated and the enemy unit pursues into the desired unit. This allows the Empire player to either charge with a detachment or small unit of Knights. The Empire player can then run them down in the Empire turn. This is a key characteristic of the TVI-style of play. Caution must be exercised using a detachment in this fashion. In the 7th Edition Warhammer rules, units locked into melee and subsequently charged or overran into fight again-after it destroys your “speed bump”.
“Each infantry block and its detachment have a unit of 6 cavalry “assigned” to it. Two units are knights with one unit of Pistoliers. These are bare bones knights, no IC, no champ, no banner, just a musician to keep them company”.-TVI
“The cavalry’s job is to support the infantry line, they will sacrifice themselves to re-direct nasty enemy units away from potential flank charges (unless your unit is stubborn). They will not go off chasing enemy units unless the infantry are totally safe from enemy activity. The knights will let the infantry fight while they move into position to flank/rear charge the unit engaged with the infantry. They will sit and guard an exposed flank rather than go after small targets of opportunity”.-TVI
“Vanilla Knights” are just normal knightly orders usually with a musician only. They are one of the keys to making the Battalion Concept work. The idea of using knights on the defensive or as a counteroffensive force is foreign to most players.
Redirection is a key role for Vanilla Knights. Many times an Empire unit cannot take a cavalry charge full on from a powerful unit. In this instance the knights move forward at an angle to divert the enemy unit away from the parent unit. Again caution must be used due to the new rules. You will need to actually hold some of these charges to keep the enemy away from using “enemy in the way” to charge anyway.
One of the best uses for Vanilla Knights is as a counteroffensive force. Part of the Battalion Concept is to allow your main blocks to be charged. Once the enemy is locked into combat the Vanilla Knights charge into the melee to break the enemy and then use their superior movement to run down the enemy.
Vanilla Knights are an excellent reserve force. Just the threat of the knights is enough to cause the other player to pause. An intact unit of Vanilla Knights can win in the late game. Running down fleeing units, charging depleted units, protecting the flank of a main block as it moves into a decisive encounter, are all uses of knights.
There are only a couple of times when you want to move boldly forward with Vanilla Knights. They will rarely break an enemy unit on the charge. However, they can easily destroy or hold up supporting units. Remember the idea is to preserve your main blocks for as long as possible. A case could be made to rush the knights forward to assassinate mages, destroy light shooting units, march block or divert key enemy units far away from your lines to setup your advance.
1. “The army must have an infantry line of at least 6 maneuver elements, and stretch from one end of the battlefield to the other when deployed. This provides for flank security, as there is no flank to get around.” -TVI
Atchman’s Empire army moves forward in perfect Battalion Concept formation at the Baltimore GT 2002
By having a solid line of infantry, cavalry, and artillery you avoid having to worry about having your line “rolled up” by being outflanked. Also the enemy has no choice but to expose themselves somewhat to enfilading cannon fire if they try to punch through the line at a single point. Because there are so many maneuver elements (detachments, small cavalry units, as well as parent units), it is difficult for an enemy to exploit just one section of the line.
Some of the new rules have made this even easier. Empire armies lead by an Archlector may have up to three units of flagellants. As part of the Battalion Concept these units hold the charge, pinning the enemy in place until the cavalry can flank and take it out. Sometimes I call this “scraping” meaning that the enemy forces are scraped off of an engaged Empire unit. Greatswords are no longer limited except by their special slots. A Battle Standard Bearer with the Banner of Sigismund is yet another unit that can hold a charge with ease. The reduced point cost of the Empire troops in conjunction with the “five-wide” rule means that it is even easier to stretch from one tableside to the other.
2. “Every unit that is not in the main infantry line must support the main infantry line. That is, it must be designed to provide support to the infantry, not just run around killing things on its own”.-TVI
Heroic cavalry charges designed to break the enemy are not a part of this army. The cavalry for example is there to divert, countercharge a pinned enemy unit, or sacrifice themselves so that the artillery has a shot at unit elimination. The actions of the ancillary units are also designed to funnel the enemy into attacking the big blocks of troops-they simply have no choice. Eliminating these small units will rarely give the enemy the victory. At some point in time they will have to tackle at least one of the big blocks of troops to get enough victory points to win the game; a difficult task at best.
Even the artillery is used as a support tool. They must fire at targets that are a threat to your main combat blocks. If given the choice between firing to save itself and protecting a combat battalion the artillery must sacrifice itself for the good of the army.
Normal shooting has a support role in a Battalion Concept army. Sometimes due to the sheer width of the Empire forces, the missile troops must deploy behind the army. They fire through gaps and breaks in the lines at targets of opportunity. They also target anything that manages to circumvent the lines and in a pinch deliver a countercharge or block an enemy unit’s path of retreat. Ideally, some of the shooters are deployed on hills or flanks to better support the main effort. However, it must be remembered that missile units are expendable, in fact everything is expendable except for the main infantry blocks (even they are expendable if it means that they will protect the other two blocks).
3.“Magic is defensive, artillery is defensive, cavalry is defensive, and the infantry line does the killing. The infantry does this not by charging enemy units, but by being charged by enemy units and countering with detachments”.-TVI
A. All magic is defensive and designed to protect the primary battle force; the three blocks of infantry. Rarely are Dispel scrolls taken as most missile-type spells will have enough effect on such large units of troops. With the revision of the Rod of Power this item in most cases is sufficient magical protection. Armies lead by the Archlector often have significant magic defense. However, care must be taken to hold back dice for the really harmful spells while letting the lesser spells go through.
B. The artillery is in the army to preserve the unit strength of the large blocks of troops. Empire Helblasters, Mortars, and Rocket Launchers, fire to deplete the rank bonus of enemy troop blocks or concentrate fire on “big stuff” to try and place wounds on them. Great Cannons keep “big nasties” such as Dragons, Giants, Manticores, etc honest. In a classic maneuver at the Charlotte GT, Tim sacrificed one of his big blocks of Swordsmen, just to get a flank shot at a unit of Chosen Chaos Knights. The Great Cannon proceeded to hit accurately and destroyed most of the enemy unit.
C. The idea of “defensive cavalry” is unique. The core of the tactic is that the cavalry is used to support the infantry line. Unless it is to divert or counter an enemy flanker, it usually holds near a block of Swordsmen to either support charge the enemy’s flank or run down fleeing troops, keeping them from returning to the game.
4. “All infantry line units, parents and detachments, will be large enough to sustain damage and keep bonuses. All other units will be minimal as they are in a purely supportive role. This means that support units do not get banners, champions, magical goodies, or characters. They may have a musician to help to rally, but that is the only thrill they get”. -TVI
Ancillary units are kept small and at a minimal cost. The reasoning is that against a low movement rate army, many foes will eliminate the small units and just ignore tackling the big CR blocks. It is important to keep these blocks expendable as it is often a strategy of opponents to target only support units and leaven the main blocks alone. That is why it is so important to be aggressive with the large blocks to give your foe no choice but to engage your army. Normally an Empire army has enough shooting to keep the foe from just holding back.
5. “Characters stay in the infantry line to provide their bonuses to the infantry line. They are all mounted, fully armored, and where possible have ward saves”. -TVI
In the prior edition of Warhammer mounted characters were vulnerable. One of the tenants of the strategy was to use the characters to draw fire. However this has changed in the newer edition.
Mounted characters in an infantry unit are now the norm for most players. Empire characters benefit from their excellent armor saves and mobility. The mounted characters are a key part of the Battalion Concept. Once the enemy charge is held, the mounted character can use its superior speed to run down or chase down the enemy as they flee.
Sometimes an Empire General and a BSB can join a unit of Vanilla Knights turning into a lethal hammer unit. The may be necessary to break through weaker units to clear the way for the main combat blocks to arrive intact. Depending on how they are outfitted, just the two characters can charge out and break support units on their own. Targets such as Salamanders, Beast Herds, etc will more often than not, will break under the powerful attacks of two characters or at least hold until more help can arrive. This shouldn’t be used unless necessary as the Empire is one of the armies that really need to preserve their leadership abilities.
“So I went about building my army, three large blocks of 30 swordsmen, deployed 6 wide x 5 deep are the backbone. Each block of swordsmen has 1 or 2 detachments of 12 free company deployed 6 wide and 2 deep. Each infantry block and its detachment have a unit of 6 cavalry “assigned” to it. Two units are knights, one unit is Pistoliers. These are bare bones knights, no IC, no champ, no banner, just a musician to keep them company”.-TVI
To design a good Battalion Concept list, you need at least three main blocks. While normally these are states troops such as Swordsmen, they can in fact be made up of other units. States Troops should all have at least one detachment. Normally these will be Free Company, but can be any normal type of melee troops. Detachments of archers are handy to screen the main combat blocks as well as support the effort with bow shots. Just remember if you have the choice of moving to a better position or shoot, in an Empire army you should always move.
“When the Greatswords run the game is done”-Atchman
An Empire army moves forward to fight the dreaded Tomb Kings, Greatswords, Outriders, and Vanilla Knight units protect the flank. It is all about the protecting the infantry until they can do their job. Once the battle is joined, the cavalry sweep in and destroy the enemy.
Greatswords combine an excellent armor save and high weapon skill, with lethal S5 attacks. They also have a decent leadership of 8 and can sometimes exist on their own without characters. When kept in the proximity of a BSB, they are almost unbreakable. If they happen to run, the chances are the Empire is in serious trouble.
Greatswords and Halberdiers painted by Bigrin42 and Atchman
Flagellants are the most reliable block of troops that the Empire can field. Because they are frenzied they can be pulled out of the line chasing after decoy troops. A good balance of blocks might be a unit of Swordsmen with BSB, a unit of Greatswords, and a large unit of Flagellants. Use detachments of archers to keep the Flagellants from being pulled out of the line because of frenzy.
A Steamtank or a GIANT can be used as an effective block. These two units are tough! They can fulfill the same role as a combat block of troops; holding the enemy in place by taking a charge and then flanking them. If you use these in that role understand that there are things that can destroy a GIANT or Steamtank outright so aid must come quickly. Besides their ability to hold the charge, they can also dish out damage and have the added bonus of not giving up valuable standards and thus bonus victory points.
Even an Empire character can fulfill the role of a block. The Archlector on the War Altar is unbreakable and highly mobile. Putting the Archlector in the middle of the Empire lines flanked by units that can countercharge or come to the rescue is an effective strategy.
In the figure above the red boxes represent cavalry units, the yellow blocks detachments, usually of Free Company. The large blue boxes represent the “parent” units of the detachments. Artillery is deployed on a hill for better lanes of fire. In the woods on the right, represented by the pink circles are some huntsmen. The goal here is to form a solid line with no gaps to exploit.
“Maneuver with the divisions is simple. The infantry parents move forward towards the enemy line as quickly as possible while the detachments and cavalry lag behind to stay out of charge range, but within counter-charge range, or cavalry charge range. When the enemy charges the parent, the detachment does its flanking thing, or flees from what charged it. This then leaves the cavalry free to charge the offending enemy unit in the flank, or swing around behind the enemy line if the detachment has counter-charged. Keep your detachments 6-7″ back from your parent’s leading edge, and keep your cavalry about 10″ back from the parent’s leading edge”. -TVI
As you can see in this photograph, a feared unit of Black Orcs is approaching the Empire lines. In the Battalion Concept, the Free Company Detachment is deployed from 6″-7″ back and about 1.5″-2″ to the flank for supporting charges. The Pistolier unit is deployed to the other side of the unit. The Pistoliers on the following turn can A) charge into the flank of the Black Orc unit if they hold. B) Run down the Black Orc unit if it flees C) Charge the Black Orcs in the flank if they break the swordsmen and pursue. This is all possible because the Empire player WANTS the Swordsmen unit to be charged.
The cavalry’s job is to support the infantry line. They will sacrifice themselves to re-direct enemy units away from potential flank charges (unless your unit is stubborn). They will not go off chasing enemy units unless the infantry are totally safe from enemy activity. The knights will let the infantry fight while they move into position to flank/rear charge the unit engaged with the infantry. They will sit and guard an exposed flank rather than go after small targets of opportunity. The supporting knights can plug a hole in the line in dire emergencies, or exploit a break in the enemy line.
The cannon’s job is to support the infantry by eliminating chariots, terror-causers, and “big nasties”. They will fire one last shot in support of the infantry rather than firing canister into the enemy unit about to charge them. The mortars are there to support the infantry. They will lob shells to thin the enemy ranks before engagement, and shell anything that is dancing around out of the reach of your infantry line. Please remember that mortars can and do drift up to 10”..so do not target anything within 12” of a main infantry unit. Mortars can also be used in a pinch to snipe at targets of opportunity just as cannons do. I once killed a Chaos Spawn that broke through a sector of my line with a pair of on-target S6, D3 wound, no armor save, mortar shells. I’ve also sniped wizards in such a manner!
-Tim Walker aka “The Village Idiot”
Battalion Concept Tactics:
It wasn’t until I played my Dwarf army on a regular basis, that I truly understood the idea of provoking or inviting the enemy charge. Many players when confronted by enemy charges seek to pull back and try and avoid them. Using the “Idiot” method, you maneuver in such a way that you force the enemy to charge your large blocks of troops-you give them have no choice. The reasons are many but I’ll highlight a few:
1) If you charge, it is the enemies turn next. Units that you have recently broken will be able to rally and thus re-enter the game.
You should only charge enemy units in your turn if you are a) certain of victory and b) sure they will either be killed by “crossfire” or will flee the table. If you fail to break them you are yourself vulnerable to being charged in the enemy’s turn.
Charging an enemy unit that will likely survive may increase the chance that you will have to engage them again. It is vitally important to learn when to charge and when to hold the line. Keeping the infantry line together will from a web and continue to herd the enemy off the table.
2) Allowing the enemy to charge you is a key part of the strategy. Enemy units broken in combat or held up in combat can thus be charged by another unit, detachment, Pistoliers or ‘nilla Knights.
Here the Parent unit has held the charge of the Chosen Chaos Knights. The Empire player then countercharges with the Vanilla Knights to break ranks and to perhaps cause some vital CR wounds.
The detachment continues to hold back as you should never add unarmored, easily killed troops to a melee. A detachment will have little chance of hurting the elite knights and a smart player will direct as many attacks as possible towards the weak detachment possibly allowing the Chaos Knights to defeat three units at once!
3) Units broken in the other player’s turn can be forced to flee again. The small detachments of archers, Pistoliers and Knights are ideal for this role.
Here the Parent and detachment have repulsed the charge of the Chosen Chaos Knights, now the Vanilla Knights charge them, sending them fleeing off the table. This leaves the Parent unit and the detachment to seek out new targets. Note: a mounted character in the infantry unit is an ideal unit to run down fleeing enemy troops, but be careful that it doesn’t leave them vulnerable.
4) Horde army tactics allow for bonus victory points to be gained from table quarters. There are plenty of units available to contest and hold ground.
Here the Empire player has left a detachment of Handgunners behind to hold a vital table quarter. With a horde Empire army it is often feasible to hold or contest every table quarter.
One of the nice things about the Battalion Concept is that you can use it in a number of different ways. In the diagram above, half of the army is setup in a battalion fashion. The other half of the army is composed of heavy cavalry units. A Grandmaster the large unit of Knights stays near the infantry giving them vital leadership early in the game. The dark blue infantry unit is lead by a BSB (perhaps with the Banner of Sigismund, Griffon Banner, or Imperial Standard), while the light blue unit are Greatswords. Most of the army is leadership 8 and can operate without the General’s leadership nearby. A Banner of Valor in the Greatswords would be a good idea to mitigate panic. This is a common army design used by Racticas
One of the most effective tools in the new Empire list is the Archlector of Sigmar. Here the Archlector (the light green block) gives valuable leadership to the two infantry blocks. The infantry helps keep him from getting trapped by enemy CR units. Fast moving knight units shield the flank of the infantry line. Another thought would be Flagellants as they are unbreakable. The house in the diagram can also shields the Empire’s flanks.
The “Idiot” approach is not for everyone. However it can be a pleasant change from normal tactics. In fact the army has some weaknesses that can be exploited:
1) It is still an Empire army and psychology is still a problem. This can sometimes be helped by the use of the Imperial Standard.
The “Reman Legion” of Marcus Octavius uses several ways to help with psychology. Archers screen the infantry blocks from shooting and missile magic. A BSB with the Imperial Standard allows for re-rolls of failed psychology tests. Large infantry blocks are resilient and can take a pounding. Massed artillery fire can potentially remove any threat that the army can face. You can read more about the “Reman Legion” here: http://www.remanlegions.com/.
2) The magic defense is rather low. This isn’t a big deal normally because most of the feared spells are missile types, which will normally not be effective against 30-man units. It is movement spells such as Waagh, Van Hel’s Dance, etc, and immobilizing spells that are a real problem to defend.
Here the Empire player has held back his detachments awaiting the Orc Waaagh. Since the Empire player wants to be charged in the Battalion Concept, the Waaagh is playing into the Empire player’s hands.
3) Some units could care less about how much CR you generate. Stubborn units such as Stegadons, Slayers, etc are a real problem because they can tie up a unit long enough for it to be isolated and destroyed. With the lack of serious hand-to-hand power, these units also take a tremendous time to wound and eliminate.
The Dwarf Slayers have held up the Empire forces for one turn too long. This has allowed the Dwarf Clansmen to come to their rescue. Empire forces truly do lack killing power, especially against tough foes like Dwarfs.
During my first years of playing Warhammer, I exclusively played my Empire armies in tournament play. At the Charlotte GT, I met TVI himself, Mr. Tim Walker. Looking at his army I thought to myself “he’ll be lucky if he wins anything with that list”, instead he won the GT! Over the next two years, I tried many types of Empire armies. It wasn’t until I took my own “TVI” list to the Baltimore GT, that I finished the highest placing Empire player something that I accomplished at every GT that I have taken my “TVI”-style list ever since.
Give it a try, it may not work as well for you as it has for me, but I think it is still a valid tactic. Seventh edition Warhammer and the new Empire book have diminished its advantages only slightly. A well-played TVI list is a tough foe for most races.
-Randy Atchley aka Atchman
