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Empire of Man · 140 points
Are Empire crossbowmen good?
Empire crossbowmen are good, especially standing still in the open. They fired the single biggest short-range volley in my tests, 7.7 wounds into unarmoured Dregs.
Quick answer: it depends what you point Empire crossbowmen at
- Role
- Stationary gunline
- Good against
- Ironbreakers (1.5, 5th), Skaven Dregs (7.7, 1st), Rat Ogres (4.2, 2nd)
- Struggles against
- Skirmishing Empire Archers (3.1, 13th)
- Range
- Loses some damage at range (75% kept)
Stationary gunline is the job Empire crossbowmen did best in my testing, and it is the yardstick I would judge them by, rather than their 4th-of-29 overall average.
How many simulations I ran
I ran 120 volleys with Empire crossbowmen: ten fresh volleys at each of six targets, at both long and short range. I then fired 1,800 more Empire crossbowmen volleys at fixed distances, after moving and into cover. Those main volleys were part of the 4,080 I ran across 29 shooting units, and these were the Empire crossbowmen results.
No simulation is perfect, and my Empire crossbowmen results are no exception: the dice fall on open ground, with no magic, no extra characters and no opponent making decisions. With ten volleys per result, Empire crossbowmen (3.6) and Skaven Jezzails (3.7) finished level at short range, so I would not read anything into their order. I use them to decide the job for Empire crossbowmen, not to predict a single game.
My verdict
I think crossbows are the best pure gunline value in the Empire list: fourth of 29 at short range and second at long range. They fall apart once they move into cover, though, and I cover that below.
Best and worst targets for Empire crossbowmen
Empire crossbowmen by target. Ranks out of 29. n = 10 volleys per cell
| Target | Long | Rank | Short | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knights of the Realm | 1.6 | 8th | 1.7 | 8th |
| Ironbreakers | 1.4 | 5th | 1.5 | 5th |
| Empire State Troops | 3.7 | 2nd | 3.5 | 11th |
| Skaven Dregs | 4.2 | 2nd | 7.7 | 1st |
| Rat Ogres | 3.2 | 3rd | 4.2 | 2nd |
| Skirmishing Empire Archers | 2.2 | 7th | 3.1 | 13th |
Range and armour
At long range Empire crossbowmen kept 75% of their short-range damage. Their best long-range target was Skaven Dregs (4.2).
Against my two heavily armoured targets, Knights of the Realm and Ironbreakers, Empire crossbowmen averaged 1.6 wounds at short range. That puts them 7th of 29 for cracking armour.
Empire crossbowmen after moving and in cover
My main table is a clean volley in the open, so I also fired Empire crossbowmen at fixed distances, after moving and at targets in partial cover. At 22 inches after moving into partial cover, Empire crossbowmen averaged 0.43 wounds across the six targets, 7th of the 18 units I tested this way. Standing still in the open at 10 inches, Empire crossbowmen averaged 4.00 (1st of 18).
Empire crossbowmen: mean wounds across all six targets. Still or moved, open ground or partial cover. n = 60 volleys per cell
| Distance | Still, open | Moved, open | Still, cover | Moved, cover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 inches | 4.00 (1st) | 1.28 (9th) | 2.28 (3rd) | 0.68 (8th) |
| 22 inches | 2.50 (1st) | 0.47 (8th) | 0.97 (8th) | 0.43 (7th) |
Ranks in brackets compare Empire crossbowmen with the other 17 units in the fixed-distance test.
Empire crossbowmen after moving into partial cover, by distance. n = 60 volleys per cell
| 6in | 10in | 16in | 22in | 28in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.55 | 0.68 | 0.58 | 0.43 | 0.32 |
Empire crossbowmen into State Troops only, including full cover. n = 10 volleys per cell
| Distance | Still, open | Moved, partial cover | Moved, full cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 inches | 5.1 | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| 22 inches | 3.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
How I set up the test
Against the Knights, 20 Empire crossbowmen could shoot at long range and 18 at short range; against the skirmishing archers, 20 and 20. My method page has the full setup.
How do they compare?
Other Empire of Man shooters
- Empire handgunners144 pts · 3.2 avg short, 2.2 avg long
Similar overall damage
- Skaven JezzailsSkaven (Renegades fan list) · 3.7 avg short
- Dwarf IrondrakesDwarfen Mountain Holds · 3.7 avg short
- Cathay Iron Hail GunnersGrand Cathay · 3.7 avg short
My conclusion
Based on these results, I would use Empire crossbowmen for a stationary gunline into infantry and Rat Ogres, and not for moving and shooting from cover, to get the most out of them on the battlefield.
FAQs
What are Empire crossbowmen best at shooting?
Skaven Dregs: Empire crossbowmen did 7.7 wounds per short-range volley against them in my tests. Their lowest number was against Ironbreakers, at 1.5, but that still ranked 5th of 29, because every unit struggles there.
Are Empire crossbowmen better at long or short range?
Short range. Empire crossbowmen kept 75% of their short-range damage at long range, 9th of 29 for holding up at range. Empire crossbowmen averaged 2.7 wounds at long range against 3.6 at short range.
Are Empire crossbowmen good against armour?
Against Knights of the Realm and Ironbreakers, Empire crossbowmen averaged 1.6 wounds per short-range volley, 7th of the 29 units I tested.