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[Zeru]

As my interest in this game has reached an overwhelming level now, I have decided that I might as well ask for some advice 

I am planning on having the Empire as my primary faction, but I am not sure which models I should use beyond the few that I like.

Right now I am basically going to play a light faction with Kronen, Claire, and Evangaline. 

From my understanding however, once I make it a faction based group I can only have 1 wanderer and no one from other factions, so Evangaline will be out once the Black Lion (Dark) is out (the green for that guy looks awesome btw)

I also plan on grabbing Yuri once he is avaliable in the US; gotta have the leader after all, and his model is a favorite of mine as well.

So the models I will have for sure (once they are out that is) are:

Empire:
Yuri Olson (Don't have, but will get)
Kronen
Claire
Black Lion (although I don't know anything about him, so ignore him for now)

Church:
Evangaline (temporary)

I also have the models of:
Harod (Dark, so not important for this discussion, but his model was awesome)
Feng Yi (loved her artwork, and the model caught my attention)
Tsubasa (same story, he seems like he would be a good 4th member for my current group though)
and Aoi (possible Evangaline replacement?)

So my big questions are:

How should I equip them?

I really have no clue on Yuri or Claire.

Kronen could use a number of things; Raphaela's gift or Supernatural armor seem good for defense, or if I want him to be a bit more of an offensive player I would slap Supernatural Weapon on him, but I really don't know.

For Evangaline, Prescence seems like a natural choice for her.


How should I use them?

Strategy advice would also be appreciated, as I am pretty new to the game.
Some of the posts in the strategy section are really insightful, but the Empire factions seems to have very specific strengths and weaknesses.

Most are slow, but heavily armored and damaging, but with limited support.

Here are the impressions I have so far from their abilities.

Kronen is a great Anchor for the entire team, a big chunk of Empire tank that the opponent would want to avoid, but I have to manuever to force them to engage him. Using the (slightly) faster characters like Clare and Yuri could tie up people for a round or two (due to their own armor)and allow him to engage their opponents is one way to get him there.
He is a great meatshield too, so I could see him engaging the opposing team's more dangerous fighters as well.

Claire adds alot to the manuevering game, she would be great for "pool shotting" opponents towards Kronen, or into anyone he may be fighting. Then Kronen could then have a field day wailing in on them. Her extra reach also means she could fight opponents at arms reach without actually being in hand to hand with them. She even has a great desperation move in the form of throwing Gae Bolg, I could see that utterly destroying an enemy support character caught unawares.

Yuri is incrediably impressive as well, he seems to be a great all-rounder, with impressive stats. He is also a pretty awesome guy for all his group orientated abilities, making the already tough Empire team even tougher. His own offensive power is great as well with Critical Mastery and Queen's Round. Definetly a worthy leader. Not to mention his leader card. 

Although temporary, I cannot forget about Evangaline, although she is rather flimsy compared to the rest of the team and has no offensive power to speak of it is clear how valuable she is. Every single ability she has is vital to enchancing the team's strength and survival. Defending her properly could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Kronen is a great bodyguard for her but I am unsure if that is the best use for him, I guess it depends on my opponent.

and finally:

Who should I get?

Most of the other Empire's models didn't grab at me, but none of them are particularly bad either (cept maybe Khaine, her model rubs me the wrong way for some reason  )

That is all I have to say for now, sorry for being so long winded. >.<

Any advice would be appreciated 

[Sallust de la Iglesia]

Right now the Empire has no dark figures. So until they do there is no such thing as playing "Empire". Just play light side knowing and add models that work on the empire force you want.

Soon enough we'll have the Black Lion of Abel and organization advantages to make a good reason to play an actual Empire force.

That said the forces of the Empire work well with a mystic like Janiel or Evangeline to heal them and find those pesky hidden units.

[Ape2020]

Well I'm sure other will have more informed opinion but I think Daniella would be a good addition.  The only Empire unit with range attack (that can be used more then once) she is the only real support unit Empire has.  With Advance Deployment you can have haressing the opposition in turn one while Kiting her back to the main group.  From there she would provide cover fire as the rest of the party moves in.  As the main forces engage have her on the outside shooting into melee with her more accurate shots and finish off already wounded enemy units.  Give her either Supernatural Weapon or Destiny to improve her attack.  

Yuri is your next closest "support" unit under the Empire banner.  Especially King's Tower helping prottect your units from special sniper range attacks and armor piercer.  In addition to his leadership card I would add either Presence to improve KT or Logistics to move up your starting position since most of your forces are slow melee fighters.

Kronen should get Raphael's Gift since he should be most afraid of armor piercers making Supernatural Armor overpriced and not that much of an improvement.  Kronen should live through most attacks and will start gaining health back soon enough.  The only other choice I would give him is the costly but very effective Protective Shield so he can hopefully always dodge and reduce some of the damage if any gets through.  

Claire looks like your mid-level fighter and pseudo armor piercer.  If you have the points give her either Supernatural Weapon or Destiny for when you want to use her one range attack.

Think the Black Lion will be at least 50 Lvl and an attack/damage monster.  I might add either Sophia with all her reactive boosting support or Akio for some more range surpression fire.  Sophia if I gave her anything would be Presence to increase her reactive power's range.  Akio is a natural for Ring of Erebus to increase the range of his attacks.  

Once you add the Black Lion you can't get any of the healers in your group as even Aoi is Samael.  So unless a new Wanderer or Empire unit comes along your stuck.  Of course Janus Faith or Duncan Reid would be fine mid-level warriors with decent attacks, damage, and armor.  Might want to throw in Gale on one of them to cut down on range attacks.

-ape2020

[Zeru]

I am aware that the Empire won't have a Dark character until the Black Lion of Abel is out, but best prepare ahead of time eh? 


Having a solid ranged element seems like a good idea, and I could definetly see Daniella being useful for weakening some enemies before the melee-crush. She would be great for harassing enemy support as well.

Yuri with Logistics sound's tasty, the Empire doesn't seem to have anyone particularly speedy, so that helps alot.

Raphaela's gift it is! I had completely forgotten their is a decent amount of enemies out their that can make a mockery of his armor, and he does have the highest life out of any character so far (I think) so extending his lifespan would certainly annoy people.

Supernatural Weapon seems like a good staple for Claire, but i'm not entirely sure what Destiny does, care to elaborate? How does it compare with Supernatural Weapon?

I hope the Black Lion is comparable to the great offensive monsters like Dereck or Dark Cherish, that sword of his looks intimidating, can't wait to learn more about him.

As for Janus Faith and/or Duncan Reid, how do the two compare and what are their advantages?

Thanks for the responses so far. 

[Ape2020]

Destiny is a 5 lvl one shot power that gives you a 7 instead of rolling.  It would be used to take the risk out of rolling a low number.  Its best to use on Claire when she throws her spear and you want to not only make sure she hits but that it does a lot of damage. 

Duncan Reid is a att 5, dam 5, arm 4 hp 14 fighter with a special of if he hits once he can make a second attack for free.  Plus he can pump up his resistance to 12 with Pride. 

Janus Faith I don't have but he very similar with att 5, dam 6, hp 16.  His special is he can pump up his armor to 6 and has an special attack dam +4. 

I would lean toward Janus but Duncan is nice if you are facing some negative state units since Empire is rather weak on resistance.  In the end its almost a coin flip except Duncan comes with Gale and Janus comes with Fantasy Bless which is a one use card giving you either 1 lvl of Sheilding, Healing, Protection, or Haste. 

PS I almost forgot that once you go organzation you can have one slot for a wanderer.  This is very important in that it means you can have a team of wanderers in there instead of just one unit.  If you want you could put in the team of Kujaku Hime (whose model is similar to Aoi and Feng Li) and her bodygaurd Takanosuke to give you more of a stealth negative token element.  Plus soon the Pao family will add their teacher and form a team to add more speed and flanking.  So far team plot cards are only 5 lvls and add alot of power to the group.


-ape2020

[Zeru]

Destiny seems like a good card, but I don't plan on attempting to throw the spear that often, and it gets 2 dice to hit anyway, which is pretty good. Supernatural Weapon seems like a good choice though.

Duncan's higher resistance is certainly attractive with his high resistance to magic, and Janus seems like a better version of Kronen in some ways. (only in some)

Duncan and Janus both have iffy models for me, but I have seen good paint schemes make both models look impressive in their own right.

Thanks for telling me about the wanderer slot, I remember hearing about the team thing only taking up one slot, but I had completely forgotten about it. Kujaku + Takanosuke would certainly add an interesting dynamic to the slow moving Empire, not to mention I like both models. 

P.S. Could someone toss me a link for some backstory of the Empire and its members?
Yuri and the Black Lion of Abel are of particular interest, as are the 4 members of Seventh Heaven, especially the level 100+ guy. (Kisidan)

[Hiro]

I'd use Destiny on Kronen. Add in the action point you can get with Yuri and hopefully you can get off a counter attack. If Kronen does then he will kill most opponents and you can't win without attacking the enemy.

Against anti-armor units, Raphaela's gift won't do much of anything but being able to get that counter attack off will be of great help. Destiny gives a roll of 7 which helps a lot even if you choose just to do a normal attack. Remember that Kronen has a base of 8 dam.

[Sallust de la Iglesia]

I'd save Destiny for Khaine who can use it well with her Sacred Attack.
I second using Rafael's gift on Kronen, who can always use more healing as an ultimate tank. The other option is to use something to give him more actions to get a chance of using Scarlet Heartbeat.

Tempus Fugit seems like a good one for Daniella to enable her to kite enemies better.

If there is a good advantage card for Claira then I haven't figured it out yet. Supernatural weapon if you really feel the need to take one.

I really think in the next few months though as Daniella, Yuri, and Black Lion (plus maybe others) that the Empire is really going to change and become a much more powerful organization.

[Hiro]

Do realize that you can give the same card to different character if you like. You can give everyone Destiny if you want or clock of chronos.

When in doubt, I always say take Destiny or clock of chronos. Either one to me is far better than a pitiable 2 point heal that Rafael's gift. The gift may very well do nothing but the other two cards are guaranteed to have a big impact on the game.

Also, lots of enemys with the seal ability hence why I recommend taking Destiny. It can help you save on a resistance roll or just help an attack land. Anti-armor troops tend to be low health/armor so a regular attack boosted by Destiny should kill them which helps you win the game (unlike Rafael's gift). Sorry, not very defense minded.

[Zeru]

The Cloak of Chronos and Destiny both seem like good "suprise!" cards, and I could definetly see them turning the tide of the game when used at the right time.

Kronen's low Attack score is something I noticed right away about him (along with his not-so-impressive speed)and is definetly a source of concern for me.

Evangaline's bonus should help with that though, as her Bless ability gives +1 to Attack and Defense, which is impressive.

A few things came to mind while reading your responses:

1) How many turns does a game last on average once combat is engaged?

2) Does Daniella really need anything beyond the Empire's wall-o-armor to help her kite? It seems like the opponent would have a tough time just avoiding the likes of Kronen+Claire+Yuri to get make an attack on her.

3) Is Destiny's one time use really more valuable then most consistent effects?
Supernatural Weapon gives a constant attack score bonus and Raphaela's gift is unlikely to be useless on someone with as much life as Kronen, as he won't be dying anytime soon, and he would be an extremely difficult character to take down for non-anti armor characters.

4) Just how common are Anti-Armor characters? What is considered anti-armor, and who are Anti-armor? (Ayl and Faust are the ones that leap into my mind)

 

[Sallust de la Iglesia]

Kronen's low Attack score is something I noticed right away about him (along with his not-so-impressive speed)and is definetly a source of concern for me.

Evangaline's bonus should help with that though, as her Bless ability gives +1 to Attack and Defense, which is impressive.

A few things came to mind while reading your responses:

1) How many turns does a game last on average once combat is engaged?

2) Does Daniella really need anything beyond the Empire's wall-o-armor to help her kit? It seems like the opponent would have a tough time just avoiding the likes of Kronen+Claire+Yuri to get make an attack on her.

3) Is Destiny's one time use really more valuable then most consistent effects?
Supernatural Weapon gives a constant attack score bonus and Raphaela's gift is unlikely to be useless on someone with as much life as Kronen, as he won't be dying anytime soon, and he would be an extremely difficult character to take down for non-anti armor characters.

4) Just how common are Anti-Armor characters? What is considered anti-armor, and who are Anti-armor? (Ayl and Faust are the ones that leap into my mind)

It should be noted that Kronen is a tank and not a damage dealer. In a good game you're not depending on him for damage, but rather depending on him to intercept, shield, and lock into melee those who can hurt your support characters.

to answer specific questions:

2) Daniella has advance deployment and will often start out far ahead of her support. She needs good speed to run back towards the crushing wall of Empire melee forces while doing simple attacks on the way. By the way, I recommend the advantage card Plot: Tactics to go with her. Place her first and then play the tactics card when your opponent thinks they are setup to kill her.

3) No. Destiny is useful if you find yourself frequently in a situation where dice are changing the outcome. Often you will find life points, or damage is the factor which changes the combat.

4) Uncommon but not rare. Faust, Ayl, and my personal favorite is Damien. Any character that can poison, doom or debuff sufficiently should also be considered "anti-armor". My first matchup of Kronen versus Azrael ended up with Azrael taking a bunch of damage and then killing Kronen by using Wings of Sin and Kronen failing the first doom roll. He only did like 3 points of damage to Kronen's 12 to kill him too. Fighting Hel or Dark Takanosuke is going to be even worse.

[Hiro]

Often you will find life points, or damage is the factor which changes the combat.

Correction, its often a roll for an attack or dodge or resitance that make a differnce in the game. Healing 2 points at the start of a turn does nothing when you out right kill an enemy.

Don't spend to much on Advantage cards. Its almost always better to have an extra minis or a more powerful minis. So do try that first before considering advantage cards.

My favorite anti-armor is Alessia's dark sniper. She can do a lot of damage to even Kronen. Pair her with Faust and you own Armor. 

[Kagami, The Renegade]

Often you will find life points, or damage is the factor which changes the combat.

Don't spend to much on Advantage cards. Its almost always better to have an extra minis or a more powerful minis. So do try that first before considering advantage cards.

Hopefully that mentality will change, afterall, Advantage cards are an important an colorful part of Anima Tactics.

[Sallust de la Iglesia]

Often you will find life points, or damage is the factor which changes the combat.

Correction, its often a roll for an attack or dodge or resitance that make a differnce in the game. Healing 2 points at the start of a turn does nothing when you out right kill an enemy.

Don't spend to much on Advantage cards. Its almost always better to have an extra minis or a more powerful minis. So do try that first before considering advantage cards.

My favorite anti-armor is Alessia's dark sniper. She can do a lot of damage to even Kronen. Pair her with Faust and you own Armor. 

I respectfully disagree. Healing 2 points of damage every turn can be a big deal in many turns. Faust can kill himself without it, so can Aliss. Anyone else (i.e. targets with high armour or defense) that takes small amounts of damage now and then can benefit from it greatly. Topping them off allows them often to survive those big hits where a roll went badly for you. Honestly the difference in a roll of 7 and 9 when it is guaranteed to hit is 2 points of damage.

Remember you didn't lose that character because of a dice roll. You lost him because the dice roll + multiple stats made life points go to 0. Higher defense, higher armour or resistance, and healing can make the difference in many cases between success and defeat. Likewise being the one to deal that extra damage in the right situation can do the same. In several of my games that were very close I can look at my advantage cards and clearly see that they either provided the advantage to tip the scales in my favor, or were selected wrong (usually putting martyr on the wrong figure) and didn't give me the advantage I needed to win the game.

I expect for those this isn't clear to, then having summer tournaments at GenCon and PAX will prove this.

[Cadfan]

Advantage cards are worth it if you have a reason for giving them out.  If you just gave someone an advantage card because, hey, you had it laying around and why not, then you probably should have spent the points on more or better characters.

In my opinion, the heroes of the advantage cards are, in no particular order:

1: Raphael's Gift- this may be the best card for a high armor character you intend to use in your front line.
2: Clock of Cronos- an extra action can allow you to use a special attack when your opponent didn't expect it (and can't dodge it), or will allow you to dodge when your opponent didn't expect you to dodge.  This can be the difference between winning or losing a fight.
3: Destiny- A guaranteed 7 can allow you to get a guaranteed kill, particularly when used against a target that cannot dodge (which makes your damage perfectly predictable against them).  This is possibly the best card for ranged attackers, because they can hold back their activation, then screw over an enemy who is in melee and hasn't got actions remaining to dodge them.  That's tougher to do with a melee character, who have less selection over who they attack.
4: Gale- best advantage card against Samael.
5: Control Bound- for characters with magic abilities with saves.

There are other good ones, but I think these are the best overall.