Imperial Crier

Creation of the new log! Blogging my thoughts and games of rules of old and my hobby experience. Currently I am working on some Imperial Commander! Written by Brian Ansell (Avenging Lord of Chaos) and Richard Halliwell in 1981. A traditional war game, Armored soldiers of the Empire loyal to the Emperor with the legendary “Bolt rifle”, a healthy hatred for aliens all while plunged into a holy war with the “Red Redemptionists”. Stop me when this sounds familiar. unfortunately for me no Chaos or Golden super soldiers. But I will be playing a 1000 point game, my friends Imperialists versus my Imperial secessionists. If you have no idea how Imperial Commander works, read on! And I hope this breakdown finds you well, This game is about 40 years old and it plays perfectly fine. When people hear old they think CLUNKY, but no, Imperial Commander is not the case. This game is the chassis of every game we enjoy today and it shows.

Rules Overview:

Movement:

Imperial Commander is like your conventional 40k, 30k, or any game in between however the games complexity is that trading is a big part of the game! You will move your whole force, than you and your opponent will shoot at the same time. Then you will move again. Models have different “Movement bands” Light infantry being the fastest, armored infantry being a decent medium, powered armor thriving in open ground, and Dreadnoughts moving incredibly slow. typically a Light infantry will move 10cm per movement phase. While armored infantry move 8cm in open ground. Or you can buy your units the Jump pack. The Jump pack makes light infantry go from a 10cm move to 30cm, armored infantry from 8cm to 20cm, Dreadnoughts go from 4cm to 10cm it’s basically needed with them to function. This is a game were buying a jump pack expands your armies ability to fight 10 fold, some units do not NEED a jump pack but if you’re rocking armored infantry you’re gonna want to invest in jump packs.

Shooting:

Shooting is done with 2d6 and a target number, for instance a laser rifle (A basic but reliable weapon) hits enemies out to 100cm on a 6+ on 2d6, making the weapon fairly consistent. This target number of a 6+ is modified by a couple factors, like the models training level, if the enemy has cover, or the relevant shield active. If you roll above the number you score a hit! But if you roll too low your weapon can malfunction or run out of ammo. This can be repaired by sacrificing you’re entire movement phase to roll a d6 for the model and on a 5 or a 6 the weapon is restored back to normal function. Typically having a second weapon or just resorting to melee combat is preferable to trying to repair. Plenty of turns I’ve had where an entire squad is stuck hiding while a single model is trying to repair their heavy bolter.

Rolling to Kill:

Once you’ve rolled above said target number it is time to see your weapons IMPACT, this is basically STR and AP from 40k merged into one amalgamation there are several levels of IMPACT for instance; Stun, Anti-personnel, Low, Standard, High, Power, and TOTAL. Stun being a complete troll to your enemy as if they take a hit from a Stun weapon the model is stunned for THIRTY TURNS. It basically kills them. Depending on the weapon that you Hit your opponent with you look at the IMPACT and consult the chart for the IMPACT type, roll a D6 and depending on the enemy model’s type that was hit, the chart will tell you if it is a “NE”, NEAR MISS, or KILL. “NE” means no effect, nothing happens. Now NEAR MISS means that the model that was hit cannot shoot or move until after the next shooting phase basically pinning them. And Kill is pretty self explanatory the model is removed from play. Armored infantry is kinda the bog standard grunts of Imperial Commander, they’re cheap, efficient, but against a laser rifle’s Standard IMPACT they still die on a 3+.

Training Levels:

Your models have different levels of training the base training level is Regular, the model gains a +0 in shooting and melee, nothing special. But at a slight increase in points they can become, Elite for a +1 to shooting, Veterans +2, and Guard for an incredible +3. You can even decrease levels of training with Conscripts and Raw units being cheaper albeit worse in every conceivable way. Be warned just because a unit is a Guard does not make them LIVE longer than regular troops. Having an entire army of Veterans and Guards may seem like a good idea, but models in Imperial Commander die very fast. Mounting casualties on models that are costing about 21 points a pop will make your force seem thinner and thinner every turn, unlike in 40k or 30k your enemy shoots on your turn and you shoot on their turn. Your opponent trading a 12-15 point lighter troop with decent training and weapons will create a gap of projection in your force. Standardized unit equipment will take you far in this game and will be discussed further.

Melee:

The most impactful phase in most games, and especially in Imperial Commander. While the Close combat or “Assault phase” as we’ve called it in the current War gaming era. Takes place after the second movement phase of a turn, if any model touches the base of an enemy model during any movement phase they immediately engage in hand to hand combat. Now Melee combat in Imperial Commander is devastating, and when one is initiated one model WILL die. Both sides will roll a D10 and consult the list of modifiers (Training level, unit type, weapon type, and if you’re even armed.) The player with the highest number is the victor, if a tie is rolled the defending player wins, the defending player is just the player who’s turn it isn’t. So no bouncing off each other or tar pitting. Now the actual Close Combat phase is a little tricky, if you have any model in your squad within 5cm of an enemy you are engaged. Now on your turn you roll a D6 for each model in your squad and on a 5 or a 6 they can make a melee attack, throw a grenade, shoot with a pistol weapon, assault rifle, or SMG. After completing this action, they roll again and if you roll another 5 or 6 this cycle repeats itself. Until you kill all the enemies or your units fail to activate. Another reminder, just because you’re engaged doesn’t mean enemies cannot shoot you in the next turn either.

Conclusion:

All in All the game is incredible, it encourages you to play with your imagination, make scenarios and even play (dare I say) Asymmetric missions. If you’re looking for a break from competitive gaming or tired of acrylic squares on the ground and want your game to look and play amazing. Look no further Imperial Commander is THE game for you.

-Imperial Crier