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I'd have a tie between Macharius and Creed.

As has been said, they are un-augmented, (technically) powerless people, and yet they are celebrated as among the greatest generals the Imperium has to offer. At least Macharius is for sure. He's known as the greatest Imperial general beyond the Emperor.

Doombreed, duh.

Wrong to all. Try TYPHUS. This guy just made his own daemon world out of Ulthor. Plus he feths up the galaxy wherever he pleases.

Idle Hands wrote:
Then look at the stuff he pulled and keeps pulling of.

I'd like to see you name Creed's incredible accomplishments as a commander.

It is between Imhotek, Lord Solar Macharius, Horus, and Roboute Guilliman, I'd say.

The Silent King is still alive/functioning, and is older than any race in the galaxy. He was leading armies to war against demi-gods when dinosaurs were still walking around on Terra.

He is the most experienced and likely the best general in the galaxy. He's just busy at the moment, the galaxy will rue the day he shifts focus to conquest.

Imhotek is by canon the greatest Necron general in the setting though, lol.

Yeah he's an active Necron leader. The Silent King is afk.

He fought against and then alongside Dante with his own army though.

He's flexible I suppose. LOL

Creed is good but, if you put him up against the Iron Warriors Warmaster or the Night Lords Commander. There Style of Warfare can end Creed and all of Cadia.

 Orlanth wrote:
However the Emperor is heavily overated, he might be a godlike psyker, but when it comes to political and strategic acumen he leaves a lot to be desired.

He, uh, carved out the single largest empire in the galaxy. I mean, not a lot of others did anything remotely like that, did they?

Well since the 40k universe is just our universe in the future, I'd say Hannibal Barca.

Expert Cavalry general. Simply exquisit command. Shame about his last few battles, but hey, even the emperor fethed up, right?

Well, I hate to say it, but you are all undeniably wrong. It is obviously Firaeveous Carron. How many other generals could humble a Space Marine strike force by simply taking away their 'metal bawkses'?

Nah, in all seriousness - Solar. The man was as close as you could be to a Space Marine's formidable strategic prowess without actually being one. Never defeated, only abandoned by his men.

GW has recently tried to put Imotekh on this pedestal.

tgjensen wrote:
He, uh, carved out the single largest empire in the galaxy. I mean, not a lot of others did anything remotely like that, did they?

The Imperium is laughably stretched thin and puny when compared to the Necrontyr empires of old.

 PrehistoricUFO wrote:
The Silent King is still alive/functioning, and is older than any race in the galaxy. He was leading armies to war against demi-gods when dinosaurs were still walking around on Terra.

He is the most experienced and likely the best general in the galaxy. He's just busy at the moment, the galaxy will rue the day he shifts focus to conquest.

Exactly why Dante is the best: he held off the greatest Necron general there is with a company or two of BA.

 Void__Dragon wrote:

tgjensen wrote:
He, uh, carved out the single largest empire in the galaxy. I mean, not a lot of others did anything remotely like that, did they?

The Imperium is laughably stretched thin and puny when compared to the Necrontyr empires of old.

This would be the empire that declared war on an enemy that hopelessly outclassed them, and then unwittingly sold their souls to the C'tan in order to win, right? Yes, brilliant moves on their part.

It was indeed, they gained immortality and bodies that could not be so easily killed.

They later destroyed said C'tan, if you recall.

Even now, the Necrons outnumber the Imperium of Man several times over.

It doesn't count when it's just pure luck! They didn't know about the C'tan when they started their hopeless war against the Old Ones, and they didn't know they were giving up free will in the deal. Good on them for beating the C'tan, but that doesn't erase the fact that they made some serious strategic blunders that could easily have wiped them out.

And the Imperium is set to kill anything & everything that isnt imperial...

tell me how this wont get them wiped out?

tgjensen wrote:
It doesn't count when it's just pure luck! They didn't know about the C'tan when they started their hopeless war against the Old Ones, and they didn't know they were giving up free will in the deal. Good on them for beating the C'tan, but that doesn't erase the fact that they made some serious strategic blunders that could easily have wiped them out.

Well no, they were logistically outmaneuvered by the Webway Gates, which would be true for every other faction against the Old Ones.

Read up on your Necron fluff.

Clearly the swarmlord is the best general

 Void__Dragon wrote:
Well no, they were logistically outmaneuvered by the Webway Gates, which would be true for every other faction against the Old Ones.

But every other faction didn't make the strategic blunder of choosing to start a war with the Old Ones, only the Necrons did that. It's very well that they were legitimately beaten on the battlefield, so to speak, but they put themselves on it. That was their mistake. You don't win the Greatest General Award if you start wars against opponents you can't beat.

It has to be commander puretide with all fire caste academies using his teachings and no student ever mastering more then 1 of his fighting styles

 ace101 wrote:
I'd guess dante, the man has seen more combat than anyone. There is a reason he was given overall command in the 3rd war for Armageddon

Dante wasn't there during the 3rd, only the 3rd Company under Tycho was - it was during the 2nd Armageddon War that Guilliman and Tu'Shan submitted to his authority - however that was because they understandably accepted his greater experience. The 2nd edition rules however stated that Dante was a bit more of a brawler than a tactician and as such he had a lower strategy rating that Guilliman.

tgjensen wrote:

 Void__Dragon wrote:
Well no, they were logistically outmaneuvered by the Webway Gates, which would be true for every other faction against the Old Ones.

But every other faction didn't make the strategic blunder of choosing to start a war with the Old Ones, only the Necrons did that. It's very well that they were legitimately beaten on the battlefield, so to speak, but they put themselves on it. That was their mistake. You don't win the Greatest General Award if you start wars against opponents you can't beat.

No other faction existed prior.

SerQuintus wrote:

 ace101 wrote:
I'd guess dante, the man has seen more combat than anyone. There is a reason he was given overall command in the 3rd war for Armageddon

Dante wasn't there during the 3rd, only the 3rd Company under Tycho was - it was during the 2nd Armageddon War that Guilliman and Tu'Shan submitted to his authority - however that was because they understandably accepted his greater experience. The 2nd edition rules however stated that Dante was a bit more of a brawler than a tactician and as such he had a lower strategy rating that Guilliman.

Dante is a hero, not a general. (I realise he's a chapter master, but a captain is more likely to lead a battle than a chapter master. The CM is the guy who tells people where to go.


What about puretide?

Eldrad Uthran. He wins battles before they are even fought.

SerQuintus wrote:Dante wasn't there during the 3rd, only the 3rd Company under Tycho was - it was during the 2nd Armageddon War that Guilliman and Tu'Shan submitted to his authority

Can I humbly point out that Guilliman, had been dead/unconscious/in stasis (Whichever it really is), for circa 9000 years by that point. I don't know which commander was leading the Ultramrines in the 2nd War for Armageddon, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Guilliman.