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Hello, fellow Dakkanites. As the subject might suggest, I'm a new player to WFB. I don't even have my Empire army bought yet, save for a few things... However, thinking it over, I have begun to wonder if command units (mainly the Standard Bearer and Musician) are even worth it in a regiment that REALLY shouldn't see close combat (i.e. Empire Handgunners.) I can understand the point of the champion (that's what he's called, right? The guy with the Hochland(sp?) long rifle?) for the extra wounds and punch per turn, but, the way I see it, the musician might just be useless, because if you're charging something with a ranged unit, you're doing something very wrong. The banner, in the same bin, only gives a leadership reroll, right? While it might be useful against terror-causers, it seems highly situational.

So, what are your thoughts? Should I go ahead and keep the musician, or put in another handgunner?

The musician is generally good for swift reforms allowing you to still shoot after, altho with handguns being move or fire he's pointless, the banner might seem like a good idea if you want to highten your braking boint for blood and glory, but the ease with which the unit can be killled makes it a bit meh.
So yea stick with just the champ, and only if you want to have his special gun otherwise you're better off with just another mook.

The answers vary depending on which ranged unit you're buying for. If it's a move and fire unit, musicians are a really good investment.

HoverBoy has covered the main reason to take a standard- as extra insurance in Blood and Glory.

As a general rule, I don't like the champion upgrades for shooters. It always seems too expensive for one pip of ballistic skill. There are exceptions- some Empire armies run as many hochlands as they can get, in order to snipe out wizards. This can be particularly effective if combined with warrior priest buffs.

A tangential benefit is that with a champion, you can hold onto steadfast for an extra turn against a solo charging hero. Not reason enough on its own to take one, though.

RZ

Lord_Of_Morthan wrote:The guy with the Hochland(sp?) long rifle?) for the extra wounds and punch per turn

It isn't the wounds you're after, it's the ability to snipe characters out of their units. Reaching out and popping their key wizard or battle standard bearer is huge.

That's about the only reason I've ever put command in my Empire ranged units. The only other reason would be modelling, I guess.


Other armies have ranged troops that are decent in combat could get some good use out of a banner, I guess.

I feel ranged units are best used as detachments, in which case you don't get the upgrades. If you did have a bunch of units with champs and long rifles the sniping could be beneficial, but I think it is too expensive to bank on.