Hit Wound Save

Disclosure: This post is reader-powered and contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

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.

By DaveUpdated 2026-09-242026 Rules & ErrataHow I test

Quick answer: it depends what you point Empire crossbowmen at

Role
Stationary gunline
Good against
Ironbreakers (1.5, 4th), Skaven Dregs (7.7, 1st), Rat Ogres (4.2, 2nd)
Struggles against
Empire State Troops (3.5, 8th): weakest ranking
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 3rd-of-18 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. Those volleys were part of the 2,160 I ran across 18 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.

3.6Avg wounds, short range (3rd of 18)
2.7Avg wounds, long range (2nd of 18)
75%Of short-range damage kept at long range
2.6Short-range wounds per 100 points

My verdict

I think crossbows are the best pure gunline value in the Empire list: third 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: mean wounds per volley by target, long and short range 0 2 4 6 8 Knights Knights, long range: 1.6 wounds 1.6 Knights, short range: 1.7 wounds 1.7 Ironbreakers Ironbreakers, long range: 1.4 wounds 1.4 Ironbreakers, short range: 1.5 wounds 1.5 State Troops State Troops, long range: 3.7 wounds 3.7 State Troops, short range: 3.5 wounds 3.5 Dregs Dregs, long range: 4.2 wounds 4.2 Dregs, short range: 7.7 wounds 7.7 Rat Ogres Rat Ogres, long range: 3.2 wounds 3.2 Rat Ogres, short range: 4.2 wounds 4.2 Skirmish Archers Skirmish Archers, long range: 2.2 wounds 2.2 Skirmish Archers, short range: 3.1 wounds 3.1
Mean effective wounds per volley. Axis shared across targets.

Empire crossbowmen by target. Ranks out of 18. n = 10 volleys per cell

TargetLongRankShortRank
Knights of the Realm 1.6 7th 1.7 7th
Ironbreakers 1.4 5th 1.5 4th
Empire State Troops 3.7 2nd 3.5 8th
Skaven Dregs 4.2 2nd 7.7 1st
Rat Ogres 3.2 3rd 4.2 2nd
Skirmishing Empire Archers 2.2 5th 3.1 7th

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 6th of 18 for cracking armour.

After moving, and in cover

At 22 inches after moving into partial cover, the crossbows averaged 0.43 wounds across the six targets. At 10 inches, standing still in the open, they averaged 4.00, ahead of Sisters of Avelorn (3.13) and Glade Guard (2.40).

I ran this Empire crossbowmen test separately, at fixed distances, so compare it with the other moving units rather than the main table.

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

Similar overall damage

Compare all 18 shooting units

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 4th of 18, 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, 5th of 18 for holding up at range. They 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, 6th of the 18 units I tested.