Karl Franz, Reikland and ownership
Karl Franz leads Reikland, an Empire faction brought into IE from the first Total War: Warhammer. He is a melee lord for an army that combines a holding line, ranged damage, cavalry and magic. Choose him for that style and for the campaign’s political decisions.
His campaign asks you to look beyond the next conquest. Trouble elsewhere in the Empire can matter even while your own army is winning. Treat him as a lesson in managing competing priorities, rather than a promise of an easy start.
Secure a home you can return to
Inspect your starting territory, active wars and nearby armies before choosing a march. Keep your early construction and recruitment focused on defending that territory and supporting the field army. Compare any distant objective with the time your army would spend away.
After taking a settlement, check how the new border changes your defensive job. Holding more land is useful only if you can respond to the attacks it invites. Review military access and diplomatic obligations before moving toward another Empire faction.
Read Imperial Authority and the Elector Counts
The Empire rework separated Imperial Authority from Karl Franz’s Elector Counts system. Authority reflects how much of the Empire is under Empire control; Fealty responds to events and decisions.
Franz can spend Prestige on Emperor’s Decrees to support himself or other Empire factions. Look at the problem a decree solves before spending: help for an ally can matter alongside direct expansion.
Build around a protected damage group
Use infantry to occupy enemies while ranged troops and artillery work from positions they can actually fire from. Hold a mobile reserve near the flank you cannot protect with terrain. Give each regiment a job you can monitor before adding more complicated units.
If the guns stop firing, inspect line of sight first. Move a blocked regiment to a useful angle while the front line holds, and watch for an enemy unit trying to reach it. With cavalry, practise a supported flank attack rather than sending it far ahead of the army.
Keep Franz near a fight where he can contribute without leaving the rest of the force unsupported. Read the abilities on any hero you recruit and decide how that hero supports the formation. A wizard gives you spells to manage; adding one should come with a plan for using them.
Empire lords have different campaigns
Balthasar Gelt also comes with Warhammer I, but his campaign emphasises magic. Elspeth von Draken comes from Thrones of Decay and has her own Imperial Gunnery School. Choose a lord for the systems you want to learn; sharing an Empire roster does not make their campaign plans interchangeable.
For Franz, begin with the army roles and the political panels already in front of you. Buy additional content when its particular lord or units appeal to you, after learning how your current army fights.
Make the next move from the result
Check casualties, income and nearby threats after each major battle. Recover when needed, replace the role you lost, and then choose the next reachable objective. An exposed border deserves attention before an optional campaign farther away.
Ulrika can join the Empire through her recruitment mission chain. Read her access guide when the mission appears, then decide which army benefits from her bow, melee and Shadow magic. Her background connects the Empire to Kislev without making her a starting Legendary Lord.