History Main / ACommanderIsYou

* ''The Turtle Faction.'' This faction rely on heavy defense and in some case, the ability to engage the enemy in extreme range. Although they have low mobility just like the Brute Faction, they are usually not as tough as them. Also, Powerhouse often have a higher focus on heavy units while Turtle often focus more on static defense and long range support as both of those kind and work well with each other. The common tactic of Turtle is to stall the game into late game and defeat the enemy through attrition battle.

** ''The Espionage Faction.'' The Espionage factions are not particularly adept fighters. Fortunately, they can cripple everyone else through sabotage, spying, theft, bribery, hacking, and general underhandedness. This can overlap with Guerrilla, but there ''is'' a difference between the two; Guerrilla focuses more on [[DeathByAThousandCuts directly killing enemy troops and slowly picking away at the opponent's forces]], while Espionage focuses more on [[GradualGrinder undermining an opponent's systems and debuffing their enemy's army]] to the point that a sneeze could be lethal.

[[header:asdfasdfasdf]]There are many different types of factions that a commander can lead in strategy games. Factions that specialize will [[GameBreaker almost]] always have [[CripplingOverspecialization some sort of downside]], such as lower firepower or increased costs for other units. The strategy game equivalent to AnAdventurerIsYou.

* ''The Technical Faction.'' The opposite of the Brute faction — [[SquishyWizard lots of nasty special abilities, but poor base stats and/or relatively high unit costs]]. Typically requires a lot of micromanagement to use effectively, and therefore not the best faction for novice players. Often have the best {{tech tree}}s of the game, [[MagikarpPower which make them slow starters,]] [[LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards but very powerful in the late game]]. May overlap with the Elitists or Guerrillas.

* ''The Unit Specialist Faction.'' This faction is full of highly specialized units who will dominate in their specialty, [[CripplingOverspecialization but get curb-stomped when outside their specialty.]] They are usually disadvantaged by having their non-specialized units nerfed in some way, sometimes to the point of being [[MasterOfNone useless.]] Their game tends to rely on holding out and manipulating the [[TacticalRockPaperScissors Tactical Rock–Paper–Scissors]] so that their specialized unit(s) can be [[ZergRush deployed heavily]] without fear of being hard-countered, and then steamrolling the opposition. Usually found when factions in a game have sub-factions, such as a brute faction having sub-factions that improve infantry power, vehicle power, or air power. Also found when a game has so many factions it covers all the other faction types and just takes the base idea of one faction and leans it to a certain unit type.

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There are many different types of factions that a commander can lead in strategy games. Factions that specialize will [[GameBreaker almost]] always have [[CripplingOverspecialization some sort of downside]], such as lower firepower or increased costs for other units. The strategy game equivalent to AnAdventurerIsYou.

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[[/index]]

* ''The Technical Faction.'' The opposite of the Brute faction — [[SquishyWizard lots of nasty special abilities, but poor base stats and/or relatively high unit costs]]. Typically requires a lot of micromanagement to use effectively, and therefore not the best faction for novice players. Often have the best [[TechTree tech trees]] of the game, [[MagikarpPower which make them slow starters,]] [[LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards but very powerful in the late game]]. May overlap with the Elitists or Guerrillas.

* ''The Unit Specialist Faction.'' This faction is full of highly specialized units who will dominate in their specialty, [[CripplingOverspecialization but get curb-stomped when outside their specialty.]] They are usually disadvantaged by having their non-specialized units nerfed in some way, sometimes to the point of being [[MasterOfNone useless.]] Their game tends to rely on holding out and manipulating the TacticalRockPaperScissors so that their specialized unit(s) can be [[ZergRush deployed heavily]] without fear of being hard-countered, and then steamrolling the opposition. Usually found when factions in a game have sub-factions, such as a brute faction having sub-factions that improve infantry power, vehicle power, or air power. Also found when a game has so many factions it covers all the other faction types and just takes the base idea of one faction and leans it to a certain unit type.

!!Examples

* ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'' has several. Most are unit specialists, these are the other archetypes they fall into.
** Andy -- Balanced/Generalist
** Sami, Sensei, Colin, Hachi -- Spammer
** Max, Grimm, Will (Days of Ruin), Tabitha ([=DoR=]) -- Brute Force
** Grit -- Ranger/Pariah (Game Breaker in the first title)
** Olaf, Lash, Kindle, Jake, Koal, Sonja, Javier, Penny ([=DoR=]) -- Gimmick
** VS mode Sturm in [=AW1=], Javier (with Towers), Brenner ([=DoR=]) -- Turtle
** Sturm, Colin, Kanbei, Hachi, Sensei, Caulder ([=DoR=]) -- Game Breaker
** Kanbei -- Elitist
** Sonja -- Guerrilla
** Sasha -- Economist
** Eagle, Drake, Jess -- Specialist (Air Units, Sea Units, and Tanks respectively)
* ''Super Famicom Wars'' (The Normal [=CO=]s are Generalists, so this applies to their AI. The Super [=CO=]s has a special ability viable to the player, making them Game Breakers)
** Yuan Delta -- Balanced/Generalist: The most rounded of the Normal [=CO=]s. And the smartest of them too.
** Rojenski -- Balanced/Pariah: [[ArtificialStupidity His AI is prone to making mistakes]].
** Fon Rosso -- Ranger: Favors sending his units on the attack, [[GlassCannon without looking after his defenses]].
** Hetler -- Spammer/Turtle: He's not very aggressive, [[StoneWall but will dig in with many units on the defense]].
** Caroline -- Elite/Gimmick: She has amazing luck, which can let her units dish out extra damage.
** Billy Gates -- Economic: Starts every round with an extra 10,000 Gold. Useful for making multiple weak units (Spammer), or field out the stronger units early in the game (Elite).
** Yamamoto -- Elite/Brute: Every unit he creates are leveled up twice. Even with leveling up turned off, making him a challenge.
* ''VideoGame/{{Achron}}'' is an interesting example: its factions are best defined by their focus on time and space, but can still fit in this classification:
** Collective Earth Security Organization (space/time balanced) -- Spammer/Brute Force
** Grekim (Chronoportation; temporal focus) -- Elitist/Technical
** Vecgir (Teleportation; spatial focus) -- Balanced/Ranger
* ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII'':
** Aztecs: Brute Force/Technical
** Berbers: Ranger/Guerilla
** Britons: Ranger/Unit Specialist (archers)
** Burmese: Generalist/Brute Force
** Byzantines: Balanced/Spammer/Research
** Celts: Balanced/Ranger/Guerrilla/Brute Force
** Chinese: Balanced/Research
** Ethiopians: Ranger/Economist/Brute Force/Spammer
** Franks: Economist/Unit Specialist (knights)
** Goths: Spammer/Unit Specialist (infantry)
** Huns: Unit Specialist (cavalry)/Brute Force/Spammer
** Incas: Economist/Industrial/Unit Specialist (counter-units)
** Indians: Elitist/Economist/Unit Specialist (camels)
** Italians: Ranger
** Japanese: Mostly Brute Force, Balanced in the ''Forgotten''
** Khmers: Generalist/Technical/Brute Force
** Koreans: Elitist/Ranger/Technical
** Magyars: Ranger/Spammer/Research
** Malays: Unit Specialist (naval)/Economist/Spammer/Brute Force
** Malians: Generalist/Economist/Research
** Mayans: Spammer/Ranger
** Mongol: Technical/Ranger
** Persians: Elitist
** Portuguese: Economist/Ranger
** Saracens: Elitist/Ranger/Technical
** Slavs: Brute Force/Spammer
** Spanish: Elitist/Industrial
** Teutons: Brute Force/Economist/Elitist
** Turks: Elitist
** Vietnamese: Ranger/Guerilla
** Vikings: Unit Specialist (naval)
* ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresIII''
** Spanish: Generalist/Balanced. Spain has the widest selection of units and they get Home City shipments faster than everyone else, this civilisation suits all levels and styles of play. Much like their units, Spain's card deck is diverse and average across the board, but their limit of one fort and one factory per game can severely hamper them. Their unique units are the Lancer, Rodelero, War Dog and Missionary.
** British: Balanced/Ranger/Industrial. Britain can create settlers faster than anyone else by building Manors, so their economy can flourish very early on. Britain's card deck supports a stellar naval game (arguably the best of all civs) and a plethora of strong unit upgrades. Their unique units are the Longbowman and the Congreve Rocket, and they have the best musketeers as well.
** Dutch: Economist/Technical. Dutch Settlers cost coin instead of food, giving them a slow start, but the Dutch mine gold faster and can build Banks for an infinite steady stream of money. The Dutch card deck emphasises a focus on strong economics while also allowing for a competent navy. Their special unit is the Ruyter, Fluyt and the Envoy.
** French: Brute/Spammer. The French start with a native scout right off the bat and their Coureurs gather every resource faster than standard settlers, though they are more expensive to raise. Their Cuirassier unique heavy cavalry are one of the strongest in the game. France's card deck allows for raising up native units quickly and easily to supplement the expensive and powerful regular units.
** Germans: Rangers, with a side of Spammer. The Germans receive free Ulhan light cavalry with every Home City shipment, this gives them a lot of mobility and map control. They use Settler Wagons to supplement their settlers and boosting their early economy. With their card deck the Germans can quickly become a military powerhouse with a slew of mercenary shipments and cavalry upgrades.
** Russians: Spammer. Russian units are cheaper than equivalents in other nations and train in batches, allowing an army to be raised very quickly. The Russian Blockhouse replaces the Barracks and can garrison troops, and this also lets them rushdown well. Their special units are the Strelet, Cossack and Oprichnik. Russia's card deck is geared for ZergRush, with cards like Mass Army and Fencing School allowing infantry to be raised even quicker.
** Portuguese: Industrial/Technical. A difficult faction to play due to the very slow start (they do not have settler shipment cards like everyone else) but they get a free Covered Wagon as they advance each age, allowing Portugal to quickly sprawl across the map and lock down the resources. They have strong light infantry (their one unique unit is the Cassador) and dragoons, and a strong navy. Portugal's deck also gives them a strong coastal defence, and the unique Navigation School card for faster ships.
** Ottomans: Unconventional/Unit Specialist (artillery). The Ottomans can field artillery earlier than any other civilisation (by Age II) and they get two special artillery pieces: Abus Guns and Great Bombards. They also get Janissary infantry and Spahis. Finally, Ottoman town centers spawn settlers at no cost, though it takes longer. Though their artillery is powerful, beware; their focus on fragile and expensive units can backfire on them. The Ottoman's card deck boasts an interesting unique card, Battlefield Construction, that allows Janissaries to construct military buildings in the field, perfect for keeping a siege going.
** All Native American civs introduced in ''The War Chiefs'' and listed below are Guerilla compared to the European civs. They have Prowler units (Aztec Prowler Jaguar Knights, Iroqious Forest Prowlers and Sioux Tashunke Prowlers) that can use stealth and ambush the enemy.
** Iroquois: Balanced/Industrial. The Iroquois play most like a European civ, as they uniquely among the native Americans get artillery as well as both decent infantry and cavalry. The Travois can build most buildings for free, and the War Chief gives every unit around bonus hitpoints.
** Sioux: Brute/Unit Specialist (cavalry). Nearly all of the Sioux army is cavalry and their cavalry is very strong indeed. They do not build houses for population, instead they start with the cap maxed out and Teepees give bonus hitpoints and attack to surrounding units. But they have mediocre infantry and no artillery. The Sioux card deck is geared mainly towards reducing their resource dependency; all that cavalry works out costly after all.
** Aztec: Brute Force/Unit Specialist (infantry). The opposite of the Sioux, the Aztecs are an entirely infantry-focused army. Their unique Warrior Priests heal like Medicine Men but have high attack and can dance at fire pits to bestow special effects. The Aztecs have the best navy of the natives, and while still inferior to most European and Asian navies, good use of cards and the water dance can make up for it. But they have no cavalry or artillery to speak of. The Aztec card deck is quite versatile, allowing rushdown, boom and turtle to be employed well.
** All Asian civs added in ''The Asian Dynasties'' and listed below are Unconventional. In addition to having entirely unique unit rosters, they also have unique gameplay mechanics that cause them to play very differently from the European and Native civs. Whereas European civs use the politician system when they advance up in age, Asian civs need to build Wonders; each Asian civ has five such special buildings, which each provide unique perks like unique active abilities, passive bonuses or even the capacity to raise units.
** Chinese: Brute/Spammer. Like the Russians, the Chinese train armies in batches with the added caveat that these "banner armies" are predetermined combinations of two units. While it is easy for the Chinese to quickly raise a large army, doing so can get expensive and the troops tend to be quite weaker than their European counterparts individually. The Chinese even get a higher pop cap, at 220. Chinese War Junks and Fuchuan are actually superior to the European Caravels and Frigates, but again, beware as prices for these powerful naval units can get exorbitant. The Chinese card deck has a number of impressive unique cards like Confucius Gift, which allows for near-instantaneous shipments and technology unlocks.
** Japanese: Economist/Elitist/Brute Force. Japanese land units are expensive but powerful -- Samurai are hands down the best melee infantry in the game. However the Japanese do not gather as normal; they build Shrines which produce a trickle of resources, and this means the Japanese economy is fragile and cannot recover easily from a disaster. In addition, the Japanese get a Daimyo hero unit; the Daimyo is a capable fighter on his own but he also bestows bonuses and can even raise units in the field. Many of their Home City cards can be sent twice, and the Japanese deck features a lot of mercenary shipments and unit upgrades to make their military an unstoppable juggernaut.
** Indians: Technical/Unit Specialist (cavalry). India has a well-balanced army with a diverse range of units, but the cornerstone of the Indian army is war elephants, of which they have multiple varieties. Indian villagers cost wood instead of food, which can leave Indian players playing a delicate balancing act and expanding quickly to fuel their wood binge, but fortunately they get free villagers with every Home City shipment. They cannot slaughter animals for food, instead gaining experience from them in a Sacred Field. The Indian card deck lacks any villager cards, but it still has a few tricks, like The Raj card which changes villager cost from wood to food, completely reworking the Indian economy and letting the civ play more like a conventional European counterpart.
* ''VideoGame/AgeOfMythology''
** Greeks: Balanced/Unit Specialist. The Greeks play most like a faction from VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII. Their military tends towards MightyGlacier and their units (human warriors and myth units) are quite well armoured and strong, if a bit slow and expensive. Fortunately their economy is also easy to manage. The weaknesses of the Greek army are their vulnerability to ranged and fast-moving units and their limited access to healing.
** Egyptians: Spammer/Ranger, with a side of Guerrilla. The Egyptians build slowly but don't have to do a lot of wood chopping to get their economy up and running. They have the best towers and the best walls, and plentiful access to healing. The Pharaoh can heal allies, smack down myth units and empower buildings at the base to help development (for example, faster unit training at production centres, faster research, faster Favour accumulation for Monuments, etc.), but he is a valuable asset and must be used carefully. Egypt's army favours mobility and range, and quantity over quality.
** Norse: Spammer/Brute. The Norse gather resources mobile Ox Carts, and all their warriors can construct buildings and [[ProudWarriorRace gain Favour when they fight]]; being able to replenish themselves at the frontline is a big advantages and gives the Norse a daring, aggressive playstyle. But they are poor at defending their own holdings -- their walls and towers are weak and they have few ranged options. Norse armies feature human warriors with very high attack power, Hersir heroes that can be produced in numbers and powerful myth units.
** Atlanteans: Elitist/Technical. Atlantean citizens take longer to train and are more expensive, but they gather and build three times faster than other workers and require no drop sites. Rather than pre-set hero units, [[BadassNormal the Atlanteans can promote any human unit into a hero who will be a bit better at fighting other humans and much better at fighting myth units]]. Their units are expensive but really strong, moreso than the Norse even.
** Chinese (''Tale of the Dragon''): Spammer/Technical. The Chinese focus on a booming economy and fast generation of units in large numbers. The Chinese garner Favour through Gardens that can also generate other resources. The Chinese army is primarily composed of cavalry, but the eight Immortals are their heroes and their best anti-myth units. On top of that, the Monk can heal your wounded units and [[EnemyExchangeProgram convert enemy units to his side]]. However Chinese units are highly specialised and pound-for-pound not as strong as other cultures due to limited unit-enhancing technologies.
* ''VideoGame/BattlefleetGothicArmada'' and ''VideoGame/BattlefleetGothicArmada2'':
** Imperial Navy: Balanced/Generalist. Very wide selection of ships with different options and armaments, from escorts to battleships. No real signature playstyle, but mid-range encounters are preferred, and they are rather slow but decently armoured.
** Adeptus Astartes: Elite. Expensive ships with tons of armour even on the sides and aft, and excel at boarding actions as they are glorified transports for the famous {{Space Marine}}s. However their gunnery is subpar and they will be outnumbered in any given engagement.
** Adeptus Mechanicus: Ranger. As the custodians of the Imperium's high technology, Mechanicus ships are modified versions of Imperial Navy ships with superior firepower and speed. They cannot be relied upon to survive close range exchanges due to lack of troops.
** Chaos: Balanced/Ranger. Chaos forces use twisted parodies of outdated ships that no longer see action in the Imperial Navy. Armour and firepower is relatively lacking and so is quality gunnery, so lances and strike aircraft at longer ranges are the order of the day.
** Aeldari Corsairs: Technical. A masterful commander who understands their fleets will bring out the potential of this faction. With powerful forward-facing weapons and high speed, the ships can make devastating fly-by attacks, but this has to be weighed against their fragility. Using holofields in lieu of standard shields means ships must stay moving to ensure their protection.
** Asuryani: Elitist/Technical. Like the Corsairs, the Asuryani have fragile ships with great speed and maneuverability and advanced weapons, but they have superior armour to Corsair equivalents. They only field the smaller classes of ships and are limited to battlecruisers; they rarely stray from their mighty Craftworlds and have little need for lumbering battleships.
** Drukhari: Guerrilla. Drukhari ships have paper-thin armour and no shields, and are slow by Aeldari standards. They rely on shadowfields to stay hidden while moving to avoid fire. They have some of the most withering firepower of any faction and boarding parties of vicious warriors. Drukhari approach a target undetected, utterly crush it and hopefully disappear before facing retaliation.
** Orks: Brute. Did you expect any different? Strong hulls, effective boarders, packing a lot of [[MoreDakka dakka]] and mercifully cheap ships as well. Ork gunnery leaves much to be desired so effective range and accuracy is very low. Discipline is also poor, and you can expect krew and their kaptans to mutiny the moment the battle starts going badly.
** Necrons: Elitist/Turtle. Necrons have slow and outrageously expensive ships, but you get what you pay for. Necron ships are tough, ''very'' tough, and they regenerate hulls too. They have powerful (but slow firing) weapons and great morale.
** Tyranids: Spammer. Tyranids employ large numbers of {{Living Ship}}s that are naturally stealthy, and often literally eat other ships alive. They eschew traditional firepower in favour of swarming enemy crews with chittering horrors, and are almost unrivalled in boarding actions. However they have a glaring weakness in the synapse ship, which causes a loss of coherency in the rest of the fleet if destroyed.
** T'au Protectors: Ranger. The T'au Empire's modern frontline fleets, packing lots of railguns and seeker missiles for exceptional precision firepower at extraordinary ranges. However they are slow and vulnerable in boarding actions, so an enemy who can reach them is a grave threat. They can employ Kroot and Demiurg auxilliaries.
** T'au Merchant: Turtle. Older T'au ships from before the post-Damocles Gulf modernisation project. They are slower but tougher ships with more focus on launch bays and carriers than concentrated firepower, so air superiority is not much of an issue. Like the Protectors, they can make use of Kroot and Demiurg auxilliaries.
* ''VideoGame/BattleForWesnoth'':
** Loyalists -- Generalist
** Rebels -- Balanced/Rangers
** Northerners -- Spammers/Brute
** Knalgans -- Brute/Elitists
** Drakes -- Elitists/Rangers
** Undead -- Technical
* VideoGame/BattleRealms
** Dragon -- Generalist/Balanced
** Serpent -- Balanced/Technical
** Wolf -- Brute
** Lotus -- Technical/Ranger
* ''[[VideoGame/FallFromHeaven Civilization IV: Fall From Heaven]]'' gets ''complicated'', being a highly ambitious mod for an already-complex 4X game. This is thus a ''very'' general outline. If a faction plays vastly differently depending on the leader chosen, this will be noted.
** Amurites: Ranger/Technical
** Balseraphs: Guerilla/Espionage
** Bannor: Spammer/Brute Force
** Calabim: Under Flauros, Extreme Elitist/Economist/Unit Specialist (vampires). Under Alexis, Balanced/Brute Force; "balanced" in this case means that she likes to spam weak units and then promote the survivors. Decius is a Pariah.
** Clan of Embers: Extreme Spammer (they make their units twice as fast as everyone else!)/Generalist. Sheelba leans more toward a Brute Force approach, while Jonas Endain is more of an Industrialist (population production). Due to a particular [[NotTheIntendedUse emergent gimmick]], the Clan is powerfully Industrialist when paired with Runes of Kilmorph religion.
** Doviello: Charadon is a Balanced/Brute Force Pariah; anything he can do, Sheelba can do better. Under Mahala, Balanced/Gimmick, with almost no reliance on infrastructure and the ability to cheaply upgrade their forces in the field.
** Elohim: Technical, with a focus on defense and access to an EnemyExchangeProgram (letting them do a variety of things).
** Grigori: Generalist with a few special elite units (Adventurers).
** Hippus: Unit Specialist (cavalry). Rhoanna is an Economist and Industrialist (pop production), Tasunke is more inclined to Brute Force.
** Illians: Technical/Terrain Specialist (snowy land).
** Khazad: Elitist/Industrialist, Kandros Fir is also an Economist.
** Kuriotates: Unit Specialist (centaur cavalry)/Gimmick (they have only a few cities, but these cities are especially large and rich).
** Lanun: Guerilla (pirate)/Unit Specialist (naval), Industrialist/Economist due to leader traits and sea tile upgrades.
** Ljosalfar: Elitist/Ranger/Terrain Specialist (forests). When using the Fellowship of Leaves, they develop a peculiarly Industrial character.
** Luchuirp: Elitist/Brute Force/Unit Specialist (golems)/Industrialist/Economist.
** Malakim: Technical/Terrain Specialist (desert)/Unit Specialist (disciples)/Diplomat (extra Overcouncil vote). Decius is a Pariah, lacking Varn Gosam's synergy with the faction specialization.
** Sheaim: Spammer (spawned units)/Technical
** Sidar: Guerilla/Technical/Unconventional (can use experienced units to boost any kind of production)
** Svartalfar: Guerilla/Terrain Specialist (forests).
** Infernals and Mercurians are gimmick factions, being summoned by other factions after gamestart and fuelled by the deaths of units of their appropriate alignment. Infernals are Technical, while Mercurians are more Brute Force.

* ''VideoGame/{{Colonization}}'':
** English -- Generalist/Spammer (immigration)
** French -- Diplomat
** Spanish -- Brute
** Dutch -- Economist (trade)
** [=FreeCol=] adds other examples:
*** Portugal -- Ranger (naval)
*** Sweden -- Industrial
*** Denmark -- Generalist (farming)
*** Russia -- Economist (furs/coats)

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'':
** ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals'' series:
*** The United States -- Elitist
*** China -- Spammer/Brute Force
*** Global Liberation Army -- Guerilla
*** Specific subfaction generals in the ''Zero Hour'' expansion tend to be Unit Specialists.
** ''VideoGame/RiseOfTheReds'', a popular mod for ''Zero Hour''
*** Russian Federation -- Brute. The Russians have taken over as the tank-heavy Steamroller faction.
*** European Continental Alliance -- Technical in a defensive sense. Turtle to the max.
*** United States of America -- Generalist/Elitist, with some specialized units thrown in.
*** People's Republic of China -- Spammer, up to 11 now.
*** Global Liberation Army -- Guerilla again, but even nastier this time around.
** ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberium'' series:
*** Global Defence Initiative -- Brute
*** Brotherhood of Nod -- Guerrilla
*** Scrin -- Spammer although overlaps with Elitist late game
*** Like ''Zero Hour'', subfactions in the ''Kane's Wrath'' expansion to ''Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars'' lean towards Unit Specialist.
** ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlertSeries'':
*** Allied Forces -- Guerrilla/Elitist, then turns to Technical
*** Soviet Bloc -- Brute with elements of Spammer
*** Yuri's Forces -- Gimmick and Pariah, some consider it a Game Breaker faction (mind controlling base defenses! [[BigNO ARRRGH]])
*** Empire of the Rising Sun -- Balanced, with elements of gimmick and spammer, as most of their units transform to fill in weaknesses, but none really excel at any role.
* ''Red Alert 2: New World Order'':
** Allies -- Balanced/Generalist
** Soviets -- Brute, with the "elemental wheel" of fire, ice and lightning weapons at their command. Also Unit Specialists to some extent, as they have a huge variety of tanks for any purpose -- resource gathering is done by a tank, their MCV is a tank, there is a tank for anti-tank combat, one for sieges, two for anti-infantry (one with a chaingun, one with a flamethrower), another with a tesla weapon, a nuclear-armed tank, a super-heavy "special unit" tank, a "mobile fortress" tank (...that can carry ''other'' tanks onboard) and finally an anti-air tank (which is nigh-useless), to the point of redundancy. Of course, this makes them somewhat disadvantaged against opponents with well-developed armor-piercing weaponry, but their infantry is not terribly disadvantaged either, so there is always an alternate method of attack available.
** Third Power -- Elitists. Single units of this faction are all gargantuan, expensive monstrosities, and by far not as slow and cumbersome as their size and armor would make one expect.
** Asian Alliance -- Spammer with Technical elements (most of their units have a secondary function that needs to be triggered manually). Also Unit Specialists to some extent, with a huge focus on base defense and navy, and terrible ground and air forces.
** CDF -- Pariah; all of their units are re-purposed civilian/neutral units with abyssimal stats in direct confrontation, but their ability to interact with the civilian/neutral buildings and units pre-placed on a skirmish map makes for... interesting strategic possibilities.
** Brotherhood -- Guerrilla/Ranger. Their usual strategy revolves around either ranged attacks followed by a retreat into stealth mode, or by stealthy suicide attacks. However, their units are not exceptionally fast, relying only on their burrowing and stealth tactics to evade counterattacks. Technical to ''some'' extent, as far as their technology and resource acquisition goes, which requires quite abit of micro-management to be efficient.
** Forgotten/Mutants -- A weird combination of Guerrilla, unit specialist and possibly pariah; they are to mutated wildlife what the CDF is to resident civilian population, which comes in handy on some maps. Their vehicles are equally abyssimal, however their infantry easily passes for Elitist (all of them being enhanced by some form of mutation, although in some cases, the enhancement has vast drawbacks and using it effectively is somewhat of a gambit). Unit specialists because anything but their weak vehicle selection is associated with the settings' resident GreenRocks.
** Black Guard -- Game Breaker, though you never get to play them, only AGAINST them.
*** Except for the Zombie, which is probably the worst infantry unit in the game. It's slow, has no ranged attack and has very little HP. On the other hand, it is the match to the other sides' attack dog (which are purely anti-infantry), and in that role it actually ''excels'', as it cannot be killed with bullets (which infantry usually uses).
* ''VideoGame/RedAlert3Paradox'':
** Allies -- Technical (Most of the buff/debuffs come from their special line of WeirdScience units)
** Confederates -- Guerrilla (Almost every unit has access to stealth in some form)
** Soviet Union -- Brute (They have tanks. A lot of tanks. One for every conceivable need, in fact)
** Order Of The Talon -- Elitist (Strange for a SteamPunk faction, but their special AppliedPhlebotinum allows them to keep up)
** Empire Of The Rising Sun -- Generalist (Hordes of transforming mecha, allowing individual units to fill more than one role)
** Atomic Kingdom Of China -- Unit Specialist, Turtle (They play like a TowerDefense game, with frankly amazing walls and experience-gaining turrets. Their mobile units, on the other hand...)
** Electrical Protectorate -- Spammer (To the point of completely forgoing build times)
** Mediterranean Syndicate -- Ranger (Their best units are infantry which use distance-based AbnormalAmmo, and artillery)

* ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'':
** Space Marines, Chaos Space Marines, and Sisters Of Battle are the Balanced/Generalist. Chaos also incorporate guerrilla elements.
*** In the sequel, Space Marines are Elitist/Balanced while Chaos Space Marines are Elitist with a touch of Gimmick, as they rely heavily on their Cultist units to repair mechanical units, provide Worship effects or ranged support/melee whenever needed.
** Orks: Spammers/Brute
** Eldar: Guerrilla/Specialist.
** Imperial Guard: Ranger/Technical/Spammer. They have excellent ranged abilities, including by far the longest-ranged and otherwise best artillery in the game, and quite good mobility thanks to their tunneling ability. Technical in that they have some great special abilities, but their base units are very weak.
*** In the sequel, Imperial Guard are a primarily a Brute Force faction but with a mix of different qualities and several unique Gimmicks that would make them something of a Specialist.
** Necrons: Brute; they use only one resource and gain a cumulating bonus in construction time in place of the other, lending to them a "rolling thunder" playstyle which has them start off pretty slow, but can become quite powerful in the late game.
** Tau: Rangers, with some guerrilla elements.
** Dark Eldar: Guerrilla/Ranger.
*** In the sequel, they become Guerrilla/Elitist.
** Tyranids: Spammers and Gimmick faction; small units get buffs when paired with big ones. Units have lower population costs.

* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'':
** [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwaves]]: Generalist/Industrial, and the only playable faction. In terms of combat and non-combat roles, they can do nearly any labor in the game, and have access to a variety of weapons, but no cavalry. Access to the best weapon-grade materials in the game, and able to engineer whatever insane mechanisms the player can devise.
** [[HumansAreAverage Humans]]: Generalist, with a side order of Diplomat. Most likely to be friendly with the playable faction. On the military side, they're second-best in terms of metal usage, can use cavalry and a wide variety of weapons.
** [[OurElvesAreBetter Elves]]: Ranger. Attitude problems aside, they tend to be friendly to dwarves unless the player provokes them. Wooden equipment makes them a joke in melee, but their wooden arrows are deadly. Also have access to a variety of [[HorseOfADifferentColor exotic mounts]] that provide a few Elite troops.
** [[OurGoblinsAreDifferent Goblins]]: Spammer, with some additional Brute and Guerrilla units. One of the two HardcodedHostility factions, their thieves are tougher than kobolds but vulnerable to traps, and they'll eventually send ambushes and sieges. Their sieges are mostly cannon fodder with an assortment of equipment, and tend to break and run after a few casualties. Elite units in the form of [[HorseOfADifferentColor exotic cavalry]] and Brutes in the form of [[AllTrollsAreDifferent trolls]].
** Kobolds: Guerilla, and a heaping helping of Pariah. The weakest faction in terms of size and military ability, only sending thieves and the occasional ambush. Their only redeeming quality is being naturally capable of avoiding traps.

* ''VideoGame/{{Deadlock}}'':
** Humans (duh) -- Economists
** Re'Lu (tibetan elves) -- Elitists
** Tarth (cats/dogs) -- Brute
** Maug (techno cows) -- Researchers.
** [=ChCh-t=] (insectoids) -- Spammers
** Cyth (illithids) -- Diplomats (the spy kind)
** Uva Mosk (something strange) -- Productionists

* ''VideoGame/{{Earth 2150}}''
** United Civilized States: Guerrilla/Specialist
*** Early units are weak but UCS plasma weapons border on GameBreaker status. Only faction with access to [[InvisibilityCloak SHADOW generators]].
** Eurasian Dynasty: Spammer/Brute Force
*** Early units are little more than cannon fodder and must be fielded in insane numbers. Late-game tanks are one of the most powerful units in the game. Vehicle-mounted ''nukes'' are available.
** Lunar Corporation: Technical/Elitist/Ranger
*** Units are generally more expensive than the other factions' but every single unit is amphibious. Early units are {{Fragile Speedster}}s with a significant disadvantage in firepower.
* ''VideoGame/GalacticCivilizations 2'':
** Terran Alliance -- Diplomats
** Yor Collective -- Industrial (in theory)/Pariah (in practice)
** Drengin Empire -- Brute
** Altarian Republic -- Researchers
** Drath Legion -- Espionage/Diplomats
** Torian Confederation -- Loyal/Spammer
** Arcean Empire -- Brute Force (slow but tough)
** Dominion of Korx -- Economists
** Iconian Refuge -- Researchers
** Thalan Empire -- Elitists (very expensive, limited buildings)
** Korath Clan -- Brute Force/Industrial
** Krynn Consulate -- Loyal/Espionage/Gimmick (culture conquest)

* ''VideoGame/GreyGoo2015'' a return to the classic RTS formula.
** '''Beta''': Balanced\Generalist\Ranger -- the time-worn, lived-in spacefarers; well-balanced and able to create strong defenses while still able to meet the enemy with a strong offense at the same time.
** '''Humans''': Elitist\Technical\Unit Specialist\Turtle -- the most advanced faction; specializing in the deployment of combined arms forces, each unit type playing on the strength of the others while counteracting their weaknesses. Rely a lot on defense.
** '''Goo''': Spammer\Brute\Guerrilla -- relying on the tried-and-true ZergRush, the Goo is definitely one the most unconventional factions ever imagined. The Goo has no conventional infrastructure or economy, instead each new Goo unit is created by dividing larger Goo into smaller Goo at the cost of health points.

* ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'': Despite the changes in towns from one game to another, the most famous factions tend to follow these rules.
** Necropolis: Spammer/Technical. Lower tier units tend to be weak but numerous (Skeletons especially), while higher tier units are frail, but with killer abilities -- like Vampires.
*** In Heroes VI, they became Elitist/Technical, since Necromancy cannot create troops anymore.
** Dungeon: Elitist. Few powerful units, that always include the ever powerful Black Dragon[[note]]the Warlock predecessor did not have a ''black'' dragon in ''I'', but only because it was purple and just called a dragon. ''II'' added in creature upgrades and made the Warlock's black dragon the sole ''double''-updated creature in the game (green->red->black)[[/note]].
*** When the Dungeon is dark elf-themed (''V'' and ''VI''), it becomes Elitist/Guerrilla
** Stronghold: Brute. In ''IV'' and ''V'', its heroes can't use magic at all.
** Academy: Technical. Weak units, powerful magic.
** Castle/Haven: Elitist in ''III'', Balanced from ''IV'' onwards, with a strong focus on [[WhiteMagic Life Magic]]. Their Knight predecessors in ''I'' and ''II'' were Spammer/Brute -- less magic than the non-barbarian factions and relatively cheap units with few to no special abilities.
** Fortress (Lizardmen, ''Heroes III''): Elitist/Technical. Very much DifficultButAwesome.
** Fortress (Dwarves, ''Heroes V''): Balanced/Game Breaker. Solid units, and access to magic AND runes.
** Conflux: Spammer/Game Breaker. The latter because of Phoenixes.
** Rampart/Sylvan: Balanced in ''III'', Ranger in ''IV'' and ''V''.
** Inferno: interestingly goes from Elitist in ''III'', to Spammer in ''V'' and ''VI''.
* ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}}'' series: the series tends to mix several kinds of factions into one... and what kind of faction each one looks like depends on the situation.
** ''Homeworld'': the only two officially playable factions, Kushan and Taiidan have [[CosmeticallyDifferentSides more to do with aesthetic than tactical difference]], so the best way to compare between them is by their special units.
*** Kushans -- Guerrillas in terms of Cloaked Fighters or Technical by Drone Frigates.
*** Taiidan Empire -- Unit Specialization with a little Brute Force. Their Defense Fighters are Defense Field Frigates help their fleets last longer in combat.
*** Turanic Raiders -- Guerrilla by story, Pariah by game play. One of their craft can MacrossMissileMassacre, but that's all they've got.
*** Kadeshi -- Elitist/Spammer, sometimes [[GameBreaker game breakingly so]]... or Unit Specialization Spammer, sometimes [[CripplingOverspecialization cripplingly so]].
*** Bentusi -- Game Breaker, if you count their only combat-ready Tradeship unit present the game.
** ''[[CanonDiscontinuity Homeworld: Cataclysm]]''
*** Kushans (Hiigarans) and Taiidani -- Balanced/Generalist
*** Turanic Raiders -- Guerrilla when they started to field disguise and cloaking systems.
*** Somtaaw -- Brute Force where combat is concerned: their ships are plainly built to kill. Noncombat-wise, they are Technical.
*** Beast -- Gimmick, mostly, owing it all to [[AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs infectious]] [[EldritchAbomination techno-organic viruses]].
*** Bentusi -- Game Breaker, only this time, they have a usable fighter unit.
** ''Homeworld 2'':
*** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeworld_2#Hiigarans Hiigarans]] -- Generalist/Balanced, they are more effective when deploying a mixed force. While their ships have various particular rolls to fulfill, they also have more general applicability that lets them be flexible, and have a slightly higher typical durability, though also a slightly higher cost.
*** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeworld_2#Vaygr Vaygr]] -- Generalist/Spammer/Specialist, they are most effective when deploying a mixed force designed around a primary unit, which tend to be smaller, cheaper, and faster on average than Hiigaran ships though with less durability and flexibility.
*** Progenitors -- Game Breaker. Their units make heavy use of [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill lethal]] {{Wave Motion Gun}}s. One specific kind of Progenitor ship is even so strong that even a fleet won't stop a single one, and it even [[RasputinianDeath attempts to escape, only to return in good condition]].
* ''VideoGame/MasterOfOrion 1'':
** Human (duh) -- Economists/Diplomats
** Psilon (tibetan elves) -- Elitist/Researcher
** Mrrshan (cats) -- Brute
** Bulrathi (bears) -- Brute
** Alkari (birds) -- Rangers/Unit Specialists (pilot skills)
** Sakkra (lizardmen) -- Spammer
** Klackon (insectoids) -- Industrial
** Silicoid (rocks) -- Pariahs (can survive in harsh environments, may turn into [[LethalJokeCharacter Lethal Joke Faction]] due to an edge this gives them in expansion)
** Meklar (robots) -- Industrial
** Darlok (nazguls) -- Diplomats (the spy kind)
* ''VideoGame/MasterOfOrion 2'':
** Humans -- Diplomat/Slight Economist/Researcher
** Mrrshan -- Brute
** Bulrathi -- Brute
** Alkari -- Elitist
** Sakkra -- Spammer/Industrial (increased population growth)
** Elerians -- Elitist/Gimmick (start with map explored)
** Trilarians -- Ranger
** Gnolams -- Economist
** Silicoids -- Gimmick
** Klackon -- Industrial
** Meklar -- Industrial
** Darloks -- Espionage
** Antarans (not playable) -- Extreme Elitist

* ''VideoGame/MasterOfMagic'' races (Note: EnemyExchangeProgram is in full force, and other races' cities can be captured; additionally, the schools of magic you focus on and the spells you research can have more effect on how you play than your race -- eg. almost anyone can be Elitist by focusing on summons or Technical by focusing on utility spells.)
** Barbarians: Spammer
** Gnolls: Spammer/Brute Force. Pariah/[[LethalJokeCharacter Lethal Joke Faction]] due to lacking research capability.
** Halflings: Spammer/Ranger/Industrialist (farming)/Loyal
** High Men: Balanced/Generalist with Elitist/Technical tendencies
** High Elves: Elitist/Ranger/Economist (mana)
** Klackons: Brute Force/Loyal ''when the capital is Klackon''/Economist/Industrialist. Pariah/[[LethalJokeCharacter Lethal Joke Faction]] due to poor loyalty of enslaved races and lacking research capability.
** Lizardmen: Spammer/Ranger/Technical (swimmers). Pariah/[[LethalJokeCharacter Lethal Joke Faction]] due to lacking building and research capability (seeing a pattern?).
** Nomads: Ranger/Economist (trade income bonus)
** Orcs: Balanced/Generalist in theory. In practice, Spammer/Economist/Industrialist with a MasterOfNone military, and generally a pariah as a starting race (but beloved as a slave race).
** Beastmen: Generalist/Economist (mana generation)
** Dwarves: Elitist/Economist/Industrialist
** Draconians: Elitist/Technical (flying units)/Economist (mana generation)
** Dark Elves: Balanced[[note]]An odd example in that, because they're ''so'' Elite that even their cheap Spearmen are powerful early-game units, it's possible to play them as either a Spammer army or as classic Elitists[[/note]]/Ranger/Economist (mana generation).
** Trolls: Extreme Brute Force/Elitist. They share the research and building weakness of the Pariah factions, but are considered a [[CharacterTiers high-tier race]] due to raw power alone.

* ''VideoGame/MountAndBlade'':
** Swadians: Brute
** Vaegirs: Balanced/Generalist
** Khergits: Unit Specialist (cavalry)/Guerilla/Ranger
** Nords: Extreme Brute Force/Unit Specialist (infantry)
** Rhodoks: Balanced/Specialist (infantry)

* ''Roleplay/OpenBlue'':
** Avelia -- Brute/Spammer
** Sirene -- Elitist/Research
** Remillia -- Ranger/Espionage
** Pirates -- Guerrilla/Gimmick (can have multiple ship mods to make up for lack of raw firepower)

* ''VideoGame/{{Rimworld}}'':
** Pirates/Outlanders: Balanced/Generalist. They come with moderate numbers. They usually use modern guns, but some of them use melee weapons.
** Tribes: Spammer. They are very numerous, but they can only use neolithic weapons like bows, clubs or spears. Most of them don't wear armor.
** Mechanoids: Elitist/Specialist. They have thick armor and advanced weaponry like charge lance or minigun, but they usually come with small numbers. Mechanoid faction has three units, and they distinctly have advantages and weaknesses.

* ''VideoGame/{{Sacrifice}}''
** Persephone -- Balanced/Brute
** James -- Brute/Technical
** Stratos -- Ranger/Spammer
** Pyro -- Technical/Brute
** Charnel -- Spammer/Technical/Guerrilla

* ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'':
** Spartan Federation -- Elitist/Brute -- those morale bonuses stack up quickly.
** Gaia's Stepdaughters -- Gimmick (planet empathy), with a splash of Technical thanks to their inherent combat penalties.
** Lord's Believers -- Brute/Espionage.
** University of Planet -- Researchers
** Morgan Industries -- Economists
** Peacekeeping Forces -- Diplomats/Loyal/Generalist
** Human Hive -- Spammers/Industrial/Loyal
** Cybernetic Consciousness -- Researchers/Gimmick (stealing tech through offensive war)
** Data Angels -- Espionage
** Free Drones -- Spammers/Industrial/Loyal
** Cult of Planet -- Gimmick/brute force (militant planet empathy). Considered to be a pariah faction, thanks to serious infrastructure building disadvantages.
** Nautilus Pirates -- Balanced/Gimmick (naval power). Often considered a GameBreaker, due to the advantages of early sea bases.
** Manifold Caretakers -- Gimmick/Brute (Aliens with defence/ecological bonus), with a tendency to be {{Game Breaker}}s in multiplayer.
** Manifold Usurpers -- Gimmick/Brute (Aliens with offence/growth bonus), with a tendency to be {{Game Breaker}}s in multiplayer.
** Firaxans -- While mainly the Gaians with a [[CreatorCameo different leader]], they are a GameBreaker faction since they start off with a late game technology. [[SecretCharacter Fortunately, they are only available through the faction editor]], and given the tongue-in-cheek nature of ''everything'' related to them, they are a LethalJokeCharacter as well.

* ''VideoGame/SinsOfASolarEmpire'':
** Trader Emergency Coalition -- Economists/Industrial/Brute Force/Spammer
** Advent -- Technical/Loyal/Research
** Vasari Empire -- Elitists/Ranger/Espionage

* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' & ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'':
** Terrans -- Ranger/Generalist/Balanced/Turtle
*** Among Co-op Commanders, Raynor is Spammer/Ranger/Generalist, Swann is Elitist/Turtle, Nova is Elitist/Guerilla/Technical, Han and Horner are Spammer (Han's units)/Elitist (Horner's units)/Unit Specialist (on air force), Tychus is '''ELITIST'''/Technical/Gimmick and Mengsk is Spammer (Troopers)/Elitist (Elite Guard)/Economical
** Zerg -- Guerrilla/Spammer
*** Among Co-op Commanders, Kerrigan and Abathur are both Balanced/Generalist (and Gimmick for Abathur), Zagara is Spammer/Brute/Unit Specialist (ground attacks only ground, air attacks only air), Stukov is '''SPAMMER'''/Brute/Generalist, Dehaka is Elitist/Gimmick and Stetmann is Spammer/Technical/Gimmick/Pariah (Stetelites are not exactly popular).
** Protoss -- Brute/Elitist/Technical.
*** Among Co-op Commanders, Artanis is Balanced/Brute, Vorazun is Elitist/Guerilla/Technical, Karax is Elitist/Industrial/Turtle, Alarak is Spammer/Technical, Fenix is Elitist/Technical/Gimmick, and Zeratul is Elitist/Game Breaker.
** Hybrid -- GameBreaker (not playable)

* ''Franchise/StarTrek Armada'' and ''Star Trek Armada 2'':
** United Federation Of Planets: Balanced/Generalist with some elements of Technical. All factions rely pretty extensively on special abilities, but Federation ships mostly have abilities that are consistently useful throughout the game throughout every tier.
** Klingon Empire: Brute, also Pariah in that they can commandeer enemy ships more easily than other factions.
** Romulan Star Empire: Guerrilla/Technical. Their ships have the least hull and only average weapons, but ALL their ships can cloak, and they are the only faction that has a method of being able to use weapons while cloaked. They also have some of the most potent special abilities in the game when used correctly.
** Cardassian Union: Mostly Balanced/Generalist with some minor elements of Guerrilla and Technical.
** Borg: Starts out as Spammer, then makes an unusual switch to Elite bordering on game-breaker. Their lower tier units are pretty weak and expendable, but their higher tier ships are some of the toughest in the game and are much more powerful than their equivalents on the other factions. Tactical Fusion Cubes are extremely powerful, but their expensive and slow speed somewhat compensate for their sheer power. The game-breaking part is when Borg Diamonds (spellcasters) and transwarp hubs (think stargates) enter the fray, and suddenly the tactical fusion cubes become capable of raiding any point on the map instantly (transwarp hub) and while being invunerable (borg diamond spell "shield re-modulation").
** Species 8472: Elite/Brute Force with a twist of Economist; while other factions need particular resources to build their ships (Klingons in particular will hurt pretty bad if they don't get their hands on significant amounts of Latinum) Species 8472 will take ANY resource and convert it into Bio-Matter, the only major resource they need.
* ''VideoGame/StarWarsRebellion'':
** Galactic Empire -- Brute
** Rebel Alliance -- Guerilla
** Both factions become Balanced over time.
* ''VideoGame/StarWarsGalacticBattlegrounds''
** Galactic Empire -- Brute (Powerful Ground troops)
** Rebel Alliance -- Guerrilla/Unit Specialist (Powerful Air Units)
** Trade Federation -- Spammer/Economic (No need to create Prefab Shelters, however harvesting Carbon is difficult)
** Royal Naboo -- Elite/Technical ([[MagikarpPower Initially weak ground troops, but grows stronger through progress]]. Has a great air force)
** Gungans -- Unit Specialist (Great Water Units, can assemble Prefab Shelters underwater)
** Wookiees -- Brute/Economic (Strong Units, can acquire discounts)
** ''Clone Campaigns'' Expansion:
*** Old Galactic Republic: Brute. Though Spammer sometimes since upgrades can produces Troopers more quickly.
*** Confederacy Of Independent Systems: Spammer. Though Brute sometimes since upgrades can increase Trooper's health and attack power.
* ''VideoGame/StarWarsEmpireAtWar''
** Galactic Empire -- Brute/Spammer: In space battles, capital ships can replace destroyed TIE squadrons as long as that ship survives battle. AT-AT's are powerful and [[MookMaker can produce Stormtroopers.]]
** Rebel Alliance -- Balanced/Guerrilla: Can preform raids with a small detachments to cause trouble on Imperial worlds. And can steal data to purchase better units by using C-3PO and R2-D2.
** Zann Consortium -- Elite/Technical/Gimmick: Powerful units with nasty surprises while corrupting worlds. Corruption allows for many purposes from black markets for purchasing upgrades to sending out [[CannonFodder slaves to fight]]. Arguably a Game Breaker.
* ''TabletopGame/StarWarsLegion'' (Tabletop [[WarGaming Wargame]]):
** Galactic Empire -- Elitist/Brute: Favour self-sufficiency, with their units featuring strong defensive statistics and unparalleled strength within their defined roles.
** Rebel Alliance -- Balanced/Ranger: Makes up for their individual weaknesses by being nimble, versatile and able to access strong synergistic and support abilities.
** Galactic Republic -- Elitist/Generalist: Their armies are small but versatile, relying on expensive units supported by Jedi.
** Separatist Alliance -- Spammer/Technical: The Separatists can field hordes of weak droids, which require careful coordination and action management to become effective.
* ''[[TabletopGame/FlamesOfWar Team Yankee]]''
** Germans are elitist, with strong and powerful units, particularly the Leopard 2, with a big gun and a armor of 18 frontally, but they cost so much that in the meta, they are basically useless.
** Americans are balanced, with the M1 Abrams having good overall, and the M1IP being THE toughest tank in-game, with a armor of 19. However, it costs a lot. They have solid air support, and pretty good AA, as well as infantry.
** French are Gurrillia, with guns out the ass and even stronger ATGM spam. Unfortunately a near universal rally of 4+ makes them likely to fall back very very fast, if under fire, and so the Alpha Strike tactic is necessary to make losses as small as possible.
** British are turtles. Their main tank has no stabilizer, and their movement is garbage. With the extra armor upgrade, terrain cross gets worse. The British hunker down, sip tea, and absolutely Swiss cheese anything that they open fire on.
** Russians/East Germany is Spammer. Their tank front armor is low, and their infantry saves are too, but dammit, they've got low points value. One of their tanks can be taken for less than a single point in certain situations.
* ''VideoGame/ThrawnsRevenge'': Note that some factions are subject to change as the eras change.
** Imperial Remnant -- Elite/Brute: Starts out the strongest with plenty of powerful units, gradually grows weaker by the eras.
** New Republic -- Balanced/Generalist: Gradually grows stronger as they progress through the eras.
** Empire of the Hand -- Balanced/Brute: A mix between the Remnant and the Alignment.
** Pentastar Alignment -- Spammer/Technical: The smallest of the four playable factions, but has plenty of unique units that can be quite a challenge.
* ''VideoGame/SupremeCommander'':
** United Earth Federation -- Brute
** Cybran Nation -- Guerrilla/Spammer
** Aeon Illuminate -- Technical/Unit Specialist
** Seraphim -- Game Breaker/Elitist (but they're supposed to be elitist, funny how that works)

* ''VideoGame/TotalWar'':
** ''VideoGame/RomeTotalWar'':
*** Romans -- Generalist early on, later Brute Force: Pre-Marian Reform: Mix of light and heavy infantry, archers, skirmishers and light cavalry. Post-Marian Reform: Heavily armed and armored Legionary infantry, huge array of siege weaponry, mediocre ranged units, mediocre cavalry. Can feel like a Spammer when fighting them, since all three Houses will simultaneously wage war against you.
*** The Greek Cities -- Brute force/ Specialist: Almost no ranged units, below-average cavalry, but increasingly heavy hoplites, including the super-tough Spartans.
*** Macedon -- Brute force/Elitist: Some of the best hoplite/pikemen infantry, companion cavalry, not much else of notice.
*** Egypt -- Generalist: Good all around roster, with heavy phalanx units, melee infantry, archers and the ever fearsome chariots.
*** The Seleucid Empire -- Elitist/Generalist: Good pike-phalanx units, good cavalry including cataphracts and war elephants, also good heavy infantry, although not cheap. Best units take more than 1 turn to recruit.
*** Parthia -- Ranger/Guerilla: Appalingly bad infantry, yet has one of the best cavalries in the game, with cataphracts, war elephants and horse archers.
*** Pontus -- Specialist/Brute Force: Mediocre Infantry, but can recruit cataphracts and chariots.
*** Armenia -- Generalist: Average all around roster, with better cavalry than infantry.
*** The Gauls -- Spammer early on, Specialist later: Lots of mediocre warband infantry, but gains access to Chosen Swordsmen and Forrester Warbands -- the perhaps best archers in the game -- later.
*** The Germans -- Spammer/Guerilla early on, Specialist/Brute force later: Throw huge hordes of Spear Warband at you early in the game, aided by Screaching Women and Night Raiders, but later gains access to Gothic Cavalry, Chosen Axemen, Chosen Archers and Berserkers, who hit with all the force of an elephant.
*** The Britons -- Specialist: Mediocre Infantry, no normal cavalry, but fearsome chariots.
*** Spain -- Guerilla: Excellent skirmishers and light infantry and cavalry, but alomst nothing that can hold a battle line for more than a few moments.
*** Dacia -- Generalist: Good all around, with a few stand outs, like Falxmen and Chosen archers.
*** Thracia -- Brute force: Hoplites and phalangites combined with more barbarian shock infantry, not much in terms of ranged units and cavalry.
*** Scythia -- Ranger/Specialist: Focused on (ranged) cavalry to the point that their most basic unit isn't a warband like with other "barbarian" factions, but Horse Archers. Able to destroy pretty much anything on the open field, but rather ill-equipped for sieges.
*** Carthage -- Elitist: Good Infantry with the Sacred Band as the top elite, but their true trump card are the elephants.
*** Numidia -- Guerilla: Mediocre infantry, but lots of good skirmishers, both on foot and mounted.
*** Barbarian Invasion:
*** Huns -- Brute Force/Ranger, with more focus on Brute Force: Lots and lots of cavalry, light, heavy and missile alike. Mediocre infantry. May feel like Spammer in the early game due to vast numbers.
*** Goths/Ostrogoths -- Generalist: Good all around, with a focus on cavalry.
*** Sarmatians/Roxolani -- Brute Force/Ranger, with more focus on Ranger: Lots and lots of cavalry, light, heavy and missile alike. Mediocre infantry, average archers.
*** Vandals -- Brute Force: Mediocre infantry, very good cavalry, melee and missile alike. May feel like Spammer in the early game due to vast numbers.
*** Franks -- Brute Force/Elitist: Focussed on heavy troops both cavalry and infantry. Some light troops in support.
*** Saxons -- Generalist, leaning towards Guerilla early on, later more towards Brute Force: Average units all around, with the Hearth troops as the elite.
*** Celts -- Brute Force/Specialist: Focused on heavy infantry, with a wild array of all kinds of troops in support, including Celtish chariots. Many of their troops lack armour, however.
*** Sassanids -- Elitist/Specialist: Poor to average infantry, but has access to cataphracts and war elephants.
*** Alemanni -- Generalist, leaning towards Brute Force: Good all around roster, with some fierce heavy units such the Lombard Berserkers and the Golden Band.
*** Burgundii/Lombardi -- Generalist: Good all around, with more focus on infantry than cavalry.
*** Romano-British -- Generalist: Good all around, with the Graal Knights as the top elite.
*** Slavs -- Generalist: Good all around, with more focus on cavalry than infantry.
*** Berbers -- Guerilla: Lots of fast, light troops, but nothing that could really stand up to the heavy troops of other factions.
*** Western Roman Empire -- Generalist/Pariah: Good choice in every branch, but poor stability and surrounded by enemies.
*** Eastern Roman Empire -- Generalist, leaning towards Brute Force: Good choice in every branch, but can field Clibinarii and Cataphracts, that punch through any enemy line, no matter how heavy they are equipped.
** ''VideoGame/MedievalIITotalWar'':
*** The Byzantine Empire -- Ranger/Specialist (missile cavalry & naval), with traces of Economist: Below average infantry; strong archers, despite the lack of armor-piercing longbows or crossbows; very bad early heavy cavalry (though by the late game it is competitive thanks to Latinkon and Kataphraktoi) and Vardariotai, the best horse archers in the game, available right from the start; the unique Fireboat unit makes early to mid-game naval battles very one-sided. Holding one of the biggest cities in the world gives them a economic head start, though being surrounded by hostile factions, they need it. Quite dominant early on but they soon hit a technology ceiling and other kingdoms will catch up.
*** Denmark -- Brute: Has some of the best shock infantry, with Viking Raiders and Dismounted Huscarls early on, which are later replaced by Norse Axemen, Swordstaff Militia and Obudshaer. Most infantry and cavalry fight with axes so armour-piercing is abundant, but their archers and crossbowmen are subpar.
*** Egypt -- Generalist/Economist: Good all-around army, with some really outstanding units such as the Tabardariyya and the Mamluks. Holds some of the richest provinces in the game, and as such boast a very powerful economy.
*** England -- Ranger early on, Generalist later: Starts out with excellent Longbowmen archers and Billmen to protect them, and later get much stronger equivalents like Retinue Longbowmen, Armoured Swordsmen (a Dismounted Feudal Knight with more armor and less upkeep), and English Knights for a well-rounded army.
*** France -- Brute Force/Elitist: Has some of the best heavy infantry and cavalry in the game, but also fields very good late ranged units in their Aventuriers (armoured crossbowmen) and Scots Guard (armoured longbowmen) and very good gunpowder artillery later on.
*** The Holy Roman Empire -- Brute Force/Elitist: Has some of the best heavy troops in the game, both infantry and cavalry, but more focused on infantry. Though like the Byzantines they are lacking in late-game technology.
*** Hungary -- Guerilla/Ranger: Starts with good light infantry and ranged cavalry (but no heavy melee cavalry); later gets excellent heavy cavalry & Hussars, one of the best light cavalry in the game, but their heavy infantry is always lacking.
*** Milan -- Spammer early on, Specialist/Technician later, Economist through out: Starts with lots and lots of cheap and better-than-average Italian militia, but later gets units like Famiglia Ducale, Genoese Crossbowmen and their Militia variant, also Musketeers and Monster Ribaults once Gunpowder has been discovered. Genoese Crossbowmen are the best missile infantry in the game, but Milan's melee infantry and cavalry options are lackluster, leading them into a Specialist role. Like Venice on the other side of Italy, Milan has a very good starting position to build up a trade empire.
*** The Moors -- Guerilla/Specialist (cavalry), Economist: Very good skirmishers and desert units, strong sword infantry in the Urban Militia and Dismounted Christian Guard, adequate heavy cavalry, and in the late-game very dangerous gunpowder units with Sudanese Gunners and Camel Gunners. Potential GameBreaker with Timbuktu and Arguin, two of the richest provinces in the game, isolated from everyone else in the world and almost impossible to lose once you take them.
*** Poland -- Guerilla early on, Brute Force later: Needs to employ hit-and-run-tactics early on, due to the generic Mailed Knights being replaced by ranged Polish Nobles, but gets some very good heavy cavalry units later. Generally lacks missile infantry
*** Portugal -- Guerilla early on, Elitist[=/=]Brute later: Has some of the best skirmisher units in the game that stay useful throughout the game, but later gets things like Conquistadores from New World settlements (both mounted and on foot), Portuguese Arquebusiers and Aventuros (elite pikemen).
*** Russia -- Spammer early on, later Ranger, Technician or Generalist, depending on the playstyle: Lots of cheap troops early on. Good all around roster mid-game, with excellent cavalry units, both melee and missile. Like all the Eastern factions, it relies more on cavalry (especially missile cavalry) then Western Europeans.
*** Scotland -- Brute[=/=]Specialist (melee infantry): All Scotland's melee infantry hit hard on the charge with near-unbreakable morale and shred armour like chainsaws, and they also have good pikemen, but by far the worst ranged units in the game (with poor range and zero access to armour-piercing) and below-average cavalry.
*** Sicily -- Spammer early on, Generalist later: Starts with high-quality Italian militia, above-average Muslim Archers, and excellent Norman Knights once Palermo has been upgraded once; later fans out into an average all around, but without the Carracio Standard for Italian armies morale can be a problem.
*** Spain -- Guerilla early on, Elitist/Brute Force later: Has some of the best skirmisher units in the game that stay useful throughout the game, but later gets units like Sword & Buckler Men, Tercio Pikemen and Conquistadores once they capture settlements in America.
*** The Turks -- Guerrilla/Ranger early on, Brute force/Technician later: Starts out with mostly light infantry and ranged units, later gets Qapukulu, Janissary units and Monster Bombards, becoming a real force to be reckoned with.
*** Venice -- Spammer early on, Specialist/Technician later, Economist throughout: Starts with lots and lots of cheap and better-than-average militia, but later gets units like Stradiots (one of the best light cavalry in the game), Venetians Archers and armor-piercing Venetian Heavy Infantry. Venice is in a good starting position to build a trade empire and benefits a lot from gunpowder technology.
*** The Mongols -- Ranger/Spammer: Some of the best cavalry and ranged infantry in the game, but mediocre melee infantry. Spammer comes into play as, when they first arrive, they typically come with six or more armies at maximum power and elite generals, soon followed by another eight armies a few years later. These reinforcements will continue until they have either found a new home or are destroyed completely.
*** The Timurids -- Ranger/Specialist, Spammer: Similar to the Mongols, with the addition of Gunpowder and their unique Elephant units.
*** The Aztecs -- Spammer/Loyal: Huge numbers of high-morale infantry, but with primitive weapons. Still, an invasion force will be hard pressed to cut their way through thousands of bloodthirsty and fanatical infantry units.
*** Mayans/Tlaxcalans/Tarascans (''Americas'') -- Spammer/Loyal: Huge units sizes compared to the European factions, but without metal weapons or cavalry.
*** Apachean Tribes (''Americas'') -- Ranger/Spammer early on, Technican later: Rely on large numbers of light ranged troops, but can recruit cavalry and gunpowder units once they beat enough European armies with them.
*** Chichimenic Tribes (''Americas'') -- Spammer early on, Technican later: Same as Apaches, but with a greater emphasis on melee infantry.
*** Ireland (''Britannia'') -- Guerrilla/Technician: Lots of skirmishers and light troops, very good Calivermen gunpowder units (infantry and cavalry), and some decent light and medium cavalry too. Unfortunately they lack quality spearmen and heavy cavalry, and their line infantry while decent are also unreliable.
*** Wales (''Britannia'') -- Guerrilla/Ranger: Wales has a focus on superior longbowmen (better even than England's) and light infantry, but no real heavy infantry. Many Welsh units have multiple functions; their Magnelwyr gunners for instance also have heavy armour and an axe, so they are quite capable faux-heavy infantry as well.
*** Norway (''Britannia'') -- Brute Force: Mostly a copy of Denmark, with the addition of Gotland Footmen. Focused on heavy infantry with some cavalry and ranged units in support.
*** Kingdom of Jerusalem (''Crusades'') -- Brute force: Focused on heavy troops, both cavalry and infantry, with some support troops. Slightly more cavalry-focused.
*** Principality of Antioch (''Crusades'') -- Brute force: Focused on heavy troops, both cavalry and infantry, with some support troops. Slightly more infantry-focused.
*** The Teutonic Order (''Teutonic''') -- Brute Force/Elitist: Brimming with heavy troops, yet little in the way of skirmishers and only mediocre ranged units, save the Livonian Auxiliaries.
*** Lithuania (''Teutonic'') -- Guerilla/Loyal as Pagans, Generalist as Christians: Unable to stand to the Teutonic Order man-to-man, but with some really scary pagan melee troops and high-morale religious fanatics. After their conversion to Christianity, they get heavier infantry and some very good gunpowder troops.
*** Novgorod (''Teutonic'') -- Spammer early on, later Ranger, Technician or Generalist, depending on the playstyle: Vanilla's Russia with a Recolor.
** ''VideoGame/TotalWarShogun2'':
*** Shimazu: Loyal (loyal generals)/Generalist (stronger [[JackOfAllStats Katana Samurai]] and unique Heavy Gunners)
*** Mori: Unit Specialist (naval)
*** Chosokabe: Economist (farm income)/Ranger (archers of all sorts)
*** Hojo: Industrial (castle-building)/Technical (siege weapons)
*** Oda: Spammer (ashigaru)/Ranger (late game, due to the ability to spam matchlock ashigaru)
*** Tokugawa: Diplomat/Espionage (metsuke)/Guerrilla (kisho ninja); a pariah faction due to starting position (beginning as a vassal clan) and a lack of any particular military advantages.
*** Takeda: Unit Specialist (cavalry); something of a pariah due to the ubiquity of AntiCavalry.
*** Uesugi: Elitist (warrior monks); a Pariah faction due to starting position and the difficulty of setting up a monk infrastructure.
*** Date: Brute (all units get a charge bonus, stronger No-Dachi Samurai)
*** Hattori: Espionage (ninja)
*** Ikko-Ikki: Highly unconventional. Spammer (powerful Loan Sword Ashigaru and large but weak normal ashigaru units)/Elitist (warrior monk)/Espionage (can conquer through Ikko revolts without invading), but with a weak economy (no metsuke). The faction's strength is disputed; it's been argued as both a pariah and a GameBreaker.
*** Otomo: Ranger (gun units)/Espionage (spreading Christianity).
*** Christians in general: Research (churches)/Naval (Nanban Trade Ships)/Espionage (spreading Christianity damages enemy public order, and Christian revolts can be used to take over provinces without starting a war).
** ''VideoGame/TotalWarRomeII'':
*** Illyrian Tribes: Pariah. Generally poor unit choice and one unit of sub-par cavalry.
*** Iberian Tribes: Guerrilla/Generalist mix, as they have good light infantry for ambushes but good medium infantry that can hold its own against even Romans. Their infantry excel in the cut-and-thrust of melee since they have high melee defense (meaning that they are highly likely to dodge attacks in melee).
*** Germanic Tribes: Guerilla/Technical, as they get the "scare" ability for many units, making them horribly damaging to enemy morale, but their units are otherwise of unremarkable quality.
*** Celtic Tribes: Brute. Celts have a great selection of units, especially infantry, but they don't have any of the specialized units or cost-effective units of other factions.
*** Carthage: Generalist. They have access to a large variety of decent units (although most are mercenaries) but they lack really cost-effective units.
*** Eastern and Desert factions: Ranger/Unit Specialist. Their rosters have average infantry at best but tend to have excellent skirmishers, both foot and mounted. They also have great melee and shock cavalry, particularly cataphracts.
*** Greek Factions: Generalist. Large rosters with good units in just about every category.
*** Sparta: Elitist, using powerful (but expensive) hoplites to pull its weight.
*** Steppe Tribes: Ranger/Unit Specialist all the way, they rely on their shock cavalry and missile cavalry to get anything done.
*** Daco-Thracian Tribes: Unit Specialist. They make use of infantry with staggeringly high charge stats to break enemy infantry, but they lack armor and don't have great non-melee units with the exception of skirmishers (which are of above-average quality and can hold well in melee). Their warriors are also not very good in standing melee, as they lack proper shields.
*** And last but not least, Rome itself is a GameBreaker all the way. They have cheap, very strong infantry, a wide selection of auxiliaries that help cover any potential faults (good skirmishers, elephants, and even some javelin cavalry), and even some decent cavalry. Not unbeatable, but certainly a challenge even in the hands of poor players.
** ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'':
*** The Empire: A ''Balanced/Generalist'' faction, with a combination of light and heavy, melee and ranged infantry and cavalry, and artillery both mundane and arcane, perfect for taking on all comers. Additionally, the Empire has access to a wider range of magic than any other faction, giving it numerous options for healing, buffing, debuffing and damage-dealing. The key weaknesses of the Empire are a lack of air units outside of high-level Hero units and a relatively weak infantry line -- their elite melee infantry will rarely beat other factions' own elites. Also has shades of ''Diplomat'' due to good starting relations with surrounding factions and confederation allowing them to absorb smaller friendly nations without a fight.
*** Greenskins: A ''Spammer/Brute'' faction. Orc-focused armies tend to put more emphasis on "Brute" while Goblin-focused armies tend to focus more on "Spammer", but cheap and effective melee units are a cornerstone of both. The Greenskins are however let down by poor options for technology, trade and diplomacy, and can suffer attrition losses if their armies go too long without a good fight.
*** Dwarfs: A rare example of an ''Elitist/Technical'' faction. They are slow-moving and small in number, but a combination of heavily armoured and disciplined infantry with devastating ranged weaponry and artillery can turn them into well-coordinated {{Mighty Glacier}}s. Dwarfs are also ''Loyalist'' as they have no civil wars.
*** Vampire Counts: A ''Spammer/Technical'' faction. Their force is built around weak and expendable undead fodder (which can be created instantaneously and on the move) with a variety of powerful combat monsters, flying units, and magical abilities to support them. They have no ranged weaponry of any kind. The Vampire Counts can also corrupt an enemy's land, causing attrition losses to armies and also potentially causing uprisings in their provinces.
*** Chaos Warriors: An ''Elitist/Brute/Gimmick'' faction, less concerned about having overwhelming numbers of disposable units like many other factions and instead focused on having a few very powerful soldiers who pound the enemies into the ground and easily instill fear into the heart of the enemy. Chaos Warriors control no cities; they produce no buildings and gather no income, they only recruit warriors through their armies and sustain themselves by constantly raiding enemy cities. Similarly to the Vampires, they also spread Chaos corruption into provinces.
*** Bretonnia: An extremely unusual ''Spammer/Elite'' faction. Peasant infantry is cheap, plentiful, and tend to die in droves. Meanwhile the various Bretonnian cavalry units are all quite powerful and highly mobile. This encourages a hammer and anvil style of combat in which disposable peasants keep the enemy busy while knights position themselves for a lethal charge from behind. They also have access to more significant flying units than the Empire. Generally speaking, Bretonnia requires a fair deal of micromanaging to use effectively, but can be very deadly in expert hands.
*** Beastmen: A ''Spammer/Guerrilla/Brute'' faction. They rely heavily on ambush tactics on the grand campaign, their hordes being invisible and capable of traveling through hidden "Beastpaths". In combat they hit hard but have really poor morale, relying heavily on their units' superior mobility and numbers, but will fall apart in prolonged combat. Much like the Warriors of Chaos they cannot maintain settlements, but have a unit ability to raze and corrupt a region, along with a mechanic similar to the Orcs' Waaagh!, spawning AI-controlled armies to assist your own hordes. Unlike the Warriors, the Beastmen do not suffer attrition when two hordes are near one another, meaning you can quickly create new hordes in order to flood the map with your forces.
*** Wood Elves: A ''Glass Cannon/Ranger'' faction and a ''Elite/Brute'' faction rolled together. They have some of the best archers in the game. Even their basic archers have extraordinary range and can fire while moving, allowing them to attack while getting into position. Higher tier archers have outstanding armor piercing damage and can fire in any direction without having to change facing. They also have the only flying archers in the game. On the other hand they also have the tree spirit units, which are MightyGlacier infantry and monsters capable of dominating infantry engagements. However, most of their units have poor defense and suffer in prolonged combat, and the powerful monsters will also do very poorly against [[KillItWithFire fiery attacks]]; as such, the wood elves are an army reliant on skirmishing, motion and a lot of micromanagement. In the Grand Campaign they are split between the Wood Elves under Orion and the Tree Spirits under Durthu, with severe restrictions on the ability to recruit units from the other half of the faction. To win the Grand Campaign they must gather sufficient Amber to complete their Wonder-based win condition.
*** Norsca: A ''Elitist''/''Brute Force''/''Gimmick'', just like their parent army -- the Warriors of Chaos. A relatively small number of extremely powerful warriors (Marauder Champions, Berserkers) supported by a number of extremely powerful monstrous units (Mammoths, Skinwolves, Fimir, and Frost Wyrms) that pound the enemy into submission through pure violent power. They have a number of powerful quirks like their Berserker and Frost Bite abilities, which allow them to become insanely stronger the longer they remain in battle and significantly slow their enemies in combat, respectively.
** The sequel has so far introduced five factions:
*** High Elves: A ''Generalist/Elitist/Ranger/Intrigue'' faction with lots of expensive units that are capable of fighting in multiple scenarios. In the Grand Campaign they can use influence to quickly develop alliances or trick other factions into war. Examples of their extremely generalist units include: Lothern Sea Guard, which are effective, though not great, archers with shields (allowing them to resist other archers), decent melee stats (allowing them to briefly stand against basic infantry) and a bonus against large creatures (making them dangerous to cavalry that catches them). The Eagle Claw Bolt Thrower is an extremely accurate artillery piece that can switch between having a bonus against large creatures (to snipe monsters) and against infantry (to disrupt infantry formations). The Swordmasters of Hoeth are greatsword infantry with high damage and a bonus against other infantry, this almost always means not having shields and thus being weak to archers but the Swordmasters get the shielded status anyway because they can deflect arrows with their swords. They also have access to powerful archers that can hold themselves in melee, such as the Sisters of Avelorn and Shadow Warriors, and a number of powerful flying monsters.
*** Dark Elves: A ''Balanced/Technical/Brute'' faction. Their units require more micromanagement than most but ultimately they have effective answers to nearly anything. However, if their units aren't managed well and get caught in unfavorable matchups they tend to fall apart. Their unique battle mechanic, Murderous Prowess, causes an army wide damage bonus once a certain number of units have been killed.
*** Skaven: A ''Spammer/Guerilla/Ranger'' faction. Skaven have huge numbers of incredibly cheap, incredibly weak units and the ability to ambush other armies while attacking. This represents the idea that Skaven are ''everywhere'' and will come swarming in from all sides. With their Menace From Below faction ability they can even produce free units of infantry anywhere on the map a few times each battle. In campaign their Food mechanic prevents them from holding large amounts of territory encouraging them to sack and raze enemy cities instead of conquering them. With the ''The Prophet and the Warlock'' DLC, the sheer amount of ranged firepower Skaven has shifted their playstyle considerably, coupled with their army's generally better mobility, they're now able to play as a Ranger faction now.
*** Lizardmen: A ''Elite/Brute/Research'' faction. The Lizardmen are a technomagically advanced civilization that has degenerated due to its leaders meditating through millennia of corruption and decay. Their main combat units have become half feral, sometimes going insane in combat and not responding to orders. However, they benefit from extremely powerful infantry and a wide selection of monster units, while lords and heroes wield sophisticated magic. Their settlements can be joined together into a massive Geomantic Web they can use to enhance all aspects of their civilization. Their research is extensive and highly effective.
*** Tomb Kings : A ''Spammer/Technical/Gimmick'' faction. The Tomb Kings are one of the most powerful defensive factions in the game, alongside the Dwarfs. They have access to hordes and hordes of hardy, if offensively weak, skeleton infantry, which can hold enemies in place for long periods of time, whilst their more powerful and fast units, such as horsemen, and the various constructs can go in for the kill. They make heavy use of their lores to further support their skeletons, and make them last longer (whose sustainability is enhanced even ''further'' with their battlefield mechanic, realm of souls). Unlike the Vampire Counts, they do have archers and powerful artillery, which let them turtle even more.
*** Vampire Coast: A ''Spammer/Technical'' Faction. The pirates of the Vampire Coast are an interesting faction: they're not able to field a traditional infantry line, as their zombie infantry are have such crap stats, while their Elite units, the Depth Guard, lack anti-armour and have a very small unit size of 45. That said, they get armour piercing firepower in volumes the Dwarfs could only dream of, have a cannon that is almost map-ranged, and their Lore of the Deep gives them a few spells to jam up enemy charges and disrupt their lines to buy more time shooting. On the campaign map they have a very weak domestic economy, piss-poor expansion options on the outset, but thanks to a mechanic for creating secret pirate coves on enemy port settlements, can rapidly become a small but connected, wealthy power, with several semi-horde armies that let them have a presence anywhere on the map.
*** The Rogue Armies are nonplayable ''Gimmick'' factions that are totally focused on one particular tactic or theme. For instance: only cavalry, only units that fit a pirate theme, only monsters, hilariously impractical amounts of artillery, and so on.

* ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}''
** Humans -- [[HumansAreAverage Generalist/Balanced]], with some Elitist siege weapons
** Orcs -- Brute/Guerrilla
** Night Elves -- Rangers
** Undead -- Spammers/Technical
* Videogame/BrutalLegend
** Ironheade: Balanced/Brute Force
** Drowning Doom: Technical/Elitist (Debuff/Buff specialists)
** Tainted Coil: Industrialist (Able to create units straight on the battlefield rather than from their base)
* ''VideoGame/CompanyOfHeroes''
** United States of America -- Generalist/Spammer. The American army is highly flexible, with individual units being able to perform in a variety of different roles. American infantry tend to be more numerous than the Wehrmacht, but not as effective in a straight fight and usually need to rely on upgrades and abilities to get an edge. Similarly, American vehicles tend to lack the armour and raw firepower of the Germans, but tend to be faster and capable of various support tasks. Has traits of Economist, as units tend to be relatively cheap and easy to replenish, and can build a supply yard to drive costs of units even further down.
*** Airborne Company -- Technical. This American doctrine focuses on rapid deployment, using [[ItsRainingMen paratroopers]], supply drops and [[DeathFromAbove air support]].
*** Infantry Company -- Spammer/Unit Specialist, focusing on infantry. This doctrine focuses on production of infantry which are [[ZergRush cheap, versatile and effective in numbers]]. Also allows the use of artillery support.
*** Armor Company -- Brute/Unit Specialist, focusing on armour. This doctrine focus on production of armour, and allows production of the [[MacrossMissileMassacre Sherman Calliope]] and the very powerful [[TankGoodness M26 Persching]].
** Wehrmacht -- Elitist. The Wehrmacht is a highly powerful if somewhat inflexible war machine. Infantry are usually are tougher than the Americans, and, at least early on, much more well-equipped. Their armour list is far more comprehensive and features a lot of heavy armour such as the Panzer IV and Panther tanks. However, [[EliteArmy while the units are strong, they're also fewer and much more expensive]], and usually lack special abilities and support features. In their intended roles, the forces of the Wehrmacht can accomplish a lot, [[CripplingOverspecialization but outside their intended roles, it's a different story]].
*** Defensive Doctrine -- Technical/Unit Specialist. This doctrines allows the Wehrmacht player to upgrade their base buildings with self-defence machine guns, and allows infantry to reinforce from bunkers, which makes the difference in holding the line or keeping an advance going. It also unlocks [[{{BFG}} the Flak 88]], a deadly anti-tank piece.
*** Blitzkrieg Doctrine -- A rare mix of Brute and Guerilla. The Blitzkrieg doctrine is offensively minded, and allows you access to Tiger I tanks and Stormtroopers. The Tiger I is a powerful heavy tank effective against both enemy infantry and armour, while Stormtroopers are essentially upgraded versions of Grenadiers which can be called in from any unoccupied building in friendly territory and can camouflage themselves to lay ambushes.
*** Terror Doctrine -- Technical. A doctrine centered on psychological warfare and raw destructive power, most of the Terror Doctrine's abilities are focused on providing {{Status Buff}}s to your own units and debuffs to enemy units, as well as powerful artillery and V1 rocket strikes. However, it's probably best known for the ultimate Terror ability to build one [[TankGoodness King Tiger]] super-heavy tank, which is the single strongest unit in the whole game and [[MightyGlacier capable of fending off two or even three Allied tanks single-handedly]], but is slow, vulnerable if not properly supported by other Wehrmacht forces, and [[NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup cannot be replaced if destroyed]].
** Panzer Elite -- Ranger/Technical. A dizzying assortment of light vehicles forms the backbone of the Panzer Elite army, ranging from troop transports and scouts to tank-hunter half-tracks and self-propelled artillery pieces. The infantry are [[BadassArmy the cream of the crop of the German military]], well-trained and armed to the teeth with the finest weapons the German war machine can produce, including the [[CoolGuns MP44, the FG42 and the Panzerschreck]]. The trade-off is a limited roster of armour and a complete lack of defensive structures, ensuring that the Panzer Elite is the army for anyone who believes that [[GlassCannon the best defence is a good offence]].
*** Scorched Earth Tactics -- Technical. Emphasising the [[CombatPragmatist cunning and occasionally underhanded tactics]] employed by Panzergrenadiers and SS during the closing stages of the war, this tactic adds a few area-denial options and dirty tricks including the ability to BoobyTrap buildings and strategic points, as well as the ability to temporarily disable the latter, and the ability to construct impassable roadblocks ideal for funnelling enemy forces into kill-zones. Doesn't sound like much, but through this doctrine, the Panzer Elite can place limits on the opposing player's expansion and force them to spend precious time and resources consolidating what territorial gains he can make, giving you the momentum and putting them at a serious disadvantage. Also unlocks the Hummel, the Panzer Elite's only artillery piece. Scorched Earth Kettenkrads gain the ability to lay down {{Booby Trap}}s.
*** Luftwaffe Tactics -- Brute. This gives the Panzer Elite a lot of nifty new toys including an [[MoreDakka AA tank which shreds infantry and light vehicles]], the dreaded Flak 88 (representing one of the few options for a Panzer Elite defensive structure), the elite Fallschirmjäger squads armed with deadly automatic weapons and able to be called in anywhere on the map, and of course, a bombing run from Henschel ground-attack aircraft. Luftwaffe Kettenkrads gain the ability to camouflage themselves, making them ideal for scouting and sneaky grabs at strategic points deep behind enemy lines.
*** Tank Destroyer Tactics -- Unit Specialist, focusing on anti-armour weaponry. Truly an American Armor Company's worst nightmare, this doctrine gives almost every unit a plethora of armour-killing weapons, letting the Pazner Elite contend with armoured forces. Tank Destroyer Kettenkrads can perform field repairs, helping you keep your fleet of tank destroyers and half-tracks in continuous operation.
** British Commonwealth -- Balanced/Brute/Turtle. The British have a fairly versatile force, favouring neither infantry or armour, but an undeniable cornerstone of any British army is the creation and maintenance of a formidable "front line" of static defences, some of which are the cheapest and most powerful available to any faction. British troops don't gain Veterancy like the other factions, instead relying on [[HeroUnit "hero" units]] like the Lieutenant and the Captain to gather Veterancy on behalf of the troops around them and in turn grant them a StatusBuff which lets them fight elite units on equal terms. Finally, the British base is made up of mobile command trucks which can move and deploy anywhere on the map, making them difficult to pin down. If the Panzer Elite say that the best defence is a good offence, [[StoneWall the British beg to differ]].
*** Royal Artillery Support -- Technical. This support doctrine grants the British 25-Pounder howitzer defensive structure a number of new abilities, turning your 25-Pounder howitzers into some of the most powerful units on the field, and also grants the British their only mobile artillery piece, the M7 Priest.
*** Royal Commando Support -- Guerilla. This support focuses on rapid deployment and covert operations, and adds offensive flavour to the otherwise very strongly defensive-natured British. Gliders can be called in to deploy [[BadassCrew squads of elite Commandos]] and even a light tank, the Tetrarch, anywhere on the map, who can then be made to strike at enemy buildings, capture points, ambush enemy units, or support advances by your regular forces. Commando Support also offers a few special misdirection and information gathering abilities.
*** Royal Engineers Support -- Unit Specialist/Turtle, focusing on static defences. This support doctrine builds on what the British do best: hunker down and hold firm where other armies would shatter. It also allows the deployment of three different variants of the Churchill, a heavily-armoured British tank.
** The ''Eastern Front'' mod adds the Soviets and the Ostheer. Mirroring the real life Red Army's development in the war, the Soviets are a rather weak Spammer faction in the game's initial stages but a Soviet player who manages to survive to the late-game will watch their force [[MagikarpPower gradually transition]] into an [[GameBreaker Elitist/Spammer]]; their Doctrines are Propaganda War (infantry and artillery specialist), Urban War (Guerilla) and Breakthrough War (Brute/armour specialist). The Ostheer are much like the Eldar of VideoGame/DawnOfWar: a Technical force comprising a number of fairly powerful specialist units which are highly effective in their element but painfully weak if caught out of place; their doctrines are Support Army Group (Technical in a subversive sense), Elite Army Group (Elitist) and Fortress Army Group (Technical in a defensive sense). The two factions play off each other in the style of [[LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards Linear Ostheer, Quadratic Soviets]].
** ''Far East War'' mod brings in the National Revolutionary Army and Imperial Japanese Army into the mix, the Chinese NRA being a spam faction where the IJA are a more Elitist baseline.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' (Tabletop [[WarGaming Wargame]])
** Empire -- Balanced/Generalist, can be fielded in a variety of ways.
** Bretonnia -- Brute Force with Ranger-type mobility, almost Pariah due to 8th edition's nerfing of cavalry dependent armies.
** High Elves -- Elitist/Balanced, not entirely either, but leaning to GameBreaker
** Wood Elves -- Guerrilla/Ranger/Technical hybrid, totally lacks defensive power and another Pariah. Tree Spirits add some durability to army, but are expensive and easily countered with Fire attacks.
** Dwarves -- Brute, ranged capabilities on par with a Ranger, but no mobility of that type. Could possibly be Generalist if but for lack of offensive magic and cavalry.
** Orcs & Goblins -- Brute (pure Orc) or Technical/Spammer (pure Goblin), Balanced (mixed) and possible Pariah (all versions)
** Dark Elves -- Generalist, formerly GameBreaker/Generalist/Elitist.
** Vampire Counts -- Spammer formerly GameBreaker/Elitist/Spammer, most characters are Elitist/{{Game Breaker}}s.
** Tomb Kings -- Technical/Spammer; Pariah due to 1)horribly crippling dependency on magic and 2)their magic is easily countered by all factions bar Ogre Kingdoms and Tomb Kings themselves.
*** The recent change to their magic and the magic system in made it less crippling, and they added some Brute in the form of giant animated statues.
** Skaven -- SPAMMER with some random chance powered Gimmick thrown in, tends to rely on numbers once the Gimmick(s) blows itself and parts of both sides up, also a GameBreaker with the new focus on infantry hordes. Technical if dependant on Gimmick and no Spamming.
** Lizardmen -- A bizarre Balanced/Brute Force/Technical/Gimmick hybrid with some Ranger thrown in; also capable of Spammer. While it may seem that "Balanced" might cover it, it is actually able to field highly specialized forces that focus on some of the aspects instead to a degree rivaling other specialists.
** Ogre Kingdoms -- Brute Force and Spammer, recently promoted from Pariah to near-Pariah
** Beastmen -- Spammer/Brute, very generic playstyle with no flexibility. Later update gave them the option of going Guerrilla, in that they can ambush with reserve forces, something no other army can do.
** Chaos Warriors -- Brute/Elitist, lacking anything to cover the issues of both types.
** Chaos Daemons -- Elitist/Brute formerly GameBreaker, possible Pariah due to lack of cheap units. Technical but only with respect to some odd mechanics rather than their playstyle.

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' (Tabletop [[WarGaming Wargame]])
** ''Warhammer 40000'':
*** Imperial Guard -- Spammer if using infantry, Brute with vehicles, Generalist when using combined arms; shades of Technical given their Orders system. They emphasize [[PunyEarthlings regular Joes]] generally coming in [[RedshirtArmy underequipped and in huge numbers]] alongside an ungodly number of vehicles of all stripes, and leadership abilities most other armies can only be jealous of. The army is easy to learn while having a lot of options and tactics being discovered frequently.
*** Space Marines -- Elitist/Generalist. Marines are fairly expensive points-wise and have great staying power compared to most basic infantry of other armies. They're also solid in whatever role they're put in: Marines are good shots, and they're not half bad in an assault, either. Space Marine tanks, on the other hand, may not be as robust or as powerful as those of the Imperial Guard's, but they are dirt-cheap and reliable. Whatever an enemy army’s weakness is, Space Marines have something that can exploit it, but nearly every other army does their particular schtick better than Space Marines.
*** Dark Angels -- Elitist/Unit Specialist. Dark Angels can legitimately field an army full of Terminators and/or bikes: their Terminators are some of the best Terminators you can find in the game, while their bikes are the only ones that can go toe-to-toe against the White Scars. On the other hand, they lack access to certain vanilla codex units and their aerial game is subpar.
*** Blood Angels -- Brute. The Blood Angels are designed for blitzkrieg. If you're playing Blood Angels, it's because you want a fast-paced and slightly reckless play style. Their Death Company can be equipped to kill literally anything in close combat, and in a pinch even Blood Angels tactical marines can do some work in a melee.
*** Space Wolves -- Elitist/Brute. The Space Wolves have access to powerful HQ units, unique wargear better than those in the vanilla Marines codex, and their access to Thunderwolf Cavalry and Wulfen means that few armies come close to being as good at assault as the Space Wolves.
*** Grey Knights -- Elitist/Brute/Technical/Unit Specialist. The elitist (even by Marine standards) Grey Knights have excellent close-range shooting and assault but need to find a way to outmaneuver the opponent before they get blown up with long range firepower and low-AP weapons (precisely both the main weaknesses AND main lacks of this army). All Grey Knights are Psykers; this means they will rival the likes of Eldar in the Psychic Phase. Due to the Grey Knights' ubiquitous anti-Daemon abilities, never send your Daemons against them unless if you want to be curb-stomped.
*** Deathwatch -- Elitist/Generalist. The Deathwatch get the best gear the Inquisition can give them, and the small model count, composition of many different chapters and versatile selection of wargear give them (especially characters) a very high degree of customisation. Run your Kill-team from the ''TabletopGame/{{Deathwatch}}'' RPG as part of your army!
*** Sisters of Battle -- Balanced/Generalist
*** Imperial Knights -- ELITIST. Each Knight costs 400+ points and is immune to non-Necron small-arms fire and any melee attacks of Strength 6 or less. That is not an excuse to get complacent as each casualty will diminish your army considerably. Most people take Knights as allies, which works fine, and it takes a very rare player to be able to field an entire detachment of them.
*** Custodian Guard -- Elitist/Brute. Everything the Custodes can field is ''absurdly'' expensive, from the rank-and-file units to the vehicles and war machines, so their unit counts will be lower than just about any other faction. Each unit is also armed with the best of the best, putting out huge damage every attack, and ''extremely'' well protected, with your average Custodian guard being an ImplacableMan that refuses to die and anything beyond that being close to unstoppable. They don't have too much in the way of advanced techniques (not even psykers), and every single loss they have is going to hurt, but they are as Elite as they come and every last unit of theirs can mow down whole chunks of the opposing army if left unchecked.
*** Tau Empire -- Ranger; powerful ranged attacks with good mobility, but very weak against anything which can survive to get close up.
*** Craftworld Eldar -- Elitist/Ranger/Technical/Specialist. Eldar are generally [[GlassCannon deadly but fragile]], relying on high mobility and cover to stay alive. They have only a few all-rounders to balance out their plethora of specialists, and only just a few melee specialists to balance out their mostly shooty army. They also have a lot of sneaky units that can infiltrate or outflank an enemy to strike from an unexpected quarter, and they have one of the strongest psychic supports in the game.
*** Dark Eldar -- Elitist/Ranger. Dark Eldar have exceedingly fragile armour for the bulk of their forces, and focus almost entirely on a mix of blinding speed and raw, balls-out firepower.
*** Harlequins -- Elitist/Guerrilla. Although expensive and squishy (like all Eldar), they are excellent in assault, have access to loads of weaponry, ignore difficult terrain and don't face penalties for charging through cover.
*** Orks -- Generalist/Spammer. Typically played as Spammer/Brute ("We's bringin' da biggest and da most boyz ta crump all da 'umies!")
*** One popular alternate style of Ork army focuses on the [[MadScientist mechboyz]], [[PsychicPowers weirdboyz]], and [[MadDoctor painboyz]], which results in a bizarre Balanced Technician/Brute hybrid reminiscent of being assaulted by the contents of a military research center's scrapyard. (''"[[MoreDakka MORE DAKKA!]]"'')
*** A third, more rarely seen type is Elitist Guerilla/Ranger, which can be devastating in the hands of a clever player ("Who ever heard of an ork being subtle and sneaky? [[KilledMidSentence That's simply ridi-]]")
*** Necrons -- Balanced/Brute. Their infantry are durable and can pack either specialized anti-infantry weaponry or general purpose weaponry capable of threatening both infantry and vehicles
*** Tyranids -- Can vary between a Spammer and an Elitist faction based on whether more, bigger 'nids ("Nidzilla") or hordes of the little bastards come out. Usually uses a mix of both, with the hoards sheer numbers tearing apart the enemy while the big guys come in at the end to clean up whats left.
*** Chaos Space Marines -- Balanced/Specialist. The Chaos Space Marines can be seen as a dark mirror of their Imperial counterparts: if the loyalists possess respectable offensive power either melee or ranged with strong defensive power, the Chaos Space Marines enjoy far superior close combat and psychic abilities, but lacking the loyalists' defensive and equipment options in many areas and requiring much more aggression and initiative on the part of the player. [[VideoGame/{{Doom 2016}} Rip and tear until it is done!]]
*** Chaos Daemons -- Spammer/Technical. Daemons tie with Tyranids with sheer amount of bodies and Monstrous Creatures they cab put on the field. Unless you actively shy away from it, no other army, except maybe the Grey Knights, can rock the Psychic phase as hard as you can. Their units are generally stronger point for point than other units, but their unusual deployment type requires careful thinking when used, and their low Toughness and Daemonic Instability make them die very quickly if not managed carefully.
*** Renegades and Heretics -- Spammer/Generalist. Basically a Chaos version of the Imperial Guard, nearly everything is relatively cheap and have great diversity and customisation provided by the abundance of options.
** ''Horus Heresy'':
*** Dark Angels -- Generalist: The Dark Angels are the "template" upon which all other legions would draw their specialities from, and purposefully not too unique. In this era, their rules make them into a melee-oriented Legion, and they play like normal Astartes with lots of exclusive equipment both melee and ranged, an uncommon balance available to few others. In addition, they have some radical Rites of War which fill roles traditionally held by other Legions, which makes up for their generic Legiones Astartes rules.
*** Emperor's Children -- Ranger: The Emperor's Children favour a fast and hard-hitting playstyle. Their troops run fast, hit hard, get multiple bonuses to initiative, and are quite likely to overrun opponents if when they win in combat. Fitting their bias for melee, they also have access to a plethora of alternate deployment methods. On the other hand, they are rather generic at ranged combat, and their unique units usually have a single thing that they are good at and need to work with the rest of the army to get the best out of them. Emperor's Children players need to master positional play and timing to have their units charging at the right moment while being supported with the right buffs, lest the enemy rob them of their melee advantage and they end up playing akin to generic marines.
*** Iron Warriors -- Brute/Loyal: The Iron Warriors are THE offensive siege specialists, shrugging off ranged casualties like they don't care, coming to make a mockery of the enemy's hiding places, make them keep their heads down and claim No Man's Land as their own without giving any terrain themselves. Common builds include lots of Heavy Support choices as well as lots of Barrage weapons. The ability to ignore ranged casualties and being one of the few Legions with access to widespread Stubborn and Fearless means the Iron Warriors can lay claim to having one of the best morale in the entire Heresy. All in all pretty straight-forward marines but focused on big guns.
*** White Scars -- Ranger: The White Scars tie for the best bikers in the game and their infantry also receive plenty of movement bonuses and they can reliably bring that one unit they need from reserves, as well as bonuses for going first. However, you gotta go fast, as they aren't the best for garrison duty and that their heavier guns are vanilla, and the enemy could give them a surprise were they to catch them going anywhere slower than full speed.
*** Imperial Fists -- Generalist: The Imperial Fists play as "standard" space marines while being able to adapt to more complex scenarios like siege missions and Zones Mortalis. They have improved firepower when using bolt weaponry, their characters are almost assured some success when in challenges, and their vanilla Terminators are the best in the whole Heresy. They also have some very powerful special characters and units and they have access to some of the best exclusive wargear available.
*** Night Lords -- Brute/Technical: Night Lords make liberal use of Fear as well as being quite nasty in close combat. They have good mobility with hard hitting units and are one of the few Legions with access to Deep Striking Terminators in every mission, as well as more customisable assault squads and infiltrating veterans. They also capitalise significantly on Night Fight rules, so can pull ahead quickly at the start of a battle while the darkness is in effect. The catch? They are prone to falling back themselves. While it sounds obvious, it pays to bully your opponent when playing Night Lords.
*** Blood Angels -- Brute/Ranger: At their core, the Blood Angels are a melee Legion, with improved to wound rolls and with a good selection of pistols and [=AP2=] initiative weapons. Best of all, they don't need to fulfill conditions like outnumbering the enemy or getting the charge, so other Legions need to take note. Overall they play like an improved version of themselves in 40k. With certain Rites of War, they can rival even the Emperor's Children for speed, or possess resilient and steadfast but tactically limited options with which to throw at the enemy with abandon.
*** Iron Hands -- Brute: The Iron Hands are excellent at mechanised assaults, and if you want to go all-out with tanks, there is no better Legion. In exchange for their sheer resistance to incoming fire, they are stuck with very inflexible infantry-centric army builds, and their near-refusal to perform Sweeping Advances or Run moves means they have a very good chance to be outmanoeuvred by the enemy.
*** World Eaters -- Brute: "Up close and personal" is the phrase that defines the World Eaters. Their basic attacks being outright deadlier than your average Legion means whatever is on the business end of their chainaxes will Eat a World of hurt, and it only goes up from there.
*** Ultramarines -- Generalist/Loyal: The Ultramarines play as a mix of 40k and 30k, understandably so because their Primarch wrote the codex. Like the Imperial Fists, they prove that being "vanilla" doesn't necessarily mean being bad. They've got the closest thing to ''and they shall know no fear'' out of any Legion, and their special rules are geared towards making an army that can become more than the sum of its parts. On the other hand, the adage "jack of all trades, master of none" aptly sums up their vulnerabilities. They can adapt to a wide variety of situations, but they will rarely if ever excel in any one of them compared to the other Legions.
*** Death Guard -- Elitist/Brute/Loyal: The Death Guard favour a playstyle for a slow moving, but very hard hitting ranged army. They can endure in the face of both terrain and weapons that would lay low anyone else, being one of the few things immune to Fear in 30k, they will keep going forward no matter what, perfect for attrition warfare. Furthermore, due to both their legion-specific units being Terminators they can bring the highest amount of them amongst all Legions.
*** Sons of Horus -- Elitist/Brute: The [=XVIth=] legion is one of the most vicious legions when it comes to assault operations, being able to reliably bring in reserves and confering a multitude of close range and assault-oriented bonuses, meant to overwhelm the enemy through multiple combats, superior numbers and sheer firepower. They have some highly customisable units and special characters which are statistically better than counterparts in other legions, but they are expensive for what they offer and are not as focused as some other Legions are.
*** Word Bearers -- Technical/Loyal: The Word Bearers get access to Daemonic allies, Daemon-boosted unique units and special rules meaning they can have have a lot of invulnerable saves and Fear causing effects, but are also subject to a degree of random chance -- if you want to go down that route. Furthermore, the ability to make many HQ choices into Sorcerers makes Word Bearers the premier Psychic force in the 30k environment, at least until Forge World releases rules for the Thousand Sons. At their simplest, the Word Bearers do well as a melee-oriented Legion, with their excellent morale and boosted Sweeping Advance chances.
*** Salamanders -- Ranger/Loyal: The Salamanders' main themes are endurance and some of the best Legion-specific wargear available... along with their usual heat-based weapons. Endurance in they way of holding the line with their noticeable morale buffs and being outright immune to Fear. They also have some of the most resilient vehicles in the game, tied perhaps with the Iron Hands. But not everything is a straight step up from their 40k incarnation, having the dubious honour of being THE slowest Legion of them all. Their main issue remains: a slow force that does best at close range but fares poorly in melee.
*** Raven Guard -- Guerrilla: Either the Raven Guard have Furious Charge or appear from where you didn't expect them to. So basically fast and hiding in cover. Their bias for lightning-fast attacks and aerial deployment allows them to set up powerful Decapitation strikes, tying up enemy units only to suddenly appear behind the enemy lines and kill that pesky HQ.
*** Alpha Legion -- Generalist/Technical/Espionage: The only thing for certain about Alpha Legion tactics is that they're an infantry-heavy army. As for what is that infantry going to do, you can't make predictions. They can have playstyles so different you'd think you're facing an entirely different legion. And with Alpharius and their Rite of War screwing enemy reserves and outright using units from other Legions, it might be. However, with Mutable Tactics being their only trait, they play like normal marines with a few buffs here or there, their actual advantage being flexibility.
*** Shattered Legions -- Generalist: This is a themed army mixed up from a variety of different Legions, with some access to each of their special rules and units.
*** Adeptus Mechanicus -- Elitist/Brute: Gameplay wise, Mechanicum models are universally hard as nails. However with a handful of exceptions they are somewhat pricey, a number are a steal for how effective they are but never the less when all you can do is choose between a variety of pretty expensive choices (with one, very notable exception). Tough as you are, this is primarily a crutch for the vast the majority of their models are short range, though they hardly lack in long range if you wanna put in some points here and there.
*** Solar Auxilia -- Spammer/Generalist: The Solar Auxilia are a force with decent survival ability as well as the large numbers and firepower of classic Guard. Although they have competent melee units as well, if you want to make a melee-centric list, the only assault transport you can use is in the Lords of War slot. All in all, the Solar Auxilia list encourages a well balanced army.
*** Imperial Militia and Warp Cults -- Spammer/Generalist: While not an overly powerful army, it is one of the most customisable armies you'll ever find. You can build an army of cyber augmented Skitarii wannabes, a feral world regiment of jungle warriors, a pre-compliant civilisation or even a full-fledged Chaos cult. This army pretty much allows you to do whatever you want. Your advantages include how cheap you are compared to other armies, the fact that you can buff your infantry fairly easily and the amount of armour and heavy firepower that you can bring to the field with cheap vehicles.
*** Army of Dark Compliance -- Generalist: Another themed army, built from a blending of Legiones Astartes and units from the Warp Cults list. The insane customisation options in the Warp Cults list are still available, and you are not prevented from taking any option from your Legion list either.
*** Questoris Knights -- ELITIST: See Imperial Knights above. Your army of superheavy walkers are universally immune to small arms fire and most melee attacks, but each loss will diminish your army considerably.
* ''VideoGame/WarlordsBattlecry'': As of Battlecry 3. It should be noted that heroes can change their factions' gameplay significantly, and all sides can be considered Brute Force when they get dragons and titans. The listed types are the basic faction styles that are seen for most of the game.
** Humans -- Generalist/Elitist, and a huge Pariah (due to having almost no anti-air defense), prior to being split into two in [=WBC3=]. Since their split:
*** Empire -- Balanced/Diplomat (Can recruit other races' units.)
*** Knights -- Elitist/Specialist (Cavalry)
** Barbarians -- Spammer/Ranger
** High Elves -- Balanced/Ranger
** Wood Elves -- Guerilla/Ranger
** Dwarves -- Elitist
** Daemons -- Elitist/Brute
** Fey -- Spammer/Ranger with elements of Elitist (Units start out very weak but inexpensive and fast, then become very strong once fully upgraded.)
** Orcs -- Brute/Spammer with elements of Technical
** Minotaurs -- Brute/Elitist, were originally a Pariah before finally getting reliable anti-air defense in [=WBC3=].
** Dark Elves -- Guerilla/Technical
** Dark Dwarves -- Brute/Specialist (Siege Weapons) with elements of Spammer (Thanks to [[ActionBomb firebombs]]) and Elitist (with golems)
** Undead -- Spammer/Elitist (Units upgrade to stronger units allowing them to get high tier units with zero build time, but at high cost.)
** Plague Lords -- Technical
** Ssrathi -- Brute
** Swarm -- Spammer/Industrial
* ''[[TabletopGame/IronKingdoms Warmachine]]'' and ''[[TabletopGame/IronKingdoms Hordes]]'' (Tabletop [[WarGaming Wargame]]):
** Cygnar: Balanced/Ranger: Cygnar is almost exclusively a ranged army, with everything having some level of ranged capability. Consequently, a lot of their abilities and spells are tailored to buffing that to ridiculous levels. Unfortunately almost every Cygnaran unit (barring cavalry and characters) are single-wound infantry. Even Cygnaran warjacks don't often get past “average” for their defensive stats, which in Warmachine means “going to get wrecked without support”.
** Khador: Spammer/Brute: Khador's main profile is running lots of light infantry (Winter Guard, Assassins, Iron Fangs) usually supported by one heavy warjack. Unless you want to use Karchev all the time, filling your army list with warjacks is almost never the best use of your points. SPD 4 are the standard in Khador, but once Khador gets to the opponent, it's going to do some damage. Units such as the Doom Reavers or Iron Fang Pikemen are melee specialists and are solid fighters.
** Protectorate of Menoth: Elitist/Brute/Technical: The Protectorate relies very heavily on synergy: combining elements of an army to be more powerful than their stat lines might suggest—and denial. The basic idea is that their units all work much better as a group than individually. Protectorate warjacks are rather lackluster if examined in a vacuum, but make up for this by fielding hands-down the best support units in the game. No one stacks buffs and de-buffs as well as the Protectorate, and their powerful support spells and abilities can make even the humblest fanatic strikingly effective -- so long as you can keep your support units alive.
** Cryx: Spammer/Technical: You can expect a typical Cryx army to be numerous, fragile and fast: lots of light infantry and warjacks with high SPD that can ignore terrain but will die as soon as you hit them. Cryx warcasters usually do more casting, something emphasised by the fact that Cryx has access to a lot of arc nodes which allows to extend the range of its spells and cover much more of the battlefield without putting its casters too close to the front lines. Unlike other armies, Cryx does not tend to buff their own troops, instead they will debuff the enemy.
** Retribution of Scyrah: Balanced/Unit Specialist/Technical: The Retribution is a faction of versatility. On one hand, it has the Mage Hunters and Battle Mages -- generally easy to remove if you can engage them but with many special rules that can turn the tide of a battle. On the other hand, there are the Dawnguard and Houseguard -- generally more durable, slower, and more focused in a single role. Retribution armies are very, very fussy about their order of activation; you're unlikely to achieve maximum synergy if you do things in the wrong order and, thus, unlikely to win.
** Convergence of Cyriss: Generalist/Technical: Each unit is very adaptable, but there are simply not many. The most important thing when running a Convergence army is to keep in mind that there are definite synergies in the army and, if you ignore them, you are just running around with sub-par models. On the other hand, if you can make it work, your opponent will be hard-pressed to find weaknesses. This is also reflected in the building of your force, which is a lot more difficult than with other factions. The Convergence of Cyriss also requires much more finesse and attention to order of activation than most other factions.
** Trollbloods: Elite/Brute: Trolls are big. Trolls have a lot of medium based models. Enemy heavies will lament not being able to trample over your battle line. And they have all kinds of abilities that make them bigger and tougher.
** Circle Orboros: Guerrilla/Ranger: The Circle army is fast and maneuverable, but many of its models do not hit terribly hard and most cannot take a lot of damage. It often plays as one might expect a hunter to behave: setting traps and ambushes, manoeuvring opponents to vulnerable positions, and controlling where the battle will happen. If you can get your opponent to spring one of your traps, you will likely win. The Circle has a lot of synergy, a few powerhouses, decent range, and is the only faction with a "teleportation" theme. Circle can play an attrition game with some of its warlocks, but mostly it is a game of trying to take down as many of your opponent's models as possible before their advantage in numbers or armour (or both) overwhelms you.
** Skorne: Generalist/Unit Specialist/Brute: The Skorne are a combined arms faction, infantry that specialise against infantry, and warbeasts that specialise in killing warbeasts (the Bronzeback Titan being powerful enough to one-round a colossal). And they are in particular known for their support, especially Beast Handlers turning melee warbeasts into wrecking machines and providing fury management. What makes them a powerful force is that once they engage in melee, their foes usually crumble around their agony-inducing instruments of torture, and their armour is able to withstand the desperate counter-attacks of their opponents.
** Legion of Everblight: Elitist/Ranger: The Legion of Everblight relies on a combination of ranged attacks and incredibly powerful warbeasts. Legion warbeasts are, apart from the lesser warbeasts, some of the most powerful and cost the most points of all the Hordes factions. With Eyeless Sight (universal among Legion warbeasts), Legion armies can effectively ignore many common advantages that other factions struggle to deal with or, in some cases, rely upon to defend themselves entirely. With an abundance of abilities like pathfinder, Flight, Stealth or simply a high speed stat, the Legion usually has no issue getting its beasts where it wants.
** Mercenaries and Minions: Balanced/Generalist: They do a little bit of everything, with the intention of filling in any missing pieces in a player's army.
*** Searforge Commission: Elitist/Brute: They tend to have expensive troops, slow speed, moderate ranges, and high armour values. For example, lists which have cheap infantry might consider Horgenhold Forge Guard an elite unit to be screened by more expendable elements, whereas in the Searforge list, the Forge Guard are the cheapest infantry around.
*** Talion Charter: Balanced/Generalist/Pariah: With the exceptions of Phinneus Shae and the Commodore, absolutely everything in Talion is accessible to the Four Star and Highborn contracts, and the bonuses of the Talion contract don't offset the restrictions. So the only reason to use this list is to take Shae and his cannon outside of his tier list, but since Shae's tier list is much better than anything he gets from Talion Charter, nobody ever uses the contract except to play a fun, pirate list.
*** Puppet Masters: Spammer/Brute/Gimmick: Most of your drudges and monstrosities are cheap and awful, but when assisted by an Agitator drudges have the effective MAT and armour cracking ability of an elite unit like Stormblades. Otherwise you need to keep your unit leaders safe. The death of the Mind Bender or Mind Slaver leave you with awful troops who need to huddle together. If your Dominator dies your mercs run away. And if you lose your Agitators you lose a vast amount of power. Everything else is disposable. This means that a Cephalyx list is basically a massive wave of tough infantry that excels at breaking heavy armour. And gets destroyed by enemies with good spot-removal abilities.
*** Blindwater Congregation: Elitist/Unit Specialist/Brute: The Blindwater Congregation specialises in confronting the enemy with a core of very resilient and powerul Gatormen, while the Bog Trogs and Croaks flank and ambush the unwary. They have tough troops who won't go down easily, debuff-heavy warlocks, and terrain manipulation (with swamps).
*** Thornfall Alliance: Balanced/Brute: The Thornfall Alliance has a selection of amazingly powerful warlocks that favour close encounters, either by supporting their beasts or getting in themselves. Thornfall armies have access to hard-hitting warbeasts that dish out a lot of attacks, and each battlegroup can easily contain six or more beasts.
* ''VideoGame/WarWind'':
** Tha'Roon -- Elitists
** Obblinox -- Brute Force
** [=Shama'Li=] -- Rangers (the magic kind)
** Eaggra -- Spammers
* ''VideoGame/RiseOfLegends''
** Vinci -- Brute, overlapping with Generalist. Can become Industrial if they get rolling.
** Alin -- Spammer, overlapping with Guerilla.
** Cuotl -- Elitist
* ''VideoGame/ArmiesOfExigo''
** The Empire: While more dignified than most examples, they're Spammer. Probably justified, as humans and elves are simply less physically strong than the monstrous creatures they face. They have area-of-effect buffs, experienced units get auras that raise their companions' stats, some of their units can be trained in more than one kind of building, and barracks can be upgraded to build two units simultaneously.
** The Beasts: Brute/Elitist. They have the strongest melee units, but their cost is rather high.
** The Fallen: Generalist/Balanced. They lack melee units, but their ranged ones are pretty durable. Have a little bit of Technical mixed in, as some of their units' attacks have a special effect on the unit they hit, not to mention some rather gimmicky special abilities, like reducing sight range for all enemy units on the map, or Void Walker's ability to temporarily shapeshift into any other unit, gaining all of it's abilities.
* ''Videogame/BattleZone1998'' has the [[RedsWithRockets Cosmo Communist Army]] and the [[UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks National Space Defense Force]], which are Brute and Ranger, respectively -- though the difference is [[CosmeticallyDifferentSides relatively minor]] aside from a few units. The Chinese army introduced in ''The Red Odyssey'' ExpansionPack has elements of both Elitist/Guerilla -- their units possess cloaking devices. The [[EliteArmy Black Dogs]] in the game's UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo64}} port are more powerful versions of standard [=NSDF=] units.
** The sequel, ''Battlezone II'', has the radically different Scion Army and International Space Defense Force. The [=ISDF=] is Brute/Balanced; their ships are typically powerful and cheaper than comparable Scion units. Additionally, the [=ISDF=] can build up their base much faster than Scions can. The Scions are Elitist with elements of Guerilla -- their units are expensive but adaptable courtesy of their ability to morph tanks between combat and assault modes. Scion heavy units are often [[CripplingOverspecialization overspecialized]] but ''very'' good at what they do.
** ''Battlezone II'''s {{GameMod}}s add further unique factions. ''[[FanSequel Forgotten Enemies]]'' adds the Hadean Crown, which are Elitist/Brute. Their units start out weak, but their factories can be upgraded to make the units absurdly powerful and durable. ''[[FanSequel Fleshstorm]]'' adds the Swarm, an {{Expy}} of ''[[Tabletopgame/Warhammer40000 WH40K]]'' Tyranids -- Swarm is entirely Spammer with some Guerilla elements. Their units are absurdly cheap and weak at low levels, but their units do not drop any [[UnObtanium scrap biometal]] -- the game's building resource -- allowing for Swarm units to simply grind down enemies. ''Fleshstorm'' also introduces the [[RacialRemnant Phaer Ran]], which are a combination of Elitist/Brute Force/Specialist -- Phaer Ran units are [[CripplingOverspecialization geared specifically to kill Swarm units]]. Their bases are [[BaseOnWheels mobile]], their units are strong and simple, and they tend to rely on [[FireBreathingWeapon fire]] and air-burst weapons.
* The popular ''VideoGame/MedievalIITotalWar'' conversion mod ''VideoGame/{{Thera}}'':
** [[Myth/KingArthur Kingdom of Avalon]]: Balanced/Generalist. A good mixture of archers, medium and heavy infantry and powerful cavalry.
** [[{{Scotireland}} Gaelic Nations]]:
*** Balanced/Generalist in Version 3.
*** Guerrilla/Spammer in Version 4. Strong emphasis on rushing and ambush tactics with light barbarian infantry.
** [[UsefulNotes/LEtatCestMoi Bons Chevaliers/Royame de Merevangi]]: Elitist. Very powerful heavy cavalry, with heavy infantry as support.
** [[UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} Ducado de Sangre Valiente]]: Elitist. Emphasis on elite close-combat troops and advanced firearms.
** Povos de Hispania: Guerrilla/Ranger. Very little in the way of heavy infantry or cavalry, but light infantry are very mobile, good at hiding and ambushes, and a lot of their troops wield javelins.
** [[UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire Faustian Reich]]: Elitist/Ranger. Masters of ranged combat with advanced firearms, but with a limited unit roster.
** Men of Wotan: Balanced/Ranger. A balanced unit list , boasting stronger than average ranged cavalry.
** [[HornyVikings Men of Valhalla]]: Brute. Strong emphasis on infantry with heavy, armour-piercing axes and strong charges. What did you expect?
** [[AncientGrome Romuli Empire]]: Balanced. Excellent heavy infantry, good (but not great) archers and gunpowder, and good cavalry.
** [[{{Ruritania}} Grand Duchy of Dracule]]:
*** Brute in Version 3. Focus on light/missile cavalry, with super-heavy Blood Knights, but lacking in both kinds of infantry.
*** Balanced/Generalist in Version 4. The roster has been rounded out to include decent missile and melee infantry, as well as gunpowder units.
** [[UsefulNotes/TheTeutonicKnights Teutonic Order]]: Brute. Focused on powerful heavy infantry and cavalry, but with a lack of good light infantry and mediocre archers.
** [[UsefulNotes/TheCrusades Holy Order Of The Pale Knight]]: Elitist. Has some of the best infantry and cavalry in the game. They need it, considering their starting location....
** [[{{Qurac}} Tahar Caliphate]]: Ranger/Balanced. Great ranged units and cavalry.
** [[{{Qurac}} Vastha Sultanate]]: Generalist. Lacking in heavy armour at first, but they can develop some fairly powerful heavy troops later on.
** [[{{Qurac}} Barka Caliphate]]: Ranger/Brute. Depends on how you build the army, but compared with the Vashta, they're a lot stronger on the heavy infantry and cavalry front.
** [[{{Wutai}} Lao Che Khanate]]: Ranger. ''The'' archery faction, through and through, with great cavalry to boot.
** [[MagicalNativeAmerican Sycorax Nation]]: Technical/Ranger. A variety of versatile units and a mishmash of technology, making them powerful if used properly.
** [[{{Mayincatec}} Warriors of Kukulkan]]: Brute/Spammer. More emphasis on the Brute side.
** [[{{Mayincatec}} Paynal Empire]]: Brute/Spammer. More emphasis on the Spammer side.
** [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Uruk Dominion]]: Elitist/Brute. Best heavy infantry in the game, with a list built around charging and supporting the charge, but with a total lack of cavalry or artillery.
** [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything League of Privateers]]:
*** Balanced/Generalist in Version 3. A bit more emphasis on ranged, but still decent melee troops.
*** Ranger in Version 4. Have probably the most powerful gunners in the entire game, but close-quarters troops are limited and roster is comparatively small.
* Likewise, the ''VideoGame/MedievalIITotalWar'' total conversion mod ''[[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Third Age: Total War]]'' is laid out like:
** Gondor: Elitist/Brute. Decent heavy cavalry and infantry with good armour stats, but archers are comparatively weak and units are costly to recruit and maintain.
** Rohan: Balanced. Cavalry are pretty tough, although they lack decent heavy infantry, in the early game at least. This means they dominate in the open fields of their home turf, but fall apart once they hit a solid fortress.
** Dale: Balanced. [[JackOfAllStats Average in all respects]]. Dale's heavy infantry is good but not as good as Gondor's, Dale's cavalry is good but not as good as Rohan's, Dale's longbowmen are good but not as good as the Elves', and Dale's light infantry are good but not as good as Eriador's.
** Eriador: Guerilla/Spammer. Many units are cheap but comparatively weak in straight-up fights, with emphasis on light infantry, militia and rangers, forcing reliance on stealth and/or ZergRush tactics. [[MagikarpPower However...]]
*** [[TookALevelInBadass Arnor]]: Elitist. Has ''the'' strongest units in the game all-round. Borderline GameBreaker, but then you have to play as [[TierInducedScrappy Eriador]] to unlock Arnor anyway.
** High Elves: Elitist. Extremely strong units all across the board, but the high cost of units combined with the [[DyingRace standard Elven birth-rate problem]] means that armies will be relatively small.
** Silvan Elves: Elitist/Ranger. Like their High Elf cousins, small, powerful armies of elite units, but with a much greater focus on archers at the expense of cavalry.
** Dwarves: Brute/Unit Specialist. Tons of powerful axe/pike infantry who are [[MightyGlacier extremely dangerous in melee and heavily armoured]], but they have limited options for long-range engagements, and almost no cavalry at all (save for extremely rare Dale mercenary cavalry units). Because of this, Dwarven armies shine in offensive and defensive siege battles, but struggle in open battles.
** Orcs of Gundabad: Spammer/Guerilla. Standard Orc numerical superiority combined with many skirmisher units who are good at hiding.
** Orcs of Misty Mountains: Brute. [[DemonicSpiders Expect to fight Trolls a lot]] when fighting this faction.
** Rhûn: Balanced, although cavalry are Elitist. Basically, Gondor's EvilCounterpart.
** Harad: Balanced/Spammer.
** Isengard: Elitist/Brute. Tough Uruk-hai heavy infantry, Wargs and crossbows.
** Mordor: Spammer/Technical. [[ZergRush Huge hordes of useless Orcs]], supported by extremely powerful and expensive one-of-a-kind units and generals with strange abilities.
* Another ''Total War'' mod, ''VideoGame/HyruleTotalWar'' uses this as well.
** Hyrule: Generalist: They have a solid range of troops of all types but do not excel in any one area.
** Kokiri: Spammer/Guerilla: Lots of units of huge size, but individual Kokiri are weak and prone to fleeing. However, they move ''fast'', have good mobility on both the tactical and strategic map, and rarely get exhausted.
** Gorons: Brute/Unit Specialist: Gorons hit ''hard'', and their troops pretty much define the idea of LightningBruiser, with infantry hitting as hard as most factions' heavy cavalry. Just don't expect them to do well at range.
** Zora: Ranger: Very powerful at a distance, especially with their artillery, and their armies can cross any body of water.
** Shiekah: Guerilla: Small units that can hide anywhere and hit with extreme damage when they attack a formation from behind. Able to steal money from neighbors and move in and out of territorial-seizing stance at will.
** Laranyu Province: Ranger/Guerilla: Good at mobility and fighting at range, but not so great up close due to light armor.
** Ghoma: '''Spammer''': They're pretty much ZergRush: The Faction, though they throw in some shockingly-powerful heavy units at the highest tiers of their military.
** Gerudo: Ranger: One of the better cavalry factions and with good archers, but infantry are more of a GlassCannon than anything else.
** Darknut Legion: Brute/Unit Specialist: Their entire army is heavy infantry with swords (save for [[FragileSpeedster Fokka Knights]]). Of course, this makes them very vulnerable at range and when faced by cavalry, but they are utterly terrifying in close combat.
** Moblin: Brute. All about attacking with raw, brute force and huge soldiers.
** Ordona Province: Ranger/Unit Specialist: Ordona has good archers, but they also have the ''best'' cavalry in the game.
** Lizalfos: Guerilla/Spammer: Lightly-armored troops who come in large numbers and also move extremely quickly. Specializing in flanking maneuvers and ambush.
** Deku: Ranger/Spammer: Come in huge numbers with good ranged ability. You'll need to use it, because the Deku have the worst morale in the game....
** Labrynna: Techical/Elitist: Labrynna is the only faction with working gunpowder, steampunk mecha, and other Renaissance technology.
** Fairies of Tarm: Ranger: Masters of long-range combat withd dazzling beams of bright, cheery ''death''.
** Twili: Elitist/Technical: Twilight's troops are powerful and psychologically terrifying, but cannot move very quickly in Hyrule proper and tire easily.
** Ikana: Technical/Elitist: Ikana has some of the best troops in the game. They also can't replace them directly; their soldiers have to return to Hyrule through various rifts in their lands.
** Stalfos: Technical/Spammer: Stalfos troops are recruited from the dead of those armies they defeat, letting them assemble a powerful but brittle force that neither tires nor breaks and routs.
** Order of the Wizzrobe: Technical/Ranger: An army of wizards, essentially. Devastating at a distance, terrible up close. Can cause rebellions in vulnerable provinces by converting the local population and inciting revolt.
* The three Affinities of ''VideoGame/CivilizationBeyondEarth'':
** Purity: Brute. Purity units can gain tremendously powerful perks in either attack or defence, and Purity gain a powerful bonus when fighting aliens at Level 3. Offence get perks like bonuses against certain units and bonus strength for unused movement points -- so if your unit is parked right next to the enemy when they attack, they'll wallop it. Defence perks render Purity cities as nigh-untouchable. However, they need to specialise in either attack or defence, not both, and they lack the technical features and fancy tricks of the other armies. Purity tend to use heavy tanks and exosuits for battles, leading up to the LEV-Destroyer, a massive floating fortress bristling with guns.
** Supremacy: Technical. Supremacy units gain combat bonuses for being adjacent to each other, hence unit placement and organisation of units is very important. They also gain bonuses for flanking. They get free roads between colonies and orbital coverage over any Firaxite source, even one in enemy territory. Supremacy make use of unmanned battle robots and combat aircraft, as well as drones. Also has elements of Ranger, with the SABR unique unit having the longest range of any artillery and the Supremacy upgrades to Ranger and Missile Rover units also offering increased range.
** Harmony: Guerilla/Spammer. Harmony units are weaker than Purity and Supremacy, but Harmony troops are capable of healing and fighting better in [[DeadlyGas miasma]]; miasma can be used offensively or defensively, with provisions for covering both you and your enemy's territory in the stuff. They can also gain movement point bonuses, learn to ignore difficult terrain for fast travel, or learn to move after attacking. Harmony civs also find an easier time taming and befriending native alien life, using them as auxiliaries, mounts for cavalry, and eventually bio-augmenting their troops with alien DNA and breeding their own xeno bioweapons.
** Also, the various Sponsors:
** [[ChinaTakesOverTheWorld Pan-Asian Cooperative]] -- Bonus to Wonder building production, and to Worker movement speed. Industrial.
** [[{{Eagleland}} American]] [[NGOSuperpower Reclamation Corporation]] -- Higher success rate and Intrigue level for Covert Ops. Espionage.
** [[UsefulNotes/{{Brazil}} Brasilia]] -- Increased unit melee strength and healing rate when fortified. Brute force.
** [[UsefulNotes/{{Australia}} Polystralia]] -- Two extra trade routes per capital. Economist.
** [[UsefulNotes/{{India}} Kavithan Protectorate]] -- Faster border growth for cities. Loyal.
** [[UsefulNotes/{{Africa}} People's African Union]] -- Free culture structure at the start of the game, and increased population growth in healthy cities. Loyal.
** [[UsefulNotes/TheNewRussia Slavic Federation]] -- Bonus to satellite production and operation. Gimmick.
** [[UnitedEurope Franco-Iberia]] -- Gain an extra free Virtue for every ten Virtues earned normally through culture. Research.
** [[MiddleEasternCoalition Al-Falah]] -- Can convert production in cities to other resources at high efficiency. {{Inverted|Trope}} Industrial.
** [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} North Sea Alliance]] -- Bonus to oceanic cities and naval units. Gimmick.
** [[UsefulNotes/DichterAndDenker INTEGR]] -- Easier to make diplomatic agreements with other factions. Diplomat.
* ''VideoGame/EndWar'':
** JSF: Balanced
** EFEC: Subversive/Cannon
** Spetznaz: Powerhouse
* ''Videogame/EndlessSpace[=/=][[Videogame/EndlessSpace2 2]]'':
** Amoeba: Diplomat. Huge boosts to happiness, trade, and weapon power based on how many allies they have. Their ancient nature gives them knowledge of the galaxy right from the start of a game.
** Automatons: Elite/Industrial/Loyal. Unmatched industrial prowess as they can use ships in orbit to aid construction, can build up vast planetary populations, and are naturally optimistic, at the cost of expensive maintenance and small fleets.
** Cravers: Spammer/Brute. Because they [[ForeverWar cannot be at peace]], they build up huge fleets of cheap (but balanced) ships. They must [[HordeOfAlienLocusts continuously expand or consume their own civilization]].
** Harmony: Balanced/Industrial/Loyal. This ExpansionPack empire [[MechanicallyUnusualClass does not use money, does not have a happiness stat]], and cannot grow population while building ships, in exchange for vast industrial potential and ([[NotTheIntendedUse unintentional]]) military might as they do not have to pay for fleet upkeep, allowing for enormous flotillas.
** Hissho: Balanced/Brute/Loyal. Very powerful ship weapons and well defended planets, but poor researchers. Winning planetary battles [[LimitBreak improves their empire's production]].
** Horatio: Elite/Technical/Economist. Densely populated worlds and powerful HeroUnit bonuses, but expensive ships due to the [[BlingBlingBang Price of Beauty]]
** Lumeris (ESII): Spammer/Balanced/Economist. As space mafiaso types cornering out the Dust market, they use Dust instead of influence when negotiating with minor factions. Rather than colonise planets, they can simply buy them immediately. Their warships are quite balanced but because of the huge economic bonuses they get, producing them in quantity isn't much issue.
** Pilgrims: Loyal/Diplomat/Economist. They can trade with non-allied races, have naturally talented {{Hero Unit}}s, optimistic and loyal population and boosts to weapons when in an alliance, but have weak ships. Their HomeworldEvacuation ability lets them expand at astonishing speeds.
** Riftborn (ESII): Balanced/Ranger/Generalist/Gimmick. As sentient time constructs from another dimension, the Riftborn don't need food and they can create Singularities which give a system a kind of bonus, making them quite versatile. Their ships have less health than other factions but lots of firepower, and their Carrier class is exceptionally good.
** Sheredyn: Brute/Economist. Their special ability makes retreats enemy retreats impossible, they have extremely well armored ships and boosts to money production, but HonorBeforeReason causes them to become unhappy if they break a deal and TheSpartanWay makes luxury goods less effective.
** Sophons: Research/Ranger. Huge science bonuses which are magnified when taxes are raised, fast ships and great sensors, but are pathetic combatants and unskilled laborers.
** Sowers: Brute/Industrial. They can colonize any world without having to research it and can convert food into industry, but are [[CreativeSterility poor researchers]] and have slow ships.
** Umbral Choir (ESII): Espionage/Guerrilla/Gimmick. Starts with cloak, and can cloak anything, systems and behemoths included. Doesn't colonize like usual factions, instead utilize hacking to establish sanctuaries on colonizable planets, other factions' planet included, which feeds resources into their sole home system. Relies on installing sleepers on enemy systems and eventually kidnap them to make 2nd tier population. Assimilated minor factions don't give pops, but add their traits to Umbral pops.
** Unfallen (ESII): Elitist/Economist/Pacifist. These gentle, beautiful tree people give and receive considerable bonuses from alliances and from being at peace with everybody, making them the best race in the game for peaceful, diplomatic games. Their ships are resilient but weak on the offence, and they can only colonise neighbouring systems due to how their Vines system works.
** United Empire: Brute/Industrial/Economic. Strong ships, a massive boost to industry when their taxes are raised, and have a boost to money production.
** Vaulters: Research/Loyal/Guerrilla (ESII). Very well defended planets with strong science produciton and can produce a PortalNetwork between their worlds, but have poor population growth. The 2nd game also gives them ability to become privateers right from the start instead of needing a Tier 4 military technology to unlock it.
** Vodyani (ESII): Elitist/Technical/Loyalist/Gimmick. The Vodyani like on arkships rather than planets and their population grows slowly. Arkships are powerful as warships but exposing one to battle is always a risk, and their dedicated warships are highly specialised. They can secure a permanent alliance with a minor faction through brainwashing.
* ''Videogame/EndlessLegend:''
** Ardent Mages: Research/Technical. Their [[BloodMagic pain magic]] makes their warriors more effective when wounded, can out-research any other faction, and can activate temporary production boosters to increase the output of city tiles or power of nearby units.
** Broken Lords: Elite/Economist. Expensive units with extreme combat prowess. They cannot regenerate health after combat and do not use food to grow population (as they're suits of AnimatedArmor), but can instantly heal after combat and build new citizens on demand with [[ImportedAlienPhlebotinum Dust]], the game's currency. Their combat gimmick is a LifeDrain power.
** Cultists of the Eternal End: Spammer/Espionage. They have only one, well-built up city and have fairly weak units, but can convert minor races to join their cause and will then periodically receive free units.
** Drakken: Generalist/Diplomat. They can force ceasefires on other players, ending wars. They have bonuses to influence production to make more comprehensive treaties, and have balanced units.
** Necrophages: Spammer/Loyal. [[ForeverWar They can never be at peace]]. Their units are cheap and explode on death, they can [[ImAHumanitarian cannibalize the dead]] to make up for their poor farming skills and sacrifice citizens to please their gods.
** Roving Clans: ActualPacifist Ranger/Economist. Their units are weak but ''extremely'' mobile and focus on hit-and-run tactics. Unmatched [[PracticalCurrency Dust]] production and they own the markets, giving them a cut of every transaction other empires make. They can hire mercenaries with twice the normal health and engage in FalseFlagAttacks as they cannot declare war (it's bad for business!).
** Vaulters: Research/Loyal. Well defended scientific cities with a natural resistance to Auriga's [[JustBeforeTheEnd collapsing climate]].
** Wild Walkers: Ranger/Industrial. Heavy focus on ranged attacks and get far more industrial output from forests than other empires.
* ''VideoGame/MordheimCityOfTheDamned'':
** Human Mercenaries: Balanced/Ranger. The Humans have troops with moderate stats across the board and access to a generously varied arsenal of weapons and armour, and by far the most expansive armoury of ranged weapons: longbows, handguns, blunderbusses, long rifles, hell even their dedicated melee fighters can use pistols and crossbows as secondary weapons. Marksmen are the best non-Hero ranged troops in the whole game, and with the magical support of their Warlock and the raw power of their Ogre Mercenary Legendary unit, they can be a potent force despite their modest stats. They don't quite excel in any particular area like the other factions do however, and their ranged game is certainly stronger than their melee.
** Skaven: Guerilla. Skaven units invariably have lots of movement and attack points, letting them run far and attack several times a turn. They also have the best climbing and jumping skills, letting them easily navigate alternate paths and flank enemies. However, they also have by far the lowest HP, so they die easily and they have the lowest morale too, so they rout quickly after only a few casualties. With the Skaven, you need to learn how to duck and weave around buildings, striking at isolated individuals and avoiding large battles in the streets or being targeted by skirmishers in the open. Their Legendary unit, the Rat Ogre, is extremely powerful but difficult to control.
** Sisters of Sigmar: Brute. Between their high HP, heavy armour, excellent morale and ability to cast all sorts of nasty buffing and support spells to make them even more killy in melee, these MagicKnight ladies will just stroll up to your guys and bludgeon them to death with massive hammers and maces while laughing off everything you hit them with. Fortunately they're slow as molasses, not very mobile and often screwed if their opponent blocks their movement, employs hit 'n' run tactics, or catches them in a killzone. The Sisters are effectively a CrutchCharacter: powerful individually, but limited by design to simple tactics that would get the other factions killed quickly.
** Cult of the Possessed: Technical/Gimmick. Cult troops have great offence, above-average mobility, spellcasting ability, and the potential to gain various random Chaos mutations which can either grant exceptionally powerful bonuses to your troops, or leave them crippled and ineffective (for example, a mutation that replaces your arm with a BladeBelowTheShoulder can manifest on your top melee fighter, or your top archer and thus leave him unable to hold bows any more). Unfortunately, their leader is a SquishyWizard who starts out with one weak spell and can't hold his own in melee, and their entry-level troops all invariably have terrible defence. The Cult are DifficultButAwesome, potentially very powerful but unpredictable and at times counter-intuitive.
** Witch Hunters: Balanced/Brute. A more close-combat oriented, GlassCannon take on the Mercenaries faction, with plenty of units defined by their superb striking power in melee. Flagellants cannot wear armour but they are fearless and with their hefty two-handed weapons they can crump most henchmen in only two hits. Their Legendary unit, the Executioner, is the frailest of the game but offensively one of the most powerful, able to set enemies on fire and equip nearly any melee weapon. Their Heroes are more balanced, competent at range or in melee without really excelling at either.
** The Undead: Brute/Gimmick. The Undead feature units with high strength and fearless, with very weak troops but extremely deadly Hero units. Their Heroes are often as powerful as the Legendary units of other factions, capable of causing fear or terror while being immune to fear themselves. Meanwhile, their Zombies are expendable (they don't dent morale when they die) but they're limited to one-handed weapons, slow-moving and very likely to die permanently if they fall in battle. Only the powerful leaders can wear armour or use ranged weapons, so in a protracted battle the Undead can expect heavy casualties. Mechanically unusual, the Undead need the most planning to use.
* ''Tabletopgame/BattleTech'' traditionally has fairly soft faction calculus between the two tech bases due to the huge amount of customization, though faction mechs show distinct trends:
** The Clans are Elitist brute/rangers. Clan equipment is ''significantly'' more expensive than Inner Sphere equipment, but is lighter and more effective. Clan military doctrine considers artillery and the like dishonorable, so most of their units are direct combatants.
** The Inner Sphere powers were pure Spammer when the Clans first invaded -- they field twice or thrice as many mechs as the Clan -- though as they recovered LostTechnology they took on Technical traits. The five Great Houses have their own minor twists on the archetype.
*** The Federated Suns are generalist brutes, loving nothing more than massed autocannon fire.
*** The Lyran Alliance are elitist brutes, fielding [[MightyGlacier assault mechs]] out the wazoo. When they rediscover the long-range Gauss Rifle, they shift towards rangers.
*** The Capellan Confederation are guerrilla/technial, with many of their mechs carrying advanced electronic warfare suites.
*** The Draconis Combine are rangers, essentially a more spammy version of the Clans. Their bushido honor code encourages direct combat and their mechs are fast and powerful for their weight but usually lack armor and ECM.
*** The Free Worlds League are generalists, befitting their combined arms doctrine.

* ''Tabletopgame/ForceOfWill'':
** Brute: Fire. Very aggressive and use resonator with high stat during the late game.
** Elitist: Darkness. Their card cost more than normal with their additional cost like paying life or banishing your own resonator.
** Spammer/Generalist: Wind. Jack of all trades with the ability to do every role of other attribute but they also have the ability to generate token more than other attribute.
** Turtle: Light. Have a lot of defensive spell and healing.
** Technical/Gimmick: Water. Use trickery and bouncing to harass or confuse the enemy. Doesn't have high stat resonator like Fire and Darkness.
** Balanced: Void. Void usually serve as the support for the other attribute.
* ''VideoGame/WorldInConflict'' features CosmeticallyDifferentSides for the most part, but those factions are divided between four roles that need to work in unison:
** Infantry -- Guerrella
** Armor -- Generalist
** Air -- Ranger
** Support -- Unit Specialist

*** Ultramarines -- Generalist/Loyal: The Ultramarines play as a mix of 40k and 30k, understandably so because their Primarch wrote the codex. Like the Imperial Fists, they prove that being "vanilla" doesn't necessarily mean being bad. They've got the closest thing to All They Shall Know No Fear out of any Legion, and their special rules are geared towards making an army that can become more than the sum of its parts. On the other hand, the adage "jack of all trades, master of none" aptly sums up their vulnerabilities. They can adapt to a wide variety of situations, but they will rarely if ever excel in any one of them compared to the other Legions.

* ''The Gimmick Faction.'' This faction has an unusual quirk or trait that makes its gameplay very different from the others'. The nature of this quirk or trait is usually [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration based on their lore or background within the game itself.]] Mastery of this faction often involves exploiting their quirk or trait to its fullest potential. Depending on how heavily the quirk or trait factors into their gameplan, they can easily end up as some form of SpoonyBard or LethalJokeCharacter.

** Umbral Choir (ESII): Espionage/Guerrilla/Gimmick. Starts with cloak, and can cloak anything, systems and behemoths included. Doesn't colonize like usual factions, instead utilize hacking to establish sanctuaries on colonizable planets, other factions' planet included, which feeds resources into their sole home system. Relies on installing sleepers on enemy systems and eventually kidnap them to make 2nd tier population. Assimilated minor factions don't give pops, but add their traits to Umbral pops.

* ''Videogame/EndlessSpace'':

** Vaulters: Research/Loyal. Very well defended planets with strong science produciton and can produce a PortalNetwork between their worlds, but have poor population growth.
** Vodyani (ESII): Elitist/Technical/Loyalist/Gimmick. The Vodyani like on arcships rather than planets and their population grows slowly. Arcships are powerful as warships but exposing one to battle is always a risk, and their dedicated warships are highly specialised. They can secure a permanent alliance with a minor faction through brainwashing.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
** Cyrodiilic Empire -- Balanced/Generalist/Economist ([[BoringButPractical Legions]])
** Skyrim -- Brute/Spammer/Unit Specialist ([[HornyVikings Shock Infantry]])
** High Rock -- Balanced/Unit Specialist/Espionage ([[MagicKnight Magical]] [[MageKiller Enhancements]])
** Hammerfell -- Elitist/Brute ([[MasterSwordsman Master Swordsmen]])
** Orcs -- Brute/Elitist/Unit Specialist ([[MightyGlacier Heavy Infantry]])
** Aldmeri Dominion -- Elitist/Technial/Espionage ({{Squishy Wizard}}s)
** Valenwood -- Guerrilla/Ranger/Unit Specialist ({{Forest Ranger}}s)
** Morrowind -- Balanced (FighterMageThief sub-factions)
** Elsweyr -- Balanced/Guerrilla/Gimmick (Multiple sub-species of varying specialities)
** Black Marsh -- Guerrilla/Turtle (Heavy use of their [[ExploitedImmunity Exploited Immunities]] in defense)

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'': Though not a strategy game, each species/civilization has a distinct doctrine that lends them to this characterization.
** Human Systems Alliance: Ranger/Technical -- doctrine emphasizes rapid mobility and response, avoiding direct contact with enemy forces, and stealth. Thanks largely to Shepard, also gains Diplomat in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''.
** Asari Republics: Guerrilla/Elitist -- doctrine emphasizes elite infantry formations of powerful troops used in guerrilla-style combat
** Salarian Union: Espionage/Technical -- doctrine emphasizes us of stealth, infiltration, and elite strike teams using high-end tech to sabotage and disrupt enemy operations
** Turian Hierarchy: Generalist/Brute -- doctrine favors straightforward combined arms assaults with disciplined troops
** Quarian Migrant Fleet: Elitist/Technical -- doctrine and population limits emphasize small, elite, well-equipped units of marines specialized at boarding ships and raiding planet-side outposts. Excellent engineers, with one of the largest fleets in the galaxy.
** Krogan: Brute/Spammer pre-Krogan Rebellions, Brute/Elitist post-Krogan Rebellions -- early doctrine placed emphasis on sheer numbers, due to krogan hardiness and birthrate. After [[DepopulationBomb the genophage]], doctrine shifted to use of highly-trained and heavily-armed individual soldiers
** Geth: Spammer/Technical/Research -- doctrine places no value on individual ships or platforms, and have highly-advanced technology, specialists, and research capabilities. Have some elements of Gimmick too, thanks to the way their limited HiveMind works.
** Reapers: Elitist/Technical/Brute/Espionage/Game Breaker -- doctrine of subtle infiltration through indoctrination prior to open assault using large numbers of powerful, overwhelmingly advanced units.

* A non-strategy game example. The four factions the player can join and potentially lead to victory in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' neatly fall into this dynamic:
** Commonwealth Minutemen = Balanced/Ranger. As a citizen army, the Minutemen are varied in their equipment, though pipe weapons or [[WeaponOfChoice laser muskets]] and a modicum of leather or metal armour is most common. Don't be fooled by their ramshackle appearance, though, as they're deceptively competent, determined, pragmatic and [[ZergRush very numerous]]. The Minutemen also have access to pre-war howitzers, letting them shell enemy forces into dust should conventional firepower prove insufficient. In the end-game, [[spoiler:they infiltrate the Institute, hijack their teleporter to call in troops and then fight their way through to the Institute's reactor and set it to blow behind them. They also optionally take out the Brotherhood by shooting down their airship with artillery and then holding the Castle against a massive aerial assault.]]
** Brotherhood of Steel = Elitist/Brute. The Brotherhood of Steel are foreign invaders and very few in number, but as the only faction with ready access to military training, vast armouries of advanced weapons and Power Armour[[note]] with the exception of possibly of the Minutemen if you personally maintain and equip them with your own fleet of armour suits[[/note]], their knights are some of the toughest and well-equipped of all the faction's {{Mooks}}. The Brotherhood also have access to vertibird gunships giving them a degree of air support. And in the end-game, [[spoiler:they get a pre-war HumongousMecha named Liberty Prime up and running and use it to smash their way into the Institute.]]
** The Institute = Spammer/Technical. The Institute are an enigmatic cabal of scientists who have mastered the art of robotics technology to the extent where they can mass-produce RidiculouslyHumanRobots. However, their research is not geared for weapons development, so Institute forces lack Power Armour and their laser weapons are inferior in quality to pre-war designs. [[spoiler:They also can move their synths anywhere in the Commonwealth due to their teleporter technology]]. Through subtle manipulation and subterfuge, the Institute controls the Commonwealth in secret. In the end-game, they [[spoiler:wipe out the Railroad by infiltrating their headquarters and wipe out the Brotherhood by hijacking Liberty Prime with a computer virus, using him to shoot down the Brotherhood's airship.]]
** The Railroad = Guerilla/Espionage. The Railroad are a collection of idealists from all walks of life, united in their wish to see the synths freed from the Institute's oppressive grasp. Though far too few and lacking the technology of the Brotherhood or the training of the Minutemen to be an effective fighting force (barring a handful of "Heavies" to do some limited open fighting when necessary), the Railroad are masters of stealth and covert action, operating in the shadows and using intelligence to stay one step ahead of their rivals. In the end-game, [[spoiler:the Railroad take out both the Institute and the Brotherhood by infiltrating agents into their centres of command and blowing them sky-high.]]

* ''VideoGame/AdvanceWars'' has several. Most are unit specialists, these are the other archetypes they fall into.

** ''The Espionage Faction.'' The Espionage factions are not particularly adept fighters. Fortunately, they can cripple everyone else through sabotage, spying, theft, bribery, hacking, and general underhandedness. This can overlap with Guerrilla, but there ''is'' a difference between the two; Guerrilla focuses more on [[DeathByAThousandCuts directly killing enemy troops and slowly picking away at the opponent's forces]], while Esionage focuses more on [[GradualGrinder undermining an opponent's systems and debuffing their enemy's army]] to the point that a sneeze could be lethal.

** Andy - Balanced/Generalist
** Sami, Sensei, Colin, Hachi - Spammer
** Max, Grimm, Will (Days of Ruin), Tabitha ([=DoR=]) - Brute Force
** Grit - Ranger/Pariah (Game Breaker in the first title)
** Olaf, Lash, Kindle, Jake, Koal, Sonja, Javier, Penny ([=DoR=]) - Gimmick
** VS mode Sturm in [=AW1=], Javier (with Towers), Brenner ([=DoR=]) - Turtle
** Sturm, Colin, Kanbei, Hachi, Sensei, Caulder ([=DoR=]) - Game Breaker
** Kanbei - Elitist
** Sonja - Guerrilla
** Sasha - Economist
** Eagle, Drake, Jess - Specialist (Air Units, Sea Units, and Tanks respectively)

** Yuan Delta - Balanced/Generalist: The most rounded of the Normal [=CO=]s. And the smartest of them too.
** Rojenski - Balanced/Pariah: [[ArtificialStupidity His AI is prone to making mistakes]].
** Fon Rosso - Ranger: Favors sending his units on the attack, [[GlassCannon without looking after his defenses]].
** Hetler - Spammer/Turtle: He's not very aggressive, [[StoneWall but will dig in with many units on the defense]].
** Caroline - Elite/Gimmick: She has amazing luck, which can let her units dish out extra damage.
** Billy Gates - Economic: Starts every round with an extra 10,000 Gold. Useful for making multiple weak units (Spammer), or field out the stronger units early in the game (Elite).
** Yamamoto - Elite/Brute: Every unit he creates are leveled up twice. Even with leveling up turned off, making him a challenge.
* ''VideoGame/{{Achron}}'' is an interesting example: Its factions are best defined by their focus on time and space, but can still fit in this classification:
** Collective Earth Security Organization (space/time balanced) - Spammer/Brute Force
** Grekim (Chronoportation; temporal focus) - Elitist/Technical
** Vecgir (Teleportation; spatial focus) - Balanced/Ranger

** Japanese: Economist/Elitist/Brute Force. Japanese land units are expensive but powerful - Samurai are hands down the best melee infantry in the game. However the Japanese do not gather as normal; they build Shrines which produce a trickle of resources, and this means the Japanese economy is fragile and cannot recover easily from a disaster. In addition, the Japanese get a Daimyo hero unit; the Daimyo is a capable fighter on his own but he also bestows bonuses and can even raise units in the field. Many of their Home City cards can be sent twice, and the Japanese deck features a lot of mercenary shipments and unit upgrades to make their military an unstoppable juggernaut.

** Norse: Spammer/Brute. The Norse gather resources mobile Ox Carts, and all their warriors can construct buildings and [[ProudWarriorRace gain Favour when they fight]]; being able to replenish themselves at the frontline is a big advantages and gives the Norse a daring, aggressive playstyle. But they are poor at defending their own holdings - their walls and towers are weak and they have few ranged options. Norse armies feature human warriors with very high attack power, Hersir heroes that can be produced in numbers and powerful myth units.

** Loyalists - Generalist
** Rebels - Balanced/Rangers
** Northerners - Spammers/Brute
** Knalgans - Brute/Elitists
** Drakes - Elitists/Rangers
** Undead - Technical

** Dragon - Generalist/Balanced
** Serpent - Balanced/Technical
** Wolf - Brute
** Lotus - Technical/Ranger

* VideoGame/{{Colonization}}
** English - Generalist/Spammer (immigration)
** French - Diplomat
** Spanish - Brute
** Dutch - Economist (trade)
** [=FreeCol=] adds other:
*** Portugal - Ranger (naval)
*** Sweden - Industrial
*** Denmark - Generalist (farming)
*** Russia - Economist (furs/coats)

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer''
** ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals'' series
*** The United States - Elitist
*** China - Spammer/Brute Force
*** Global Liberation Army - Guerilla

*** Russian Federation - Brute. The Russians have taken over as the tank-heavy Steamroller faction.
*** European Continental Alliance (ECA) - Technical in a defensive sense. Turtle to the max.
*** United States Of America (Good 'ol USA) - Generalist/Elitist, with some specialized units thrown in.
*** People's Republic of China - Spammer, up to 11 now.
*** Global Liberation Army - Guerilla again, but even nastier this time around.
** ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberium'' series
*** Global Defence Initiative - Brute
*** Brotherhood Of Nod - Guerrilla
*** Scrin - Spammer although overlaps with Elitist late game

** ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlertSeries''
*** Allied Forces - Guerrilla/Elitist, then turns to Technical
*** Soviet Bloc - Brute with elements of Spammer
*** Yuri's Forces - Gimmick and Pariah, some consider it a Game Breaker faction (mind controlling base defenses! [[BigNO ARRRGH]])
*** Empire Of The Rising Sun - Balanced, with elements of gimmick and spammer, as most of their units transform to fill in weaknesses, but none really excel at any role.
* Red Alert 2 New World Order
** Allies - Balanced/Generalist
** Soviets - Brute, with the 'elemental wheel' of fire, ice and lightning weapons at their command. Also Unit Specialists to some extent, as they have a huge variety of tanks for any purpose - resource gathering is done by a tank, their MCV is a tank, there is a tank for anti-tank combat, one for sieges, two for anti-infantry (one with a chaingun, one with a flamethrower), another with a tesla weapon, a nuclear-armed tank, a super-heavy "special unit" tank, a "mobile fortress" tank (...that can carry ''other'' tanks onboard) and finally an anti-air tank (which is nigh-useless), to the point of redundancy. Of course, this makes them somewhat disadvantaged against opponents with well-developed armor-piercing weaponry, but their infantry is not terribly disadvantaged either, so there is always an alternate method of attack available.
** Third Power - Elitists. Single units of this faction are all gargantuan, expensive monstrosities, and by far not as slow and cumbersome as their size and armor would make one expect.
** Asian Alliance - Spammer with Technical elements (most of their units have a secondary function that needs to be triggered manually). Also Unit Specialists to some extent, with a huge focus on base defense and navy, and terrible ground and air forces.
** CDF - Pariah; all of their units are re-purposed civilian/neutral units with abyssimal stats in direct confrontation, but their ability to interact with the civilian/neutral buildings and units pre-placed on a skirmish map makes for... interesting strategic possibilities.
** Brotherhood - Guerrilla/Ranger. Their usual strategy revolves around either ranged attacks followed by a retreat into stealth mode, or by stealthy suicide attacks. However, their units are not exceptionally fast, relying only on their burrowing and stealth tactics to evade counterattacks. Technical to ''some'' extent, as far as their technology and resource acquisition goes, which requires quite abit of micro-management to be efficient.
** Forgotten/Mutants - A weird combination of Guerrilla, unit specialist and possibly pariah; they are to mutated wildlife what the CDF is to resident civilian population, which comes in handy on some maps. Their vehicles are equally abyssimal, however their infantry easily passes for Elitist (all of them being enhanced by some form of mutation, although in some cases, the enhancement has vast drawbacks and using it effectively is somewhat of a gambit). Unit specialists because anything but their weak vehicle selection is associated with the settings' resident GreenRocks.
** Black Guard - Game Breaker, though you never get to play them, only AGAINST them.

* ''VideoGame/RedAlert3Paradox''
** Allies - Technical (Most of the buff/debuffs come from their special line of WeirdScience units)
** Confederates - Guerrilla (Almost every unit has access to stealth in some form)
** Soviet Union - Brute (They have tanks. A lot of tanks. One for every conceivable need, in fact)
** Order Of The Talon - Elitist (Strange for a SteamPunk faction, but their special AppliedPhlebotinum allows them to keep up)
** Empire Of The Rising Sun - Generalist (Hordes of transforming mecha, allowing individual units to fill more than one role)
** Atomic Kingdom Of China - Unit Specialist, Turtle (They play like a TowerDefense game, with frankly amazing walls and experience-gaining turrets. Their mobile units, on the other hand...)
** Electrical Protectorate - Spammer (To the point of completely forgoing build times)
** Mediterranean Syndicate - Ranger (Their best units are infantry which use distance-based AbnormalAmmo, and artillery)

** Humans (duh) - Economists
** Re'Lu (tibetan elves) - Elitists
** Tarth (cats/dogs) - Brute
** Maug (techno cows) - Researchers.
** [=ChCh-t=] (insectoids) - Spammers
** Cyth (illithids) - Diplomats (the spy kind)
** Uva Mosk (something strange) - Productionists

** Cyrodiilic Empire - Balanced/Generalist/Economist ([[BoringButPractical Legions]])
** Skyrim - Brute/Spammer/Unit Specialist ([[HornyVikings Shock Infantry]])
** High Rock - Balanced/Unit Specialist/Espionage ([[MagicKnight Magical]] [[MageKiller Enhancements]])
** Hammerfell - Elitist/Brute ([[MasterSwordsman Master Swordsmen]])
** Orcs - Brute/Elitist/Unit Specialist ([[MightyGlacier Heavy Infantry]])
** Aldmeri Dominion - Elitist/Technial/Espionage ({{Squishy Wizard}}s)
** Valenwood - Guerrilla/Ranger/Unit Specialist ({{Forest Ranger}}s)
** Morrowind - Balanced (FighterMageThief sub-factions)
** Elsweyr - Balanced/Guerrilla/Gimmick (Multiple sub-species of varying specialities)
** Black Marsh - Guerrilla/Turtle (Heavy use of their [[ExploitedImmunity Exploited Immunities]] in defense)

** Terran Alliance - Diplomats
** Yor Collective - Industrial (in theory)/Pariah (in practice)
** Drengin Empire - Brute
** Altarian Republic - Researchers
** Drath Legion - Espionage/Diplomats
** Torian Confederation - Loyal/Spammer
** Arcean Empire - Brute Force (slow but tough)
** Dominion of Korx - Economists
** Iconian Refuge - Researchers
** Thalan Empire - Elitists (very expensive, limited buildings)
** Korath Clan - Brute Force/Industrial
** Krynn Consulate - Loyal/Espionage/Gimmick (culture conquest)

** '''Beta''': Balanced\Generalist\Ranger - the time-worn, lived-in spacefarers; well-balanced and able to create strong defenses while still able to meet the enemy with a strong offense at the same time.
** '''Humans''': Elitist\Technical\Unit Specialist\Turtle - the most advanced faction; specializing in the deployment of combined arms forces, each unit type playing on the strength of the others while counteracting their weaknesses. Rely a lot on defense.
** '''Goo''': Spammer\Brute\Guerrilla - relying on the tried-and-true ZergRush, the Goo is definitely one the most unconventional factions ever imagined. The Goo has no conventional infrastructure or economy, instead each new Goo unit is created by dividing larger Goo into smaller Goo at the cost of health points.

* ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'': despite the changes in towns from one game to another, the most famous factions tend to follow these rules.
** Necropolis: Spammer/Technical. Lower tier units tend to be weak but numerous (Skeletons especially), while higher tier units are frail, but with killer abilities - like Vampires.

*** When the Dungeon is dark elf-themed (V and VI), it becomes Elitist/Guerrilla
** Stronghold: Brute. In IV and V, its heroes can't use magic at all.

** Castle/Haven: Elitist in III, Balanced from IV onwards, with a strong focus on [[WhiteMagic Life Magic]]. Their Knight predecessors in I and II were Spammer/Brute -- less magic than the non-barbarian factions and relatively cheap units with few to no special abilities.
** Fortress (Lizardmen, Heroes III): Elitist/Technical. Very much DifficultButAwesome.
** Fortress (Dwarves, Heroes V): Balanced/Game Breaker. Solid units, and access to magic AND runes.

** Rampart/Sylvan: Balanced in III, Ranger in IV and V.
** Inferno: interestingly goes from Elitist in III, to Spammer in V and VI.

*** Kushans - Guerrillas in terms of Cloaked Fighters or Technical by Drone Frigates.
*** Taiidan Empire - Unit Specialization with a little Brute Force. Their Defense Fighters are Defense Field Frigates help their fleets last longer in combat.
*** Turanic Raiders - Guerrilla by story, Pariah by game play. One of their craft can MacrossMissileMassacre, but that's all they've got.
*** Kadeshi - Elitist/Spammer, sometimes [[GameBreaker game breakingly so]]... or Unit Specialization Spammer, sometimes [[CripplingOverspecialization cripplingly so]].
*** Bentusi - Game Breaker, if you count their only combat-ready Tradeship unit present the game.

*** Kushans (Hiigarans) and Taiidani: Balanced/Generalist
*** Turanic Raiders - Guerrilla when they started to field disguise and cloaking systems.
*** Somtaaw - Brute Force where combat is concerned: their ships are plainly built to kill. Noncombat-wise, they are Technical.
*** Beast - Gimmick, mostly, owing it all to [[AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs infectious]] [[EldritchAbomination techno-organic viruses]].
*** Bentusi - Game Breaker, only this time, they have a usable fighter unit.
** ''Homeworld 2''
*** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeworld_2#Hiigarans Hiigarans]] - Generalist/Balanced, they are more effective when deploying a mixed force. While their ships have various particular rolls to fulfill, they also have more general applicability that lets them be flexible, and have a slightly higher typical durability, though also a slightly higher cost.
*** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeworld_2#Vaygr Vaygr]] - Generalist/Spammer/Specialist, they are most effective when deploying a mixed force designed around a primary unit, which tend to be smaller, cheaper, and faster on average than Hiigaran ships though with less durability and flexibility.
*** Progenitors - Game Breaker. Their units make heavy use of [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill lethal]] {{Wave Motion Gun}}s. One specific kind of Progenitor ship is even so strong that even a fleet won't stop a single one, and it even [[RasputinianDeath attempts to escape, only to return in good condition]].
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' (though not a strategy game, each species/civilization has a distinct doctrine that lends them to this characterization)
** Human Systems Alliance: Ranger/Technical - doctrine emphasizes rapid mobility and response, avoiding direct contact with enemy forces, and stealth. Thanks largely to Shepard, also gains Diplomat in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''.
** Asari Republics: Guerrilla/Elitist - doctrine emphasizes elite infantry formations of powerful troops used in guerrilla-style combat
** Salarian Union: Espionage/Technical - doctrine emphasizes us of stealth, infiltration, and elite strike teams using high-end tech to sabotage and disrupt enemy operations
** Turian Hierarchy: Generalist/Brute - doctrine favors straightforward combined arms assaults with disciplined troops
** Quarian Migrant Fleet: Elitist/Technical - doctrine and population limits emphasize small, elite, well-equipped units of marines specialized at boarding ships and raiding planet-side outposts. Excellent engineers, with one of the largest fleets in the galaxy.
** Krogan: Brute/Spammer pre-Krogan Rebellions, Brute/Elitist post-Krogan Rebellions - early doctrine placed emphasis on sheer numbers, due to krogan hardiness and birthrate. After [[DepopulationBomb the genophage]], doctrine shifted to use of highly-trained and heavily-armed individual soldiers
** Geth: Spammer/Technical/Research - doctrine places no value on individual ships or platforms, and have highly-advanced technology, specialists, and research capabilities. Have some elements of Gimmick too, thanks to the way their limited HiveMind works.
** Reapers: Elitist/Technical/Brute/Espionage/Game Breaker - doctrine of subtle infiltration through indoctrination prior to open assault using large numbers of powerful, overwhelmingly advanced units.

** Human (duh) - Economists AND Diplomats
** Psilon (tibetan elves) - Elitist/Researcher
** Mrrshan (cats) - Brute
** Bulrathi (bears) - Brute
** Alkari (birds) - Rangers/Unit Specialists (pilot skills)
** Sakkra (lizardmen) - Spammer
** Klackon (insectoids) - Industrial
** Silicoid (rocks) - Pariahs (can survive in harsh environments, may turn into [[LethalJokeCharacter Lethal Joke Faction]] due to an edge this gives them in expansion)
** Meklar (robots) - Industrial
** Darlok (nazguls) - Diplomats (the spy kind)

** Humans - Diplomat/Slight Economist/Researcher
** Mrrshan - Brute
** Bulrathi - Brute
** Alkari - Elitist
** Sakkra - Spammer/Industrial (increased population growth)
** Elerians - Elitist/Gimmick (start with map explored)
** Trilarians - Ranger
** Gnolams - Economist
** Silicoids - Gimmick
** Klackon - Industrial
** Meklar - Industrial
** Darloks - Espionage
** Antarans (not playable) - Extreme Elitist

* ''VideoGame/MountAndBlade''

* ''Roleplay/OpenBlue''
** Avelia - Brute/Spammer
** Sirene - Elitist/Research
** Remillia - Ranger/Espionage
** Pirates - Guerrilla/Gimmick (can have multiple ship mods to make up for lack of raw firepower)

* ''VideoGame/{{Rimworld}}''

** Persephone - Balanced/Brute
** James - Brute/Technical
** Stratos - Ranger/Spammer
** Pyro - Technical/Brute
** Charnel - Spammer/Technical/Guerrilla

** Spartan Federation - Elitist/Brute - those morale bonuses stack up quickly.
** Gaia's Stepdaughters - Gimmick (planet empathy), with a splash of Technical thanks to their inherent combat penalties.
** Lord's Believers - Brute/Espionage.
** University of Planet - Researchers
** Morgan Industries - Economists
** Peacekeeping Forces - Diplomats/Loyal/Generalist
** Human Hive - Spammers/Industrial/Loyal
** Cybernetic Consciousness - Researchers/Gimmick (stealing tech through offensive war)
** Data Angels - Espionage
** Free Drones - Spammers/Industrial/Loyal
** Cult of Planet - Gimmick/brute force (militant planet empathy). Considered to be a pariah faction, thanks to serious infrastructure building disadvantages.
** Nautilus Pirates - Balanced/Gimmick (naval power). Often considered a GameBreaker, due to the advantages of early sea bases.
** Manifold Caretakers - Gimmick/Brute (Aliens with defence/ecological bonus), with a tendency to be {{Game Breaker}}s in multiplayer.
** Manifold Usurpers - Gimmick/Brute (Aliens with offence/growth bonus), with a tendency to be {{Game Breaker}}s in multiplayer.
** Firaxans - While mainly the Gaians with a [[CreatorCameo different leader]], they are a GameBreaker faction since they start off with a late game technology. [[SecretCharacter Fortunately, they are only available through the faction editor]], and given the tongue-in-cheek nature of ''everything'' related to them, they are a LethalJokeCharacter as well.

** Trader Emergency Coalition - Economists/Industrial/Brute Force/Spammer
** Advent - Technical/Loyal/Research
** Vasari Empire - Elitists/Ranger/Espionage

** Terrans - Ranger/Generalist/Balanced/Turtle
** Zerg - Guerrilla/Spammer
** Protoss - Brute/Elitist/Technical.
** Hybrid - GameBreaker (not playable)

** Borg: Starts out as Spammer, then makes an unusual switch to Elite bordering on game-breaker. Their lower tier units are pretty weak and expendable, but their higher tier ships are some of the toughest in the game and are much more powerful than their equivalents on the other factions. Tactical Fusion Cubes are extremely powerful, but their expensive and slow speed somewhat compensate for their sheer power. The game-breaking part is when Borg Diamonds (spellcasters) and transwarp hubs (think stargates) enter the fray, and suddenly the tactical fusion cubes become capable of raiding any point on the map instantly (transwarp hub) and while being invunerable (borg diamond spell 'shield re-modulation')

* ''VideoGame/StarWarsRebellion''
** Galactic Empire - Brute
** Rebel Alliance - Guerilla
*** Both factions become Balanced overtime.

** Galactic Empire - Brute (Powerful Ground troops)
** Rebel Alliance - Guerrilla/Unit Specialist (Powerful Air Units)
** Trade Federation - Spammer/Economic (No need to create Prefab Shelters, however harvesting Carbon is difficult)
** Royal Naboo - Elite/Technical ([[MagikarpPower Initially weak ground troops, but grows stronger through progress]]. Has a great air force)
** Gungans - Unit Specialist (Great Water Units, can assemble Prefab Shelters underwater)
** Wookiees - Brute/Economic (Strong Units, can acquire discounts)
* ''Clone Campaigns'' Expansion:
** Old Galactic Republic: Brute. Though Spammer sometimes since upgrades can produces Troopers more quickly.
** Confederacy Of Independent Systems: Spammer. Though Brute sometimes since upgrades can increase Trooper's health and attack power.

** Galactic Empire - Brute/Spammer: In space battles, capital ships can replace destroyed TIE squadrons as long as that ship survives battle. AT-AT's are powerful and [[MookMaker can produce Stormtroopers.]]
** Rebel Alliance - Balanced/Guerrilla: Can preform raids with a small detachments to cause trouble on Imperial worlds. And can steal data to purchase better units by using C-3PO and R2-D2.
** Zann Consortium - Elite/Technical/Gimmick: Powerful units with nasty surprises while corrupting worlds. Corruption allows for many purposes from black markets for purchasing upgrades to sending out [[CannonFodder slaves to fight]]. Arguably a Game Breaker.

** Galactic Empire - Elitist/Brute: Favour self-sufficiency, with their units featuring strong defensive statistics and unparalleled strength within their defined roles.
** Rebel Alliance - Balanced/Ranger: Makes up for their individual weaknesses by being nimble, versatile and able to access strong synergistic and support abilities.
** Galactic Republic - Elitist/Generalist: Their armies are small but versatile, relying on expensive units supported by Jedi.
** Separatist Alliance - Spammer/Technical: The Separatists can field hordes of weak droids, which require careful coordination and action management to become effective.

* ''VideoGame/ThrawnsRevenge'' (Note, some Factions are subject to change as the Eras change.)
** Imperial Remnant - Elite/Brute: Starts out the strongest with plenty of powerful units, gradually grows weaker by the eras.
** New Republic - Balanced/Generalist: Gradually grows stronger as they progress through the eras.
** Empire of the Hand - Balanced/Brute: A mix between the Remnant and the Alignment.
** Pentastar Alignment - Spammer/Technical: The smallest of the four playable factions, but has plenty of unique units that can be quite a challenge.

** United Earth Federation - Brute
** Cybran Nation - Guerrilla/Spammer
** Aeon Illuminate - Technical/Unit Specialist
** Seraphim - Game Breaker/Elitist (but they're supposed to be elitist, funny how that works)

*** Romans - Generalist early on, later Brute Force: Pre-Marian Reform: Mix of light and heavy infantry, archers, skirmishers and light cavalry. Post-Marian Reform: Heavily armed and armored Legionary infantry, huge array of siege weaponry, mediocre ranged units, mediocre cavalry. Can feel like a Spammer when fighting them, since all three Houses will simultaneously wage war against you.
*** The Greek Cities - Brute force/ Specialist: Almost no ranged units, below-average cavalry, but increasingly heavy hoplites, including the super-tough Spartans.
*** Macedon - Brute force/Elitist: Some of the best hoplite/pikemen infantry, companion cavalry, not much else of notice.
*** Egypt - Generalist: Good all around roster, with heavy phalanx units, melee infantry, archers and the ever fearsome chariots.
*** The Seleucid Empire - Elitist/Generalist: Good pike-phalanx units, good cavalry including cataphracts and war elephants, also good heavy infantry, although not cheap. Best units take more than 1 turn to recruit.
*** Parthia - Ranger/Guerilla: Appalingly bad infantry, yet has one of the best cavalries in the game, with cataphracts, war elephants and horse archers.
*** Pontus - Specialist/Brute Force: Mediocre Infantry, but can recruit cataphracts and chariots.
*** Armenia - Generalist: Average all around roster, with better cavalry than infantry.
*** The Gauls - Spammer early on, Specialist later: Lots of mediocre warband infantry, but gains access to Chosen Swordsmen and Forrester Warbands - the perhaps best archers in the game - later.
*** The Germans - Spammer/Guerilla early on, Specialist/Brute force later: Throw huge hordes of Spear Warband at you early in the game, aided by Screaching Women and Night Raiders, but later gains access to Gothic Cavalry, Chosen Axemen, Chosen Archers and Berserkers, who hit with all the force of an elephant.
*** The Britons - Specialist: Mediocre Infantry, no normal cavalry, but fearsome chariots.
*** Spain - Guerilla: Excellent skirmishers and light infantry and cavalry, but alomst nothing that can hold a battle line for more than a few moments.
*** Dacia - Generalist: Good all around, with a few stand outs, like Falxmen and Chosen archers.
*** Thracia - Brute force: Hoplites and phalangites combined with more barbarian shock infantry, not much in terms of ranged units and cavalry.
*** Scythia - Ranger/Specialist: Focused on (ranged) cavalry to the point that their most basic unit isn't a warband like with other "barbarian" factions, but Horse Archers. Able to destroy pretty much anything on the open field, but rather ill-equipped for sieges.
*** Carthage - Elitist: Good Infantry with the Sacred Band as the top elite, but their true trump card are the elephants.
*** Numidia - Guerilla: Mediocre infantry, but lots of good skirmishers, both on foot and mounted.

*** Huns - Brute Force/Ranger, with more focus on Brute Force: Lots and lots of cavalry, light, heavy and missile alike. Mediocre infantry. May feel like Spammer in the early game due to vast numbers.
*** Goths/Ostrogoths - Generalist: Good all around, with a focus on cavalry.
*** Sarmatians/Roxolani - Brute Force/Ranger, with more focus on Ranger: Lots and lots of cavalry, light, heavy and missile alike. Mediocre infantry, average archers.
*** Vandals - Brute Force: Mediocre infantry, very good cavalry, melee and missile alike. May feel like Spammer in the early game due to vast numbers.
*** Franks - Brute Force/Elitist: Focussed on heavy troops both cavalry and infantry. Some light troops in support.
*** Saxons - Generalist, leaning towards Guerilla early on, later more towards Brute Force: Average units all around, with the Hearth troops as the elite.
*** Celts - Brute Force/Specialist: Focussed on heavy infantry, with a wild array of all kinds of troops in support, including Celtish chariots. Many of their troops lack armour, however.
*** Sassanids - Elitist/Specialist: Poor to average infantry, but has access to cataphracts and war elephants.
*** Alemanni - Generalist, leaning towards Brute Force: Good all around roster, with some fierce heavy units such the Lombard Berserkers and the Golden Band.
*** Burgundii/Lombardi - Generalist: Good all around, with more focus on infantry than cavalry.
*** Romano-British - Generalist: Good all around, with the Graal Knights as the top elite.
*** Slavs - Generalist: Good all around, with more focus on cavalry than infantry.
*** Berbers - Guerilla: Lots of fast, light troops, but nothing that could really stand up to the heavy troops of other factions.
*** Western Roman Empire - Generalist/Pariah: Good choice in every branch, but poor stability and surrounded by enemies.
*** Eastern Roman Empire - Generalist, leaning towards Brute Force: Good choice in every branch, but can field Clibinarii and Cataphracts, that punch through any enemy line, no matter how heavy they are equipped.

*** The Byzantine Empire - Ranger/Specialist (missile cavalry & naval), with traces of Economist: Below average infantry; strong archers, despite the lack of armor-piercing longbows or crossbows; very bad early heavy cavalry (though by the late game it is competitive thanks to Latinkon and Kataphraktoi) and Vardariotai, the best horse archers in the game, available right from the start; the unique Fireboat unit makes early to mid-game naval battles very one-sided. Holding one of the biggest cities in the world gives them a economic head start, though being surrounded by hostile factions, they need it. Quite dominant early on but they soon hit a technology ceiling and other kingdoms will catch up.
*** Denmark - Brute: Has some of the best shock infantry, with Viking Raiders and Dismounted Huscarls early on, which are later replaced by Norse Axemen, Swordstaff Militia and Obudshaer. Most infantry and cavalry fight with axes so armour-piercing is abundant, but their archers and crossbowmen are subpar.
*** Egypt - Generalist/Economist: Good all-around army, with some really outstanding units such as the Tabardariyya and the Mamluks. Holds some of the richest provinces in the game, and as such boast a very powerful economy.
*** England - Ranger early on, Generalist later: Starts out with excellent Longbowmen archers and Billmen to protect them, and later get much stronger equivalents like Retinue Longbowmen, Armoured Swordsmen (a Dismounted Feudal Knight with more armor and less upkeep), and English Knights for a well-rounded army.
*** France - Brute Force/Elitist: Has some of the best heavy infantry and cavalry in the game, but also fields very good late ranged units in their Aventuriers (armoured crossbowmen) and Scots Guard (armoured longbowmen) and very good gunpowder artillery later on.
*** The Holy Roman Empire - Brute Force/Elitist: Has some of the best heavy troops in the game, both infantry and cavalry, but more focused on infantry. Though like the Byzantines they are lacking in late-game technology.
*** Hungary - Guerilla/Ranger: Starts with good light infantry and ranged cavalry (but no heavy melee cavalry); later gets excellent heavy cavalry & Hussars, one of the best light cavalry in the game, but their heavy infantry is always lacking.
*** Milan - Spammer early on, Specialist/Technician later, Economist through out: Starts with lots and lots of cheap and better-than-average Italian militia, but later gets units like Famiglia Ducale, Genoese Crossbowmen and their Militia variant, also Musketeers and Monster Ribaults once Gunpowder has been discovered. Genoese Crossbowmen are the best missile infantry in the game, but Milan's melee infantry and cavalry options are lackluster, leading them into a Specialist role. Like Venice on the other side of Italy, Milan has a very good starting position to build up a trade empire.
*** The Moors - Guerilla/Specialist (cavalry), Economist: Very good skirmishers and desert units, strong sword infantry in the Urban Militia and Dismounted Christian Guard, adequate heavy cavalry, and in the late-game very dangerous gunpowder units with Sudanese Gunners and Camel Gunners. Potential GameBreaker with Timbuktu and Arguin, two of the richest provinces in the game, isolated from everyone else in the world and almost impossible to lose once you take them.
*** Poland - Guerilla early on, Brute Force later: Needs to employ hit-and-run-tactics early on, due to the generic Mailed Knights being replaced by ranged Polish Nobles, but gets some very good heavy cavalry units later. Generally lacks missile infantry
*** Portugal - Guerilla early on, Elitist[=/=]Brute later: Has some of the best skirmisher units in the game that stay useful throughout the game, but later gets things like Conquistadores from New World settlements (both mounted and on foot), Portuguese Arquebusiers and Aventuros (elite pikemen).
*** Russia - Spammer early on, later Ranger, Technician or Generalist, depending on the playstyle: Lots of cheap troops early on. Good all around roster mid-game, with excellent cavalry units, both melee and missile. Like all the Eastern factions, it relies more on cavalry (especially missile cavalry) then Western Europeans.
*** Scotland - Brute[=/=]Specialist (melee infantry): All Scotland's melee infantry hit hard on the charge with near-unbreakable morale and shred armour like chainsaws, and they also have good pikemen, but by far the worst ranged units in the game (with poor range and zero access to armour-piercing) and below-average cavalry.
*** Sicily - Spammer early on, Generalist later: Starts with high-quality Italian militia, above-average Muslim Archers, and excellent Norman Knights once Palermo has been upgraded once; later fans out into an average all around, but without the Carracio Standard for Italian armies morale can be a problem.
*** Spain - Guerilla early on, Elitist/Brute Force later: Has some of the best skirmisher units in the game that stay useful throughout the game, but later gets units like Sword & Buckler Men, Tercio Pikemen and Conquistadores once they capture settlements in America.
*** The Turks - Guerrilla/Ranger early on, Brute force/Technician later: Starts out with mostly light infantry and ranged units, later gets Qapukulu, Janissary units and Monster Bombards, becoming a real force to be reckoned with.
*** Venice - Spammer early on, Specialist/Technician later, Economist throughout: Starts with lots and lots of cheap and better-than-average militia, but later gets units like Stradiots (one of the best light cavalry in the game), Venetians Archers and armor-piercing Venetian Heavy Infantry. Venice is in a good starting position to build a trade empire and benefits a lot from gunpowder technology.
*** The Mongols - Ranger/Spammer: Some of the best cavalry and ranged infantry in the game, but mediocre melee infantry. Spammer comes into play as, when they first arrive, they typically come with six or more armies at maximum power and elite generals, soon followed by another eight armies a few years later. These reinforcements will continue until they have either found a new home or are destroyed completely.
*** The Timurids - Ranger/Specialist, Spammer: Similar to the Mongols, with the addition of Gunpowder and their unique Elephant units.
*** The Aztecs - Spammer/Loyal: Huge numbers of high-morale infantry, but with primitive weapons. Still, an invasion force will be hard pressed to cut their way through thousands of bloodthirsty and fanatical infantry units.
*** Mayans/Tlaxcalans/Tarascans (''Americas'') - Spammer/Loyal: Huge units sizes compared to the European factions, but without metal weapons or cavalry.
*** Apachean Tribes (''Americas'') - Ranger/Spammer early on, Technican later: Rely on large numbers of light ranged troops, but can recruit cavalry and gunpowder units once they beat enough European armies with them.
*** Chichimenic Tribes (''Americas'') - Spammer early on, Technican later: Same as Apaches, but with a greater emphasis on melee infantry.
*** Ireland (''Britannia'') - Guerrilla/Technician: Lots of skirmishers and light troops, very good Calivermen gunpowder units (infantry and cavalry), and some decent light and medium cavalry too. Unfortunately they lack quality spearmen and heavy cavalry, and their line infantry while decent are also unreliable.
*** Wales (''Britannia'') - Guerrilla/Ranger: Wales has a focus on superior longbowmen (better even than England's) and light infantry, but no real heavy infantry. Many Welsh units have multiple functions; their Magnelwyr gunners for instance also have heavy armour and an axe, so they are quite capable faux-heavy infantry as well.
*** Norway (''Britannia'') - Brute Force: Mostly a copy of Denmark, with the addition of Gotland Footmen. Focused on heavy infantry with some cavalry and ranged units in support.
*** Kingdom of Jerusalem (''Crusades'') - Brute force: Focused on heavy troops, both cavalry and infantry, with some support troops. Slightly more cavalry-focused.
*** Principality of Antioch (''Crusades'') - Brute force: Focused on heavy troops, both cavalry and infantry, with some support troops. Slightly more infantry-focused.
*** The Teutonic Order (''Teutonic''') - Brute Force/Elitist: Brimming with heavy troops, yet little in the way of skirmishers and only mediocre ranged units, save the Livonian Auxiliaries.
*** Lithuania (''Teutonic'') - Guerilla/Loyal as Pagans, Generalist as Christians: Unable to stand to the Teutonic Order man-to-man, but with some really scary pagan melee troops and high-morale religious fanatics. After their conversion to Christianity, they get heavier infantry and some very good gunpowder troops.
*** Novgorod (''Teutonic'') - Spammer early on, later Ranger, Technician or Generalist, depending on the playstyle: Vanilla's Russia with a Recolor.

*** The Empire: A ''Balanced/Generalist'' faction, with a combination of light and heavy, melee and ranged infantry and cavalry, and artillery both mundane and arcane, perfect for taking on all comers. The key weakness of the Empire is a lack of air units outside of high-level Hero units. Also has shades of ''Diplomat'' due to good starting relations with surrounding factions and confederation allowing them to absorb smaller friendly nations without a fight.

** Humans- [[HumansAreAverage Generalist/Balanced]], with some Elitist siege weapons
** Orcs- Brute/Guerrilla
** Night Elves- Rangers (duh)
** Undead- Spammers/Technical

** United States of America - Generalist/Spammer. The American army is highly flexible, with individual units being able to perform in a variety of different roles. American infantry tend to be more numerous than the Wehrmacht, but not as effective in a straight fight and usually need to rely on upgrades and abilities to get an edge. Similarly, American vehicles tend to lack the armour and raw firepower of the Germans, but tend to be faster and capable of various support tasks. Has traits of Economist, as units tend to be relatively cheap and easy to replenish, and can build a supply yard to drive costs of units even further down.
*** Airborne Company - Technical. This American doctrine focuses on rapid deployment, using [[ItsRainingMen paratroopers]], supply drops and [[DeathFromAbove air support]].
*** Infantry Company - Spammer/Unit Specialist, focusing on infantry. This doctrine focuses on production of infantry which are [[ZergRush cheap, versatile and effective in numbers]]. Also allows the use of artillery support.
*** Armor Company - Brute/Unit Specialist, focusing on armour. This doctrine focus on production of armour, and allows production of the [[MacrossMissileMassacre Sherman Calliope]] and the very powerful [[TankGoodness M26 Persching]].
** Wehrmacht - Elitist. The Wehrmacht is a highly powerful if somewhat inflexible war machine. Infantry are usually are tougher than the Americans, and, at least early on, much more well-equipped. Their armour list is far more comprehensive and features a lot of heavy armour such as the Panzer IV and Panther tanks. However, [[EliteArmy while the units are strong, they're also fewer and much more expensive]], and usually lack special abilities and support features. In their intended roles, the forces of the Wehrmacht can accomplish a lot, [[CripplingOverspecialization but outside their intended roles, it's a different story]].
*** Defensive Doctrine - Technical/Unit Specialist. This doctrines allows the Wehrmacht player to upgrade their base buildings with self-defence machine guns, and allows infantry to reinforce from bunkers, which makes the difference in holding the line or keeping an advance going. It also unlocks [[{{BFG}} the Flak 88]], a deadly anti-tank piece.
*** Blitzkrieg Doctrine - A rare mix of Brute and Guerilla. The Blitzkrieg doctrine is offensively minded, and allows you access to Tiger I tanks and Stormtroopers. The Tiger I is a powerful heavy tank effective against both enemy infantry and armour, while Stormtroopers are essentially upgraded versions of Grenadiers which can be called in from any unoccupied building in friendly territory and can camouflage themselves to lay ambushes.
*** Terror Doctrine - Technical. A doctrine centered on psychological warfare and raw destructive power, most of the Terror Doctrine's abilities are focused on providing {{Status Buff}}s to your own units and debuffs to enemy units, as well as powerful artillery and V1 rocket strikes. However, it's probably best known for the ultimate Terror ability to build one [[TankGoodness King Tiger]] super-heavy tank, which is the single strongest unit in the whole game and [[MightyGlacier capable of fending off two or even three Allied tanks single-handedly]], but is slow, vulnerable if not properly supported by other Wehrmacht forces, and [[NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup cannot be replaced if destroyed]].
** Panzer Elite - Ranger/Technical. A dizzying assortment of light vehicles forms the backbone of the Panzer Elite army, ranging from troop transports and scouts to tank-hunter half-tracks and self-propelled artillery pieces. The infantry are [[BadassArmy the cream of the crop of the German military]], well-trained and armed to the teeth with the finest weapons the German war machine can produce, including the [[CoolGuns MP44, the FG42 and the Panzerschreck]]. The trade-off is a limited roster of armour and a complete lack of defensive structures, ensuring that the Panzer Elite is the army for anyone who believes that [[GlassCannon the best defence is a good offence]].
*** Scorched Earth Tactics - Technical. Emphasising the [[CombatPragmatist cunning and occasionally underhanded tactics]] employed by Panzergrenadiers and SS during the closing stages of the war, this tactic adds a few area-denial options and dirty tricks including the ability to BoobyTrap buildings and strategic points, as well as the ability to temporarily disable the latter, and the ability to construct impassable roadblocks ideal for funnelling enemy forces into kill-zones. Doesn't sound like much, but through this doctrine, the Panzer Elite can place limits on the opposing player's expansion and force them to spend precious time and resources consolidating what territorial gains he can make, giving you the momentum and putting them at a serious disadvantage. Also unlocks the Hummel, the Panzer Elite's only artillery piece. Scorched Earth Kettenkrads gain the ability to lay down {{Booby Trap}}s.
*** Luftwaffe Tactics - Brute. This gives the Panzer Elite a lot of nifty new toys including an [[MoreDakka AA tank which shreds infantry and light vehicles]], the dreaded Flak 88 (representing one of the few options for a Panzer Elite defensive structure), the elite Fallschirmjäger squads armed with deadly automatic weapons and able to be called in anywhere on the map, and of course, a bombing run from Henschel ground-attack aircraft. Luftwaffe Kettenkrads gain the ability to camouflage themselves, making them ideal for scouting and sneaky grabs at strategic points deep behind enemy lines.
*** Tank Destroyer Tactics - Unit Specialist, focusing on anti-armour weaponry. Truly an American Armor Company's worst nightmare, this doctrine gives almost every unit a plethora of armour-killing weapons, letting the Pazner Elite contend with armoured forces. Tank Destroyer Kettenkrads can perform field repairs, helping you keep your fleet of tank destroyers and half-tracks in continuous operation.
** British Commonwealth - Balanced/Brute/Turtle. The British have a fairly versatile force, favouring neither infantry or armour, but an undeniable cornerstone of any British army is the creation and maintenance of a formidable "front line" of static defences, some of which are the cheapest and most powerful available to any faction. British troops don't gain Veterancy like the other factions, instead relying on [[HeroUnit "hero" units]] like the Lieutenant and the Captain to gather Veterancy on behalf of the troops around them and in turn grant them a StatusBuff which lets them fight elite units on equal terms. Finally, the British base is made up of mobile command trucks which can move and deploy anywhere on the map, making them difficult to pin down. If the Panzer Elite say that the best defence is a good offence, [[StoneWall the British beg to differ]].
*** Royal Artillery Support - Technical. This support doctrine grants the British 25-Pounder howitzer defensive structure a number of new abilities, turning your 25-Pounder howitzers into some of the most powerful units on the field, and also grants the British their only mobile artillery piece, the M7 Priest.
*** Royal Commando Support - Guerilla. This support focuses on rapid deployment and covert operations, and adds offensive flavour to the otherwise very strongly defensive-natured British. Gliders can be called in to deploy [[BadassCrew squads of elite Commandos]] and even a light tank, the Tetrarch, anywhere on the map, who can then be made to strike at enemy buildings, capture points, ambush enemy units, or support advances by your regular forces. Commando Support also offers a few special misdirection and information gathering abilities.
*** Royal Engineers Support - Unit Specialist/Turtle, focusing on static defences. This support doctrine builds on what the British do best: hunker down and hold firm where other armies would shatter. It also allows the deployment of three different variants of the Churchill, a heavily-armoured British tank.

** Empire - Balanced/Generalist, can be fielded in a variety of ways.
** Bretonnia - Brute Force with Ranger-type mobility, almost Pariah due to 8th edition's nerfing of cavalry dependent armies.
** High Elves - Elitist/Balanced, not entirely either, but leaning to GameBreaker
** Wood Elves - Guerrilla/Ranger/Technical hybrid, totally lacks defensive power and another Pariah.
*** Tree Spirits add some durability to army, but are expensive and easily countered with Fire attacks.
** Dwarves - Brute, ranged capabilities on par with a Ranger, but no mobility of that type. Could possibly be Generalist if but for lack of offensive magic and cavalry.
** Orcs & Goblins - Brute (pure Orc) or Technical/Spammer (pure Goblin), Balanced (mixed) and possible Pariah (all versions)
** Dark Elves - Generalist, formerly GameBreaker/Generalist/Elitist.
** Vampire Counts - Spammer formerly GameBreaker/Elitist/Spammer, most characters are Elitist/{{Game Breaker}}s.
** Tomb Kings - Technical/Spammer; Pariah due to 1)horribly crippling dependency on magic and 2)their magic is easily countered by all factions bar Ogre Kingdoms and Tomb Kings themselves.

** Skaven - SPAMMER with some random chance powered Gimmick thrown in, tends to rely on numbers once the Gimmick(s) blows itself and parts of both sides up, also a GameBreaker with the new focus on infantry hordes. Technical if dependant on Gimmick and no Spamming.
** Lizardmen - Bizarrely a Balanced/Brute Force/Technical/Gimmick hybrid with some Ranger thrown in, also capable of Spammer.
*** While it may seem that 'Balanced' might cover it, it is actually able to field highly specialized forces that focus on some of the aspects instead to a degree rivaling other specialists.
** Ogre Kingdoms - Brute Force and Spammer, recently promoted from Pariah to near-Pariah
** Beastmen - Spammer/Brute, very generic playstyle with no flexibility.
*** Recent Update added Guerrilla in that they can ambush with reserve forces, something no other army can do.
** Chaos Warriors - Brute/Elitist, lacking anything to cover the issues of both types.
** Chaos Daemons - Elitist/Brute formerly GameBreaker, possible Pariah due to lack of cheap units. Technical but only with respect to some odd mechanics rather than their playstyle.

* TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} (Tabletop [[WarGaming Wargame]])

*** Imperial Guard - They play as Spammer if using infantry, Brute with vehicles, Generalist when using combined arms; shades of Technical given their Orders system. They emphasize [[PunyEarthlings regular Joes]] generally coming in [[RedshirtArmy underequipped and in huge numbers]] alongside an ungodly number of vehicles of all stripes, and leadership abilities most other armies can only be jealous of. The army is easy to learn while having a lot of options and tactics being discovered frequently.
*** Space Marines - Elitist/Generalist. Marines are fairly expensive points-wise and have great staying power compared to most basic infantry of other armies. They're also solid in whatever role they're put in: Marines are good shots, and they're not half bad in an assault, either. Space Marine tanks, on the other hand, may not be as robust or as powerful as those of the Imperial Guard's, but they are dirt-cheap and reliable. Whatever an enemy army’s weakness is, Space Marines have something that can exploit it, but nearly every other army does their particular schtick better than Space Marines.
*** Dark Angels - Elitist/Unit Specialist. Dark Angels can legitimately field an army full of Terminators and/or bikes: their Terminators are some of the best Terminators you can find in the game, while their bikes are the only ones that can go toe-to-toe against the White Scars. On the other hand, they lack access to certain vanilla codex units and their aerial game is subpar.
*** Blood Angels - Brute. The Blood Angels are designed for blitzkrieg. If you're playing Blood Angels, it's because you want a fast-paced and slightly reckless play style. Their Death Company can be equipped to kill literally anything in close combat, and in a pinch even Blood Angels tactical marines can do some work in a melee.
*** Space Wolves - Elitist/Brute. The Space Wolves have access to powerful HQ units, unique wargear better than those in the vanilla Marines codex, and their access to Thunderwolf Cavalry and Wulfen means that few armies come close to being as good at assault as the Space Wolves.
*** Grey Knights - Elitist/Brute/Technical/Unit Specialist. The elitist (even by Marine standards) Grey Knights have excellent close-range shooting and assault but need to find a way to outmaneuver the opponent before they get blown up with long range firepower and low-AP weapons (precisely both the main weaknesses AND main lacks of this army). All Grey Knights are Psykers; this means they will rival the likes of Eldar in the Psychic Phase. Due to the Grey Knights' ubiquitous anti-Daemon abilities, never send your Daemons against them unless if you want to be curb-stomped.
*** Deathwatch - Elitist/Generalist. The Deathwatch get the best gear the Inquisition can give them, and the small model count, composition of many different chapters and versatile selection of wargear give them (especially characters) a very high degree of customisation. Run your Kill-team from the TabletopGame/{{Deathwatch}} RPG as part of your army!
*** Sisters of Battle - Balanced/Generalist
*** Imperial Knights - ELITIST. Each Knight costs 400+ points and is immune to non-Necron small-arms fire and any melee attacks of Strength 6 or less. That is not an excuse to get complacent as each casualty will diminish your army considerably. Most people take Knights as allies, which works fine, and it takes a very rare player to be able to field an entire detachment of them.
*** Custodian Guard: Elitist/Brute. Everything the Custodes can field is ''absurdly'' expensive, from the rank-and-file units to the vehicles and war machines, so their unit counts will be lower than just about any other faction. Each unit is also armed with the best of the best, putting out huge damage every attack, and ''extremely'' well protected, with your average Custodian guard being an ImplacableMan that refuses to die and anything beyond that being close to unstoppable. They don't have too much in the way of advanced techniques (not even psykers), and every single loss they have is going to hurt, but they are as Elite as they come and every last unit of theirs can mow down whole chunks of the opposing army if left unchecked.
*** Tau Empire - Ranger; powerful ranged attacks with good mobility, but very weak against anything which can survive to get close up.
*** Craftworld Eldar - Elitist/Ranger/Technical/Specialist. Eldar are generally [[GlassCannon deadly but fragile]], relying on high mobility and cover to stay alive. They have only a few all-rounders to balance out their plethora of specialists, and only just a few melee specialists to balance out their mostly shooty army. They also have a lot of sneaky units that can infiltrate or outflank an enemy to strike from an unexpected quarter, and they have one of the strongest psychic supports in the game.
*** Dark Eldar - Elitist/Ranger. Dark Eldar have exceedingly fragile armour for the bulk of their forces, and focus almost entirely on a mix of blinding speed and raw, balls-out firepower.
*** Harlequins - Elitist/Guerrilla. Although expensive and squishy (like all Eldar), they are excellent in assault, have access to loads of weaponry, ignore difficult terrain and don't face penalties for charging through cover.
*** Orks - Generalist/spammer. Typically played as Spammer/Brute ("We's bringin' da biggest and da most boyz ta crump all da 'ummies !")

*** Necrons - Balanced/Brute. Their infantry are durable and can pack either specialized anti-infantry weaponry or general purpose weaponry capable of threatening both infantry and vehicles
*** Tyranids - Can vary between a Spammer and an Elitist faction based on whether more, bigger 'nids ("Nidzilla") or hordes of the little bastards come out. Usually uses a mix of both, with the hoards sheer numbers tearing apart the enemy while the big guys come in at the end to clean up whats left.
*** Chaos Space Marines - Balanced/Specialist. The Chaos Space Marines can be seen as a dark mirror of their Imperial counterparts: if the loyalists possess respectable offensive power either melee or ranged with strong defensive power, the Chaos Space Marines enjoy far superior close combat and psychic abilities, but lacking the loyalists' defensive and equipment options in many areas and requiring much more aggression and initiative on the part of the player. [[VideoGame/{{Doom 2016}} Rip and tear until it is done!]]
*** Chaos Daemons - Spammer/Technical. Daemons tie with Tyranids with sheer amount of bodies and Monstrous Creatures they cab put on the field. Unless you actively shy away from it, no other army, except maybe the Grey Knights, can rock the Psychic phase as hard as you can. Their units are generally stronger point for point than other units, but their unusual deployment type requires careful thinking when used, and their low Toughness and Daemonic Instability make them die very quickly if not managed carefully.
*** Renegades and Heretics - Spammer/Generalist. Basically a Chaos version of the Imperial Guard, nearly everything is relatively cheap and have great diversity and customisation provided by the abundance of options.

*** Dark Angels - Generalist: The Dark Angels are the "template" upon which all other legions would draw their specialities from, and purposefully not too unique. In this era, their rules make them into a melee-oriented Legion, and they play like normal Astartes with lots of exclusive equipment both melee and ranged, an uncommon balance available to few others. In addition, they have some radical Rites of War which fill roles traditionally held by other Legions, which makes up for their generic Legiones Astartes rules.
*** Emperor's Children - Ranger: The Emperor's Children favour a fast and hard-hitting playstyle. Their troops run fast, hit hard, get multiple bonuses to initiative, and are quite likely to overrun opponents if when they win in combat. Fitting their bias for melee, they also have access to a plethora of alternate deployment methods. On the other hand, they are rather generic at ranged combat, and their unique units usually have a single thing that they are good at and need to work with the rest of the army to get the best out of them. Emperor's Children players need to master positional play and timing to have their units charging at the right moment while being supported with the right buffs, lest the enemy rob them of their melee advantage and they end up playing akin to generic marines.
*** Iron Warriors - Brute/Loyal: The Iron Warriors are THE offensive siege specialists, shrugging off ranged casualties like they don't care, coming to make a mockery of the enemy's hiding places, make them keep their heads down and claim No Man's Land as their own without giving any terrain themselves. Common builds include lots of Heavy Support choices as well as lots of Barrage weapons. The ability to ignore ranged casualties and being one of the few Legions with access to widespread Stubborn and Fearless means the Iron Warriors can lay claim to having one of the best morale in the entire Heresy. All in all pretty straight-forward marines but focused on big guns.
*** White Scars - Ranger: The White Scars tie for the best bikers in the game and their infantry also receive plenty of movement bonuses and they can reliably bring that one unit they need from reserves, as well as bonuses for going first. However, you gotta go fast, as they aren't the best for garrison duty and that their heavier guns are vanilla, and the enemy could give them a surprise were they to catch them going anywhere slower than full speed.
*** Imperial Fists - Generalist: The Imperial Fists play as "standard" space marines while being able to adapt to more complex scenarios like siege missions and Zones Mortalis. They have improved firepower when using bolt weaponry, their characters are almost assured some success when in challenges, and their vanilla Terminators are the best in the whole Heresy. They also have some very powerful special characters and units and they have access to some of the best exclusive wargear available.
*** Night Lords - Brute/Technical: Night Lords make liberal use of Fear as well as being quite nasty in close combat. They have good mobility with hard hitting units and are one of the few Legions with access to Deep Striking Terminators in every mission, as well as more customisable assault squads and infiltrating veterans. They also capitalise significantly on Night Fight rules, so can pull ahead quickly at the start of a battle while the darkness is in effect. The catch? They are prone to falling back themselves. While it sounds obvious, it pays to bully your opponent when playing Night Lords.
*** Blood Angels - Brute/Ranger: At their core, the Blood Angels are a melee Legion, with improved to wound rolls and with a good selection of pistols and [=AP2=] initiative weapons. Best of all, they don't need to fulfill conditions like outnumbering the enemy or getting the charge, so other Legions need to take note. Overall they play like an improved version of themselves in 40k. With certain Rites of War, they can rival even the Emperor's Children for speed, or possess resilient and steadfast but tactically limited options with which to throw at the enemy with abandon.
*** Iron Hands - Brute: The Iron Hands are excellent at mechanised assaults, and if you want to go all-out with tanks, there is no better Legion. In exchange for their sheer resistance to incoming fire, they are stuck with very inflexible infantry-centric army builds, and their near-refusal to perform Sweeping Advances or Run moves means they have a very good chance to be outmanoeuvred by the enemy.
*** World Eaters - Brute: "Up close and personal" is the phrase that defines the World Eaters. Their basic attacks being outright deadlier than your average Legion means whatever is on the business end of their chainaxes will Eat a World of hurt, and it only goes up from there.
*** Ultramarines - Generalist/Loyal: The Ultramarines play as a mix of 40k and 30k, understandably so because their Primarch wrote the codex. Like the Imperial Fists, they prove that being "vanilla" doesn't necessarily mean being bad. They've got the closest thing to All They Shall Know No Fear out of any Legion, and their special rules are geared towards making an army that can become more than the sum of its parts. On the other hand, the adage "jack of all trades, master of none" aptly sums up their vulnerabilities. They can adapt to a wide variety of situations, but they will rarely if ever excel in any one of them compared to the other Legions.
*** Death Guard - Elitist/Brute/Loyal: The Death Guard favour a playstyle for a slow moving, but very hard hitting ranged army. They can endure in the face of both terrain and weapons that would lay low anyone else, being one of the few things immune to Fear in 30k, they will keep going forward no matter what, perfect for attrition warfare. Furthermore, due to both their legion-specific units being Terminators they can bring the highest amount of them amongst all Legions.
*** Sons of Horus - Elitist/Brute: The [=XVIth=] legion is one of the most vicious legions when it comes to assault operations, being able to reliably bring in reserves and confering a multitude of close range and assault-oriented bonuses, meant to overwhelm the enemy through multiple combats, superior numbers and sheer firepower. They have some highly customisable units and special characters which are statistically better than counterparts in other legions, but they are expensive for what they offer and are not as focused as some other Legions are.
*** Word Bearers - Technical/Loyal: The Word Bearers get access to Daemonic allies, Daemon-boosted unique units and special rules meaning they can have have a lot of invulnerable saves and Fear causing effects, but are also subject to a degree of random chance - if you want to go down that route. Furthermore, the ability to make many HQ choices into Sorcerers makes Word Bearers the premier Psychic force in the 30k environment, at least until Forge World releases rules for the Thousand Sons. At their simplest, the Word Bearers do well as a melee-oriented Legion, with their excellent morale and boosted Sweeping Advance chances.
*** Salamanders - Ranger/Loyal: The Salamanders' main themes are endurance and some of the best Legion-specific wargear available...along with their usual heat-based weapons. Endurance in they way of holding the line with their noticeable morale buffs and being outright immune to Fear. They also have some of the most resilient vehicles in the game, tied perhaps with the Iron Hands. But not everything is a straight step up from their 40k incarnation, having the dubious honour of being THE slowest Legion of them all. Their main issue remains: a slow force that does best at close range but fares poorly in melee.
*** Raven Guard - Guerrilla: Either the Raven Guard have Furious Charge or appear from where you didn't expect them to. So basically fast and hiding in cover. Their bias for lightning-fast attacks and aerial deployment allows them to set up powerful Decapitation strikes, tying up enemy units only to suddenly appear behind the enemy lines and kill that pesky HQ.
*** Alpha Legion - Generalist/Technical/Espionage: The only thing for certain about Alpha Legion tactics is that they're an infantry-heavy army. As for what is that infantry going to do, you can't make predictions. They can have playstyles so different you'd think you're facing an entirely different legion. And with Alpharius and their Rite of War screwing enemy reserves and outright using units from other Legions, it might be. However, with Mutable Tactics being their only trait, they play like normal marines with a few buffs here or there, their actual advantage being flexibility.
*** Shattered Legions - Generalist: This is a themed army mixed up from a variety of different Legions, with some access to each of their special rules and units.
*** Adeptus Mechanicus - Elitist/Brute: Gameplay wise, Mechanicum models are universally hard as nails. However with a handful of exceptions they are somewhat pricey, a number are a steal for how effective they are but never the less when all you can do is choose between a variety of pretty expensive choices (with one, very notable exception). Tough as you are, this is primarily a crutch for the vast the majority of their models are short range, though they hardly lack in long range if you wanna put in some points here and there.
*** Solar Auxilia - Spammer/Generalist: The Solar Auxilia are a force with decent survival ability as well as the large numbers and firepower of classic Guard. Although they have competent melee units as well, if you want to make a melee-centric list, the only assault transport you can use is in the Lords of War slot. All in all, the Solar Auxilia list encourages a well balanced army.
*** Imperial Militia and Warp Cults - Spammer/Generalist: While not an overly powerful army, it is one of the most customisable armies you'll ever find. You can build an army of cyber augmented Skitarii wannabes, a feral world regiment of jungle warriors, a pre-compliant civilisation or even a full-fledged Chaos cult. This army pretty much allows you to do whatever you want. Your advantages include how cheap you are compared to other armies, the fact that you can buff your infantry fairly easily and the amount of armour and heavy firepower that you can bring to the field with cheap vehicles.
*** Army of Dark Compliance - Generalist: Another themed army, built from a blending of Legiones Astartes and units from the Warp Cults list. The insane customisation options in the Warp Cults list are still available, and you are not prevented from taking any option from your Legion list either.
*** Questoris Knights - ELITIST: See Imperial Knights above. Your army of superheavy walkers are universally immune to small arms fire and most melee attacks, but each loss will diminish your army considerably.

** Humans - Generalist/Elitist, and a huge Pariah (due to having almost no anti-air defense), prior to being split into two in [=WBC3=]. Since their split:
*** Empire - Balanced/Diplomat (Can recruit other races' units.)
*** Knights - Elitist/Specialist (Cavalry)
** Barbarians - Spammer/Ranger
** High Elves - Balanced/Ranger
** Wood Elves - Guerilla/Ranger
** Dwarves - Elitist
** Daemons - Elitist/Brute
** Fey - Spammer/Ranger with elements of Elitist (Units start out very weak but inexpensive and fast, then become very strong once fully upgraded.)
** Orcs - Brute/Spammer with elements of Technical
** Minotaurs - Brute/Elitist, were originally a Pariah before finally getting reliable anti-air defense in [=WBC3=].
** Dark Elves - Guerilla/Technical
** Dark Dwarves - Brute/Specialist (Siege Weapons) with elements of Spammer (Thanks to [[ActionBomb firebombs]]) and Elitist (with golems)
** Undead - Spammer/Elitist (Units upgrade to stronger units allowing them to get high tier units with zero build time, but at high cost.)
** Plague Lords - Technical
** Ssrathi - Brute
** Swarm - Spammer/Industrial

** Protectorate of Menoth: Elitist/Brute/Technical: The Protectorate relies very heavily on synergy: combining elements of an army to be more powerful than their stat lines might suggest—and denial. The basic idea is that their units all work much better as a group than individually. Protectorate warjacks are rather lackluster if examined in a vacuum, but make up for this by fielding hands-down the best support units in the game. No one stacks buffs and de-buffs as well as the Protectorate, and their powerful support spells and abilities can make even the humblest fanatic strikingly effective - so long as you can keep your support units alive.

** Retribution of Scyrah: Balanced/Unit Specialist/Technical: The Retribution is a faction of versatility. On one hand, it has the Mage Hunters and Battle Mages—generally easy to remove if you can engage them but with many special rules that can turn the tide of a battle. On the other hand, there are the Dawnguard and Houseguard—generally more durable, slower, and more focused in a single role. Retribution armies are very, very fussy about their order of activation; you're unlikely to achieve maximum synergy if you do things in the wrong order and, thus, unlikely to win.

** Tha'Roon - Elitists
** Obblinox - Brute Force
** [=Shama'Li=] - Rangers (the magic kind)
** Eaggra - Spammers

** Vinci - Brute, overlapping with Generalist. Can become Industrial if they get rolling.
** Alin - Spammer, overlapping with Guerilla.
** Cuotl - Elitist

* ''Videogame/BattleZone1998'' has the [[RedsWithRockets Cosmo Communist Army]] and the [[UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks National Space Defense Force]], which are Brute and Ranger, respectively - though the difference is [[CosmeticallyDifferentSides relatively minor]] aside from a few units. The Chinese army introduced in ''The Red Odyssey'' ExpansionPack has elements of both Elitist/Guerilla - their units possess cloaking devices. The [[EliteArmy Black Dogs]] in the game's UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo64}} port are more powerful versions of standard [=NSDF=] units.
** The sequel, ''Battlezone II'', has the radically different Scion Army and International Space Defense Force. The [=ISDF=] is Brute/Balanced; their ships are typically powerful and cheaper than comparable Scion units. Additionally, the [=ISDF=] can build up their base much faster than Scions can. The Scions are Elitist with elements of Guerilla - their units are expensive but adaptable courtesy of their ability to morph tanks between combat and assault modes. Scion heavy units are often [[CripplingOverspecialization overspecialized]] but ''very'' good at what they do.
** ''Battlezone II'''s {{GameMod}}s add further unique factions. ''[[FanSequel Forgotten Enemies]]'' adds the Hadean Crown, which are Elitist/Brute. Their units start out weak, but their factories can be upgraded to make the units absurdly powerful and durable. ''[[FanSequel Fleshstorm]]'' adds the Swarm, an {{Expy}} of ''[[Tabletopgame/WarHammer40000 WH40K]]'' Tyranids - Swarm is entirely Spammer with some Guerilla elements. Their units are absurdly cheap and weak at low levels, but their units do not drop any [[UnObtanium scrap biometal]] - the game's building resource - allowing for Swarm units to simply grind down enemies. ''Fleshstorm'' also introduces the [[RacialRemnant Phaer Ran]], which are a combination of Elitist/Brute Force/Specialist - Phaer Ran units are [[CripplingOverspecialization geared specifically to kill Swarm units]]. Their bases are [[BaseOnWheels mobile]], their units are strong and simple, and they tend to rely on [[FireBreathingWeapon fire]] and air-burst weapons.
* The popular ''VideoGame/MedievalIITotalWar'' conversion mod ''{{VideoGame/Thera}}'':

** Purity: Brute. Purity units can gain tremendously powerful perks in either attack or defence, and Purity gain a powerful bonus when fighting aliens at Level 3. Offence get perks like bonuses against certain units and bonus strength for unused movement points - so if your unit is parked right next to the enemy when they attack, they'll wallop it. Defence perks render Purity cities as nigh-untouchable. However, they need to specialise in either attack or defence, not both, and they lack the technical features and fancy tricks of the other armies. Purity tend to use heavy tanks and exosuits for battles, leading up to the LEV-Destroyer, a massive floating fortress bristling with guns.

** [[ChinaTakesOverTheWorld Pan-Asian Cooperative]] - Bonus to Wonder building production, and to Worker movement speed. Industrial.
** [[{{Eagleland}} American]] [[NGOSuperpower Reclamation Corporation]] - Higher success rate and Intrigue level for Covert Ops. Espionage.
** [[UsefulNotes/{{Brazil}} Brasilia]] - Increased unit melee strength and healing rate when fortified. Brute force.
** [[UsefulNotes/{{Australia}} Polystralia]] - Two extra trade routes per capital. Economist.
** [[UsefulNotes/{{India}} Kavithan Protectorate]] - Faster border growth for cities. Loyal.
** [[UsefulNotes/{{Africa}} People's African Union]] - Free culture structure at the start of the game, and increased population growth in healthy cities. Loyal.
** [[UsefulNotes/TheNewRussia Slavic Federation]] - Bonus to satellite production and operation. Gimmick.
** [[UnitedEurope Franco-Iberia]] - Gain an extra free Virtue for every ten Virtues earned normally through culture. Research.
** [[MiddleEasternCoalition Al-Falah]] - Can convert production in cities to other resources at high efficiency. {{Inverted|Trope}} Industrial.
** [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} North Sea Alliance]] - Bonus to oceanic cities and naval units. Gimmick.
** [[UsefulNotes/DichterAndDenker INTEGR]] - Easier to make diplomatic agreements with other factions. Diplomat.

** The Inner Sphere powers were pure Spammer when the Clans first invaded - they field twice or thrice as many mechs as the Clan - though as they recovered LostTechnology they took on Technical traits. The five Great Houses have their own minor twists on the archetype.

** Infantry - Guerrella
** Armor - Generalist
** Air - Ranger
** Support - Unit Specialist

*** Egypt - Elitist: Good all around roster, with heavy phalanx units, archers and the ever fearsome chariots.
*** The Seleucid Empire - Generalist: Good pike-phalanx units, good cavalry, including cataphracts and war elephants.

*** Orks - Generalist/spammer
*** Typically played as Spammer/Brute ("We's bringin' da biggest and da most boyz ta crump all da 'ummies !")
*** One popular alternate style of Ork army focuses on the [[MadScientist mechboyz]], [[PsychicPowers weirdboyz]], and [[MadDoctor painboyz]], which results in a bizarre Balanced Technician/Brute hybrid reminiscent of being assaulted by the contents of a military research center's scrapyard. (''"[[MoreDakka MORE DAKKA!]]"'')
*** A third, more rarely seen type is Elitist Guerilla/Ranger, which can be devastating in the hands of a clever player ("Who ever heard of an ork being subtle and sneaky? [[KilledMidSentence That's simply ridi-]]")

** Chinese (''Tale of the Dragon''): Spammer/Technical. The Chinese focus on a booming economy and fast generation of units in large numbers. The Chinese garner Favour through Gardens that can also generate other resources. The Chinese army is primarily composed of cavalry, but the eight Immortals are their heroes and their best anti-myth units. On top of that, the Monk can heal your wounded units and [[EnemyExchangeProgramme convert enemy units to his side]]. However Chinese units are highly specialised and pound-for-pound not as strong as other cultures due to limited unit-enhancing technologies.

*** Bretonnia: An extremely unusual ''Spammer/Elite'' faction. Peasant infantry is cheap, plentiful, and tend to die in droves. Meanwhile the various Bretonnian cavalry units are all quite powerful. This encourages a hammer and anvil style of combat in which disposable peasants keep the enemy busy while knights position themselves for a lethal charge from behind. They also have access to more significant flying units than the Empire.

*** Wood Elves: A ''Glass Cannon/Ranger'' faction and a ''Elite/Brute'' faction rolled together. They have some of the best archers in the game. Even their basic archers have extraordinary range and can fire while moving, allowing them to attack while getting into position. Higher tier archers have outstanding armor piercing damage and can fire in any direction without having to change facing. They also have the only flying archers in the game. On the other hand they have the tree spirit units which are MightyGlacier infantry and monsters. In the Grand Campaign they are split between the Wood Elves under Orion and the Tree Spirits under Durthu with severe restrictions on the ability to recruit units from the other half of the faction. To win the Grand Campaign they must gather sufficient Amber to complete their Wonder-based win condition.
*** Norsca: A ''Elitist''/''Brute Force''/''Gimmick'', just like their parent army - the Warriors of Chaos. A relatively small number of extremely powerful warriors (Marauder Champions, Berserkers) supported by a number of extremely powerful monstrous units (Mammoths, Skinwolves, Fimir, and Frost Wyrms) that pound the enemy into submission through pure violent power. They have a number of powerful quirks like their Berserker and Frost Bite abilities, which allow them to become insanely stronger the longer they remain in battle and significantly slow their enemies in combat, respectively.

*** High Elves: A ''Generalist/Elitist/Ranger/Intrigue'' faction with lots of expensive units that are capable of fighting in multiple scenarios. In the Grand Campaign they can use influence to quickly develop alliances or trick other factions into war. Examples of their extremely generalist units are: Lothern Sea Guard are effective, though not great, archers which carry shields (allowing them to resist other archers) have decent melee stats (allowing them to briefly stand against basic infantry) and have a bonus against large creatures (making them dangerous to cavalry that catches them). The Eagle Claw Bolt Thrower is an extremely accurate artillery piece that can switch between having a bonus against large creatures (to snipe monsters) and against infantry (to disrupt infantry formations). The Swordmasters of Hoeth are greatsword infantry with high damage and a bonus against other infantry, this almost always means not having shields and thus being weak to archers but the Swordmasters get the shielded status anyway because they can deflect arrows with their swords. They also have access to powerful archers that can hold themselves in melee, such as the Sisters of Avelorn and Shadow Warriors.
*** Dark Elves: A ''Balanced/Technical/Brute'' faction. Their units require more micromanagement than most but ultimately they have effective answers to nearly anything. However if their units aren't managed well and get caught in unfavorable matchups they tend to fall apart. Their unique battle mechanic, Murderous Prowess, causes an army wide damage bonus once a certain number of units have been killed.
*** Skaven: A ''Spammer/Guerilla/Ranger'' faction. Skaven have huge numbers of incredibly cheap units but make up for it with the ability to ambush other armies while attacking. This represents the idea that Skaven are ''everywhere'' an will come swarming in from all sides. With the Menace From Below faction ability they can even produce free units of infantry anywhere on the map a few times each battle. In campaign their Food mechanic prevents them from holding large amounts of territory encouraging them to sack and raze enemy cities instead of conquering them. With the Prophet & Warlock DLC, the sheer amount of ranged firepower Skaven has shifted their playstyle considerably, coupled with their army's generally better mobility, they're now able to play as a Ranger faction now.
*** Lizardmen: A ''Elite/Brute/Research'' faction. The Lizardmen are a technomagically advanced civilization that has degenerated due to its leaders meditating through millennia of corruption and decay. Their main combat units have become half feral, sometimes going insane in combat and not responding to orders, while lords and heroes wield sophisticated magic. Their settlements can be joined together into a massive Geomantic Web they can use to enhance all aspects of their civilization. Their research is extensive and highly effective.
*** Tomb Kings : A ''Spammer/Technical/Gimmick'' faction. The Tomb Kings are one of the most powerful defensive factions in the game, alongside the Dwarf's. They have access to hordes and hordes of hardy, if offensively weak, skeleton infantry, which can hold enemies in place for long periods of time, whilst their more powerful, and fast units, such as horsemen, and the various constructs can in for the kill. They make heavy use of their lores to further support their skeletons, and make them last longer (whose sustainability is enhanced even ''further'' with their battlefield mechanic, realm of souls). Unlike the Vampire Counts, they do have archers and powerful artillery, which let them turtle even more.

*** The Rogue Armies are nonplayable ''Gimmick'' factions that are totally focused on one particular tactic or theme. For instance: only cavalry, only units that fit a pirate themed, only monsters, hilariously impractical amounts of artillery, and so on.

* ''Super Famicom Wars'' (The Normal COs are Generalists, so this applies to their AI. The Super COs has a special ability viable to the player, making them Game Breakers)
** Yuan Delta - Balanced/Generalist: The most rounded of the Normal COs. And the smartest of them too.

*** Skaven: A ''Spammer/Guerilla'' faction. Skaven have huge numbers of incredibly cheap units but make up for it with the ability to ambush other armies while attacking. This represents the idea that Skaven are ''everywhere'' an will come swarming in from all sides. With the Menace From Below faction ability they can even produce free units of infantry anywhere on the map a few times each battle. In campaign their Food mechanic prevents them from holding large amounts of territory encouraging them to sack and raze enemy cities instead of conquering them.

*** Scotland - Brute[=/=]Specialist (melee infantry): Has some of the best heavy infantry in the game, especially the pikemen, but by far the worst ranged units in the game (their highest-tier archer can't outrange the basic Peasant Crossbowmen!) and below-average cavalry.

** Spain - Guerilla early on, Elitist/Brute Force later: Has some of the best skirmisher units in the game that stay useful throughout the game, but later gets units like Sword & Buckler Men, Tercio Pikemen and Conquistadores once they capture settlements in America.
*** The Turks - Guerrilla/Ranger early on, Brute force/Technician later: Starts out with mostly light infantry and ranged units, later gets Qapukulu, Janissary units and Monster Bombards, a real force to be reckoned with.

*** Mayans/Tlaxcalans/Tarascans (''Americas'') - Spammer/Loyal: Huge units sizes compared to the European factions, but without metal weapons or cavalry. Aztecs also count as a Powerhouse, as they start with as many Regions in their control as the other factions put together.

*** Ireland (''Britannia'') - Guerrilla/Technician: Lots of skirmishers and light troops, very good Calivermen gunpowder units, and some of the best cavalry of all the factions. Unfortunately they lack quality spearmen, and their line infantry are decent but unreliable.
*** Wales (''Britannia'') - Guerrilla/Ranger: Wales has a focus on superior longbowmen (better even than England's) and light infantry, but no real heavy infantry. Many Welsh units have multiple functions; their Magnelwyr gunners for instance also have heavy armour and an axe, so they are quite capable in melee as well.

*** Lithuania (''Teutonic'') - Guerilla/Loyal as Pagans, Generalist as Christians: Unable to stand to the Teutonic Order man-to-man, but with some really mean troops and high-morale religious fanatics. After their conversion to Christianity, they get heavier infantry and some very good gunpowder troops.

** Greeks: Balanced/Unit Specialist
** Egyptians: Spammer/Ranger with a side of Guerrilla
** Norse: Spammer/Brute Force with a side of Technical
** Atlanteans: Elitist/Technical