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We all know the line that BA have taken a bit of a knock, and one obvious way to bring some seriously required long range fire power is through allies, specifically the Emperor’s finest Imperial Guard!

I'm seriously running some IG allies, but don't know where to go precisely...

I think at various levels of play I'd bring 500, 750 or 1000 pts of IG with a BA force, I foresee the troops sitting on the home objective whilst my BAs make the normal moves forward.

I've been pouring over the codex and making mental notes about what seems excellent (Yes I've seen the Vendetta!), but I'm unsure exactly what to run and how to synergise them with my BA.

I'm think CCS with Plasma & Las cannon for starters, but troops is tricky. Vets seem easier, but an Infantry Platoon would leave alot of bodies covering the home objective (since IG aren't as durable as PA dudes I don't want them to get pushed around and off my objective). The trouble with the Platoon at least at the 500pts level is doesn't leave much room for anything else.

The only other slot that really matters is Heavy Support, and I can't decided between Ordnance Squadrons or Leman Russ Squadrons?

Anyway. List ideas and general tactics/how to synergise the forces would be great!

Go Dakka!

D

The IG have a great number of tools for different roles, so really you're best looking at what you're missing from your main BA force and trying to fill the gap.

...yes, yes, I know - shooting as opposed to assault. But I'm talking more specific than that. Having trouble with large mobs? Take a massed lasgun infantry platoon, large blast artillery, perhaps a Hellhound or Leman Russ Punisher. Can't take out fliers? Take a Vendetta (which is something of a default answer these days), or sit a smallish unit of infantry on an ADL with a quad-gun.

To go into a bit more detail on some particular things you've mentioned...
CCS with plasma and lascannon is indeed a good start but don't be afraid to strip these off if you're stuck for points. Special weapons are slightly more durable in platoons where there are more expendable grunts to get in the way.
You can avoid the cost of taking an entire platoon by taking Vets, conscripts or Penal Legion and keeping to small units - this is for sitting on home objectives, preferably out of sight or in deep cover otherwise. With an assault-oriented force like BA most of the action will be between the opponent's deployment zone and the middle of the table, so they're less likely to get picked on unless your opponent's using Deep Strike or something that ignores terrain.
When given the choice, take a Leman Russ chassis option over the equivalent Chimera chassis for the same role. The only exception is if you can take more of the Chimera variant in a squadron in the same slot - the extra armour is too useful otherwise, and you also have more leeway with sponson options.

Lastly - while diverging a bit from the point of the thread, don't forget that BA do have shooty options of their own. If the list is built for it, they can rival normal Marines in all areas save the Thunderfire cannon and Vulkan's shenanigans - they don't HAVE to be built for close combat.

Melta CCS in Vendetta because a Vendetta is the main reason to take IG and you want some useful troops inside it.

Veteran squad with 3x plasma, LC, Harker and camo cloaks for a 2+ cover save behind your aegis line. Durable against shooting, good firepower, and you're playing BA so your opponent should be too busy dealing with your aggressive infantry to even think about assaulting an objective holder in the back corner of the table.

Total cost: 440 points. Add Marbo (a nice blast weapon) to make it 505 (your cheapest level), and then you can start adding heavy support at the 750/1000 point level.

@Peregrine

Blobs are the reason to take IG as a BA player. Not vendettas. They already have an excellent air support flyer.

So, blobs for the BA libbies to hide in and prescience.

 Hulksmash wrote:
They already have an excellent air support flyer.

An adequate flyer you mean. Storm Ravens aren't terrible, but they can't match the sheer efficiency of the Vendetta.

So, blobs for the BA libbies to hide in and prescience.

Not awful in theory (though I have to question how point efficient your psykers are once you've spent so much on protecting them), but the OP wants cheap allies. A proper blob + basic HQ is going to cost 400+ points, which doesn't leave room for the tanks the OP wants to bring at the same time.

Actually that is a very good suggestion Peregrine.

Super Ready is correct in that you have to be more specific in what you want from the IG allies.

The IG can do alot of bodies and alot of fire power but you have to decide what you need to support the rest of your list.

The two "standard" answers are;
1)
Infantry Platoon option 505 pts
3x Infantry Squad Lascannon/plasgun (blob)
PCS 4x flamer*(deployed in vendetta)
Primaris psyker
Vendetta*

This option needs a libby with prescience to babysit the blob. 30 bodies with ATSKNF in cover is arguably more survivable that pretty much any 10 man squad and they put out a decent amount of dakka with prescience. The vendetta is broken good and the CCS is nice for late game objective snatches and wiping hordes from the board. The primaris psyker is good with biomancy in the blob and will ocasionally role the right power and make them broken good.

The option scales easily by just adding a manticore, add more vendettas with special weapon demo or flamer squads in them, or simply expanding your blob with more infantry squads.

2)
Elite option (Peregrine gave a pretty good one)
Harker squad is pretty good here with a vendetta/manticore. This one is much more variable and is almost completely up to the list needs.

The way I see it, BA have some fun toys and options but come up short on Troops and HQ's.

Sure the HQ's are good (a Div Libbie, reverting to stock powers as and when needed) but they have poor options. A libbie with.. assault marines? Death Company? Its like its making an okay option worse.

With even a small blob of two Infantry Squads, a couple of heavy weapons and maybe a few special weapons, I can see the librarian working well. This leaves you points to invest into additional troops and toys from your BA list.

Best thing is, IG have very flexible FOC slots. A meched vet squad, mech CCS, mech flamer PCS and an infantry blob. Or whatever, but those 2 troop slots afford you great versatility where with other armies it can be a very limiting factor.

Edit: And depending what you do, the IG HQ can be a very versatile unit too. Often I've found with allied detachments, the two HQ's try to, or can only, fill the same roll.

In the lists I run I have a serious lack of AP2 weapons and lack the ability pop to (high armour) vechicles from range (atleast until my Stormraven arrives, if I'm playing at that point level) so I can see IG filling that role, plasma in the back to counter ds termies and Lascannons for popping vehicles/walking termies. Are heavy weapon teams worth taking in a platoon, specifically lascannons?

I can see my libby being put to good use with the platoon and prescience as mentioned and giving them ATSKNF, which I assume wil only go to the unit the libby joins rather that the whole blob as suggeted earlier?

In regard to the ccs is the regimental standard worth taking? Or vox casters?

D

 evildrcheese wrote:
In the lists I run I have a serious lack of AP2 weapons and lack the ability pop to (high armour) vechicles from range (atleast until my Stormraven arrives, if I'm playing at that point level) so I can see IG filling that role, plasma in the back to counter ds termies and Lascannons for popping vehicles/walking termies. Are heavy weapon teams worth taking in a platoon, specifically lascannons?

I can see my libby being put to good use with the platoon and prescience as mentioned and giving them ATSKNF, which I assume wil only go to the unit the libby joins rather that the whole blob as suggeted earlier?

In regard to the ccs is the regimental standard worth taking? Or vox casters?

D

I've actually used BA allies (with primary IG) as an AP2 response force with good results. I've found that 2 units of 5 Assault Marines, each with a plasma gun, in las/plas Razorbacks is very effective at reacting to threats like deep striking units and Terminators. Being able to move 12" and fire both weapons on the Razorback at full BS has been a nice bonus in 6th edition. The combo isn't amazing by any means, but it's effective and fairly inexpensive.

The IG book has so many useful squads for the BA, this could go on a while.

Obvious takes like the Vendetta and maybe a blob are one thing, but in other lists, even the humble Chimera is a welcome addition.

As to the point Super Ready made, I am shooting with BA more and more. and actively seeking out HTH less and less.

I've been looking at IG to help out against armies that like to turtle behind defense lines. I was thinking a Basilisk squadron would be a great addition. I'd give up bringing a Vendetta though, things add up real quick.

the thought of me diluting my BA with IG....GAG