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hi, new to the forum, currently ive only played fantasy and I want to start an astra militarum ...cough cough ...(IMPERIAL GUARD) ...army, I don't have any models but ive ordered the codex, but I have no idea whats hot and whats not,
so can any IG players out there help me put together a small force so I can get gluing and painting?

i want to make a list that has a decent amount of troops in, meat shields or whatever, i like the appeal of having lots of men that all die...every game. i also really like the weapons teams, autocannons? (blame dawn of war for this) and then a nice mix of tanks, i don't the idea of spamming the best, even if it does mean i die more then win.

points wise i would say id go for a 1000 pointish list... so if anyone can help/tell me what to buy and how too play a list like this then im all ears
(ps no fliers)

thanks

I'd start buy scrolling a little down the forums page. There are several sub forums dedicated to 40k, such as a general, tactics and list building. Any one of those will be able to help you.
You've posted in Dakka general, which is not for any single game specific threads.

I second the suggestion. Maybe ask a mod to move this for you.

As to your question, it depends on your budget, really. If you want to go heavily into infantry, then the platoons become a heavy tax that you pay for before adding cooler items. And at 1000 points, you won't have much left for snazzy stuff.

A good way to start IG is with a Cadian Defence Force, a Chimera and an Infantry Squad. With the little tweak of adding the HWTs to your Infantry Squads, and using the leftover bodies to make a Platoon Command Squad, you can do this:

Company Command Squad, Chimera

Infantry Platoon
- Platoon Command Squad
-2x Infantry Squads

Veteran Squad, Chimera

Leman Russ


Kitted out, this comes to between 750-850 points, and gives you a good base to build any kind of IG army. Depending on the direction you want to go, your remaining points could be spent on another Russ, another Vet squad, expanding the Platoon, or adding in something like some Scions or Ogryn ect.

Hope that helps!

Yup, let's see if this can be moved to 40k tactics.

Many people playing with IG infantry use the tactic of 'blobbing' - combining the infantry squads in a unit into one big unit, throwing in a commissar to give them Ld bonuses and adding some power weapons and flamers. It becomes a very tough unit to kill in assault, and much easier to give orders to, since it only needs to pass a single test.

If you go this way, you'll need some decent weapons for killing heavy infantry, flyers and tanks at range, since those aren't really the job of the infantry.

Auto cannon heavy weapon squads are ok, but could die quite easily. Leman Russ tanks with battle cannons, demolishers, or plasma weapons are good anti-marine and very tough. Devil dogs might be good anti-tank, and Vendettas would give you a good anti-flyer option which can also shoot at regular vehicles.

Your command squads (you'll have at least we including the HQ) could either follow behind blobs to give them orders, or tool them up with multiple special weapons (melta guns!!)and have them jump out of the Vendettas to eliminate key units.