Space Marines Or Imperial Guard

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**Apostle Pat**

My question is which would be a fun army to play, Space Marines or Imperial Guard? I don't mind the assembly/painting parts so based on their stats which would it be?

**Lord_Astaroth**

Both are good armies, and both are relatively common, though Space Marines are more common than Guard. Depends on what you like. Are you about to get into the hobby having never played before? If so, Marines are pretty forgiving. Tough all around. Guard are nice too if you like range and tanks, but the basic troop suffers a little, but there are hoards of them.

**Karosok**

I love my guard. Space Marines are fine too. But I wouldn't take any other army than the Emperor's Hammer.

**TheBlackVanguard**

Yes this question severely depends on you.

Space Marines can sit there for quite a while and take quite a bit of beating while giving almost as much (if not more) than they get.

Not to mention Marines won't get sweeped away in CC they'll at least be able to hold their own.

Imperial Guard are a real tank/artillery army with billions of options and loadouts which is what makes them popular, the customization.

So do you prefer being superhumans or the guys with the biggest guns on the field?

**Apostle Pat**

I think you just answered the question for me Vangard haha, I'd like to stick to an army that is forgiving since I've just started getting into Warhammer. I'd also like to keep the army count down, not too fond of Hordes of guys so I'm definitely leaning towards the Space Marines.

Thank you guys for your opinions, they helped quite a bit.

**Sageheart**

imperial guard is by far better.

one part i love is when you make a save with the IG, its a beautiful feeling because you aren't expecting too. whereas with space marines if you make a save its normal, which makes the unmade save much more devastating. I would rather have good surprises than bad ones.

and with IG there is this great feeling of having an army of every-day men wearing cardboard armor and wielding a flashlight fighting huge demon armies, and 8 foot super-warriors and crazy planet eating aliens. it just adds a nice touch to the game for me

of course this could just be late night rambling haha

**Commissar Agro**

my first army was guard, it still is.
my friends collect SM or CSM. then another got elder and nids.
but I enjoy playing guard, it is fun and the amount of fire is insane, I love the feeling when i make a save cause i was expecting the guy to die.
But with 3 out of 5 (the elder plays also plays SM) people in my group playng some kind of marine army it gets anyoying with all the power armour but me and my friends agree it gets kind of anyoying, "oh i shot X amount of shots at you and oh he saves it all".

I would say Guard. sure In my first 2 games I was wishing for some power armour but then i got tanks and I have never looked back!

**Dedrith**

I'd go with IG. Space Marines are very boring in comparison.

**s2ua7**

IG all the way!!

**Apostle Pat**

Awwww you guys put me back on the fence hahahaha. The reason I was considering the IG was cause of the sweet tanks they have, I also saw the new Sprue they have for the Leman Russ (sp?) and it looked pretty cool.

**lord17c**

I would have to agree, the IG might give you more fun for both the game and model building. I have played SM for some time and Ive found that thier minis, even with the options with the different chapters, makes them all feel about the same when im painting them. I've started orks, and love the way that the minis work and look. The looted wagons are even more awesome, cause I can take any tank in the game and use it.

P.S. Just keep in mind, the minis will die, expect that and the games will be more fun.

**JSK-Fox**

I personally advocate Spehss Mahreenz, because when you have half as many models on the field, that are killing everything without breaking a sweat, you feel awesome.
Except when that gretchin mob shoots 10 shots, gets 10 hits, 10 wounds, and your 5 termies decide that now would be a nice time to fail all saves possible.

But with imperial guard, you pretty much have to let models die by the dozen.

Your choice, though.

**Sageheart**

but having the IG die by the dozen isn't too much of a problem when you get them for 5 points a model. you get a ton of customization within the IG codex. You can have an air cav regiment, or max out on tanks or infantry, or have artillery, or use a ton of the fun unusual units such as stormtroopers, psykers, rough riders, etc. to make an interesting fluffy army and add a different feeling to the army.

I have played Space Marines and IG for the past 5 years and i constantly get bored of marines no matter how i reformat the army, whereas i am always coming up with new ideas to make a new IG army, and love making a fluffy army for them while space marines just seem to have all the choices made for you.

**Shas'O Dorian**

Play IG, anything so there's one less marine army out there.

**radiohazard**

IG are fun on a destruction factor - The destruction of your opponent.

We have a player at our LGS who has beaten 80% of our players by turn 2.

Yup - IG are fun to play as, but not against.

**Apostle Pat**

radiohazard wrote:IG are fun on a destruction factor - The destruction of your opponent.

We have a player at our LGS who has beaten 80% of our players by turn 2.

Yup - IG are fun to play as, but not against.

Wow this kinda surprises me, I'm still fairly new to the game so in terms of gameplay does this person have a lot of experience under his belt to be able to pull a Turn 2 win off? At the moment I play against my friend who also just started playing as Tau and our mutual friend mjl7atlas who plays Space Marines and who got us both into 40k. I'd like to beat the Vet, but for now I'm just trying to win against Tau. I have some Eldar pieces, enough for a 750 army but the different Chapters of Space Marines and the cool IG are the two I'd like to use. So far I hear that IG is a real pain to build just because there is so much to buy compared to say Space Marines. I'm definitely in love with the Leman Russ tanks and the artillery units used in the IG armys though.

**Commissar Agro**

Don't forget Creed!

**Apostle Pat**

I haven't read much about Creed for the IG, what is it exactly? Special Ability???

**Commissar Agro**

Creed is the lord calestran of cadia, he is a special character that can replace your commany comander (HQ).
he has the special rule: tactical genius which alows a single unit to have USR scout for the duration of the battle.
he can give 4 orders a turn.
orders are good. ever want to fire 30 shots from that infantry squad when it rapid fires. well now you can.

He is also used as a joke on this forum alot.
for example: it would take some sort of tactical geni-CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED!

**Apostle Pat**

LOL, thanks for the info about Creed...it will make a lot of sense when I see that on the Forum.

**Rube**

Creed can make Baneblades and Titans outflank enemy armies. Not horses though, that would be stupid.

Yeah, pick IG. They allow for more personality and customisation, and you won't be playing a carbon-copy of every other 12 year olds bland Ultramarine or Blood Angles army. If you like tanks you can make an armored company; take vets in Chimaeras as your troop choices, and fill your fast and heavy slots with up to 18 tanks.

**Apostle Pat**

18 tanks!?...what point army would that be??

**Terminus**

You can fit 15 into a 2000-point list without trying too hard.

CCS w/ 3x Plasmaguns, Vox, Chimera

Inquisitor w/ 3x Veterans with Plasmaguns, 2x Mystics, Auspex

PCS w/ 4x Flamers, Chimera
Infantry Squad w/ Autocannon, Flamer, Chimera
Infantry Squad w/ Autocannon, Vox, Chimera

PCS w/ 3x Meltaguns, Vox, Chimera
Infantry Squad w/ Autocannon, Flamer, Chimera
Infantry Squad w/ Autocannon, Vox, Chimera

Veteran Squad w/ 3x Meltaguns, Demolitions, Vox, Chimera

3x Vendettas
2x Manticores
2x Hydras

2000 points, 15 vehicles, lots of guns

**JohnHwangDD**

If you can't decide, Go GUARD!!!

**lord17c**

Apostle Pat wrote:18 tanks!?...what point army would that be??

to blow your enemy up, alot, over and over and over. 18 thanks, hmm. I might have to try that out.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
wait, is that a apoc formation, or is it in the codex?

**Rube**

Apostle Pat wrote:18 tanks!?...what point army would that be??

A lot. For the cheapest HQ, 2 vet squads in Chimaeras, 9 Hellhounds, and 9 Lemon Russes you're looking at ~2800pts. It is legal in a single FoC though, a good example of how many tanks are possible in a IG army!

**eldarbgamer13**

IG cause it is fun to watch most of the enemies berzerkers or whatever get gunned down and the leftover models then try to charge the guardsman and they get a bayonet to the face...good times, good times.

**TheBlackVanguard**

IG will die quickly but they definitely look cool if not play cool on the board. You will definitely have your own flavor to your army.

If I were to turn my back on the dark side I'd go IG

**Terminus**

With DKOK, the IG have the best-looking models available out of any faction. Period.

**JohnHwangDD**

Apostle Pat wrote:18 tanks!?...what point army would that be??

1x CCS (Chimera, 4 Plasma) = 165

2x Platoon (3 Chimeras each, 4 Plasma, 2x 1 Melta) = 750

1+1 Hellhound (Meltablast) = 240

3+3+3 Leman Russ = 1350

18 Tanks = 2505

Trim some of the Infantry guns, and 18 Tanks are definitely doable in 2500 pts.