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For tournaments does anyone bother with IG Infantry Platoons anymore instead of a couple more vet squads? All I can think of is holding your deployment zone and 4x Flamer PHQ in a chimera.
I don't have enough chimera for all my infantry now, but after a couple games it seems like it would be better to just replace them with more vets instead of fleshing out the platoon with more guys or mechanizing them. I like the flamer hq and would love to use my lascannon models somewhere but it doesn't seem worth it. Is there a use for them still I am missing?

The extra HWS and SWS mean you could get more big weapons on the field, the PCS helps tactically with the orders, and more boots on the ground always helps. Unless you have a specific task in mind for them, I think the Platoon is more flexible and durable.

That's all I take. My opponents hate those 30-man merged squads. And yes, I win games and tourneys with them.

I still really like fielding one infantry platoon in my guard army. Never more than the minimum size, but they are great for sitting back and holding your own objective. When you have 12+ tanks running across the table at your opponent, usually the last thing they have time for are the 20 guardsmen sitting on an objective.

Especially early in the game, throwing some down range lascannon shots with either re-rolls to hit or on cover saves can really help to take out enemy transports, especially smoke popping ones.

Like it's been said, best to use them in a relatively static role. While your tanks are the real hard hitters those massed combined infantry squads are going to be your primary objective-achievers. When you take that many wounds, park them and cover, and remember that orders give them the ability to better benefit from going to ground or double their volume of fire, that objective is yours for the rest of the game, hands down.

I take one platoon of 30 in my mostly mechanized army. The thinking is that I can cluster them around valuable tanks like Leman Russ Executioners so that enemies can't get into the 6" melta death zone or assault it.

I give them a vox so I can use BiD more effectively and 3 lascannons, and deploy them something like this:

X = Lascannon
V = Important Vehicle, list Executioner, PBS chimera, etc
- = Lasgunners

x-----x-------x
-V- -V-
--- ---

That way, the vehicles are protected, and because you resolve each weapon separately against vehicles at least one of those lascannons will always be getting a nice side armor shot - something you can't always pull off with a Vendetta.

Edit: My diagram isn't turning out correctly, Dakka is taking out all the spaces - but I think you get the gist.

30 guardsmen with a commisar is pretty good at camping an objective in cover. You can add auto cannons or las cannons to twin link with the bring it down order. If you are using Creed or Straken, power weapons on the sarges and the commisar gives you a bit more bite.

The two problems I found with infantry platoons is
1. Requires Cover. If they don't have cover they die really fast. This sometimes is a problem at tournaments where they have sparse terrain and you somehow got the side or corner with almost no terrain.
2. You have to have your command squad baby sit them for orders with the range restrictions unless you are running Creed so your not running out and meltaing or burning something with your 4 meltas or 4 flamers.

I too have been using a dismounted 35-trooper platoon in support of my mounted squads.

Since I play a Tallarn army my dismounted platoon takes Al'Rahem and thus can outflank. I take him with a CCS with 4 meltaguns in support of a mobbed up 30 trooper platoon with 3 flamers and a commissar.

When the platoon outflanks (with the support of an astropath) they generally either get their points back or, due to their stubborn ability, they will tie down the enemy and keep them from reaching my gun line (in effect, getting their points back).

However, I have to admit that since the Chimera got so cheap in the new codex I have gradually been shifting to a mostly mechanized gun line with very few squads sitting out in the open. I am a victim of IG metagame--although I prefer mounted line platoons to mounted vet squads. I only tend to use dismounted squads in my gun line when I am playing my all-infantry variants.

-Tallarn Commander

IG, "We are many. They are few."

Do you use vehicle support, TC?

Platoons, the new conscripts.
Without Al'Rehem, they are very static, but being the only way to get HWS and the cheapest way to get bodies on the table, a platoon is a good investment.

Man the new 'dex sucks. Stronger yes, but I simply cannot look at it without getting angry.

one platoon is great, just don't expect them to step out of cover/dz and survive.

a platoon squad with a ML on either flank will either bog down flankers or be allowed to shuffle up and get side shots on transports/lurk near objectives!

You cannot get a better rule than the "Combined Squads" rule. With the right support, we can beat orks at their own game! That is, any game that doesnt involve them being T4 (and not their puny T3).

Before the addition of a furious charge giver (or priest, if I'm honest) a proper 50man blob assault squad (with 1 fox, flamers, commissar, 6 power weapons and 1 squad krak grenade team) costs 7.7pts/man. A full 30man boyz squad with a nob, pk, bp and 3 big shootas will cost 7.83(333) so it can be done and done cheaply.

In reality tho there are two factors; Guard are only good in 30+ size squads (meaning you do have to spend 255pt minimum compared to the ork 235pt), they are not T4 and they are just not self-contained win; whilst they could beat boys point for point they need backup and without that support they become very sub par very quickly. Oh and you always need to spend that pesky 30+pts on a PCS, further increases that minimum expensive threshold.

Platoons are also still very good at their traditional roles of sitting on objectives and providing fire support. I keep mine cheap with autocannons and grenade launchers.

Platoons also let you buy one of the most efficient units in the codex: a PCS with four flamers and a chimera. 105pts for some hot burning death. I'm also starting to prefer special weapon squads in my valks instead of vets.

Polonius wrote:Platoons are also still very good at their traditional roles of sitting on objectives and providing fire support. I keep mine cheap with autocannons and grenade launchers.

Platoons also let you buy one of the most efficient units in the codex: a PCS with four flamers and a chimera. 105pts for some hot burning death. I'm also starting to prefer special weapon squads in my valks instead of vets.

AC's are good. If i was thinking with my last post i would have said AC's not ML's , 2 AC shots w/ 50% chance to hit vs 1 Krak missile w/ 50% chance to hit, you'll probably get more results with the AC (vs transports)

Platoons definitely have a role in the top armies, considering the ard boyz winner took one.

http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2009/09/40k-ard-boys-armylist-leafblower.html

Imo the breakdown is this for mech lists

The Good (lots of suicide killy for points):
4x flamer PCS in chimera

flamer/demo SWS in valk

The average:
Cheap scoring units to sit in DZ/cover/etc with some light fire support
------
Vets are better if you want to use it for antitank, and tanks are better for sustained killy. However for suicide anti-infantry attacks and camping objectives, the platoon is better.

The oldest statement in the book....It depends on how you play. Mech armies need the extra flexibility offered by vets in smaller mountable units. Feilding a platoon to hold your objective wouldn't be a bad idea but any more would be a waste. If your a gunline army however, you need the exta heavy weapons and boots to cover them. For gun line armies infantry platoons are almost essential although I have seen a few varients where gun lines havn't used platoons at all and done well