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Ok, after quite a bit of staring at the codex and the computer, and getting some sound advice, here's what the list for my first Guard army is shaping up to be.

HQ

Company Command Squad – 97
+Bolt Pistol
+Vox-caster
+Master of Ordnance
+Autocannon

Elites

Troops

Veteran Squad – 130
+ Meltagun x3
+ Grenadiers

Veteran Squad – 205
+Meltagun x3
+Autocannon
+Forward Sentries
+Chimera w/Heavy Flamer (replaces heavy bolter)
+Dozer blade

Infantry Platoon

Platoon Command Squad – 47
+Bolt Pistol
+Autocannon
+Vox-caster

Infantry Squad – 110
+Commissar
+Lascannon
+Grenade launcher

Infantry Squad – 75
+Lascannon
+Grenade Launcher

Infantry Squad – 80
+Lascannon
+Grenade launcher
+Vox-caster

Fast Attack

Hellhound – 140
+Dozer Blade

Hellhound – 130


Vendetta – 130

Heavy Support

Leman Russ Demolisher – 165

Leman Russ Executioner – 190



1499


I know there's a bit of bloat in the Vet squads - Grenadiers and Forward Sentries are both there for reasons that are purely fun and fluffy. My question is, overall, does this list look like it will be competitive in friendly pickup games? Does it have balanced anti-vehicle, anti-infantry, and anti-horde firepower? If so, credit where credit is due: Lt Lathrop, makr, and I-bounty-hunt-the-elderly helped me quite a bit with this list. If not, the blame is mine - I'm the eternal noob.

Any input at all is much appreciated, as always!

Master of Ordnance isn't worth it. Trust me, I've played him throughout an entire League at my FLGS and I never hit what I wanted, or anything for that matter.

And I know you have a Chimera, but you have an AC and 3 Meltas in the same squad... I personally wouldn't do this. Choose one or the other. If you choose Meltas, change the rest of the Vets to Shotguns, and give them Demolitions (Shotguns, so you can still shoot twice at whatever, you don't have to, but it's more assault oriented. And take Demolitions incase your Meltas don't do their job)

Keep the CCS within the center of the squads of your Platoon, cuz you WILL want to order them with BiD! seeing as they're BS3. And in fact, put the CCS's AC in the hands of one of the platoon squads, and take their LC and put it in the CCS (cuz they have Vets)

And don't worry about taking Grenadiers. As mentioned earlier about the League I was in, I haven't used Grenadiers since that and my army has still done just as great (of course, I field more LR, and have an assaulty unit and a full-out gunline)

And don't forget to put Voxes in your regular squads too, otherwise the vox in your command squad doesn't do anything but take up 5 points.

ifyouseekamy: he's got a vox to serve the blobbed infantry platoon - i think he's not voxed the veteran squads because they will be going forward to attack the enemy (away from the static command squads) and won't get out of their vehicles until they are almost certainly out of order range.

I appreciate the credit given for my advice! But I take no responsibility for the following upgrades: grenadiers, forward sentries, master of ordnance, bolt pistols, autocannon on melta-veterans. Ifyouseekamy was right about these.

MoO is so reliably inaccurate as to be useless except against an army that deploys in a massive sprawling horde, and even then you don't know what he's going to end up hitting.

Heavy weapons are a mistake in that sort of veteran squad, they need to be moving from turn 1 to fulfill their mission.

Grenadiers and forward sentries do not help the squad at all until their ride is blown up. They're just not very efficient on mechanised squads. It's perfectly acceptable to use heavy-armoured models as veterans, or model troops with heavy camoflauge gear, and not use the special rules available - no need to put yourself under an artificial handicap.

Bolt pistols - I would only ever, ever take these if I had a couple unused points. And I never would, because all the normal choices in the codex have points costs ending in 5! I can't think of a single 5-point upgrade that is worth less than 2 bolt pistols (hmmmmm . . . maybe sniper rifles . . . I'll get back to you on that)

If you cut those upgrades you have 104 points in hand. What new unit would you prefer? Maybe swap a hellhound for either a vendetta or valk w/MRPs, and then buy a vet squad to ride in it. Or buy one of the cheap heavy support choices, or a HWS, whatever floats your boat.

I'd also switch the executioner for a LRBT w/plasma sponsons. Same cost, still 3 templates, one of them is much bigger.

Not bad, not bad. I agree that the bloat in the VS's is a problem, like it has been said the forward sentries/grenadiers are useless till they get out of the chimera - go with demos for the mounted squad. The MoO is pretty unreliable - but hey it's a 30pt pieplate that pins and doesn't need LoS!

I-bounty-hunt-the-elderly wrote:
Grenadiers and forward sentries do not help the squad at all until their ride is blown up. They're just not very efficient on mechanised squads. It's perfectly acceptable to use heavy-armoured models as veterans, or model troops with heavy camoflauge gear, and not use the special rules available - no need to put yourself under an artificial handicap.

Wow. I can't believe I never thought of that, it's so simple. I even play with a very friendly, informal group. I'll just field the Kasrkin as regular vets. I could easily swap out the MoO for another advisor, to be honest I think I'm just infatuated with the idea of them. Maybe I'll try an astropath. If I do that, should I swap out one Hellhound for another Vendetta to mount my second vet squad? And if so, what do I use to replace the anti-infantry punch that the Hellhound packed? Like you said, I've got about 105 points to play with here. It's something for me to think on, I guess!

If you're outflanking two vet squads, the Astropath will be helpful. Why not make it a Valk with rockets and even HB sponson's (a little expensive maybe).