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So I have spent a lot of time toying with lists, weighing fluff and comparing how competitive my proposed army could be. I believe I have found a good 'template' list from which I think I can reduce, add and tweak to my hearts content.

Anyway I want to do a little bit of an overview of the fluff and style I was going for as well as the concerns and goals I had in terms of tabletop performance. As far as fluff goes, I wanted to keep this army as close to the makeup of Easy Company (from WWII). Now this immediately presented me with two general organization options:

First, I could go Vets in Valks and have a literal "airborne" army. Now to me this seemed a bit skewed in terms of the fluff. Yes I would have my elite soldiers dropping from the skies. But Valks allow for me to jump back in and also provide a substantial amount of covering fire/support. While this isn't a deal breaker, it just didn't sit 100% well with me. Now I can always re-visit this idea, and buy the Valks to add to the army, so skipping it now isn't exactly mutually exclusive.

Second, I could go all infantry gun line. After my first reaction to a literal "airborne" army, this seemed like the way to go. Fluffwise, it represents Easy after making a jump. Remember, Easy only made two combat jumps (one into France and the other into Holland I believe). In between they were on foot, being transported in duce-and-a-halves. So all infantry made sense there. Now I have heard that the name of the game in 5th Edition is tanks (I haven't played since 4th and my experience there is limited at best). And that the all infantry guard army isn't as competitively viable. This concerned me because I want to balance the fluff of the army with how effective it is. I don't want to play a fluffy guard army that gets swept every time!

In response to this, I considered using a semi-mech guard army. Representing Easy being dropped off at a battle. I could use Chimeras for either Vets or even partially mechanized platoons. However at the end of the day, I didn't like the inconsistency. I didn't want an entirely mounted army - it screamed Steel Legion to me, and I didn't want a partially mounted army - I feel it takes away from the strong theme. So I decided to go with an all infantry army with a few key exceptions and stipulations:

1. At the base level, the army will not include any armor. This includes Chimeras, any sort of Tank or mounted artillery. At the smaller point levels I don't think this will be a huge handicap for me. At higher incarnations of the army (1500+) I will include armored artillery pieces such as Basilisks or Medusas (representing Easy's access to artillery backup). Tanks like LR will be avoided almost entirely. However if I ever do want to add one, I figure I can do its markings like it is a separate attachment - which is I believe how it actually does work in the Guard and in the US forces in Europe.

2. Heavy weapons and special weapons will be representative of what was available to Easy (comparatively so). This means for heavy weapons: Heavy Bolters, Missile Launchers and Mortars (Las and Plas are out and Easy didn't really have anti-tank guns like the AC). For special weapons: Grenade Launchers and Sniper Rifles. Again Plasma Guns and Melta Guns are out. Easy didn't really use flamers so I don't plan on using those either. I would like to sneak a Shifty Powers into the army somewhere with a sniper rifle but pretty much grenade launchers are the bread and butter.

3. I originally didn't want to include any Commissars, because killing an officer REALLY doesn't fit with the US Airborne. However, someone pointed out that I could include only one Commissar and have him represent Lieutenant Spears! While I don't think I will use him in sub 1500pt battles, I really like the idea of using Spears. If he has to "replace" an officer, it's more like when he relieves "Foxhole Norman" in the assault on Foy.

Soooooo... after all that thought, and a few conversations with other IG players at my FLGS, here is what I have come up with for a 1500 point base list. Please let me know what you think in terms of:
a) it being fluffy
b) it being viable competitively on the table
c) any ideas you may have I haven't thought of
d) overall impressions and input - I put a lot of thought into a list, and love considering new ideas, so throw them at me!

Easy Company - 1500pts

CCS (190pts)
-Major Winters (Creed Character)
-Nixon (Master of the Ordinance)
-Regimental Standard (not totally sold on this one so very flexible)
-Vox Caster

1st Platoon
PCS (60pts)
-Power Weapon
-Grenade Launcher x3
-Vox Caster

First Squad (75pts)
-Missile Launcher
-Grenade Launcher
-Vox Caster

Second Squad (75pts)
-Missile Launcher
-Grenade Launcher
-Vox Caster

Third Squad (70pts)
-Heavy Bolter
-Grenade Launcher
-Vox Caster

Heavy Weapons Team (60pts)
-Mortar x3

Heavy Weapons Team (60pts)
-Mortar x3

Heavy Weapons Team (75pts)
-Heavy Bolter x3

Heavy Weapons Team (90pts)
-Missile Launcher x3

Heavy Weapons Team (90pts)
-Missile Launcher x3

2nd Platoon
PCS (60pts)
-Power Weapon
-Grenade Launcher x3
-Vox Caster

First Squad (75pts)
-Missile Launcher
-Grenade Launcher
-Vox Caster

Second Squad (75pts)
-Missile Launcher
-Grenade Launcher
-Vox Caster

Third Squad (70pts)
-Heavy Bolter
-Grenade Launcher
-Vox Caster

Heavy Weapons Team (60pts)
-Mortar x3

Heavy Weapons Team (60pts)
-Mortar x3

Heavy Weapons Team (75pts)
-Heavy Bolter x3

Heavy Weapons Team (90pts)
-Missile Launcher x3

Heavy Weapons Team (90pts)
-Missile Launcher x3

To summarize:
16 Missile Launchers
8 Heavy Bolters
12 Mortars
12 Grenade Launchers

I like it rly cool but a single LR is your worst nightmare lol. Throw in a melta or 2 maybe a couple lascannons and it'll be rounded out. Right now yor just hoping to Immobilise it through shree wieght of missles lol.

CajunMan550 wrote:I like it rly cool but a single LR is your worst nightmare lol. Throw in a melta or 2 maybe a couple lascannons and it'll be rounded out. Right now yor just hoping to Immobilise it through shree wieght of missles lol.

Very true, AV14 is my "Achilles Heel" as it were. I figure that by 1500pts I can expect to see at least a few AV14 vehicles. At first I plan on just dealin' with it. That is, doing my best to crack it with missiles (I do have quite a few). I figure that armor was Easy Company's problem as well, so I can live with it. If it turns out to be a real pain in my side, I can always drop a few Heavy Weapon Squads and throw a Medusa with bastion breacher shells in there (I love the uber-death that this thing drops).

You may want to cut out some of the platoons for Veteran Squads. They would be able to load up on 3 Meltas per squad. You would have to bring another HQ squad to get the numbers you are looking for. Easy Company were elite veteran troops and i think the 4BS of the Vet squads would better suit it.

Say 5 Vet squads with 1 Heavy weapon squad heavy platoon.

Nah stay away from tanks I like this army without them just at least get some meltas. And dont go all vets easy was not a bunch of vets lol.

I gotta admit, this army looks pretty fun. If you're really trying to stay in the realm of realism, you could give vets demolitions doctrine instead of meltas and hope a tank passes by them. Of course now were moving into Saving Private Ryan territory . Either way I like the list. I don't think it would hurt you to add a bare bones LR under the guise that it was one of the British tanks supporting them on one of their attacks. I remember that in one of the episodes.

All in all, I like the list. Now we just have to wait for a "The Pacific" list to come out. That would be a fun one to do as well.

@Dogface: I agree that Easy had special training and that by the end of the war the Toccoa guys were def. veterans. However at first they were all green, even with their training. And at the end of the war, they had new guys mixed in with the vets, not all the vets consolidated into one unit. Also I still want to avoid melta guns, as effective as they are. A few games against some tanks may yet change my mind tho.

@CajunMan: Don't worry I will be staying away from tanks. Are you referring to the Medusa or Basilisk?

@WhiteWolf: I have actually thought about that! I was thinking maybe krak grenades (modeled as the yellow sticks of TNT) but I have heard krak grenades aren't that effective. If anyone could attest to this I would appreciate it.

Thanks for the input/ideas/responses guys!

I like the concept, but shouldn't an Airborne unit have something to jump out of... like say, Valkyries?

Kilgore19d wrote:I like the concept, but shouldn't an Airborne unit have something to jump out of... like say, Valkyries?

If you check my OP, I initially considered this. But really, it doesn't totally fit the theme as well as I would like. If there was some sort of unarmed (very cheap points-wise) flyer that would just drop troops and be done, I might consider it. But the Valk is just too much of a support craft. I think it would fit more with Air Cav. Very much like the Marines in "We Were Soldiers". +++Must resist urge to start planning second army+++

ok, krak grenades aren't that effective. If the vehicle moved they won't all hit and the best they could do is glance armor 12.

The valks wouldn't fit in. Jumps in WW2 were from planes that were unarmed (at least most of the time) and the whole hover aspect doesn't make since for it either.

Well, Demolitions doctrine also get melta bombs and a demo charge which the airborn would have definitely had (i.e. the demo charge, not melta bombs ). But the melta bombs you could say are sticky bombs. They are far better than krak grenades with Str 8+2d6 pen. and are melta. Perfect for taking out those pesky Panther tanks, I mean...er LR.

I like the name, best IG company name ive heard in ages. now you just need A Dog company for penals

@EmpBobo: Sad to hear krak aren't all they are 'kraked' up to be (no, no one has actually talked them up to me, I just couldn't resist a terrible pun. Maybe too much 40k Radio lately).

@WhiteWolf: I like that option but it would require vets. I may add them at a higher point level with Bastogne as a leader.

@Howkins: I actually have flirted with the idea of expanding the army to resemble parts of the entire US European theater army. Elements of Patton's 3rd, landing craft, etc. But that is far, far away.

Yeah, problem with WW2-analogue IG is that the most natural weapons - missiles, mortars, HBs - are also considered the less competitive options. I remember reading the Band of Brothers book, and a load of other stuff about the Normandy campaign (try a new book on Normandy by one Anthony Beevor, it's a good read) and some of the most effective actions were when allied tanks supported their infantry. So I see nothing wrong in taking a few LRBT or similar to back up your troops.

Also, why not take some autocannons to represent recoilless rifles, which I think were first used by American paratroops at this point. You could even include lascannons as light anti-tank guns, there's a case for using meltaguns as bazookas, etc.

Anyway, as an all-infantry army I think you have 2 main concerns - how will you handle assault, and how will you kill heavy armour. Think about what meltagun or counter-assault units you could include wihtout breaking your army's theme.

I think it's got a lot of firepower and alot of scoring squishies, which definitely makes a good list.

I just think you may have too many HWS for the amount of regulars you have to protect them. They are so fragile, and have such a good damage output, that they are naturally the prime target for the enemy. Definitely leave the standard in, as it will help with their ld7 and low model count which forces morale checks often. For your Speers idea, I'd make it a Lord Commissar, and keep it with the CCS, which is near the most important HWS's of the battle. That way, those squads receive orders and check morale at ld10, keeping them in line and firing efficiently.

Since the CCS will likely concentrate it's orders on the HWS's, I would drop the vox in that squad. You could save some more points by dropping 1 or 2 of the vox's from each platoon, as the PCS can only give one order anyways and some battles you'll want to blob (for that reason I would put a missile launcher in all the infantry squads). Dropping the whole network wouldn't hurt, but I see the fluff value. I'd use the points from some voxes and put a HB and a sniper rifle in the CCS (work the bs4 and get that fluffy SR in there). I think HB's and SR's work well together, with range and targets matching up.

My main suggestion is to drop some HWS's and add some more infantry. Perhaps a small assault platoon with all mobile specials.

Life's not easy in Easy.

...sorry, that's all I had to add. Awesome fluff idea.

murdog wrote:I think it's got a lot of firepower and alot of scoring squishies, which definitely makes a good list.

I just think you may have too many HWS for the amount of regulars you have to protect them. They are so fragile, and have such a good damage output, that they are naturally the prime target for the enemy. Definitely leave the standard in, as it will help with their ld7 and low model count which forces morale checks often. For your Speers idea, I'd make it a Lord Commissar, and keep it with the CCS, which is near the most important HWS's of the battle. That way, those squads receive orders and check morale at ld10, keeping them in line and firing efficiently.

Since the CCS will likely concentrate it's orders on the HWS's, I would drop the vox in that squad. You could save some more points by dropping 1 or 2 of the vox's from each platoon, as the PCS can only give one order anyways and some battles you'll want to blob (for that reason I would put a missile launcher in all the infantry squads). Dropping the whole network wouldn't hurt, but I see the fluff value. I'd use the points from some voxes and put a HB and a sniper rifle in the CCS (work the bs4 and get that fluffy SR in there). I think HB's and SR's work well together, with range and targets matching up.

My main suggestion is to drop some HWS's and add some more infantry. Perhaps a small assault platoon with all mobile specials.

I hear what you are saying about too many heavy weapons. And I do agree with you. I figure as I build up the army, I will see when I have enough heavy weapon squads. I can always drop a few and add a few squads or something else nice.

For the Voxes, I do want them for fluff reasons, and I think that letting everyone have them just gives me versatility when I need it. I really like the order system (in theory, haven't used it yet) so I want to use it a lot.

Ya, the having/not having the vox's won't make or break the list and it's so fluffy you could take it to bed. And you're right, playtesting is the only way you'll get to know the right balance for the HWS's.