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So when I deploy my guard I usually deploy them "old school" style (spread out across the board gun line status, which I run for the most part).

It works okay, but I want something better and more advanced. I have had some problems with opponents bring units behind me and tearing through the paper armour on the back of my tanks and taking away my firepower, or hitting some units that I need elsewhere.

Can someone please help me out? Thanks

The problem is that gun lines were great during third ed. but they're really, really not in 5th ed. As you have already noticed, there are SO many ways for opponents to get stuff to your lines quickly, with things like deepstriking and outflanking being commonplace. The simple truth is that there is no longer any role for armies that have no movement, so the park-and-shoot gunline armies are dead.

More than anything, you can probably be helped most by a philosophy change (to keep up with the changes of the metagame of today). Rather than a thinly spread immobile force, you're probably going to need to re-imagine your guard army. You could do something very different like a mech army (very cheap now), or air cav. Alternately, if you want to stick with ground-pounders, retool it as a mobile force with lots of special weapons, or perhaps get Al Rahem or something. You can still play an infantry guard army, but you can't play it like it's a 3rd or 4th ed infantry army.

As such, the first thing you should probably do is impose a strict moratorium against having any heavy weapons in your army, at least until you can re-learn how to fight without them.

I have been slowly moving towards mech and mobile infantry now. I can see how the elimination of my stationary line would help with some problems.

What are some tactics you would use?

the tactics depend on the circumstances and your list. We can't help you with the former, and we can only help you with list-based tactics once we see a list (mech lists have different play-styles than do horde lists, for example).

Okay ill post up my Anti Marine List once I get home

You need some rapid response. A vet squad or tooled up CCS/PCS in chimera's helps deal with the outflankers. Also wrapping a tank with a squad can prevent CC against its rear armour!

The first thing you need to do is clump your army together so you can concentrate fire. You'll want to do this away from the edges to avoid outflankers. Search for castling.

The simple truth is that there is no longer any role for armies that have no movement, so the park-and-shoot gunline armies are dead.

I am going to have to go ahead and disagree with you. I think with TLOS makes gunlines more potent then ever. The two main disadvantages of a gunline army are the fact that 2 of the 3 mission types require you to move somewhere and that many armies can get to you quickly. But these can be countered through the proper use of speed bumps and force projection. Gunline armies just require careful strategy (note I didn't say tactics)

-Plan on your infantry dying. Have that as their only mission and so you are happy when shots are wasted on them.
-Position your infantry to protect the elements of your army that will be killing the enemy. Prevent drop podders from getting within melta range or outflankers from assaulting anything other than your meat shields
-Basilisks are pretty much a necessity. You need the ability to strike the enemy anywhere, and with enough force to destroy your target. the AP 4 of manitcores is too lenient on MEQ armies, not to mention the random number of shots. I typically run at a minimum a squadron of 3 in my gunline armies
-Deployment is half the battle. Against other shooting armies deploy so that you are maximizing both cover and open sight lines. Against assault armies deploy splitting up your armies. Create a sacrificial flank and a victory flank, and deploy them as far apart from eachother as possible. The enemy will have to decide whether to send everything at one flack or split up their attacks. Whatever their choice shoot all the transports and fast moving units heading towards your victory flank. Again why the basilisk is a better choice then the medusa, because basilisks in the sacrificial flank can reach units heading toward the victory flank. The enemy attack will quickly lose steam, but victory is not yours yet...
-Kill point missions are, of course, what your army is designed for; destruction of the enemy army faster than your own. Again, a squadron of 3 basilisks...1 kill point.
-Capture and control. This is actually a favourable mission as well despite the enemy objective being so far away. The reason? You can create the ideal defensive perimeter around your objective, and as only troops hold objectives the enemy has to leave at least one troop choice to hold their own. Melta-guns are usually options for troops, ergo, less melta guns headed at you. How to deal with them? If you haven't guessed by now...3 basilisks. Very few troop choices can survive a multiple barrage from a trio of earthshakers. If you do it early game, then you force them to make the choice of having to break off troops committed to the attack to go back and babysit their own objective.
-Seize ground is the most disadvantageous mission, but simply remember this; you only need to beat them by one objective. When setting objectives pre-game put them in the open so the enemy cant get cover while holding them. During the game capture objectives close to you. Don't move more then necessary, and then blast the enemy off of his.

If you're getting outflanked or deep striking assault units are giving you trouble, why not create a kind of perimeter with ten-man guard squads, strung out along the sides and front of your force? Anyone coming in will have to waste a turn burning a 50-75 point guard squad. If you have tanks inside this perimeter, maybe some power-weapon carrying blobs with commissars and either creed or straken, you can counter-attack and reliably take out the threat.

Good tips guys, tx. I usually run a hybrid list with a gunline, some tanks/arty, and mobile elements like mounted vets and hellhounds. Any advice on deployment with a hybrid list? I usually sort of make the mobile part my sacrificial flank...

I really like your post Volkov. There's one point that you made obliquely that I'd like to talk more about:

Mobility. Mobility is key in 5th Edition, and gunlines don't move and fire very well. The solution is that good ranged shooting (like Volkov's Basilisk solution) is the Poor Man's Mobility. You're not actually getting across the board, but you are still projecting force there. Given enough force, you don't need to actually be there most of the time.

Hope this helps.

I am starting to use Rough Riders and Storm Troopers for Mobility unitl I can get som Valks togehter

I agree with all of your bullet points, volkov, but that looks to me like good advice in general, not evidence that gunlines are good anymore. For example, how does TLOS help?

Meanwhile, absolutely everything just gained a 4+ cover saves (infantry can screen tanks again), infantry can move up to twice as fast on foot, and you can make practically anything deepstrike or outflank (the guard never used to be able to show up with 100 dudes lead by al rahem straight into someones deployment zone, for example).

Mobility is so easy in 5th ed, and, as noted, the missions make it necessary. With all of the disadvantages that the gunline gained, I can't see how they are any longer able to kill things fast enough.

I mean, artillery is great and all, but artillery is good for support, not for mission-specific things.

Another thing not touched on that I tend to use quite a bit is the "dual firebase".

If your army is like mine and you have a preponderance of 48" range weapons rather than spamming mechvets. Then you should deploy against assaulters or close range shooters in a dual firebase.

Basically, all of your heavy support should have 60+" range, and half of it should be in one extreme corner of your deployment zone, and the other half should be in the other. Keep HWS next to CCS so they can take orders, and keep support units in front of your heavies so that they can fight off an attack.

This will force the enemy to choose one half of your force and try to kill it, by the time they are done with that, their won't be enough turns for them to make it all the way to the other corner to kill off the other half.

Most importantly when deploying like this. Know your guns ranges. You can NOT do this technique if you don't field obscenely long range guns. If you are playing against an assault army and you deploy too far spread, or your army doesn't consist almost entirely of 48" range guns, then they will try to deny half of your army good shots by crashing one flank.

Your special weapon chimeras will need to be deployed nearer to the center of the line so that they can react to enemy deployment if you are going first. If you are going second, deployment should get a lot easier. Deploy the stuff you want to kill his stuff in range of his stuff, and out of range of his stuff's guns if possible. Should be pretty easy for IG to counter-deploy against armies that start on the table, then seize the initiative

Mobility. Mobility is key in 5th Edition, and gunlines don't move and fire very well. The solution is that good ranged shooting (like Volkov's Basilisk solution) is the Poor Man's Mobility. You're not actually getting across the board, but you are still projecting force there. Given enough force, you don't need to actually be there most of the time.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

For example, how does TLOS help?

Its alot harder to hide. Blocked line of sight is fairly rare. All it takes is part of one model of the squad to be poking out around the corner and you can bring all hell down on the entire squad. And units camped on objectives 3 inches into a forest are no longer impervious to fire.

Meanwhile, absolutely everything just gained a 4+ cover saves (infantry can screen tanks again), infantry can move up to twice as fast on foot, and you can make practically anything deepstrike or outflank (the guard never used to be able to show up with 100 dudes lead by al rahem straight into someones deployment zone, for example).

Everything did get 4+ cover from direct fire. Indirect fire is generally still fair game (excluding area terrain). Even still its not beyond reason to inflict 20+ wounds with 3 basilisk templates on a squad of marines. As for infantry screening tanks...maybe wraithlords screening the old rhino chassis. And finally deep strike and outflanking can be easily negated with good deployment and/or master of the fleet/mystics