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Military life in general is pretty crappy. The camaraderie is the only thing that keeps most sane.

Of course, for most, life in the Imperial Guard is mercifully short. Very short.

In my opinion, the worst place to be a gaurd is catachan, over half of them die before they are like 5, wtf up wid that

Pomyboy wrote:In my opinion, the worst place to be a gaurd is catachan, over half of them die before they are like 5, wtf up wid that

Probably living on the deadliest world in the Imperium...
Everything tries to kill you, the only thing that doesn't is dead and even then you can't be too sure about that.
Every day is a constant battle for survival and they love it.
If you are a Catachan in a guard regiment your entire term of service is more like a holiday.

Hmm very few answers are actually based on the Black Libary fluff. Guardsmen are very well trained, much better equipped than any PDF and most rebel and cultist forces. They are well fed, paid, the fleet 'hangers on' provide entertainment, overnight 'company', contraband rations and substances, gambling and trinkets. Many Guardsmen also raise families on the troopship convoys.

Yes, in combat situations it can be dire, Commissars do execute men sometimes, but it's not a Cecil B DeMille dystopia. Guardsmen are the best of the human soldiers (not counting crack Stormtrooper units etc) and are treated with the respect due to someone who volunteers to give their life for the God-Emperor of Mankind - and is deemed skilled enough to join the Guard.

Of course, there are exceptions, in both directions. Penal legions and conscripts are treated badly, but units like the Volpone Bluebloods tend to be at the other end of the spectrup, coming from the ruling elite of their system, their weapons are priceless heirlooms, they have retainers and live a grand lifestyle.


There are millions of worlds in the Imperium, all with their own unique traditions and regiments. But the Guard are often mis-painted as hateful, not-caring of casualties and happy to butcher their own men. They're not. They'll do it, but only if there's no other option.

Miraclefish wrote: But the Guard are often mis-painted as hateful, not-caring of casualties and happy to butcher their own men. They're not. They'll do it, but only if there's no other option.

I think Chenkov would disagree with you.

It depends a lot on luck. Maybe your regiment is raised to utterly crush a small rebellion located in a paradise world in a single day. In that case yes, after that short campaign your life won't be as bad. But if you are drafted to join the Armaggedon effort or stall a Tyranid invasion threatening a Forgeworld or other important asset, well my friend, what can I tell you... "17 Hours" is a nice novel if you are interested in these topics.

Miraclefish wrote:Hmm very few answers are actually based on the Black Libary fluff. Guardsmen are very well trained, much better equipped than any PDF and most rebel and cultist forces. They are well fed, paid, the fleet 'hangers on' provide entertainment, overnight 'company', contraband rations and substances, gambling and trinkets. Many Guardsmen also raise families on the troopship convoys.

Yes, in combat situations it can be dire, Commissars do execute men sometimes, but it's not a Cecil B DeMille dystopia. Guardsmen are the best of the human soldiers (not counting crack Stormtrooper units etc) and are treated with the respect due to someone who volunteers to give their life for the God-Emperor of Mankind - and is deemed skilled enough to join the Guard.

Of course, there are exceptions, in both directions. Penal legions and conscripts are treated badly, but units like the Volpone Bluebloods tend to be at the other end of the spectrup, coming from the ruling elite of their system, their weapons are priceless heirlooms, they have retainers and live a grand lifestyle.


There are millions of worlds in the Imperium, all with their own unique traditions and regiments. But the Guard are often mis-painted as hateful, not-caring of casualties and happy to butcher their own men. They're not. They'll do it, but only if there's no other option.

Guardsmen vary, some are highly trained and disciplined, others are barely better than underhive scum ( although it has to be said that to survive in the lower regions of a Hive one has to be pretty tough ). In fluff, most regiments which tread their men decently are from Abnett ( whose entire idea of the Imperium of Man is much less grimdark than usual ) or from the Cain books, which are comedy. Other regiments (Steel Legion, Deathkorps, Chemdogs, Necromundia Regiments ) see their men as barely more valuable than the equipment they carry.

Since your friend's argument is based off the Tanith 1st, bear in mind that Gaunt's boys have it unusually good for the Guard - it's mentioned frequently in those books that Gaunt's commissarial approach is extremely lenient in comparison to most, and that the regiment as a whole is a complete anomaly in terms of morale, morality, and discipline. Despite that, they still have to contend with backstabbing/callous superiors, regimental rivalry, and some truly horrific battles. They frequently lose large numbers of men, are cast into impossible odds, are used in ways that in now way complements their skillset, and more than once are on the receiving end of friendly bombardment lest they steal some other regiment's glory.

Now imagine life under Capt. "Wave after wave of my own men" Chenkov or his like.

Guant is lax in his Commissariat duties, that is true. But I haven't read anywhere that the morale/morality/discpline of the Tanith 1st is as unusual as a lenient Commissar.

Emperors Faithful wrote:Guant is lax in his Commissariat duties, that is true. But I haven't read anywhere that the morale/morality/discpline of the Tanith 1st is as unusual as a lenient Commissar.

In battle no...
When they aren't in battle they get tricksy...

Oh no, the Orkz make life Chaotic for alot of men and then there's nid and other dangers.