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Hey guys.
With so little fluff on the Mordian Iron Guard, how would you play these guys?
They're all supposed to be stalwart marksmen, so would you play them as a bunch of Veteran Squads, instead of a standard Infantry Platoon?
Back them up with tanks, and some converted Rough Riders? How do you think they'd mesh with Commissars and Priests? Sanctioned Psykers?

Incase you hadn't seen it. The Mordian would love Commissars and Priests, and Sanctioned Psychers would be wearing formal clothes instead of rags. I'd run them as Platoons as a Horde, but they're got every kind of regiment.

Were I to run a mordian list, I think I'd run it as a special weapons infantry horde. 1500 points would look something like this:

CCS 3x plasma, standard, power weapon - 120

PCS 3x melta - 60
PIS plasma, meltabombs, commissar with power weapon - 115
PIS plasma, meltabombs - 70
PIS plasma, meltabombs - 70
SWS 3x plasma - 80
SWS 3x melta - 65

PCS 3x melta - 60
PIS plasma, meltabombs commissar with power weapon - 115
PIS plasma, meltabombs - 70
PIS plasma, meltabombs - 70
SWS 3x plasma - 80
SWS 3x melta - 65

PCS 3x melta - 60
PIS plasma, meltabombs, commissar with power weapon - 115
PIS plasma, meltabombs - 70
PIS plasma, meltabombs - 70
SWS 3x plasma - 80
SWS 3x melta - 65

1500 pts.

Rank on rank of highly disciplined soldiers pouring out precisely timed volleys of short range firepower sounds mordian to me.

Running "fluffy" Mordians is really a question of your personal interpretation of what it means to be "Mordian." That said:

Ailaros wrote:Were I to run a mordian list, I think I'd run it as a special weapons infantry horde. 1500 points would look something like this:

In my view, this army's use of so many Special Weapon Squads is neither particularly fluffy nor is it at all effective.

There's nothing in the Mordian fluff showing that long-range firepower is frowned upon, and lots of GW studio armies suggest the exact opposite. I would find Heavy Weapon Squads to be a more fluffy choice than the Special Weapon squads. A SWS is a close-range squad that lacks officers (or even Sergeants) and that cannot put out volley fire, or conduct an effective bayonet charge.

Here's an alternative formulation of a 1,500 point all-foot Mordian army that I believe would be far more effective:

CCS, Col Straken, medic 175
CCS, lascannon, standard- 85

PCS Captain Al'Rahem, 4x meltas - 140
PIS meltagun, power sword, commissar with power weapon - 115
PIS flamer, meltabombs, power sword - 70
PIS flamer, meltabombs, power sword - 70

PCS 4x grenade launchers - 50
PIS meltagun, power sword, commissar with power weapon - 115
PIS flamer, power sword - 65
PIS flamer, power sword - 65
HWS, 3x autocannons (75)
HWS, 3x autocannons (75)
HWS 3x lascannons (105)

PCS 4x flamers- 50
PIS meltagun, power sword, commissar with power weapon - 115
PIS flamer, power sword - 65
PIS flamer, power sword - 65


1500 pts.

I don't love this army (vehicles are really useful) but I think it would be far more effective and enjoyable to play, while the various special officers do a better job of capturing the spirit of (my totally arbitrary interpretation of) "Mordia."

I was taking my version from this

Mordians believe in drill and discipline above all. Regiments are drilled in close formation heavy infantry tactics and volley fire, presenting their lasrifles to deliver devastating blasts from densely packed shoulder to shoulder formations

Mordians believe in perfect precision and constant drill to overcome their foes, and will rarely be seen routed, rather they make fighting retreats to a better and more defensible position.

Heavy weapons can't retreat and fight at the same time, and close combat infantry formation refers to groups of infantry in ranks, not to heavy weapons teams in foxholes.

Clearly, mordians are designed to use napoleonic tactics of tight formations, precise movements, and carefully drilled volley fire. What you're going to want is waves of mobile infantry advancing in clean lines and shooting stuff.

Straken, Al'Rahem, power blobs and heavy weapons all run counter to this idea. I could see perhaps including heavy cavalry or tanks to represent old style artillery pieces, but leaving some troops here and advancing some troops there and having some guys show up spontaneously and some not, and having some guys charge into close combat and some guys hang back to shoot heavy weapons does not sound like a well-disciplined fighting machine where everybody behaves in a uniform fashion.

So, it's kind of weird having a "fluff" argument about such vague fluff, but...

Ailaros wrote:Heavy weapons can't retreat and fight at the same time, and close combat infantry formation refers to groups of infantry in ranks, not to heavy weapons teams in foxholes.

See, these same objections apply to SWSes, too. (I mean, technically they can fall back while shooting, but good luck sucessfully pulling that off with any weapon save grenade launchers.)

Clearly, mordians are designed to use napoleonic tactics of tight formations, precise movements, and carefully drilled volley fire. What you're going to want is waves of mobile infantry advancing in clean lines and shooting stuff.

If you're talking about Napoleonic-style IG, heavy weapons squads in the back are very fluffy. Large blob platoons advance, while heavy weapons in the rear provide support fire. And if things go south, the blobs can retreat to the secondary line with the heavy weapons... Just like the fluff.

Straken, Al'Rahem, power blobs and heavy weapons all run counter to this idea. I could see perhaps including heavy cavalry or tanks to represent old style artillery pieces, but leaving some troops here and advancing some troops there and having some guys show up spontaneously and some not, and having some guys charge into close combat and some guys hang back to shoot heavy weapons does not sound like a well-disciplined fighting machine where everybody behaves in a uniform fashion.

Ok, imagine Mordian Col. Reginald "Iron Dainty Glove" Philbin. He's got the "Iron Discipline" special rule, giving him the Fearless USR. He's got the "Fix Bayonettes!" special rule, giving friendly units within 12" Counter-attack and Furious Charge. And he's got the "Dainty Glove of Iron" special rule, giving him a rockin' profile, including an I3 P-Fist.

Similarly, imagine Mordian Captain Stuffy McFormalbottom. He's got the "Punctual, As Always" special rule, which represents how he always which makes an appearance in the nick of time, and allows him to outflank in every game. And he's got the "Double time, men!" order, which lets a unit shoot and then move d6". (Alternately, Mordian Captain Thomas E. Lawrence has liaised with the local PDF, and is showing up to support the Mordian main force.)

I find that both characters can be perfectly fluffy in a Mordian army. (Especially Staken--"Cold Steel and Courage" really captures a lot of the feel of the old Close Order Drill.) They give extra leadership and orders (very Mordian). And, perhaps most importantly of all, they turn the concept from a terribly uncompetitive and boring to play curiosity into an interesting army.

i must agree that i think straken is very fluffy, def with the way the above post put it.

i'm not sure if HWS or SWS would be more mordian like though. i would think maybe neither? just have those weapons in the squad themselves? i'm not sure.

i Believe that they would use lots of HWS. they had the HW platoons in the old 'dex.
i could see them using the PBS and alot of FRF,SRF.

Maybe even use the FW krieg pdf rules?

Everyone is in tight command and have nerves of steel. Not bad in CC. Can combine their HWS with Infantry when needed. Have ton of artillery guns. Little mech troops but still have a ton of tanks if needed

Well, the original Mordian models were lascannons, mortars, heavy bolters and then grenade launchers, .... and flamers? meltaguns? I don't remember the other launch specials. I had to bitz order autocannons & HB gunners.

They've never been very well defined. The other lines at least had special characters at some point or another.

They do need to be painted pretty. I can't help but think they spend time cleaning and repainting the tanks too, so little/no wear.

Dude, they clean and repaint their artillery shells. There will be zero wear on their tanks.

Interesting points, all.

I was figuring they'd use large numbers of infantry platoons, with a sprinkle of special weapons (grenade launchers) integrated into those, backed up by HWSs in entrenched positions. Likely mortars and lascannons.
Array a couple units of Rough Riders in the line for countercharge duty, and sprinkle a Russ or two (one with Pask), and some artillery pieces.

Mordian is definitely one of those vague forces to conceptualize. They look like US Marines, but sound like they fight like a Napoleonic force.

TheRhino wrote:
Mordian is definitely one of those vague forces to conceptualize. They look like US Marines, but sound like they fight like a Napoleonic force.

Just as Catachans are meant to represent 70's jungle fighters, I believe the Mordians are supposed to be Napoleonic-era Prussians. So, Rough Riders would probably be in there, and a counts-as Straken seems like a good choice. I dunno about the debate between weapons squads though.

I think the focus definitely needs to be on infantry. I like the idea of using Vets to represent the discipline and training, but Mordian officers would seem to be a big part of the fluff. FRFSRF is super fluffy.

I'd run Mordians as a infantry heavy gunline, with minimal armor. I'd fall on the HWS side of the armament question.

Veritek83 wrote:I think the focus definitely needs to be on infantry. I like the idea of using Vets to represent the discipline and training, but Mordian officers would seem to be a big part of the fluff. FRFSRF is super fluffy.

I'd run Mordians as a infantry heavy gunline, with minimal armor. I'd fall on the HWS side of the armament question.

i could see 3 LRBT in a list as acceptable. i agree with an infantry heavy list, with lots of HVY WPN sqds. now when i say alot, 6-9.