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I've finally started the IG army i've been wanting for a while. Here is my first list, I am new to IG and haven't played against them much so if I've made some bad decisions please point them out. Thanks and any help is appreciated.

So far I have:
(units with a * are models I already own so are in however a lot of the equipment can be changed)

CCS* 140
Commander- power weapon (mainly for theme)
3 veterans with plasma guns
1 veteran with regimental standard
Carapace armour

Infantry platoon
PCS* 90
3 plasma guns
1 regimental standard

Infantry squad* 65
1 plasma gun

Infantry squad* 65
1 plasma gun

Heavy weapons squad* 60
3 mortars

Heavy weapons squad* 105
3 lascannons


Infantry platoon
PCS* 90
3 plasma guns
1 regimental standard

Infantry squad* 65
1 plasma gun

Infantry squad* 65
1 plasma gun

Heavy weapons squad* 60
3 mortars

Heavy weapons squad* 105
3 lascannons

3 armoured sentinels* 100
3 lascannons

leman russ demolisher* 200
lascannon
heavy bolter sponsons.

So the models I have total at 1180 points.

The units I don't have yet - easy to change

LR battle tank 170 (same unit as other LR)
heavy bolter sponsons

LR executioner 230 (same unit as other LR)
plasma sponsons

3 basilisks 375

Totals 1955

So how can I improve it?

1.) don't take tanks in gun lines. That's what artillery is for.

2.) don't play gun lines. They run entirely against 5th ed rules and meta.

Not kidding, I could easily stomp this with a properly built 5th ed list at only 1000 points.

Ah great- exactly why i posted it. I have no idea at all how to play guard. Now if people could suggest things to include to make a better list I can improve it. What style armies aside from mech (which I really don't want) are best suited to IG?

gunline isn't an improper way to play guard, it's an improper way to play a 5th ed game of 40k. The benefits to long-range firepower have never been fewer, and the benefits to movement have never been greater.

As for list composition, to me a guard player walks up to a buffet that has infantry, mechanized, armor, artillery, and air cav, and can put up to two (or three if two of them are rather small) on his plate.

If you don't want mech, you don't have to play mech. You can either do veterans in vendettas, or an infantry horde as your entree with artillery or tanks as desert.

Or you could be like me, and eschew vehicles alltogether. Infantry hordes can be plenty competitive, if infantry hordes is what you're looking for.

Tell us what you want, and we can help you out more.

Well first of all thanks for the overview. The style I am most interested in is an infatry horde with supporting vehicles. That was the intention of my first list but I don't think it came out as planned.

Perhaps an infantry+armored list then?

3 blobs and 3 LRD's gets you a 1250 list.

Well that sounds good. Are demolishers ok? I keep hearing they are too short ranged but if they have the same range as the guardsmen I didn't think that would be a problem.

So are the infantry platoons ok?

Also what is the best way of raise it to 2000?

Demolishers are short ranged compared to other HS choices. Of course, that's why they can move at cruising speed and still shoot the turret weapon and have extra reinforced armor. Also, they will pursuade you to keep your tanks moving forward with your infantry, rather than sitting them in the backfield shooting like overpriced artillery.

Platoons are okay if you give them commissars and then arm them to the teeth with power weapons or plasma guns/pistols.

It's best that you don't start out at 2000 points. Far better to collect a smaller force that you can actually paint in a reasonable period of time and actually learn how to play it properly before undertaking such a difficult and expensive points value.

As for how to get it up to 1500, I'd add in al'rahem and an astropath and either a tank from the FA slots or more infantry. It kind of depends on what the specifics of your list are and how you like to play.

i like gun lines. best way i have found to use them is make a blob squad of 30 with a commissar. put a squad of ten in front of them to get some unit in close combat. yeah, you are going to loose ten, but that is there role. go first rank fire/ second rank fire and watch a squad of terminators go down, they cant make that many saves.

far as tanks, i like the demolisher, followed by the exterminator, then the basic LRBT. i do run my demolisher with multi-melta sponsons/lascannon/dozer blade. if the opponenet gets to destroy a weapon, they have a hard time figureing out which one. multi melta sponsons scare other mech units. a dozer blade to just make sure the tank keeps moveing with the infantry.