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From what i have heard, i should not get roughriders for my army because they are just guardsmen that assault farther....and i have heard they are cool models though(i agree)
this sort of true but i have a love for the horsmen and i want to know just how many think they suck (speak from your heart)

They have a place. Counter Assault (because they cannont outflank thanks to Creed's tactical genius)
If you use them to hide near/behind terrain and assault when the enemy gets too close, then you are good to go.
Downsides: they compete with Scout Sentinels, Hellhounds and Valkyries/Vendettas. As well their Hunting Lance is only useful once

well yes you have a point there

i suggest having melta bombs or melta gun in the squad as well. once counter charge duties are done go threaten some tanks.

I have heard a couple of people around here who have used 3 squads of 10 to good effect. But it should be noted that these people have all infantry lists so A) they are not competing for the force slots and B) they are t3 and thus support the all t3 army.

meltasuff-that would work but the others would be bodies?

yeah they also contest and due to both their ability to contest and to tank hunt they need to be eliminated. now if you have a lord commisar nearby (say in a blob or in -dare i say it? ogryn) then they will most likely need to be shot to a man and thus one hell of a distraction.

very true

Depends on your list. If you're running an all foot power blob centric list, Rough Riders can really help with tough units. Full 10-man units will do some healthy damage to even TH/SS considering how much they cost.

The problem is that when people think competitive, there are better units available, like Vendettas and even Hellhounds that use the same force org slot.

I like'em for what its worth.

Again it is a general question so answer either depending on your list or in general terms.

(I think I should call you professor from now on...heh heh just kidding just for the earlir statement)

They're good, but extremely fragile and often you will want Vendettas instead.

Everyone uses vendettas though!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
There is probably a reason......think think think!

o right they are freakin amazing!!!!

Da Kommizzar wrote:Again it is a general question so answer either depending on your list or in general terms.

(I think I should call you professor from now on...heh heh just kidding just for the earlir statement)

I lol'd. I explained in your other thread. My eye twitches uncontrollably when I see posts without capitals and proper punctuation.

Vendettas are amazing, I prefer hellhounds myself though (not a fan of the valk model). The FA slot for Guard is filled with fun, awesome options that all have great models. Except Rough Riders. They really only work in a dedicated foot list, otherwise you're just better off with vendettas, hellhounds or even sentinels of either flavour.

I've seen really great Rough Rider conversions in recent history. But I can only recall them being used in an all infantry force. They work best that way I suppose. I do like sporting meltas in their units to burn holes in tanks and the occasional terminator.

They have a place as a support unit. With that 12" charge range they can sit behind and then go assault something with those lances. Melta loadout is good as at least they can do something then after the initial charge. In a Creed or Straken foot list you can give them +1S/+1I on the charge, which is S6/I6. Nice!

ruminator wrote:They have a place as a support unit. With that 12" charge range they can sit behind and then go assault something with those lances. Melta loadout is good as at least they can do something then after the initial charge. In a Creed or Straken foot list you can give them +1S/+1I on the charge, which is S6/I6. Nice!

There was some discussion a while back about furious charge affecting the hunting lances. Most people agree that furious charge does not grant a bonus since the rules state that the weapons strike at a set strength and initiative. If the rule said +2S and +2I there'd be better case.

rough riders are a great unit for finishing off or whittling a death star and are tremendously strong on the one good charge they will get. that is all they are for.

As far as models ar concerned, There are great conversions and forgeworld models out there.

As far as casual games go, my 5 man Rough Rider squad has had mixed success.

For 55 points, I get a potentially 24" charging unit as imperial guard. They'll have 11 str 5 ini 5 power attacks. I've had them finish off a 200ish point Hive Tyrant with two wounds left and they once killed a striking scorpion squad that was almost in charge range of my infantry who had been reduced to 5 men.

They're not going to win any games or even cause any mass destruction, but I find that most games they get their point value.

My problem with them is how out of place they are on the battlefield. Imperial guard features badass armour working in synch with infantry to produce a devestating field of fire.
Mongol-esque horse riders just...no.
I think there's a good case to be made for Imperial Guard scout bikes, however.

Well i have seen lots of great bike conversions for them. Also you can put them just behind a tank and move them up with the tank or just keep the tank still and use the RR's as a deterrent. Depending on the tank and the size of the RR unit you may even be able to block line of sight to them.

The death korps models are sweet.

I have been thinking of a bike conversion but the way i would go is to give them a weedier bike then thos space bikers.
Mountain bike anyone?

As stated, they are not super unit's, but I always find them fun. I only play casual games, and my 2000pt IG runs 2 ten man squads. One is Tallarn and the other is a coed cadian squad, pic is kind big so link below.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/279562-Cadian%20Rough%20Riders.html?m=2

They are good for a slight surprise as most people forget that they have fleet with a 12" charge. I run one as all assault with Mogal and the other with melta bombs and 2 melta guns.

I have to be honest. I dont think mogal is very good. Infact, i would go so far as to say that he is a liability to any army with RR's.

Keep them as cheap as possible and you wont be hating on them.

Sometimes his rage is a liabliity, but gaining +D3 and Furious Charge usually evens him out for me. It allows them to still be effective after that first charge. YMMV

Very fun in a Straken list.
Many people underestimate what they can do. S5 I5 power weapon attacks kills a lot of things.

Da Kommizzar wrote:I have been thinking of a bike conversion but the way i would go is to give them a weedier bike then thos space bikers.
Mountain bike anyone?

Have you checked out the marine scout bike? A bit smaller than the normal marine bike. Hmm, the ork bikes are also worth a look - not too hard to de-orkify.

I find that they very seldom work out well. They're just too fragile. And it's hard to hide a unit that consists of models as physically large as Rough Riders. If there were a way to outflank them I might have a better opinion. They can also block off a lot of board real estate making it hard to maneuver your vehicles through/around them.

Also they're not a great anti-vehicle option, even with meltas. And 5th edition is so heavily mechanized. And if you want anti-infantry options there are tons of more efficient ways to get that in Guard.

I like them thematically, don't get me wrong. And having cavalry in 40k is no more absurd than many other things I could list. The whole "Polish cavalry got massacred charging German tanks" thing never actually happened BTW and was the result of inaccurate journalism/propaganda. The Soviets in WW2 had tons of tanks, for example, but simultaneously made good use of cavalry and mounted infantry. Also, lots of low-tech worlds in the imperium are going to tithe their Guard obligations in the form of cavalry.

Anyway... 40k... I just haven't found them to be very effective in practice. Your mileage may vary.

By the way, if you don't like space mongolians, the fantasy Mounted Yeomen are an easily converted option. Personally I don't like bikes as Rough Riders since it's potentially confusing to your opponent.

I think Rough Riders need something to make them more of a unique close combat unit. If they were +2A on the charge, they'd definitely become a significantly more appealing option. Otherwise, I'd give them hit and run and make their hunting lances useable everytime they charge. The catch would be they don't get the extra attack charge bonus.

Or just let me take 30 of them with a mounted commissar. Essentially a super cavalry blob of doom. Now that would be awesome.

By the way, if you don't like space mongolians, the fantasy Mounted Yeomen are an easily converted option. Personally I don't like bikes as Rough Riders since it's potentially confusing to your opponent.

That is why I suggested mountain bikes (they are not as intense as motorbikes) and yeomen has been dancing in my head for a while......

Who needs horses when you can have exoskeletons!

I've had some good times with running a squad of 6 with 2 meltas and a sarge with PW and meltabombs. I have a bunch of mechanised squads that drive forward and provide perfect mobile cover for the RRs. When stuff starts getting close to my lines they can surge forward and get a solid hit in before the enemy can threaten my main line. The squad is only about 100 points, so it can be sacrificed if needs be.

Just don't leave them out in the open. T3 and 5+ saves make them evaporate really quickly if anyone actually targets them.