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Heya, casual gamed IG player here. I've yet to take my gaming to anything that isn't with friends. Terrified of having my casual gamingness trumped by pros :p But I was interested in some help for my HQ squad.

Honestly thus far I've had success with my IG army against several different armies. I've lost games and won games and generally felt like I was playing the army reasonably well. But the one thing I feel that is underwhelming in every game is my Company Command Squad. And Platoon Squad for that matter.

I use the squads for orders effectively enough and that's getting some point value, but what I really think is killing it is the composition.

My HQ Command Squad:
Commander with Power Fist/Plasma Pistol. I honestly regret both of these choices at this point but modeled him this way before I really read much of the rules.
Medic and Regimental Standard. I kind of love both of these models to be honest. The standard does a lot of good as I tend to keep him with my gunlines, but I'm sure the medic is just wasted points. I'd kind of like to keep both of these unless they're terrible choices just because the models look great. (I bought them on Ebay and they're painted much better than my generally average painting)
2 Guardsmen with Grenade launchers. I know this is not really taking advantage of the special weapons uses and I'm sure is why the squad does little but other configurations don't seem to work well for me. Maybe I'm just using the squad wrong.

My Platoon Command squad just rocks a Commander and 4 snipers. Originally it was 4 flamers, but that just never seemed to function, and I moved the flamers to a Veteran Shotgun/flamer squad to much greater success. The snipers are underwhelming but it keeps the squad in some safe place occasionally scoring wounds on tough creatures.

I'm open to suggestions for either squad, and suggestions on how to play them better.

Also wondering if Bodyguards are worth it. Seems a little steep for a 1 wound guardsman with no distinguishing features or guns but I suppose the extra body comes in handy for a small squad.

Thank you in advance!

Most people i see run their CCS and PCS squads with either 3-4 meltas, or 3 meltas and a flamer, and then put them in a chimera. I personally think that is the best way to run them competitively.

Medics tend to cost more then they are worth, snipers are not really that great either.

I would say that the bodyguards are rarely worth it unless you really want the CCS to stay alive. Most of the time, you simply use them as another source of meltaguns, and if they die, then it's sad but you have lots of other units so whatever. If you take straken or some other HQ you need to live for a while then maybe take them if you have the points.

From the sound of it you are running a foot guard list, with few/no chimeras in it. I'm not a big fan of non-mech lists, as they have some issues against a lot of things, but i suppose it can work for some people, and not everyone wants to buy 10 chimeras...lol.

CCS should be kitted differently based on your army.

For mech, the general consensus is 3-4 melta or plasma (all the same, no mixing) in a chimera, occasionally with an OotF or an Astropath depending on your list. Upgrades for your commander are generally to be avoided.

For foot, you have more options. If the goal is to babysit a bunch of heavy weapon squads and keep them on the table, a standard and a heavy weapon work well enough. Upgrading the commander to Creed is also good for the bigger order radius and four orders. If you run a more mobile foot list with power blobs, taking Straken in a squad with melta or plasma works well for furious charge and counter-attack awesomeness.

Either way, you can never go wrong with three or four melta or plasma. Avoid 90% of the other upgrades, like carapace armour, powerfists, adding a commissar, etc.

It is indeed mostly a foot list. The reasons for this are two:
One is that although I want at least a few more chimeras, they're more expensive, and I just started a few months ago :p
Two is that while I like transports and understand very well that competitively it's where it's at, I don't really want the entire army on vehicles. I guess it's a flavor thing. As I said, so far we're completely casual anyway in that regards (I do still want to win though, and have interest in at least trying some games with my fluffy list)

That being said, I definitely see the value of one of those squads being 4 meltas and will likely try it out. I just really would rather avoid making that my CCS. I don't know why; charging in super close with them just doesn't suit that fluff. Maybe I should just give them Plasma guns.

You can still play a strong foot list with lots of flavour and minimal/no vehicles.

Avoid sniper rifles, they're pretty garbage. PCS are good with melta, flamers, or GL. My foot list runs Straken with 3x plasma guns and an astropath (I also use Al'Rahem, so I need him to show up quick and exactly where I need him). Its a touch expensive, but does the trick for my puproses. Just make sure you're using the BS4 goodness with either solid special weapons (melta/plasma) or a heavy weapon to babysit other heavy weapon elements.

Bodyguards are also not worth their points. Sadly, the same goes for medics, since you're only T3, anything T6 or higher negates that and there's a lot of S6 weaponry out there.

Echo Blacksails' comments really. I use 2 Company command squads - 1 with Creed and 4 plasma guns that outflanks with Al-Rahem's platoon, and 1 with 2 plasma and a lascannon that issues orders to HWSs, and is effective with it's BS4 goodness.

My platoon commands I'm still not 100% with but think I have got a happy compromise - Al-Rahem's squad have laspistols/combat weapons to back up his combat abilities - he's the only model in my army that is vaguely scary in combat - the other PCS sits with 2 infantry squads with autocannons, and 2 HWS with autocannons, and has an autocannon itself.

I like to take my ccs in a valkyrie , with 4xmelta guns and you scout up 24 inchs, do your 12 inchs move in my turn and then i jump out and either blast something like a landraider or big creature. this does work quite well against most armies! that just my input!

I think an IG army looks nice with banners. You can always of course just leave these models in as decorative providing you don't pay for banners elsewhere in the list. Just make sure you model a special weapon in his other hand ...

I'm not sure how effective your four snipers are but if your goal for the PCS is to sit somewhere safeish and shoot consider an autocannon instead, costs the same as the two snipers it would replace, has the same mobility, the same number of shots and greater range. An autocannon also offers greater flexibility against a variety of targets (light vehicles, T5 bikes, etc)

If you CCS is going to be sitting still then a heavy weapon is a better bet then two grenade launchers. Again an autocannon costs as much as the two grenade launchers it would replace and has longer range and the same number of shots, and this one would be BS 4.

From a modeling perspective, if you are playing with friends you could just use the medic model as a regular guardsman. As long as you are clear about it before the game that shouldn't be an issue.

My personal favourite ccs
commander p/w + plasma pistol, 3 plasma guns & Medic (you'd be surprised how many ones i can roll to hit..)
in a chimera. 200points iId consider a power fist, you're more than likely striking last anyway just nicer trying to wound with S6 than S3.

my pcs favoured is 4 flamers in a chimera with a heavy flamer.
a mini hell hound for 105 points.

my sit at home with the hw platoons pcs have a lascannon and sit in a chimera, boosting the command range.

if you want snipers ratlings are a better shot, + infiltate/scout

If anything, stick your command squads in a chimera with flamers everywhere. You'll scare the crap out of horde approaches.

Definately 4 Meltas in your CCS.....4 BS, and ability to use orders on the CCS....having your Meltas TL when a Tyrant is approaching is $$$$.....Creed optional. You will want them in a Chimera to keep them mobile and aggressive.

Personal opinion of course, but I really feel like 4x meltaguns is overkill. I can understand going 4x Plasmaguns if you really want to put the hurt on some marines/terminators, but you can easily spend those 10-20 points elsewhere with the meltaguns. 2-3 is plenty at BS4.

With a Foot list like yours I'd rather take a CCS with 4+ plasma Guns, Carapace Armor, Creed,OoTF (maybe Kell,If you like standards you'll prolly love this guy.)

I love Creeds Order Bubble and issuing up to 4 a turn is crucial with some BS3 Guardsman IMO.


Why Plasma over Melta, GL, Flamer etc.

The range, you're on Foot and you can shoot 24" if you didnt move. Otherwise you can Rapid Fire at the same distance that a Melta can shoot at.

Yes Carapace armor, that 4+ to me is the same as FNP as I never make the 5+ save anyhow lol and it's cheaper and lets me get an extra gun opposed to a medic.