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the Basic rough rider is 10 pts, BUT they are not cheap like a space marine, or assault marine. Even Daemons are not as expensive as rough riders. But at $13 for a single 10 pt model makes them a little to expensive to really use. $130 to add 105 pts to your army for a 10 man squad with leader. Now for the 105 pts they are nice cause they have hunting lances, for the one shot assault to erase an enemy unit normally.

In the old days, before everything got shinny plastic sets and from that time are the riders, it was normal to have such expensive units.

I dont think a plastic set rough riders would sell unless the new codex guard makes them overpowered and everybody ,,needs" some.

Poll needs "I like the idea of IG cavalry, but horses in space is idiotic". Seriously, I'm just converting some IG infantry and putting them on dirt bikes. So much cooler.

Necroshea wrote:Poll needs "I like the idea of IG cavalry, but horses in space is idiotic". Seriously, I'm just converting some IG infantry and putting them on dirt bikes. So much cooler.

Well apart from fluff pointing out the value of biological mounts on countless worlds (bare in mind many RR users convert various xeno horse stand-ins), I don't think a game where chainsaws ar sensible side arms and shoulder pads are so big, a SM couldn't answer the phone, is a place to point out the silliness of biological steeds.

Personally I like the motorcycle conversions I've seen but lances and bikes feel far more... 'nah' than traditional RRs. That said I'm still waiting for the obvious yet brilliant Dr. Jones Snr & Jnr Attack Bike conversion


EDIT: Didn't even respond to the OP, a thousand pardons. I agree the RRs are very expensive as they are which is why DIY is the only sensible solution unless your wanting an Attilan army. Problem is human cavalry in the GW range is quite limited so unless you want techno-knights (and why wouldn't you!) a bit of fiddling is nessecary but hardly a impossible. Type RR conversions into Google, there's some brilliant stuff out there.

RR in snow places should have snowmobiles imo

seriously horses are stupid, i mean with the tech you could set up a insect legged mechanical shark with lazer beams... but we have horses...yaaayyyyy

dreadfury101 wrote:RR in snow places should have snowmobiles imo

seriously horses are stupid, i mean with the tech you could set up a insect legged mechanical shark with lazer beams... but we have horses...yaaayyyyy

I have played guard since 3rd edition, and I have NEVER fielded RR. They just don't have models that are good and affordable. DoK have awesome RR models, but I am not paying that. Now if they had Cadian Dirtbikes in plastic and Catachan..uhh.. ride able Genestealers then I just MIGHT consider it.

Like most people I guess I converted mine. Catachan upper bodies, empire pistolier legs, dark elf cold one mounts, ungor spears for lances. All from bits websites, it comes in much cheaper and you get to choose your regiment. Even easier with horses I imagine!

Too expensive to be viable unless you kitbash for various sources.

Necroshea wrote:Poll needs "I like the idea of IG cavalry, but horses in space is idiotic". Seriously, I'm just converting some IG infantry and putting them on dirt bikes. So much cooler.

This is what i plan on doing for my rough riders. im thinking for lances maybe just use clubs with some 'nades stuck on the end...

I agree that horses in space seems like a dumb idea. I can also see that on frontier worlds and plains worlds horses might well have a valid place on the battlefield. When i first started my IG army i wanted to field a squad and had the idea of using a bunch of the empire engineers mechanical steeds. I then came to my senses and realised that this would be so ludicrously expensive. Plus theres that character who already has a mech steed so i thought "balls to that idea il turn em into dirtbikes...

dreadfury101 wrote:RR in snow places should have snowmobiles imo

seriously horses are stupid, i mean with the tech you could set up a insect legged mechanical shark with lazer beams... but we have horses...yaaayyyyy

in WW2 horses were obsolete, but Russia still used them because that is what they had.... remember in 40K universe the Imperial guard really don't understand how the internal combustion engine really works they pray to the machine god hit the engine with a hammer and hope it works.

Rough Riders: a cheap 12 inch power weapon charge. One shot wonders that can even chase down units. Shoot the crap out of any Deathstar and force them to take a Leadership Check, use a Psyker Battle Squad to reduce their Leadership to 2, and then run them down with your Cavalry. Evaporated my 9 strong Nob Bikers turn 1, and he still got to use the Rough Riders charge on turn 2.

I have an Ork Battlwagon with Genestealers tethered to the front as my Deffrolla. They look like a team of horses. You can turn any model into anything you want as long it is GW to begin with.

My brother collects IG. He just bought some Brettonians. There are 1 million Imperial worlds. Who said there isn't a mixed Cadian and medieval style regiment? Bonus: it's about £18 for 7-8 (can't remember) rough riders.

dreadfury101 wrote:RR in snow places should have snowmobiles imo

seriously horses are stupid, i mean with the tech you could set up a insect legged mechanical shark with lazer beams... but we have horses...yaaayyyyy

Using a living mount makes sense alot of the time.

1) The animal, assuming you are fighting on a planet with vegetation, can get its own food from the enviroment.

2) its largely undetectable to scanners compared to a vehicle. No metal to bounce radar off of.

Some armies still maintain non-ceremonial horse mounted cavalry and infantry today, there aint nothing wrong about horse cavalry in IG.
Horses can go a lot of places where motorcycles and transport vehicles cant and they dont use up the Emperor's Prometheum!

That said, one stray shot and your Rough Rider is now a normal Guardsman because his horse is dead, compared to a bike that might deflect said shot.

Also, as it hasn't been posted yet:

The standard GW Rough Rider models are horrible. The models have been outdated for years, probably because few people actually go for them in their standard armies.

As for 'horses in space' being stupid... I completely and utterly repudiate that notion.

Not every world in the Imperium has las technology, not every world has (armoured) vehicles, not every Imperial world even has access to blackpowder weaponry! Some of those worlds may have had the same standard of technology as the majority of the Imperium once, but not now - they may have regressed to the point of Feudalism akin to European c11-c15 kingdoms/countries with the Planetary Governor at the top & peasants at the bottom, or be akin to Anglo-Saxon England of 650AD-1000AD, or possibly like 'Napoleonic' Europe, perhaps like c17 'Thirty Years War' Sweden. Point is there are a wealth of worlds in the Imperium who use horses as their main, or as a largely tactical, weapon and as such the Rough Rider entry is justified in my eyes with having horses.

Also the Forgeworld Krieg Death Riders are some of the most beautiful models I've ever had the joy to paint. They are wonderful, evoking the grim, morbid nature of the Krieg army whilst looking fantastic.

Horses in space stupid. Yuh-huh. There are still places today horses are used in place of vehicles for various reasons. Not at all stupid.

The poll needs an "other" option, though. Most polls do.

I'm collecting IG as much as I'm playing them, so once my Cadian army is complete, and I have all the special characters, various units, eg then I'll move to the other IG armies. So eventually yes, I'll have rough riders. At this point, tbh I haven't even looked at the cost price-wise or points-wise.

I'm the grandaughter of an Australian Light Horseman - don't knock the cavalry

I like the Wtf factor of the RR, stupid things like that make the game fun, but i won't field them.

There's no need to complain about the price of the 'official' Rough Rider models; just convert them from WHFB Chaos Marauder Horsemen, easy!

If they were cheaper and you could field them in larger units, then maybe. And a decent special character....Mogul Kamir is useless.

I wouldn't. Cavalry are incompatible with the level of strategic mobility I like for my armies.

Grey Templar wrote:1) The animal, assuming you are fighting on a planet with vegetation, can get its own food from the enviroment.

But what about when you're not? You can't just stick a herd of horses in the vehicle hold of the troop transport and be done with it.

AlexHolker wrote:I wouldn't. Cavalry are incompatible with the level of strategic mobility I like for my armies.

Grey Templar wrote:1) The animal, assuming you are fighting on a planet with vegetation, can get its own food from the enviroment.

But what about when you're not? You can't just stick a herd of horses in the vehicle hold of the troop transport and be done with it.

Do not look for logic in a game where genetically enhanced super warriors with the ability to level words fly countless distances to fight with swords. XD

AlexHolker wrote:But what about when you're not? You can't just stick a herd of horses in the vehicle hold of the troop transport and be done with it.

Then fodder is provided for them. Simple as that - just an advantage if the world they're on has vegetation/fodder naturally to hand. I'm sure that the commisserat, whilst making sure there are supplies for hundreds of thousands of Guardsmen, would be able to make sure there is feed for cavalry mounts.

AlexHolker wrote:I wouldn't. Cavalry are incompatible with the level of strategic mobility I like for my armies.

Grey Templar wrote:1) The animal, assuming you are fighting on a planet with vegetation, can get its own food from the enviroment.

But what about when you're not? You can't just stick a herd of horses in the vehicle hold of the troop transport and be done with it.

Either fodder is provided(still likely cheaper then gas) OR you simply don't send RR to worlds without vegetation. They don't really send Catachan regiments to Desert or City worlds, they send them to jungle fights.

Kit Bashing Rough Riders isn't that expensive and they're pretty decent on the table top if you know how to use them.


As for the horses in space, it seems totally logical. Especially for Tallarn Regiments who are used to Guerilla Tactics and fighting in deserts; horses are more ideal for hit and run. They carry what you need and nothing else.

Honestly i think that instead of rough riders being only Close combat GW makes an Imperial infantry Unit 10 man squads that are like Mounted Dragoons and carry somethin like a Las- Carbine which could have Strength 3 AP6 and have Rapid fire or Assualt , In addition to that have there Secondary be something a little more Cav-ish .... Like Power Swords for 10 points compared to normal Sabres .... Make them an elite choice that can out flank .................. In a since you could fire your Las-Carbines then Cav Charge into ..... give the Sergant a Power Sword and a Plasma Pistol but give them Flak Armour and their Mounts something like +2 in a charge ................. I think this would be much better then the Normal Crap expensive rough riders .... justa suggestion

StormForged wrote:

As for the horses in space, it seems totally logical. Especially for Tallarn Regiments who are used to Guerilla Tactics and fighting in deserts; horses are more ideal for hit and run. They carry what you need and nothing else.

Lawrence of Arabia style nice

I like them for the whole i can charge on turn one with S5 I5 PWs; they can catch some players really off guard if they look at them and laugh at the models.
A bad look can be good fro the unit.

But as a rules suggestion i would give them lascarbines (R18" S:3 AP:- Assualt 2) to let them have some more flexability and let CCSs ride them like SM captains on bikes.

Hlaine Larkin mk2 wrote:

StormForged wrote:

As for the horses in space, it seems totally logical. Especially for Tallarn Regiments who are used to Guerilla Tactics and fighting in deserts; horses are more ideal for hit and run. They carry what you need and nothing else.

Lawrence of Arabia style nice

I like them for the whole i can charge on turn one with S5 I5 PWs; they can catch some players really off guard if they look at them and laugh at the models.
A bad look can be good fro the unit.

But as a rules suggestion i would give them lascarbines (R18" S:3 AP:- Assualt 2) to let them have some more flexability and let CCSs ride them like SM captains on bikes.

thats my Point , i think they should take more of a Dragoon approach and Allow the Hunting Lances to be an Upgrade for the Power weapon ...

I would love Rough Riders to become a standard troop if taken with a RR CCS - I'd set to work on having a whole army of Rough Riders using FW Krieg stuff. Would look fantastic to field. Might lack a bit in the AT department, however, unless you took a few special weapons as per current options. They should also allow laspistols & CC weapons per horseman, not one or the other (which is silly in my eyes - they're CC troops, why not let them get the extra attack from having a laspistol & a sword - they're only WS3!).

Sparks_Havelock wrote:I would love Rough Riders to become a standard troop if taken with a RR CCS - I'd set to work on having a whole army of Rough Riders using FW Krieg stuff. Would look fantastic to field. Might lack a bit in the AT department, however, unless you took a few special weapons as per current options. They should also allow laspistols & CC weapons per horseman, not one or the other (which is silly in my eyes - they're CC troops, why not let them get the extra attack from having a laspistol & a sword - they're only WS3!).

well in the Era mounted rifles seem like a more practical idea.......... Las-Carbines ... AT grenades ,,,,,,.......... and a Cav Sabre .. strength 5 AP 5

I'd rather the +1 attack in case they get bogged down in combat after their initial charge, plus it makes them a good blocking unit rather than a fast moving shooting unit. Perhaps it could be an option, but I'd personally prefer the Hunting Lances for the first round & then two weapons for subsequent phases - then if they charge another unit they have 3 attacks on the charge - yes they wouldn't have the S5 I5 but they'd have more attacks.