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Hey folks, I am curious on how to maybe start an infantry or heavy infantry based ig army, (i will be using catachan models). I already have the codex, but my plan was to maybe try and use some Vietnam war style tactics, with landing in valkyries with infantry squads, onto the battlefield, like the huey choppers did back in the vietnam war,etc., I am not trying to be disrespectful by using the words for this type of playstyle,(i hope nobody is offended ), it is just the best wording i could come up with at the moment, and granted that it is late, and i just finished a long paper for a class,which was a bit hard to state my opinion on. But anyways, please dont take offense if anyone does, i am VERY sorry, but any ideas would be appreciated. i already am planning on buying my store's catachan battleforce at some point soon, along with maybe 2 or 3 valkyries, and some more catachan units, and maybe a leman russ, or something, any ideas?

Sentinels?

If you want to go with a Vietnam ish theme valks are a good idea , perhaps taking Two CCS's with MoO to act as fire support a vulture gunship or two could act as CAS and giving your jungle fighters shotguns to some of them with a man carrying a grenade launcher in each squad , in Imperial Armor 3 second edition there are rules that give your guys move though cover , stealth for 20pts a squad but you can never take carapace as an upgrade I think

Yep. Jungle Fighters in Valks is pretty much 'Nam GIs in SPAAACE. Kasrkin229's suggestions sound good, too. Don't forget the nose art (mouth & big teeth) and pin up girls on your iron horses for some flavour.

I would start off with a mix of foot grunts, vendettas, and griffon heavy mortars. There was a lot of light artillery used in nam, and griffons fit that description.

I have 60 ig catachan infantry models I'm looking to trade or sell. Pm me if interested.

Ok, so maybe I could just buy the flight of the Valkyries set, and the catachan ambush patrol apoc formation, and the catachan battle force ?

Use a lot of fire support, artillery, air support, Master of Ordnance then infantry platoons, vets and valks. Don't use very many tanks, they didn't see as much action in nam.

If you want to organize your platoons right then a vietnam era infantry platoon (IG style) would look like this

PCS- Vox, Grenade launcher
Infantry Squad- Vox, Grenade Launcher
Infantry Squad- Vox, Grenade launcher
Infantry Squad- Vox, Grenade Launcher
HWS- 3x Heavy Bolters


While a lot of helicopters were used most of the leg work was done by the PBI, who only used helicopters to get to the battle so you don't have to go nuts on the valk if the moeny's tight. Basically use a lot of anti infantry weapons, artillery and air support and paint your guys jungle themed and you'll be sweet

Use the Elysian drop troop list to do your Nam army. You will spam valks and some other flyers to call for naplam strikes.

If you do use tanks, use hellhounds and variants. Tanks were used sparingly, and when they were they were equiped with flame throwers. APCs were also used ALOT in that war, so dont be afraid of using those Chimeras. (M-113, AAVP7, M-48 Flame variant, Ontos tank destroyer) also think special forces. Green Berrets, SEALS etc aka karskins with grenade launchers, flamers. Some forge world heavy stubbers would be authentic.

Can't believe no one mention Harker yet. Grab a vet squad with him and throw another Heavy Bolter in the squad. Can't really speak for its effectiveness, but thematically it fits really well.

Harker gives the vet squad stealth and infiltrate, not to mention he is just a badass guy carrying a Heavy Bolter around on his own.

He also provides a unit that can start on the field in a good hold up posistion so that you can live long enough for all those valk/vendetta in reserves to come in and save the day.

Their may be a certain level of iconicness to a bunch of grunts holding a line in the jungle or getting choppered in, and of course that happened... but rarely.

A vast majority of the fighting in vientam happened in cities and villiages. Which makes sense of course, because the north vietnamese wanted to liberate the south's people from the oppressive yoke of free markets. They weren't fighting merely to liberate the south's jungles. As such, a vietnam war style army would be made up of a bunch of freshly trained soldiers in APCs sweeping a village, not a handful of thick-muscled survivors battling their way through the jungle to get to the helicopter.

So I guess it depends on what you're looking for. Hollywood vietnam war, or actual vietnam war.

The only thing you need is Marbo. but he was already in your list.

The problem with a vietnam themed army(style of play anyway) was that the CALVARY that was being brought in on helicopters and the infantry that was going out on patrols and mounted patrols was that they had superior firepower. If you drop in with guardsmen you drop in crap. The point of mass infantry armies with guard is to bury your opponet in mounds of crap. Thats the problem with this idea. I doubt it would survive much because getting in peoples faces is not what guard should be doing with 2-3 squads. If you can bring 10 squads maybe.....just maybe

You can do very well with some platoons, a CCS or two, converting valkeries/vendettas to helicopters, and taking stuff like penal legions for outflanking.

It's very possible to have a full themed army this way with guard and have it work well.

If you're looking for a US themed Vietnam IG army, I'd go with the following:



The idea behind the army is massed firepower in the hands of mobile troops. They had huge amounts of air support, and you will be a formidable foe no matter who you face with this army. You have only a little bit of stealth in your army, but it's enough to cause significant damage to a static foe. No one part of this list is a powerhouse, but not one part of it can be ignored. You have significant anti-tank, anti-infantry, and anti heavy infantry. You will be devastating in any setting of cover, fighting against foes in cover, and you have 4 fast moving transports that makes your army nearly as fast as the Eldar. Also, feel free to add Marbo somewhere, I left him out amazingly.

If you're looking for the Vietcong, I'd go with this:



I can't finish this list because I don't have access to the Chaos Codex, but Ahriman has the ability to grant infiltrate to D3 units at the beginning of the game. Because Al-Raham is in reserve, this basically means that your entire army either has stealth, infiltrate, or both. It is has swarms of infantry that while in cover are harder to kill than most tanks, and has the capability of flanking and even completely surrounding your enemy very early in the game. The Officer of the fleet with capitalize the amount of punishment your army can dish out before new enemies can arrive, and Al-Raham will cause them endless nightmares by turning your platoon into Crisis Battlesuits. However, without cover, this entire army is fragile!

You can do a vietcong army, just bring a lot troops and HWS. not tanks, no flyers.