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What is the best started army build for someone who has never played imperials before. Ive had deamons and necrons and im a little stumped on now playing guard; as they have an overwhelming amount of options for both units and orders. I'm not verses on how best to use a horde army like this so could use some help. I think I think too big when it comes to lists, the last I wrote up came to over 2600 points which is too high for the games I want to start practicing with this army on. Im also more nervous when it comes to building them as im not really sure on what to give them, never had this problem with my other armies.

Luckily I have only purchased a battleforce so far so can expand in any way, im looking to start small and build up as i play and learn more about how the guard run. Not a troop horde but not too lacking. Would prefer to utalise troops better than just cannon fodder, want to run tanks obviously and also make good use of some sentinels.

Any ideas?

The answer for you then is mechvets. Veteran squads with 3x melta or 3x plasma in Chimeras/Vendettas for troops, with Vultures/Vendettas and appropriate heavy support tanks/artillery. You kill stuff, kill more stuff, and at the end of the game you drop a random squad on an objective to win.

Also, don't use Sentinels. Anything a Sentinel can do a Vendetta can do better.

First off, welcome to the guard.

If you want an introduction to the units and styles of IG play, then check out the article in the second line of my sig, it goes through the entire codex by units and ideas on how to use them. This should give you some ideas on where you would like to go. There are a couple of example lists at the end of the article which might help, one infantry and one mech.

From what you've said, you're looking at a hybrid list, rather than pure mech, as you mentioned 'not a horde but not lacking in troops.' For this, you'll want a couple of mech vet squads and a platoon or two and then you can add toys like artillery, tanks or fliers. This may not be as effective as concentrating on one or the other aspect, but that's not to say it's not worth using. I've had good success with a list that mixes infantry and tanks like that.

I will not endorse a play style or a list for you. I am not you. All I know is that your experienced at 40k which is a good thing. The simple thing to do, specially since you have a battleforce and figs from other armies is sit down and make a small list, say around 1000pts, and proxy and play. Learn IG, make your mistakes, and grow from it. Then once you figure out what works best for you, or what you enjoy playing, then fill out your figs to get what you need. That might be the point you want to ask advice online (should I take this unit or that unit? What is the difference between the two?). Be ready to take that advice with a grain of salt as well.

For example, if you really dig the idea of Orders and want to use them, Mechvets are not for you, because you can not issue Orders to units inside of vehicles (even to itself inside a vehicle... those things are /really/ loud apparently). Mechvets don't care about Orders, even if their Chimera is destroyed.

Good luck, I hope you get to enjoy Guard before their new Codex comes out! Who knows how it will change them...

I only have two suggestions:

1) Take everything anyone says with consideration, but not as gospel truth. Your play style may be massively different from other peoples. The only exception is suggestion 2.

2) MAGNETIZE! Or make your vehicle options modular and changeable in some way.

Oh, third suggestion, have fun!

Mechvets with Manticores. Meltaguns

I started with。。。
2 Vets,
Chimera,
Two Snipers,
CCS,
Valk (missile pods)
stormtroopers

This has won me games but i later choose tau allies and switched too them in the end. Although this was okay for me as a starter army..