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So I'm getting back into 40k after a couple years break and iv'e been looking over some of the imperial armour army lists and the armoured battlegroup in IA vol1 stands out to me (as a guy who loves big shooty things)

My question is, is it really worth using that army list or is just making a vehicle heavy list from the normal codex and dropping in the one or two vehicles that i want from IA better?

The idea of a commisar tank just appeals to me sooo much (especially if i put him in my punisher)

edit
Or actually allying the battlegroup to a regular codex list to provide it with a bit of infantry/psykers/whatever else

Personally I would prefer to have an IG main army with ABG allies. Gives you better options for scoring units and you can still fit in a ton of tanks along with any kind of HQ/commissar tank

The ABG list has a number of sweet advantages over the standard IG Codex, and really if you ally them together its a win-win situation.

The ABG has Company Command Tanks which can issue orders, and although the only one really worth it is the one that forces your opponent to re-roll cover saves, it is a very useful ability. In additon, they're BS4, can take artificer hull so being glanced to death is considerably harder, with a Vanquisher cannon, Coax Stubber and Beast Hunter Shells they become absolute murder machines.

Particularly BHS, which let you easily kill those annoying as hell monstrous creatures like Riptides with a single shot. The Coax gives you re-rolls to hit if it hits with at least one out of three shots, which is great for its cost. In addition the Vanquisher cannon can take on any vehicle and BHS lets you have a decent go at killing heavy infantry.

ABG can take half strength Veterans with tank hunter inbuilt, as well as double special weapons which is pretty neat too. Mainly you're taking ABG for:

1) Company Command Tanks/Commissar Tanks
2) Tanks as troop choices (non scoring)
3) Good special ammunition and upgrade options for your tanks, some exclusive patterns I believe though they're not fantastic
4) Tank orders

I get the appeal of playing an all tank army but how do you win if your tanks that are troop cannot score? I assume your forced into using some foot soldiers in transports?

In terms of allying with them are they the same allies as IG?

Slagmar wrote:
I get the appeal of playing an all tank army but how do you win if your tanks that are troop cannot score? I assume your forced into using some foot soldiers in transports?

In terms of allying with them are they the same allies as IG?

You can get Armoured Fist squads and Armoured Fist veterans for scoring units

They ally the same as IG but can also ally to IG as battle brothers

Here's a thought. If i ally the ABG to a regular IG list, can the respective command tank/squad issue orders to tanks/infantry from the other list (i.e. the command squad from the regular list giving orders to an armoured fist squad from the ABG list)

edit:
never mind the AGB list says that they can't