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Hello there guys, im over marines at the moment so im really looking at guard, been reading some of their novels and having played them in DOW i thought it'd be cool to try something new out

Im more of an infantry guy, but i also like tanks so i dont want to lean either way but go both of them,

So my question is guys how does guard play and whats the best place to start?

If you can get the Defence Force, that's a great place to start, that when kitted out right, can come to I think 500 points. In that box you'll get a Command Squad, two Veteran Teams, a Chimera and a Leman Russ. You get a good spread of what Guard has to offer. If like you suggest you are interested in infantry with a bit of mix, I'd recommend a second Defence Force. So all up you'd have:

A Command Squad

2 Veteran Teams in Chimeras

A Platoon with with 2 Infantry Teams, 2 Heavy Weapon Squads

2 Leman Russ

And from there, you're set to go with whatever you wish. Hope that helps a bit

In terms of tactics, I'll point you to my Guide to Guard, a unit-by-unit analysis of the codex that is more or less up to date (only the latest batch of units and Psykers need updating). Make a cup of tea and have a read, it's quite long but does cover a lot:
http://antorsfinest.blogspot.co.uk/p/imperial-guard.html

In terms of actually collecting an army (where IG really get interesting), I'd start by working out a theme for your army and going from there. Unless you plan on playing only at GW stores, there are a wealth of 3rd party minis for Guard that, outside of a GW, no one will really have a problem with you using. They're often considerably cheaper, and almost always better looking than GW Guard minis. Here's a few links to get you going:

Dreamforge Eisenkern: Not much cheaper, but amazing kits by all accounts:
http://dreamforge-games.com/products/eisenkern-stormtroopers-20-man-set
Heavy Weapons and eventually a dedicated Comman Squad kit are available.

Mantic Games Corporation Marines: much closer in style and size to FW Elysians than GW Cadians, they are made of Restic which some find a pain to work with but I personally don't mind at all, they come with a bunch of special weapons and the army Deals should get you off to a start with good savings.
http://www.manticgames.com/mantic-shop/warpath/corporation/product/corporation-marines-twin-pack-20-figures.html

Warzone 2nd Edition troopers: Limited posability and options, but you won't find cheaper Guardsmen anywhere and they paint up well enough:
http://shop.princeaugust.ie/warzone-mutant-chronicles-wargame/warzone-games-expansion-sets/tg2420-1-warzone-mutant-chronicles-bag-of-80-plastic-soldiers/

Wargames FActory Greatcoats: DKoK on a budget, basically. Not the best minis in the world, but decent enough for the price and come with a whole bunch of options:
http://shop.princeaugust.ie/warzone-mutant-chronicles-wargame/warzone-games-expansion-sets/tg2420-1-warzone-mutant-chronicles-bag-of-80-plastic-soldiers/

And a couple of more expensive, but purportedly excellent options:

Anvil Afterlife: Resin minis with great detail and a good amount of options, two styles available:
http://www.anvilindustry.co.uk/AFTERLIFE

Victoria Miniatures: Hig price, high quality, basically the best there is for Not-guardsmen. Several styles available:
http://victoriaminiatures.highwire.com

Hope that helps!

 Paradigm wrote:
In terms of tactics, I'll point you to my Guide to Guard, a unit-by-unit analysis of the codex that is more or less up to date (only the latest batch of units and Psykers need updating). Make a cup of tea and have a read, it's quite long but does cover a lot:
http://antorsfinest.blogspot.co.uk/p/imperial-guard.html

In terms of actually collecting an army (where IG really get interesting), I'd start by working out a theme for your army and going from there. Unless you plan on playing only at GW stores, there are a wealth of 3rd party minis for Guard that, outside of a GW, no one will really have a problem with you using. They're often considerably cheaper, and almost always better looking than GW Guard minis. Here's a few links to get you going:

Dreamforge Eisenkern: Not much cheaper, but amazing kits by all accounts:
http://dreamforge-games.com/products/eisenkern-stormtroopers-20-man-set
Heavy Weapons and eventually a dedicated Comman Squad kit are available.

Mantic Games Corporation Marines: much closer in style and size to FW Elysians than GW Cadians, they are made of Restic which some find a pain to work with but I personally don't mind at all, they come with a bunch of special weapons and the army Deals should get you off to a start with good savings.
http://www.manticgames.com/mantic-shop/warpath/corporation/product/corporation-marines-twin-pack-20-figures.html

Warzone 2nd Edition troopers: Limited posability and options, but you won't find cheaper Guardsmen anywhere and they paint up well enough:
http://shop.princeaugust.ie/warzone-mutant-chronicles-wargame/warzone-games-expansion-sets/tg2420-1-warzone-mutant-chronicles-bag-of-80-plastic-soldiers/

Wargames FActory Greatcoats: DKoK on a budget, basically. Not the best minis in the world, but decent enough for the price and come with a whole bunch of options:
http://shop.princeaugust.ie/warzone-mutant-chronicles-wargame/warzone-games-expansion-sets/tg2420-1-warzone-mutant-chronicles-bag-of-80-plastic-soldiers/

And a couple of more expensive, but purportedly excellent options:

Anvil Afterlife: Resin minis with great detail and a good amount of options, two styles available:
http://www.anvilindustry.co.uk/AFTERLIFE

Victoria Miniatures: Hig price, high quality, basically the best there is for Not-guardsmen. Several styles available:
http://victoriaminiatures.highwire.com

Hope that helps!

A very good article! Have an exalt.

Remember this: A guardsman model with a lasgun is a very flexible one. It can be used to represent members of a command team, special weapons squad, a conscripts squad, a veteran squad or a infantry squad. So, you want a lot of them to start out with. Check out snrub's sexcellent guide to converting your own special weapons on the cheap. You really can't go wrong with Plasma or Melta. Magnetize your russes. It's piss easy and you'll get a lot more utility out of them. In fact, you only have to magnetize the turret. The side weapons just slot it without glue.

Excellent stuff Paradigm!

I'll throw my support in for Vic Minis. Its about as costly as going the FW/metal GW route, but the resin is to die for. Super crisp, high detail, and nice to assemble. Totally worth the extra buck and effort for such a good looking model.

As for the OP directly, Guard plays both Infantry and Tanks well enough. I haven't kept as up to date with the changes in 7th, but last I checked tanks were solid, especially with Pask, and hordes of Guardsmen are still a bitch to chew through and make solid ObSec anchors to hold down objectives.

Best place to start is with a bunch of Guardsmen you like the look of. For the most basic force org adhering army, you'll need 21 models. For anything foot based, you'll likely need 60+, so I'd start with some guardsmen.