Switch Theme:

Starting an Imperial Guard Army  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
»
Author Message
Advert


Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
  • No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
  • Times and dates in your local timezone.
  • Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
  • Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
  • Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.




Made in us
Guardsman with Flashlight




So I just bought my first models recently and I was looking for pointers before I start assembling them. I got the Start Collection box set for the Imperial Guard (the one that comes with a Leman Russ, a commissar, 10 cadian shock troops, and a heavy weapons team. My question is should i make my one squad a veteran squad? And what special weapons should I give them? Also what heavy weapon should I use?

I later plan to possibly get 2 more of these boxes and get a tech priest. I am also debating changing my HQ to either a priest or a tank commander.
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




If you got the start collecting then you only really have the grenade launcher and flamer as options, though the grenade launcher might be your best bet since krak grenades are kinda nice. In either case you'll want them as an infantry squad and not veterans since they're better per point and also a troops choice. But since there's no modeling difference other than the number of special weapon... you can change that later.

For the heavy weapon, it depends on what you want. A lascannon gives you some nice anti-tank, but a heavy bolter or mortar will help against infantry. Missile launcher is kinda cool but suffers from "master of none" syndrome. The autocannon does too, but it's actually pretty good against unit with invulns and is cheap all things considered.

Lastly, just go straight for a tank commander, at least at first. They're noticeably better than regular russes, and there's no modeling difference either way. You'll want the command squad at some point for plasma/melta/sniper and another HQ. So it might be better to just get the defense force as a second purchase, since that will net you a battalion, two tanks and a transport. and a heavy weapons squad.
   
Made in gb
Hardened Veteran Guardsman





Veteran's aren't very good right now, they suffer from being an elite choice, being more expensive than infantry squads, and being less effective than their main competition Tempestus Scion's who (to rub salt in the wound) are a troop choice. You're best off building them as a standard infantry squad, they'll have a choice in nearly every list you'll ever build, flamer's autohit which is great but the range means they'll rarely actually ever fire them, grenade launchers are probably the better choice due to the range and the ability to use krak grenades.

For the heavy weapon go for whatever you want but avoid the missile launcher, it's the same price as the lascannon for worst antitank and a pretty mediocre anti infantry ability. You're best off specialising the HWT's since they're so cheap.

Whatever you do with the russ don't glue the sponsoon weapons in, they'll sit in there quite nicely without any help and this lets you switch them out as required. A useful trick down the line would be learning how to magnetise the sponsoon's down the line so you can take them on and off as the loadout requires.
   
Made in us
Guardsman with Flashlight




Cool I keep that in mind. What should I put on the Leman Russ?

And what do you mean magnetizing? Sorry I am new to making models..

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/08/30 02:47:07


 
   
Made in gb
Hardened Veteran Guardsman





Magnetising is the process of installing magnets to hold models together with magnetic force rather than glue. The main reason to do so is that it allows you to change things about the model further down the line like weapon options. It'll basically always be more work than just gluing it but it can save you trouble and money down the road as you can just change part of an existing model rather than buy a whole new one, some things like your guardsmen aren't worth the effort to magnetise, others like your leman russ are as they have a bunch of options and are a fairly expensive model. I wouldn't worry about it too much at this stage, get to grips with the basic's of the hobby first before playing round with magnets.

As for the Leman Russ itself, you really can't go wrong with the basic battlecannon (the one it has on the box), it's a solid gun in pretty much every respect and it has none of the weaknesses the other more specialised options have.Also, avoid the Vanquisher cannon (the extra long barrel) like the plague, it's outright awful. Lascannon sponsoon in the main hull is a decent choice as well, if you want more dedicated anti infantry heavy bolters are another solid choice.Like I said though, if you don't glue them in you can swap them out freely so don't worry on that front and just play around.
   
Made in us
Guardsman with Flashlight




I will keep that to consideration about the magnets. I hear there was a defense force that was recommended. I was unable to find it online, do you mind providing a link of an example of what I would be looking for? Any other tips for a second purchase besides the tech priest?
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





Or try this if you can get them...
https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/11/28/factfile-battleforce-astra-militarum-battlegroup-nov-28gw-homepage-post-4/
You can get this from your FLGS which will be cheaper than from GW.


 
   
Made in ca
Preacher of the Emperor






I would not recommend a big collection box to someone just starting out, and GW doesn't seem to be selling this anymore anyway.

If you haven't already, I always recommend the core rulebook and relevant codex (in this case, Codex Astra Millitarum) and for you to get a grasp on how army organization can work and have a resource to see what you can take.

Beyond that, if you get a second infantry squad you'll have the basis for a patrol detachment which is kind of the basic bare minimum unit of play, kit them out to taste (I like flamers and vox casters!)

After that, you should look at building up your army until you're at 500 points, a company commander is a good investment, and beyond that you could add more infantry, another tank, or maybe some sentinels or bullgryn. I like the ogryn bodyguard too.

From there, play some low-points games with friends and get a feel for your army and its weaknesses and strengths. Take a note of the things you wish you could do and use that knowledge to build the next 500 points as you carry on.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
As for 'defense force' I'm not sure what you mean... Perhaps regiment?

In which case I think Cadia's good for beginners because it's mainly just a re-roll rather than requiring adjustments to stat lines or big changes to fundamental rules of the game.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/08/30 15:15:40


   
Made in us
Guardsman with Flashlight




 Captain Joystick wrote:
I would not recommend a big collection box to someone just starting out, and GW doesn't seem to be selling this anymore anyway.
After that, you should look at building up your army until you're at 500 points, a company commander is a good investment, and beyond that you could add more infantry, another tank, or maybe some sentinels or bullgryn. I like the ogryn bodyguard too.


You mean a command squad like everyone suggests? I keep hearing priests are a better HQ. Or are you referring to a tank commander? And would a tech priest be a good investment?
   
Made in ca
Preacher of the Emperor






The only tech priest available to a pure guard force is the enginseer, he's an elite choice, not HQ.

And yeah, he's pretty good, he can follow your tank and repair damage.

Company commanders are, among other things, the guy in the command squad picture who's holding a laspistol with the medals on his chest, but it's very common to kitbash one instead. They're squishy, cheap, and can issue orders to tell your infantry squads to fight better.

That last part is the Astra Millitarum's core mechanic, so even if they aren't your warlord, it's well worth it to take more than one.

The tank commander does the same thing for tanks, he costs a lot of points and is way more survivable.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/08/30 15:55:16


   
Made in us
Guardsman with Flashlight




 Captain Joystick wrote:
The only tech priest available to a pure guard force is the enginseer, he's an elite choice, not HQ.

And yeah, he's pretty good, he can follow your tank and repair damage.

Company commanders are, among other things, the guy in the command squad picture who's holding a laspistol with the medals on his chest, but it's very common to kitbash one instead. They're squishy, cheap, and can issue orders to tell your infantry squads to fight better.

That last part is the Astra Millitarum's core mechanic, so even if they aren't your warlord, it's well worth it to take more than one.

The tank commander does the same thing for tanks, he costs a lot of points and is way more survivable.


Sorry Kitbash?

Also is it worth getting a vidicator sniper at this point. I want to roleplay my army to have no mutants what so ever.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/08/30 17:21:03


 
   
Made in ca
Preacher of the Emperor






WingedHussar88 wrote:
Sorry Kitbash?


Conversions, modifications, using leftover stuff to turn something we don't want into something else that we do want.

Basic example: let's say I bought two start collecting kits to make a 500 point list, but I want one company commander and one lord commisar. I could take one of my leftover infantry heads and use that instead of the commisar's head, just by cutting both parts around the neck a bit and gluing them on that way. I could leave it there or I could further, replacing the hand holding the bolt pistol with one holding a laspistol, or replacing the blade of the power sword with a chainsword blade instead. And now I have a guy with a helmet with a striking pose and all the equipment he needs to be a 30 point barebones commander and I didn't need to buy a platoon command box.

   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




Kitbash is when you take bits from different model kits and put them together to make a unique option for yourself. Its also used when you want to make a unit who has rules but no actual model, something gw is getting away from but still happens.

Vindicares are fluffy and cool, but not seen as effective from a competitive point of view. I like mine and use it often.
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




My biggest suggestion is to magnetize the LR. It takes a bit longer but it will pay off big time being able to swap to whatever configuration you want to and will end up saving you a bunch of money in the long run
   
Made in us
Guardsman with Flashlight




Asmodios wrote:
My biggest suggestion is to magnetize the LR. It takes a bit longer but it will pay off big time being able to swap to whatever configuration you want to and will end up saving you a bunch of money in the long run

Where would you get the magnets though?
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




WingedHussar88 wrote:
Asmodios wrote:
My biggest suggestion is to magnetize the LR. It takes a bit longer but it will pay off big time being able to swap to whatever configuration you want to and will end up saving you a bunch of money in the long run

Where would you get the magnets though?

Any hobby store like a hobby lobby should have them or just order them on amazon
   
Made in ca
Junior Officer with Laspistol





London, Ontario

The current Russ kit will hold the weapons in place “push-fit” once you get a coat of primer on them. Magnetizing then is very easy, but not necessary.

I would suggest adding at least two infantry squads, and a few of the easy build 5-man trooper boxes. The IS models are fully buildable, so can be built to hold other weapons besides lasguns. There are 2 sets of left arms with the hands attached to the arm instead of the gun. Save those for holding plasma guns!

You can buy a 5-pack of plasma guns from GW. They have Marine hands on the stock side, just cut them off. You’re going to want lots of plasma guns.

Buy a three-pack of heavy weapons teams, and a bunch of extra big bases. You can build the Lascannons on the tripods, Mortar teams “standing up” with parts from IS kits, same thing for standing missile launchers. The autocannons can rest the front on the sand bags instead of tripods.

You can make man-portable versions of heavy bolters if you cut a section out of the middle of the HB and glue it back together. Use a set of Grenade Launcher arms to hold the gun, after you cut the GL off.

Also! If you know any Marine players, giving bolters or plasma pistols to Sergeants is a good idea and helps them to stand out from line troopers. You can make reasonable power swords from chain swords, if you shave the fronts to a smooth edge instead of the chai blade. I also remove the exhaust port from the motor housing.

Lastly, I’d suggest buying a command squad box. There’s lots of good bits in there to make the one-off characters you’ll want, like a master of ordnance.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/08/30 20:29:02


 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




WingedHussar88 wrote:
I will keep that to consideration about the magnets. I hear there was a defense force that was recommended. I was unable to find it online, do you mind providing a link of an example of what I would be looking for? Any other tips for a second purchase besides the tech priest?


Defense force:
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Cadian-Defence-Force

I think it's more well rounded than just start collecting boxes.
   
Made in us
Guardsman with Flashlight




I try to just get stuff at my local gaming store. I haven't really seen any big sets based on the guard but I would have to check again. I still have to set up my first models though before getting any more. Though a tech priest and some how another squad are on my of things to get. Maybe a command squad. Probably end up getting another collecting box unless I can find something better. They were selling a tank commander with a engineer but that inst in stock anymore.

Edit: So I got another start collection box and a command squad. I think for my next purchase I will do the Command Tank with the tech priest. I keep hearing about Sions but I noticed it was a different army. Was this another Sion?

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/09/04 00:21:39


 
   
 
Forum Index » 40K General Discussion
Go to: