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Yeah, that's more what I thought.

I actually ran my all-vet list tonight, and it was certainly refreshing to just put some guys on the table and then let my opponent deploy.

Usually with foot guard, my opponent deploys, and then takes a smoke break while I deploy. There is a guy at my FLGS who smokes Marlborough 100's. I think he manage to clean out half a pack in one of the games I played against him.

You know that something is futzy to play with when your opponent can pound a magnum cigarette during EVERY movement phase of mine, and still show up before I'm completely done moving...

Its a labor of love imho, once you see all those mini soldiers standing in formation with their cinematic poses it really puts life into the game. To be totally honest i play IG for that very reason.

About deployment of footguard, one thing i have learned is that it pays to pack one platoon in one packet ie. one platoon in a foam layer or one box for them. Its really helpful to do things one at a time.

@MrMoustaffa: 2000pt tournament with footguard!! how is that possible, it must have been an incredible challenge to quickly move around. In addition thanks for putting up your stages of deployment, i will definitely be using that.

@Aliaros so how did that list go for you? or are you saving that story for a new batrep

Not to stray too far off topic, but when should one blob up platoons, and when should you have MSU in platoons? Thats the thing Im questioning myself when learning this dex.

Something I would have thought useful (and am working on for Apoc games for my armies (and will likely use in standard games anyway)) is Magnetic Movement trays. Have them either spaced how you would normally / always have them, or just magnetic sheet that you can adjust in size as needed and have them all there, so when moving the unit, you just pick up / drag the tray.

KingCracker wrote:Not to stray too far off topic, but when should one blob up platoons, and when should you have MSU in platoons? Thats the thing Im questioning myself when learning this dex.

It used to be always blob, back in the day of hidden commissars, now it's better to not bother with the commissars and always MSU (except on KP missions, of course, then just consolidate the KP as much as possible).

 Ailaros wrote:

KingCracker wrote:Not to stray too far off topic, but when should one blob up platoons, and when should you have MSU in platoons? Thats the thing Im questioning myself when learning this dex.

It used to be always blob, back in the day of hidden commissars, now it's better to not bother with the commissars and always MSU (except on KP missions, of course, then just consolidate the KP as much as possible).

Not ENTIRELY true.

Blobs still benefit from 1 thing, no matter the mission or edition; consolidated orders. If you have 6 Infantry squads, and only 1 ccs, you'll be much better off with 2 thirty-man blobs rather than 6 MSU's, in terms of orders. You'll get more shots out of FRFSRF, more rerolls from BiD and FoMT, and more models can go to ground knowing they'll receive GBitF next turn. MSU's also give up easier first blood, die easier in melee, and I heard a rumor un-blobbed infantry squads don't shower. Ew.

lol

If only a single unit could claim multiple objective still. Then perhaps, but I don't know if the durability problems and strategic constraints are worth it for a little bit more twin-linking.

I mean, MSU still has a place, but only if that's your ONLY objective claiming options.

Two blobs, and a couple vet squads in transports lead to all of your troop choices being quite durable.

Especially if those transports can zip around the board all game getting hit on 6's

Edit: I guess my biggest problem with MSU is that they just crumble in melee. It's hard to give all your MSU's fearless/stubborn, and they don't put out enough wounds to tie or win combat, so more often than not they're fleeing if they've been charged, which leads to a lot of sweeping advances. Putting stubborn on a blob is cheap, and a blob of 30+ dudes will more likely tie/win combat than a squad of 10.

(Giving them ATSKNF with a SW IC is even better, but that falls under ally-shenanigans, which I'll avoid discussing atm as to not muddle the subject)

well yeah, but that's mech guard.

Does two foot blobs, three HWS's, two tanks, and two vet squads in Vendettas count as mech-guard? (The gist of MY list)

Seems like it's still foot; just with 400pts of AV12 air support (Which the OP seems to want). If a true foot list didn't include air, they'd be much less viable just due to their strict concept.

Well, you make the decision at deployment, and the squads can be blobbed together however you wish. I.E if you've got 4 you could have them all seperate, a 30 man and a 10 man, two 20's, a 20 and two 10's, etc. It's entirely down to what you think helps the most. It's one of my favorite strength's to footguard, as that flexibility comes in handy.

As for playing a 2,000pts tourney with foot IG, make sure you know the rules by heart, and can keep your opponent rolling and not stalling. I got all the way to turn 6 agaisnt a daemon player, almost made it to turn 5 against a space wolf, and made it to the bottom of turn 4 against an armored fists IG player (to be fair, that match we had almost 250 Models combined between our armies). What slowed us down though was that people were still learning 6th, so there were a ton of rules disputes. That killed my time more than anything. Once we're all more familiar with 6th, I think i'll be able to make it to turn 5 most games with little difficulty. I would not recommend it though if you're new to tourneys, that army is draining to play when you have to get a game done in 2 hours.

@ TheCaptain, I would call that hybrid if anything. You're not using chimeras, but you are zipping vet squads around in vendettas (something I've always wanted to try) but it's got a strong foot element as well. Definitely not mech guard though. That requires shoving EVERYTHING in metuhl bawkses.

And a final aside, I don't see why people take bolter sponsons on any russ with ordnance weapons. While one bolter gets to fire at normal BS, the other 2 will always snap fire, meaning you're paying 20 points for 1 extra hit, if they can all fire at all

I like having the HB sponsons on my tanks that move ahead of the rest of the army (Demolishers/Eradicators/Punishers). More for improving the random weapon destroyed result when it comes up. I hate it when the main turret gets blown off!

For me, unless the AV 12 can hide behind cover and lob shells, or is designed specifically to run forward and draw a lot of attention to itself (hellhound), then its better to take AV 14 for a footguard list. I run 3 at minimum (Usually two LRBT to sit back and lob shells, and a Demolisher variant to spearhead the attack). The amount of punishment they can take is pretty insane, and a lot of opponents will have a hard time deciding between shooting the Russ's or your guardsmen. Just remember to keep a squad or two nearby to act as a meat shield in case the enemy gets too close and tries to assault the tank. Better they assault 10 guardsmen than your 150+ point tank!

 MrMoustaffa wrote:
@ TheCaptain, I would call that hybrid if anything. You're not using chimeras, but you are zipping vet squads around in vendettas (something I've always wanted to try) but it's got a strong foot element as well. Definitely not mech guard though. That requires shoving EVERYTHING in metuhl bawkses.

Well damn; pure foot-guard just kinda sounds like you're crippling yourself then.

No offense.

 TheCaptain wrote:

 MrMoustaffa wrote:
@ TheCaptain, I would call that hybrid if anything. You're not using chimeras, but you are zipping vet squads around in vendettas (something I've always wanted to try) but it's got a strong foot element as well. Definitely not mech guard though. That requires shoving EVERYTHING in metuhl bawkses.

Well damn; pure foot-guard just kinda sounds like you're crippling yourself then.

No offense.

None taken, the whole "it's technically hybrid" is literally just that, a technicality. I've thought about doing a list similar to yours if I ever got into tourneys real heavy, as that mobility boost would be very handy. It's probably the closest one can get to true footguard in higher points games if you want to get games to turn 5 without a lot of stress in less than 2 hours. Plus, about 30 less guardsmen to move around for each 2 hour round would be nice as well. It still gives that foot IG vibe, and sure many an opponent has looked at it and said "wow, an army with no chimeras? I didn't know those existed." I know I've gotten that compliment more than once.

To be honest, there is a certain point you hit where it's just too many guardsmen for a tourney environment, whether you want to admit it or not. My FOB list that I posted is probably the absolute max that any sane person could take, and even then, they won't stay sane for long with a 100+ guardsmen to move every game. Unlike horde orks, where they're all packing similar weapons, and are usually just moving forward straight toward the enemy, a foot IG list has a lot more little things to keep track of, and that really kills you on time at tourneys. That's just the nature of the list, and something that I think all foot IG players realize to some extent, whether they admit it or not. It's not so much that the lists themselves aren't competitive, just that they're not a good choice for a tournament environment (time limits, rules debates, moving your army quickly from table to table, etc)

I will be the first to admit that I am not a tourney player, and I hope that is made clear to most players. I'm usually playing more relaxed games at my store, even if I'm still up against very hardcore lists on a daily basis. I play foot IG because I love the added challenge, and know that it is not the most hardcore, facesmashing tourney list ever. Makes it so that when I do pull those victories out against those tourney lists, its all the more awesome to me. Plus, if there is one army that forces you to get better as a player and learn from one's mistakes, it's footguard. Even the smallest of mistakes can really punish you in the game. I think it's helped make me a much better player, as every game I learn a ton of new things about IG as an army.