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I've been rethinking heavy weapons in guard squads or blob squads lately. I believe spending 20 points for a LC on a 50 point squad to just be excessive. I would rather just add a plasma gun and maintain my mobility. My blobbed infantry platoons have lately been relegated to either holding points or marching forward to apply pressure. I have artillery and enough vendettas.

How are you guys who run foot platoons equipping them?

I run lascannons. That way, even though they are in the back holding an objective, they can contribute to the fight. Plus, IG has tons of ways to twinlink their guns, so I usually TL those lascannons for extra fun.

Well that's just it. I have switched from CCS to LC and forgotten about orders. When I am running a platoon with 5 squads to kit each one with a LC is 100 points total. I used to give those 5 squads a PG and a LC. Those 100 points are a lot to a guard players and i have been feeling that there are better places to spend those points. And as I stated above I like to have the option to move that blob on foot towards an objective or enemy.

The problem is that blobs are not particularly fast or hard to kill. The lascannons add in a punch to the unit. You might want to try just having the squads with a lascannon and not blobed up if you don't think you will get orders. That way you can move one gun if you need to and fire with the ones that don't need to move.

I think I will run two platoons for a while as a test, one with LC and one with PG.

Just curious you say your running a few Vendetta's are they occupied. If they are you shouldn't really need to be running your Infantry Squads Forwards as the Vendettas should give you all the mobility you need.

Sinji wrote:
Just curious you say your running a few Vendetta's are they occupied. If they are you shouldn't really need to be running your Infantry Squads Forwards as the Vendettas should give you all the mobility you need.

I would agree with this statement^

But I am in the same boat with you. I run my infantry squads with lascannons but Im not sure if I want to run my squads with plasma guns instead.

I run Vets with Plasguns in chimeras, and have foot lascannons/autocannons...

My 2 cents

My furthur 2cents. At the moment I just run 2 minimal Infantry Squads per platoon with Autocannons and load up on Sabres with TL-Lascannons for anti-transport and flyer. After a few games I've even considered changing out the Autocannons for Heavy Bolters and using the Infantry Squads as some more Anti-Infantry.

At the moment my list does well at taking out med-light transports turn 1 and if my oponent decides to run a small amount of vehicles I can usually take them all down turn 1 as well. What I'm finding is that I need more in the Anti-Infantry department and Anti-AV12-14. My army can deal with them but not as well as I like. At the moment my meta lacks AV14 Spam but there is a peskey Necon Player spamming AV13 which can be delt with from getting massed Pens from Earthshaker rounds then the Lascannons can drop the AV11 easy enough.

So the real question is what is the rest of your Platoon packing? Do you have enough support from other the units in your army to deal with other threats? Are you running your platoons for cheap scoring bodys or are you after the other options the Platoon has?

Sinji wrote:
My furthur 2cents.

So 4 cents?

In all seriousness, the thing with Platoons is that they are great for camping/swarming an objective. So, if you have some heavy weapons, they are far more likely to hold the point. Off topic slightly, I also recommend taking the Commissars (you do use commissars, right?) and sgts with power axes/fists or power mauls-If you get assaulted, they can help to mash some enemies. I also run full squads of 50 men.

 TheLionOfTheForest wrote:
I've been rethinking heavy weapons in guard squads or blob squads lately. I believe spending 20 points for a LC on a 50 point squad to just be excessive. I would rather just add a plasma gun and maintain my mobility. My blobbed infantry platoons have lately been relegated to either holding points or marching forward to apply pressure. I have artillery and enough vendettas.

How are you guys who run foot platoons equipping them?

Lascannon blob camps rear objectives, Vendetta mounted PCS and Plasvets secure objectives upfield.

Vendettas are much more mobile than footslogging blobs, whereas footslogging blobs can better withstand the firepower that a backfield obj-holder will have to face.

I usually put a PCS with 4 x flamers in one vendetta and 2 special weapon squads with 1 demo charge and 2 flamers each in the other two vendettas.

Just out of curiosity, I was listenenjng to The Overlords 40k podcast and one of the guys stated that if you put one part of your platoon (pcs or special weapons squads) into a vendetta in reserve then the remainder of the platoon has to be held in reserve also. Tell me this is wrong?

The rest of my list is as much artillery as I can cram in. I am liking basilisks and colluses ATM. Ap 3 large blast ignoring cover is gold.

 TheLionOfTheForest wrote:
I usually put a PCS with 4 x flamers in one vendetta and 2 special weapon squads with 1 demo charge and 2 flamers each in the other two vendettas.

Just out of curiosity, I was listenenjng to The Overlords 40k podcast and one of the guys stated that if you put one part of your platoon (pcs or special weapons squads) into a vendetta in reserve then the remainder of the platoon has to be held in reserve also. Tell me this is wrong?

a) being a grammar Nazi, that's not a question, that question mark doesn't belong there. b) I'm pretty sure he's wrong, as reserves are on a unit by unit basis.

Im pretty sure the FAQ says that he is wrong. Im pretty sure there was an FAQ over that topic

I apologize for the grammatical offenses. I guess I was thinking aloud while typing rather than forming it in a grammitcally correct way. Are you an English major ? Lol.

I mainly run Autocannons but that's a holdover from 5th rather than preference. If I could do it over again, they'd all be lascannons. They're just so much more threatening.

It really depends what all is in your army. I've found that 2 squads with 2 autocannons rarely do anything. In fact, I can't remember when they've done *anything* except sit on an objective, but for 120 points it's not too bad to sit in the backfield and pew pew pew all day.

I use HWSs; 3 LC, 3 autocannons, and 3 mortars.
The LC and autocannons have a tendency to get killed right as my opponenet has alot of light transport in which both weapons are quite useful.

I'm starting to 'phase out' the mortars, as I'm facing more and more 4Sv+ troops, meaning a harder time to wound and force a pinnign tests (the ork player found out the niceness of Nobz and 'eavy armour, the 'nids one is rarely showing up nowadays.)

I alot use missle launcher in a couple of infantry squads. It is not a Lc mind you, but it is low key enough to be ignored compared to my other Heavy weapons and can bring a small plate or some Str 8 shot to the game...Granted it is either I don't hit or I hit, then roll a 1 for armour pen but when it does, it works well enough

Inquisitor Jex wrote:
I use HWSs; 3 LC, 3 autocannons, and 3 mortars.
The LC and autocannons have a tendency to get killed right as my opponenet has alot of light transport in which both weapons are quite useful.

I'm starting to 'phase out' the mortars, as I'm facing more and more 4Sv+ troops, meaning a harder time to wound and force a pinnign tests (the ork player found out the niceness of Nobz and 'eavy armour, the 'nids one is rarely showing up nowadays.)

I alot use missle launcher in a couple of infantry squads. It is not a Lc mind you, but it is low key enough to be ignored compared to my other Heavy weapons and can bring a small plate or some Str 8 shot to the game...Granted it is either I don't hit or I hit, then roll a 1 for armour pen but when it does, it works well enough

Your priciest HWT's (lascannons) should be in your Infantry squads.

More protection, less susceptible to instant death, and more receptive of orders.

Missile Launchers should be in HWS's, because like you say, they're less threatening, and thus less likely to get blown away.

-TheCaptain

I also have a CCS behind my blobs for BID and GBITF and stuff like that.

Ive had a TON of bad luck with PG Infantry Squads lately. I know its random, but its at a 90% attrition rate for losing them to Gets Hot! and now im pretty much only doing PG in Vet squads so i at least spam them in chimeras. I prefer using 10 man squads to protect LCs and so far it has really worked out for me. I get to establish a bit of a gunline and the vets move forward with demolishers to really get that forward momentum.

Ive also had a bit of luck with BIG 40-50 man blobs with meltas and a commissar. They dont really do a whole lot in terms of killing power, but they sure do get your opponents attention without having to spend alot of points. Usually i follow that blob with a PCS with all flamers as counter assault and orders.

Oh, how i wish you could put a PCS or a CCS inside of your infantry. Same with HWS. Then again, that would re ridiculously overpowered.

Maybe run 1 platoon to sit back with lascannons and have another platoon move out with plasma guns.

 generalchaos34 wrote:
Ive had a TON of bad luck with PG Infantry Squads lately. I know its random, but its at a 90% attrition rate for losing them to Gets Hot! and now im pretty much only doing PG in Vet squads so i at least spam them in chimeras. I prefer using 10 man squads to protect LCs and so far it has really worked out for me. I get to establish a bit of a gunline and the vets move forward with demolishers to really get that forward momentum.

Ive also had a bit of luck with BIG 40-50 man blobs with meltas and a commissar. They dont really do a whole lot in terms of killing power, but they sure do get your opponents attention without having to spend alot of points. Usually i follow that blob with a PCS with all flamers as counter assault and orders.

Oh, how i wish you could put a PCS or a CCS inside of your infantry. Same with HWS. Then again, that would re ridiculously overpowered.

You can... Kind of. Just place your CCS/PCS/HWS and surround them with the blob. It's better than nothing

If you do that, you're shooting through an intervening unit and giving the opponent a cover save. Not necessarily out of the question, but it is something to remember.

Corollax wrote:
If you do that, you're shooting through an intervening unit and giving the opponent a cover save. Not necessarily out of the question, but it is something to remember.

My sgts/commissars stand behind them, so it's all good.

I run PISs with a meltagun and a lascannon. The meltaguns are there to form a melta hedge (one of the guard's best tactics), and the lascannons are there to make sure they do absolutely anything during the game if my opponents refuse to charge the melta hedge.

Infantry platoons are good for exactly one thing - desperately attempting to hold onto objectives deep in cover/your deployment zone. Getting fancy ideas like "they're going to be mobile" is just going to end up with them getting killed.

That said, you should take heavy weapons on them, because otherwise you're sinking a fair number of points into something with basically no killing power, which is very, very bad. 20 points may seem like a lot for a 50 point squad, but it's the difference between them being completely useless, and actually killing anything.

 TheLionOfTheForest wrote:
I apologize for the grammatical offenses. I guess I was thinking aloud while typing rather than forming it in a grammitcally correct way. Are you an English major ? Lol.

Zoology actually. Looking back, I don't know why I said that, must've been too tired to be polite.

 Ailaros wrote:
I run PISs with a meltagun and a lascannon. The meltaguns are there to form a melta hedge (one of the guard's best tactics), and the lascannons are there to make sure they do absolutely anything during the game if my opponents refuse to charge the melta hedge.

Infantry platoons are good for exactly one thing - desperately attempting to hold onto objectives deep in cover/your deployment zone. Getting fancy ideas like "they're going to be mobile" is just going to end up with them getting killed.

That said, you should take heavy weapons on them, because otherwise you're sinking a fair number of points into something with basically no killing power, which is very, very bad. 20 points may seem like a lot for a 50 point squad, but it's the difference between them being completely useless, and actually killing anything.

Even an Autocannon/HB is so much better than nothing for 10 pts.

Definitely.

That said, I'd still go for the lascannon. The jump in killing power from the autocannon/heavy bolter to the lascannon is arguably as big as the jump from nothing to said heavy bolter/autocannon. For only 10 more points.

 Ailaros wrote:
Definitely.

That said, I'd still go for the lascannon. The jump in killing power from the autocannon/heavy bolter to the lascannon is arguably as big as the jump from nothing to said heavy bolter/autocannon. For only 10 more points.

Agreed^ gives you more targets to even fire at from a distance.

 tankboy145 wrote:

 Ailaros wrote:
Definitely.

That said, I'd still go for the lascannon. The jump in killing power from the autocannon/heavy bolter to the lascannon is arguably as big as the jump from nothing to said heavy bolter/autocannon. For only 10 more points.

Agreed^ gives you more targets to even fire at from a distance.

I prefer half Autocannons half Lascannons.

Extra shot, reasonable vs LVs, and a 60 pt Autocannon Squad is a lot better at chewing through Nobz than a lascannon. Both if I can.