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I play IG because of the wonderful models and conversion opportunities. My IG reproduce themselves even though it only has 6 female guardsmen. Its well over 300+ infantry and 30+ tanks now.

Let's go through the list:

Tanks
Awesome model customization choices from third party
Tanks
Good fluff
Did I forget to mention tanks?

The real reason that I enjoy IG though is because they are a treasure trove. Do you want to have your guys be raving medieval men given guns that they hardly know how to use? By all means! Do you want them to be barely alive of a giant meat blender built to slaughter the enemy in numbers? Well do that then! Do you want them to be an artillery army or a tank army that destroys the foes with the big toys? Do it! Did the guys fall to chaos? Add spikes! Is the army a squad of elite forces? Alright then! This army, more than any other, gives you almost no barriers. They can be a Tau force, a slave force for DE, tricked by the Eldar, slaves of the Necrons.... They are whatever you watn them to be. You can run them with ruthless abandon to life or you can have a leader that wishes to minimize life as much as possible.

Simply put, IG are the average guy, the human being. They are the goes that we canrelate to most. They fear the unknown, they fear the commisar... they have emotions, pain, joy, and anguish. And what is it they face every day? Monstrosities. They face down hulking men that are knights that spew out foul whispers as heir best friend bursts into a pool of blood next to them. They stand as a flying sting ray emits a piercing scream that pops organs within their chest blood leaking from each ear. They shoot out volley after volley at men of metal that heal the wounds that are incurred upon them as though they never occurred to begin with. Human beings, where psykers are in the minority and individually they are bested by every other force out there. Every battle is a struggle, each one has a pricey cost. They are the underdog fighting onwards kicking at the nonsensical fate and destiny that the Eldar and other forces gibber on about. They fight to live till tomorrow, to survive just a bit longer. Unlike the forces of chaos that are insane, unlike the xenos that has abstract and contrary emotions and beliefs in comparison to our own interpretations, we find guardsman that we can identify most with. Their victories are not through superior tech often times but instead the valliant struggles and sacrifices of men unsung and tears flowing mixing with the blood of their lost ones. They are guardsman and they shall hold the line!

There's something about a wave of massed infantry/armored column- that's made up of men just like you and I- fighting the horrors that 40k puts against them. Marines are the heroes and posterboys, but the guard are the real lifeblood of the imperium. Factions and regiments across the whole galaxy are represented in them, there are few races that can match that kind of diverse personality.

So you can field masses and masses of conscripts and go "deal with that b%^*h" to your opponent :p

I play Imperial Guard for three very distinct reasons.

Giant. Furry. Hats.



I love the look and feel of I.G., as a whole, but these minis just sell it for me. Their look, the fluff, I enjoy the army more than any other and enjoy overcoming the odds with them when the deck is stacked against me.

That's mine. Take it easy everyone.

-Red__Thirst-

The concept of mere mortal men facing down 9 foot tall super humans in tank armor, or whatever nasty alien thing that could kill them in 50+ different ways with nothing but Lots of guns, tanks and courage.

That and it gives me the liberty to convert my tanks to my hearts content with highly experimental and fantastical weapons, locomotive systems, and so much more.
Sure I could try the same thing with Space Marines but with fewer tanks it is highly limited.

IG all the way.

Several Reasons:
1: The average guy needs stones the size of entire solar systems
2:METAL BAWKSES!!!!
3:MOAR METAL BAWKESES (I seriously love armor)
4: Variety, with Space Marines you can really only customize color, wherein with Imperial guard you can choose the following: Vostroyan, Cadian, Catachan, Valhallan, Armageddon, Elysian, Gaunts Ghosts, Last Chancers, DKoK, Army Men, and a crap load of third party that you can use
5:Variety of fluff friendly allies, you can run guard as Blood Pact (so chaos affiliated), chapter serfs, genestealer cult, Dark Eldar Slaves, Gue'va(?) auxillaries, Inquisitorial stormtroopers, and pawns to any other faction you want them to ally with
6: I have heard it said that "To really teach someone the basics of 40k have them run imperial guard, then they have to learn how to hug cover, target prioritisation, and really any other basic stuff that MEQ forget or ignore"

Tell those dudes, because of Tanks Biatch!

Because death to the xenos!

And Tanks

I've taken IG as my 3rd army.
On my first visit to a GW in 18 years I was pointed at a Baneblade. Yeah, I know, upselling and all that.
But the thought of painting up an army of IG tanks got to me.
Then I got the AoBR box took me to SM and on to Eldar.
2 years later, IG are in after a store sale, and the tanks are the big draw there still. I'm still waiting for a theme to coalesce, but the models are ready.

Because 150 guardsmen firing 3 shots each... goodbye hostile army

Need I say more?

 Skinnereal wrote:
I've taken IG as my 3rd army.
On my first visit to a GW in 18 years I was pointed at a Baneblade. Yeah, I know, upselling and all that.
But the thought of painting up an army of IG tanks got to me.
Then I got the AoBR box took me to SM and on to Eldar.
2 years later, IG are in after a store sale, and the tanks are the big draw there still. I'm still waiting for a theme to coalesce, but the models are ready.

Armored battlegroup army list!

Why wouldn't you want to play Guard?

I started playing IG after their new codex in third edition, and i enjoyed it that they where just humans, with a lasgun and a flakjackets
also the choice was heavily influenced at the time by the gaunts ghost novels .
And they have my favorite vehicles in 40k, the Valkyrie, Leman Russ and the most glorious bastard of all the Baneblade

 PrinceRaven wrote:
I've always thought understanding why people IG was easy, they played toy soldiers when they were little and now they play toy soldiers now they're adults
In all seriousness, I do know people who play Guard for that reason.

I had loads of those toy soldiers.

The IG are your average day humans who fight untold horrors in the universe. You gotta respect that. Their humanity also makes them more easy to sympathize with.

Because of trenches full of conscripts armed with nothing but lasers they believe will consistently take the head off of a charging ork and the primer that told them so.

Because of space hobbit snipers lurking in burned-out buildings and thick underbrush, waiting for that Ethereal's bodyguards to relax.

Because the Commissar says he'll need a damn good explanation if you don't.

Because of feral world warriors used to scaling mountain-sized trees getting fitted for grav-chutes and pushed out of the back of a Valkyrie.

Because of storm troopers swooping in and taking all the glory while the rank and file get marched off to the next war zone - where they'll undoubtedly do it again.

Because of ridiculously massive tanks driving over a mob of orks and busting out the old flamethrower.

Because of Sentinel pilots stomping all over Hormagaunts.

Because it's the Imperial Guard.

To die in the service of the Emperor is the real reason for the Emperor protects.

I have been drawn to IG since I met two of my best friends playing this silly game called warhammer my freshman year of college. They told me about all the marine chapters, the tau, necrons, Eldar and chaos. But when I asked them about just regular humans they gave me a laugh and told me of the imperial guard and their flashlights.

Though my friends spoke ill of the poor IG I couldn't help but like this poor SOBs because it took true courage to face the terror of the 41M. After looking at fluff and reading about one lone colonel-commissar and his band of lonely scots *cough* I mean Tanith. I identified with the lonely soldier life of the IG.

From a play perspective IG can be played like a modern day army, with tanks and artillery, flyers of course. I personal am trying to make an army that uses little to no: psykers (though the new Inq Codex...), abhumans and chaos. You can model them anyway you like it and when some mocks you for losing 10-20 guys in CC just remember to look him in the eye and tell him there are still more guys coming.

I was in the Army as an infantry officer (US), so I like the idea of normal joes that aren't much different from me taking on the universe with not much more than a T-shirt, a laser pointer, and a set of cajones.

I'd play Imperial Guard because a being designed genetically to fight isn't impressive when it fights, but a human achieving monumental moments of courage and sacrifice in combat is impressive.

 Yonan wrote:
Eldar craftworlds are just different coloured Eldar.

I'd say the Craftworlds are just as varied in doctrine and diverse in general as the Imperial Guard regiments.

The IGuard are awesome.

What you should ask Tau players is why would they play the cheesy anime ripoff blue goody two shoes? That's boring, heh.

A bunch of poor conscripted sad sacks thrust into a hellish universe against Cockney-accented Mad Max cosplayers, space fetishists, and cheap Taiwanese knock off HR Giger creatures is awesome.

Barrage Pie Plates and Big Tanks with more Pie Plates. Also the ability to use a ton of 3rd party models to create an army look you will really love for a long time.