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As much as I love lancers and so on I think Dragoons are much better suited to modern ish combat. So I dont know im just gonna chuck an idea out there.

Dragoons: 5 - 10 models
8 points a model (first model is sergeant)
Stats (basic guardsmen)

Gear:

Shotguns (represent carbines) or lasgun
Flakk Armour
Frag grenades
The same upgrades as basic Platoon Squad

Special Rules:

Dismount!
When dismounted they act like infantry for all purposes including orders. When they dismount place a marker roughly in the center of the squad. If they wish to embark again they must embark like a normal transport. Likewise they also disembark like a normal transport. The marker is removed if enemy are within 6" of the marker not falling back.

Scout - See rule book.

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So the idea is they are faster platoon Guardsmen. So I dont know if they should be a platoon upgrade or fast attack slot but its not like these guys are powerful. Same problems as Rough Riders but they still have a possibility of doing something. I dont think I have missed anything and let me know if the rules etc are unclear.

First, "dismount" does literally nothing but make them weaker. You can already give orders to cavalry models (since the rule for orders is non-vehicle models, not infantry), so all you're doing by dismounting is removing the bonuses of the cavalry unit type. Second, you've pretty much just made rough riders worse without anything to make up for it. Lasguns trade all of the marine-slaughtering firepower of lances for 3-4" extra range (you can consistently make long charges with cavalry), and heavy + special is worse than double specials for a mobile unit. So you have a unit that can't really kill anything AND occupies a priceless fast attack slot.

Also, compare your costs at 8 points per model to the ~10 points per model of a platoon squad with a Chimera, or the ~12 points of a veteran squad with a Chimera. Either of those are vastly superior as mobile units, making your proposed unit redundant.

I'd advise making these guys distinct by giving them slightly denser special weapons than Infantry squads and giving them Scouts. Less sure about heavy weapons, autocannons/heavy bolters wouldn't be at all suited for cavalry due to recoil and noise, lascannons are probably too heavy, mortars have to be mounted in an unmoving fashion to be at all accurate. Shoulder-fired missile launchers might be justifiable and wouldn't look quite as crazy.

Im not fussed about making them weaker as much as I just want modern ish cavalry I guess. But I have watched training videos where horses have dismounted and set up machine guns pretty quickly.

What I want them to do is act as mobile infantry for those who hate Chimeras (me cough) but love horses.

I guess for the price they are I could allow them 2 special weapons. I was also thinking of giving them minor charge buffs by giving them sabers. Power swords on the turn they charge? But that seems too powerful really. Also scouts is good, I wasnt sure if their price justified it but yea ill give them scouts.

And its good they are worse. Means people wont mind me using them.

If you Platoon them, you could have heavy weapon squads that consist of two horses pulling a wheeled gun carriage like the older Guard heavy weapons. I don't believe Cavalry are relentless, but if they are, a simple exception to the rule for the heavy weapon squad would suitably represent them having to stop and set up the gun.

 Furyou Miko wrote:
If you Platoon them, you could have heavy weapon squads that consist of two horses pulling a wheeled gun carriage like the older Guard heavy weapons. I don't believe Cavalry are relentless, but if they are, a simple exception to the rule for the heavy weapon squad would suitably represent them having to stop and set up the gun.

Thats cool. I know real cavalry can do both easily. So Maybe if I platoon them like a normal platoon, but basic squads get 2 special weapons and no heavy weapons while the heavy weapons are restricted to only the heavy weapons squads.

I like that one so far.

*nods*

You could make HWS 4 strong rather than 3 strong to compensate for the lack of heavy weapons in the standard squads, or alternately allow for an extra heavy weapon squad in each platoon. It's how the Elysians deal with their heavy weapons, since they don't fit in their infantry squads either. Of course, Elysians are limited to 'light' heavy weapons (mortar, missile, heavy bolter), which the dragoons wouldn't be.

Well Ill keep them at 3 because they are meant to be light and fast rather than heavy and slow kinda thing.

Well, basically the concept of dragoons was just mainly infantry longriflemen transporting. Cause irl it's pretty hard to operate with a longrifle when u're riding a horse. But it's good when u're mobile and can deploy wherever needed.

In Wh40k system there are no limitations on operating with longrifles (rapidfire weaponry) if you're cavalry, so, basically it's no use to dismount from the shooting perspective.

But as i see, you want to make them actually dragoons that have to dismount to act effectively. So, what can be done to make dismounting more profitable? What about adding cammo cloaks that work only on foot. So now you have a scout squad with mediocre effectiveness BUT it can have something like 2-3 meltas/flamers, scout, cavalry movement and cammo cloaks that are active when dismounted. 8-9 pts is now not that bad.

 koooaei wrote:
Well, basically the concept of dragoons was just mainly infantry longriflemen transporting. Cause irl it's pretty hard to operate with a longrifle when u're riding a horse. But it's good when u're mobile and can deploy wherever needed.

In Wh40k system there are no limitations on operating with longrifles (rapidfire weaponry) if you're cavalry, so, basically it's no use to dismount from the shooting perspective.

But as i see, you want to make them actually dragoons that have to dismount to act effectively. So, what can be done to make dismounting more profitable? What about adding cammo cloaks that work only on foot. So now you have a scout squad with mediocre effectiveness BUT it can have something like 3 meltas/flamers, scout, cavalry movement and cammo cloaks that are active when dismounted. 8-9 pts is now not that bad.

You are dead right. Thats what made them the last of the cavalry. It suits a more modern army to have cheaply transported (and they can go through forest etc) team of men than it does to have lancers.

the camo cloak is a good idea. Because the goal is to get them moving to a position to shoot from.