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Guard player here. In 9th edition what is the update on current command squad usage?
I understand you can only have as many command squads as you have officers, and that the officers now operate as separate characters.
So do command squads have to deploy with and maintain unit cohesion with their officer? Or can they be deployed/moved/function as an entirely separate unit?
If so what’s the point of having a command squad? It seems they just become a smaller section stepping into the territory of Special Weapons/Veteran squads.

There are currently no limitations on how you deploy and move a Command Squad.

As for your analysis, you are not wrong.

 MurphyMcIrish005 wrote:
Guard player here. In 9th edition what is the update on current command squad usage?
I understand you can only have as many command squads as you have officers, and that the officers now operate as separate characters.
So do command squads have to deploy with and maintain unit cohesion with their officer? Or can they be deployed/moved/function as an entirely separate unit?
If so what’s the point of having a command squad? It seems they just become a smaller section stepping into the territory of Special Weapons/Veteran squads.

They do not have to be deployed with or maintain unit cohesion with their officer as there is no rule about it and they are a completely separate unit.

Not a guard player but looking at their stats the main draws of the Command Squad is the medipack ability, that you can use to heal a nearby unit. Most likely an Ogran squad. As well as the Vox-caster ability to increase the range of the officers Voice of Command to 18 inches.

If you don't need either of these then there likely isn't much reason to take them.

While it kind of defeats the lore role of a Command squad they also can all take special weapons and 3 of them nicely fit in a Chimera or Valkyrie. So if you want to be able to drop 12 BS3+ Meltaguns somewhere, Command squads can be the way to go

 Pyroalchi wrote:
While it kind of defeats the lore role of a Command squad they also can all take special weapons and 3 of them nicely fit in a Chimera or Valkyrie. So if you want to be able to drop 12 BS3+ Meltaguns somewhere, Command squads can be the way to go

True. However it does lock you into what kind of HQ choices you can take. Though I am pretty sure many top lists already take as many as possible already.
Also I am sure in the new codex they will limit the number of officers you can take to one so until then it is viable but one shouldn't be planning long term based on their 8th ed rules.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, correct me if I am wrong, I suspect the box comes with at most one or two melta per box so it is likely in the new codex each squad will be able to take that many.

That's true of course. My comment is only valid for 8th and 9th edition and one might need extra bits to get enough special weapons.

On a purely style focussed side regardless of competetiveness: I love these little flags and always build mine with regimental standards

If you want a previous-edition-adjacent use, you can use the Command Squad in 9th to screen a Character from Shooting or MW.

But yeah, the implementation in 8th and 9th of Command Squads is odd and makes them something folk rarely use.

Command Squads were used extensively at the opening of 8th Edition. 4 Models with 4 Special Weapons with BS 3+ was super efficient. This is why GW added the 1 Command Squad per Officer rule in the Codex and for a time charged IG Squads with BS3+ more for special weapons than squads with BS4+. Even today, Command Squads pay for their special weapons while Infantry Squads have the cost baked in.