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OK, I've settled on 750 pts as a good compromise -- if it works out, it's easy to build up to 1500, and small enough to play games in a managable time.

This is a balanced style IG force, doctrines: Light Infantry, Close Order, Iron Discipline, and no others that matter because of limited unit choices.

The two JO command squads should provide leadership, a good mix of heavy weaponry with a slant towards what everyone insists are the most efficient IG squads (las/plas), and two not-to-be-ignored tanks should make this a good list for small games.  Thoughts?  I'm wondering about adding some Vet Sarges if I can find the points -- Guard leadership being what it is and all.  Also, do you think the lack of a counter assault unit matters @ 750 points?  I was thinking about modelling up a Veteran Squad with Jungle Fighter or Hardened Fighters, or spending the points I've used on vehicle upgrades to make one of my HQ units into a CC machine.

Most of this army (Infantry, Chimera, etc) is already in the process of painting, so this is my last go at buying more stuff before the men are ready to move out.

-Adso


Eridani Combined Company Expeditionary Forces

Duke Mark Utrices, Iron Discipline, Bolt pistol, Ccwpn (51)
2 bodyguards, Medic, Standard Bearer (22)

Platoon Belisarius, Eridandi 8th Dragoons

Duke L. Belisarius, commanding. Bolter, Iron discipline, bolter, CCW (51)
4 assistants, one manning heavy bolter (10)
Squad Ipsix: 10 troopers, one lascannon, one plasmagun (95)
Squad Oretan: 10 troopers, one lascannon, one plasmagun (95)
Squad Novak: 10 troopers, one sniper, one plasmagun, light inf. (85)

Dragoons Squad Vitbek: 10 Guardsmen, 1 Plasma Gun (70)
Vit-1: Chimera with Heavy Bolter, Multilaser, Track Guards, Extra Armor, hunter-killer missile (115)

Leman Russ: With Extra Armor, hull and sponson heavy bolters, hunter-killer missile (160)

I would model some of your vehicle upgrades as detachable if you can so you can make cheaper WYSIWYG tanks if you find yourself a few short for that second or third Russ at 1500. Also, for small points games it may be useful to include some autocannon over lascannon or sniper rifles. (gank extra armour, sniper rifle and one lascannon for two autocannon would be my bias)

Good advice, though I'm not quite yet ready to buy the additional 750 to bring it up to 1500.

What do you think about the lack of an assault deterrent?

As far as what's available to equip my squads, 3 of my heavy weapons are modelled as interchangable between Heavy Bolter, Lascanon, and Autocannon. My weapon/upgrade inventory is basically:

3 Missile Launchers (Set Modelled)
1 Heavy Bolter (Set Modelled)
3 of either: Lascannon, Autocannon, Heavy Bolter. (Interchangables)
2 Flamers
2 Grenade Launchers
2 Snipers
4 Plasma Gunners
2 Officers
2 Vet Sarge

Only good if you convert that Leman Russ into a Hunchback. Light Horse indeed.

Seriously, though, I think that's a pretty decent start. You can then take it and go vehicle heavy, FA heavy or troop heavy, or swap in wacky stuff (Vets, Schaeffer's Last Chancers) as the mood strikes you.   

You may want to check a few points, specifically the Officers:

I take it the CHQ squad is a Junior Officer? With the gear listed, he should be 46 points (base+Iron Discipline+Bolt Pistol - remember, they already have a CCW!).

Same goes with the Platoon Commander.

By the way, most people say it is junk (and I can see their opinions and tend to agree), but I give my Officers Power Weapons whenever I can, just for emergencies' sake (they ARE quite cheap, after all - and better safe than sorry - but I state that no Guard command should be in CC if you can help it)

I agree with Wight_Widow here as well: swap out 2 of the Lascannons for Autocannons, as you won't be facing TOO much heavy armour (14) in 750 (just the odd Russ, etc), and the Autocannons should be able to handle anything lighter with fair ease. However, retain 1 decent AT weapon for emergencies (yes, Guard need more than 1, but this is a small game, so we have to be a little conservative). 1 Lascannon, 2 Autocannons should do it.

Oh, and by NOt taking the Sniper Rifle, you could ditch the Light Infantry doctrine, and have an additional 10 points.

Let's see:
Swapping 1 Lascannon for Autocannon: (=10 points total).
Dropping Sniper Rifle and Light Infantry: (=25 points total).
Re-pointing Officers: (=35 points total).

So you have a few points left over that can go into either more guns (specials in the Commands), Veteran Sergeants for the Squads (Bolter is a favourite of mine) or anything else you can think of. In fact, lose the Track Guards or Hunter-Killer on the Russ and you could have a Sentinel with Multi-Laser or Heavy Flamer + something.

Just a few things to consider.

Ooh...excellently spotted.

New list:

Eridani Combined Company Expeditionary Forces

Duke Mark Utrices, Iron Discipline, Bolt pistol, Ccwpn (46)
2 bodyguards, Medic, Standard Bearer (22)

Platoon Belisarius, Eridandi 8th Dragoons

Duke L. Belisarius, commanding. Bolter, Iron discipline, bolter, CCW (46)
4 assistants, one w/HB (10)
Squad Ipsix: 10 troopers, one autocannon, one plasmagun (85)
Squad Oretan: 10 troopers, one autocannon, one plasmagun (85)
Squad Novak: 10 troopers, one lascannon, one plasmagun. (95)

Dragoons Squad Vitbek: 10 Guardsmen, 1 Plasma Gun (70)
Vit-1: Chimera with Heavy Bolter, Multilaser, Track Guards, Extra Armor, hunter-killer missile (115)

Leman Russ: With Extra Armor, hull and sponson heavy bolters, hunter-killer missile (160)

This leaves me with 20-ish points. I could upgrade one infsquad and one command section with light infantry to give me some deployment flexibility, or re-tool my platoon command with Veterans to give me something that can countercharge. A more radical option would be a total re-tool: Sharpshooters doctrine, missile launchers, and grenade launchers in some squads. I have 3 nice looking missile men and 2 nice looking snipers I kinda want to field...

-Adso

You might want to consider ditching the Medic in the CHQ, since that squad should never be taking fire, as it is too frail to survive even enemy lasguns. That frees up another 11 points for you, making your total around 31 points, give or take. If you find another 14 points, a multilaser Sentinel can help as an annoying objective grabber or a meatshield, since your opponent may be confused by it and decide to take it down instead of your more potent troops.

CK

Hmmm. Since I'm basing this list on models I own, and that doesn't include an autocannon sentinel. I do have an ancient, broken multilaser sentinel I could convert, but it would involve stripping paint, etc.

Unless you think the Sentinel would be a truly good addition, I'll use the 30-odd points to give a missile launcher to each command section...so, here's the final list. If there aren't major criticisms/suggestions, they should start showing up on the modelling boards in a few days.

Eridani Combined Company Expeditionary Forces

Command Element, Eridani 8th Rifles

Duke Mark Utrices, Iron Discipline, Bolt pistol, Ccwpn (46)
4 bodyguards, 1 upgraded to standard bearer veteran, 1 Missile Launcher crew (26)

Platoon Belisarius, Eridandi 8th Rifles

Duke L. Belisarius, commanding. Bolter, Iron discipline, bolter, CCW (46)
4 assistants, 1 missile launcher crew (15).
Squad Ipsix: 10 troopers, one autocannon, one plasmagun (85)
Squad Oretan: 10 troopers, one autocannon, one plasmagun (85)
Squad Novak: 10 troopers, one lascannon, one plasmagun. (95)

Dragoons Squad, Eridani 6th Dragoons
Squad Vitbek: 10 Guardsmen, 1 Plasma Gun (70)
Transport Black-1: Chimera with Heavy Bolter, Multilaser, Track Guards, Extra Armor, hunter-killer missile (115)

Heavy Support, Eridani 5th Armored
Leman Russ Black-1: With Extra Armor, hull and sponson heavy bolters, hunter-killer missile (160)

I always like using armored fist squads equipped with a heavy bolter and a flamer. On the move, your army isn't missing too much firepower, yet while sitting still, the hb adds much needed lower level fire. Add a flamer, and this unit is an effective speed bump and can still hold objectives. Coupled with the chimera's anti infantry fire, this squad will be quite effective vs. non meq armies.

If you're still looking for a counter assault unit, consider dropping the missile launcher from the platoon command squad, equipping them with 3 flamers, and possibly giving the J.O a power weapon. With close order drill, your J.O will be at I4 on the charge, with three flamers lighting up the enemy on the way in. This squad will hold up non-assaulty squads in cc.

Nobody ever listens, autocannons are a horrible buy. Get hvy bolters instead.

I'd say AC and HB are evenly matched but effective against different targets. An AC is Str7,AP4 with 2 shots - good against light vehicles and smaller, tougher units. A HB is Str5,AP4 with 3 shots - good against larger units (although not great against vehicles).

Posted By smart_alex on 01/04/2007 1:29 PM
Nobody ever listens, autocannons are a horrible buy. Get hvy bolters instead.

No, Autocannons are an excellent buy. They fire 2 shots a turn, negating the 50/50 nature of Guard shooting, they have a 48" range, and can tackle virtually any vehicle you expect to encounter at 1000 points and below. Combined with a Plasma Gun for 3 S7 shots at 24", they are on of the most effective and efficient Guard weapons in existance. Furthermore, they're only 15 points each.

And to replace them with Heavy Bolters? What? Heavy Bolters are an anti-infantry weapon. Autocannons are not. Why would you replace a light-anti-tank gun with an weapon that has a completely different role?

BYE

Posted By BrotherAdso on 12/31/2006 5:45 AM
Command Element, Eridani 8th Rifles

Duke Mark Utrices, Iron Discipline, Bolt pistol, Ccwpn (46)
4 bodyguards, 1 upgraded to standard bearer veteran, 1 Missile Launcher crew (26)

Platoon Belisarius, Eridandi 8th Rifles

Duke L. Belisarius, commanding. Bolter, Iron discipline, bolter, CCW (46)
4 assistants, 1 missile launcher crew (15).
Squad Ipsix: 10 troopers, one autocannon, one plasmagun (85)
Squad Oretan: 10 troopers, one autocannon, one plasmagun (85)
Squad Novak: 10 troopers, one lascannon, one plasmagun. (95)

Dragoons Squad, Eridani 6th Dragoons
Squad Vitbek: 10 Guardsmen, 1 Plasma Gun (70)
Transport Black-1: Chimera with Heavy Bolter, Multilaser, Track Guards, Extra Armor, hunter-killer missile (115)

Heavy Support, Eridani 5th Armored
Leman Russ Black-1: With Extra Armor, hull and sponson heavy bolters, hunter-killer missile (160)

This is a good list, but it could do with a little tweaking, specifically to remove the 50 points of bloat in the list. At such a low points level, you don't have room for mediocre upgrades like Track Guard and especially one-shot wastes of space like HK Missiles. Furthermore, putting HW's into Command Sections is always a bad idea, as it puts them in direct line of fire to the enemy. It's especially bad when you take Command Section HW's yet leave a HW out of an Infantry squad. Your Infantry Squads should always have their full compliment of HW's before you ever even consider taking a HW in a Command Section.

Anyway, as I said, removing the bloat could see this go from being a good list into being a very good list. I'd do something like:

Doctrines:
Iron Discipline (mandatory)
Drop Troops (it's free)
Close Order Drill (again, it's free)
Light Infantry (gives you a strategic advantage)

Command HQ:
Junior Officer w/LP & CCW + Iron Discipline
1 Standard Bearer
3 Bodyguard
Light Infantry & Drop Troops

Infantry Platoon:
Platoon HQ:
Junior Officer w/LP & CCW + Iron Discipline
2 Flamers
2 Bodyguard
Light Infantry & COD & Drop Troops
Squad 1:
Autocannon + Plasma Gun + Light Infantry + COD + Drop Troops
Squad 2:
Autocannon + Plasma Gun + Light Infantry + COD + Drop Troops
Squad 3:
Lascannon + Plasma Gun + Light Infantry + COD + Drop Troops

Armoured Fist Squad:
Heavy Bolter & Plasma Gun
Chimera w/Multi-Laser + Hull HB + Extra Armour + Pintle Mounted Heavy Stubber

Leman Russ:
Battlecannon + 3 HBs + Extra Armour

755 points exactly.

BYE

Light Infantry PLUS Drop Troops?? Overkill and needless...

Ill explain it in more detail as to why I dont like autocannons:

Hands down The best anti infantry wpn is the HB I think we all agree, also AC is LEAST efficient against infantry even T5 models:

AV10
Autocannon is most efficient in game for IG however not by much in glancing only 6 more points investment for a glance. For penning' the Auto cannon is most efficient for AV10.

AV11
AC is the best for both glancing and penning.

AV12
AC is best for glancing however
LC is best for penning

AV13+
LC most efficient wpn for both glancing and penning.

So if you plan to face a lot of AV10 & 11 vehicles then yes AC is best however, what then? Now you have the worst infantry wpn around to shoot at thier infantry. I suppose its a matter of what you want to do. I like the missle launchers better personally because they can also seve as frag wpns agains horde armies. I just dont like the AP value of the AC it sux.

Posted By ancientsociety on 01/06/2007 5:54 PM
Light Infantry PLUS Drop Troops?? Overkill and needless...

Light Infantry is extremely useful as it can give you a decided strategic advantage. Deploying after your oponent is worth 10 points a squad.

Drop Troops is there as it's free. No other reason.

BYE

Posted By smart_alex on 01/06/2007 10:37 PM
Now you have the worst infantry wpn around to shoot at thier infantry.

And? So? But? Therefore?

Who's using the AC as an anti-infantry weapon? That's what Battlecannons, Multi-Lasers and Heavy Bolters are for. Duh.

BYE

The lascannon is just as bad, unless we're talking about Terminators. If we're talking about GEQs, the lascannon is the worst anti-infantry weapon EV-AHR. AV 10-12 vehicles do tend to crop up a fair bit in general, much the same as AV14 vehicles. The most efficient way of hurting AV14 is a lascannon, but except at vey low points levels a fair complement is useful because things like Russes are nasty.
The autocannon is a classic internet list weapon because things like Trukks and Landspeeders can carry payloads like Assault Cannon and choppa boyz, which make a mess of your squishy GEQs, albeit on a somewhat smaller scale than Monoliths.