Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hey guys, first post.

So here's the deal. My local group is fairly small and lacking a IG player. I've been interested in starting guard for awhile, and am almost ready to take the dive.

Here's the thing: My current (and only) army is a fairly infantry-heavy tau army. If I start a new army, I want it to be a substantially different experience.

Tanks are great -- I love IG tanks. But the tau player in me wants at least ONE unit I can dedicate to assault.

I realize I'm not going to get something super-amazing, but I want to be able to have something that I can throw into a melee and crack some skulls.

What are my options here? Ogryn I've heard can be decent, but are pricey. Does that mean they're not worth it at all?

Are there any other options within the IG codex?

What about allies? I don't have either of the =][= books, so I'm not really sure what the rules are of what you can bring (is this info available somewhere?)

Can you even get a hard-hitting assault unit from an ally?

Thanks!

Grey Knight teminators are IMHO your best bet, they are just about the best unit in the DH book and you dont have to put up with the crummy overpriced PAGKs for your troops. If you feel like tricking them out, I would go with a GKGM (for force weapon ownage) w/psychic hood and a couple psycannons.

Barring =I= I have had some very good experiences with Rough Riders, they evaporate everything up to and including a 5 man terminator squad or a carnifex. They are pretty useless after they charge, but hey, 55+ points is a fair trade for 200-something.

H'okey dokey. Ogryns are tough and durable enough to tarpit a decent assault unit for a few turns. However, the massive points/£ cost per model dissuades me from recommending them.

My personal preference is a nice sized unit (6-7) of Rough Riders. If they get the charge (and they should) they will more than likely annihilate that target. the only issue with Rough Riders is that, aside that first magnificent assault, they don't really bring much else to the table.

So, yeah. f you want survivability and the ability to dish out a wound or two, Ogryns are a good choice. If you really want to shock your opponent (and re-enact 'Charge of the Light Brigade') choose Rough Riders.

L. Wrex

SoB out of the Witch Hunters book is a good approach, too. With a Book of St Lucius, they are essentially stubborn, and give a 6" stubborn bubble, making IG HW teams and the like a bit more resilient. At the end of the day, they still only have S3, but 3+ armour makes for some good staying power. Throw in a Canonness and commandeer a Chimera, and they can be a pretty decent counter-charge unit.

Seraphim.

If you want to stay with one Codex, Rough Riders are probably the better bet than Ogryns.

As a fellow IG player I would highly recommend The Grey Knight Terminators since IG has not that great of elite choices anyway (Aside from the PBS which is awesome)

Would IG players normally take a CC unit? You're all making me feel guilty for not having one on my list!

(I'm just shoot, shoot! SHOOT DANG IT!)

Sly Rambo.... I mean Sly Marbo!

IMO... the easiest tactic is this.

Have trash units up front.
Shoot lots. Get into combat, try and kill the squad so the opponent has only a one turn combat, then shoot some more.

You 'can' go for a counter attack element in the IG army, but I feel that is a luxury/fun sort of deal.

Options:
-Rough Riders in reserves as long as they can.
-Any Character that confers or has an aura of Furious Charge or whatever special rules that would affect combat.
-Blob squads with multipl commisars attacking with weight of dice.

I, too must reccommend Grey Knight Terminators and Saraphim. The Inq. codexes are a great way to spice up an IG list!

=][= allies are nice, but I'd have to say that a front line mob squad is the way to go. Other than Ogryns there aren't any good IG CC units, but running some basic infantry platoons, (going easy on upgrades and such) as combined units is the best way to go. Tie up what looks really nasty, and blow everything else away with your tanks.

A 50 man blob squad with power weapons on the sergeants and commissars is one of the toughest assault units in the game.

Grey Knight Terminators are the best terminators in the game, and can do very well in close combat. Throw a Grand Master in with them, and they'll slaughter any of your opponent's special characters in short order, and just about everything inbetween.

They're pretty freaking expensive, but they're pretty much the only example of the DH codex where you actually get what you pay for.

(I'm just shoot, shoot! SHOOT DANG IT!)

Amen brother!

As for assualt units I like a 10 horse unit of rough riders as a counter charge unit. I keep them in reserve so they cant get shot and usually by the time they come one they are just in time to attack an enemy unit that got through my firepower. As for ogryns, I like them, they have always performed well for me, but they are pricey.

I was thinking about using a Penal Legion squad with a Ministorum Priest in it. I haven't tried it yet though, so I have no idea how it'll work.

Take 5 platoons of regular IG. Give the sergeant in each squad a power weapon. Add a commissar to one squad and give him a power weapon. Combine the platoons into one big platoon.

You now have a 51-man stubborn unit that gets 18 power weapon attacks on the charge. Yeah, they wound on 5’s, hit on 4’s, and strike at I 3 but 51 stubborn models are a lot to cut through while the buried power weapons are hacking you apart.

Take Colonel Iron Hand Strakken as your HQ. He gives all Guard units around him furious charge. Stick him around a horde of guardsmen with power weapons and fists in the sergeants and commissars and you've got a gimmicky assault unit.

Penal Legion are also great, as they can sometimes get rending. I've seen them take out enemy armor with rends as often as I've seen them get devoured by better infantry. They're a really fun and unpredictable unit.

incarna wrote:Take 5 platoons of regular IG. Give the sergeant in each squad a power weapon. Add a commissar to one squad and give him a power weapon. Combine the platoons into one big platoon.

You now have a 51-man stubborn unit that gets 18 power weapon attacks on the charge. Yeah, they wound on 5’s, hit on 4’s, and strike at I 3 but 51 stubborn models are a lot to cut through while the buried power weapons are hacking you apart.

Then keep Straken nearby and add a priest.

Recieve lulz.

Cheese Elemental wrote:

incarna wrote:Take 5 platoons of regular IG. Give the sergeant in each squad a power weapon. Add a commissar to one squad and give him a power weapon. Combine the platoons into one big platoon.

You now have a 51-man stubborn unit that gets 18 power weapon attacks on the charge. Yeah, they wound on 5’s, hit on 4’s, and strike at I 3 but 51 stubborn models are a lot to cut through while the buried power weapons are hacking you apart.

Then keep Straken nearby and add a priest.

Recieve lulz.

Actually - yeah, Straken will certainly give the 50-man squad a boost.

jsullivanlaw wrote:A 50 man blob squad with power weapons on the sergeants and commissars is one of the toughest assault units in the game.

Add Straken to the mix, and they become s4. BTW as per the INAQ FAQ the furious charge ability of straken applies to the hunting lances of the RR, hence they become s6 i6 power weapons on the first charge!!!!

I love RR. Almost always use them. The problem is that the actual models for me suck, hence I converted bike riding ones..

Shane wrote:I was thinking about using a Penal Legion squad with a Ministorum Priest in it. I haven't tried it yet though, so I have no idea how it'll work.

That sounds like a pretty cool idea as long as they don't end up with the assault 2 lasguns. Only other problem is they'd lose the ability to infiltrate.