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I have a few different armies but I have been contemplating my next projec. I am working on an imperial guard army, so many different ways to go.  Anyway, I have found plenty of tactics/army lists/gripes about different units in IG and read plenty of battle reports and I have played a few small games with them.  One unit I can't seem to find any info on is Colonel Schaeffer's Last Chancers.

Has anyone used these guys or seen someone else put them into action?

They seem extremely expensive by IG standards, but they present alot of extra options.  Up to 5 demo charges, decent regular IG snipers, infiltrating/deep striking special and heavy weapons.  They should also be better than the average guardsman which is saying almost nothing.  Colonel schaeffer and Kage would help with assualt.  Anyway, I just can't figure out if they are effective enough to earn their VP's back in most games.

If you have used then or seen them used what did/didn't work?

They are in the current IG codex. IMHO he/they are the best character the IG has running currently. The incredible importance of high Ld in this edition is augmented most efficiently by splitting Kage and Shaeffer into their own sub-unit, then joining them to a regular guard squad to further spread their fearless qualities around. Just don't let Shaeffer get killed. Attach him to a hiding unit or just leave him alone hiding like the Ethereal tactic. With the other remaining 3 sub-units you can either make some tough as nails heavy weapon squads (fire magnets), or (my preference) melta squads. It also appears to me that you can create auto-pass psykers. The 4th ed rules tell us that even units that auto-pass Ld checks must still take target priority tests, but I don't think it makes any such statement about psychic tests. The powers are still lame, but never having to test to use them might be wotrth something. Of course, I may be wrong since I haven't really researched this much. If the psyker can't carry a force weapon he doesn't fit into my tactics, and Shaeffer's psychics can only carry 15 points worth of gear.

Just keep in mind though, that my tactics tend to vary from the norm. So, you may just want to use Creed like everyone else.

Or you could use all those psychics w/ a clexus assassin

Heh. Not in my army pal! Nobody is allowed to have a head any bigger than mine, and they certainly can't have anything attached to it that sounds like a gynecological instrument! At least, not on weekdays.

How about a couple extra dropping demolition charges? Always a tasty surprise...

I am pretty sure the intention is not to let Schaeffer and Kage split off to lead other IG squads but as the rules are written I see no reason why you cant do that and it is an interesting idea. I imagine alot of opponents would argue about the "auto-pass" psyker although the strict interpretation of the rules again allow for it so long as schaeffer is alive. I would still have to roll .

Kage and Schaeffer are not IC's until the unit they are with is killed, and their fearlessness only applies to their last chancer sub-units.
So if they start alone, they can never be IC's.

Page 54 IG dex "Shaeffer and Kage are independant characters..." Then it goes on to tell us that they must remain within 2" of any sub-unit they are attached to and may not leave it blah blah blah. They are the retinue rules. Just don't attach them to another sub-unit. Split them off before the game. Then attach them to a normal unit during the game.

When you attach them to a unit that unit will use the characters Ld value for tests affecting the unit, just like any other independant character. If Kage auto passes a pinning test, so does the line unit he's attached to.

The psyker thing is cheese, but with our psykers sucking so bad I don't think anyone would care. Now if they could wield a force weapon each you would have a 20 page thread about how you can't do it. Personally, I wouldn't do it, partially because I think the specialists are better used elsewhere and partially because of cheese.

I think your reading too much into the rules. It says they revert to being IC's when their sub-unit is killed, so if they start alone their sub-unit can never be wiped out.
If your saying they are not a sub-unit on their own, they wont get the benefits of the Harsh Discipline rule.

They are a sub-unit on their own. Just like an IC is a unit on its own. If you're saying that Shaeffer is not an IC just because he starts the game by himself than you are also saying that ANY IG officer is never an IC until their unit gets killed. It would also mean that any other character in the game with a retinue is not an IC until their unit gets killed.

I agree that it's worded badly, but think of it like this:

An IG officer is an IC.
An IG officer with a retinue is still an IC. He just can't follow all of the IC rules because he can never break off or join another unit. When his retinue is killed he reverts to being able to follow all of those rules again.

If you'd like to start a thread in YMTC I'd be happy to join in, but my stance is that IC's are always IC's. Trust me, I would love it if our officers weren't IC's. It might make them actually worth something in CC!

Deepstriking demo charges work well, as does the aforementioned culexus with psykers trick. If you don't like the mini then convert one!

Darkchild

I think the Culexus is pretty cool, actually. Really unnatural, like the art in the codex. Really unnatural.

Well I guess I'm the only one who thinks he's ugly! I did some soul searching and I guess it's not the way he looks, it's what he is. I recently tranformed one of my bretonians into a jedi looking force weapon wielding honorifica psyker for my guard. I was pretty pleased with the results...at first. Now he's always lookin at me. His tiny little painted eyes follow me wherever I go around the room. It's starting to creep me out!

It's like I've always said "hokey religions are no match for a blaster at your side." At least, I think it was me who said that. Well, somebody said it. My specialists are made for one thing. Toting melta-guns and being fearless . They can read each other's fortunes on their own time!

hokey religions are no match for a blaster at your side

What happened to "and ancient weapons"?

Don't even get me started. I have a disease.

So anyway back to task. I was thinking about setting up a couple sniper squads but it seems way too expensive compared to ratlings. I really don't care much for the ratling models.

Anyway, then I was thinking about setting up a couple lascannon or missile launcher squads, BS 4, infiltrate, fearless could actually be worth it.

I think I would then have to go to some sort of counter charge squad in a chimera or deep strike with Kage and Schaeffer a couple assualt weapons and maybe a psyker and a demo charge and a few extra guys for wounds and attacks. This would probably not earn it points back I am thinking but it would be cool.

Finally, I think I would at least get a couple demo charges that could infiltrate and perform a little area denial.

Just a couple ideas to float out there.

Totally. If you like vets (and I do) Shaeffer's a great way to get more of em into your force. I've pretty much pigeon-holed these guys to melta-squads, but on occasion I've used them to field a few BS4 lascannons as you've mentioned. There's definately more than a few ways to use these guys. I would suggest trying them out in a few games in a few ways. No matter what you do it will be fluff justified since you can use any troops for these guys.

bigchris1313 wrote: [What happened to "and ancient weapons"?

Don't even get me started. I have a disease.]

You and me both! I knew I was missing part of that line, but none of the people at my work could help me out. It's obviosly been too long since my last viewing. And really, I can't think of a more ancient weapon than a lightsaber. Not as clumsy or random, my heiny Obi-Wan! You'll never catch me turning into a smelly bathrobe on the flight deck of the Death Star TM!

" You'll never catch me turning into a smelly bathrobe on the flight deck of the Death Star TM!"

now if i had a Zed outfight...

A more "elegant" weapon for a more "civilized" age."

Teh roxxor = the ownzor

20 plasma guns in 652 points divided up into 5 squads never hurt nobody either, well except for the enemy and maybe you when you roll ones.