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Just thought I'd put this out there... We initially used this idea in a campaign that featured Planetary Defence Force troops, which we wanted to differentiate from the Imperial Guard. But got used time and time again as PDF - be they those loyal to the Emperor, Gue'vesa traitors, or pawns being manipulated by Chaos Gods and Genestealer Cults.

Originally, it only featured HQs, Troops and artillery but quickly expanded into a fully functional list. In terms of play style, it's meant to out-horde everything but a Guard player who's gone "full blob", while still supporting them with heavy ordnance fire that blows friend and foe apart with little discrimination. Based on fluff, we figured the PDF are comprised almost entirely of inexperienced, poorly trained soldiers with limited aircraft and heavy support; seeing as how the planet itself has to maintain its own armour and air force, unlike the Imperial Guard.

As such, here goes. Hopefully you guys find it as useful to your games as we do:


Fluff:


Special Rules:


Warlord Traits:
Coming soon

Family Heirlooms (Relics):


Orders:
Coming soon

HQ:


Troops:


Elites:


Dedicated Transports:


Fast Attack:


Heavy Support:



Homeworld Defenders Detachment:
Coming soon

First Contact Survivors (Formation):
Coming soon

That's all for now. As I mentioned before, this is an evolving process. Any thoughts and comments about it thus far? Any major weaknesses in the army that's immediately obvious? Discussion very much welcome.

I would suggest you give some sort of army-wide Leadership boost ability. Conscripts are pretty lacking in that department at it makes sense that they'd be more willing to protect their homeworld.

Something like this -
Iron Resolve: When marching with their brothers, the PDF forces find themselves filled with heroic morale.
A unit which is entirely in base contact with each other gains +2 to their Leadership value.

Thanks for the feedback. The Conscripts' low leadership had been an issue picked up. It's partly the reason why the Master Vox is a Relic option for the Platoon/Company Commander. It helped create more focused roles for the unit. A Platoon Commander who took a Master Vox would likely be able to reliably give orders to Conscripts. Meanwhile, one that takes a different Relic would instead probably save his orders for the Elite units. Plus, there are other ways for the Conscripts to gain Leadership - namely through Commissars and Priests.

While this might seem like a high tax, it's worth bearing in mind that a squad of fifty Conscripts that's able to reliably make Leadership roles is pretty beastly when it comes to tar-pitting.

Plus, there's the idea that you WANT your sub-strength Conscripts to die or run off the board so that a fresh squad can be brought in from reserves.

You might want to add a few «unique» units and gear restrictions to your PDF forces. The Imperial Guard is all about standard paterns so that it's easier to handle them on the logistical scale of galactic wars, but PDF don't have this restriction. They will almost never leave their planet and probably nver their local star system. It could help your idea of PDF to feal more like it's own army than 3rd eddition Imperial Guard.

Im not familiar with conscripts or hell IG, nobody plays them in my area. But do they have lower WS/BS then guardsmen? if not i think they probably should just because in all the fluff guardsmen look down upon PDF as amateurs.

 Ghazkuul wrote:
Im not familiar with conscripts or hell IG, nobody plays them in my area. But do they have lower WS/BS then guardsmen? if not i think they probably should just because in all the fluff guardsmen look down upon PDF as amateurs.

Yes, they do. WS2 / BS2 is supposed to be the "regulars" level, so people with basic combat training (like the PDF). WS3 / BS3 is the "human badass" level.