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!

I have recently started a converted Astra Militarum regiment, which I will run as Tallarn. Currently I only have one infantry squad, which has helped me confirm my paint scheme. I am now planning out the army at 500pts, so that I can get a few small games in soon. I however have never played a game with the guard and am looking for beginners advice. I am currently thinking of one of two lists.

List 1 (Total 500)
Batallion Detachment

HQ
Company Commander: 35
Boltgun, Power Sword

Tank Commander: 217
Leman Russ battletank, heavy stubber, heavy bolter sponsons, hull heavy bolter

Troops

Infantry Squad: 50
Vox Caster and Grenade Launcher

Infantry Squad: 50
Vox Caster and Grenade Launcher

Infantry Squad: 50
Vox Caster and Grenade Launcher

Elites
Command Squad: 44

Vox Caster, Standard, Medic

Heavy Support
Heavy Weapons Squad: 54
3x Autocannons

This list makes use of the Tallarn doctrine, with the infantry squads being able to quickly seize objectives and still fire effectively. I think autocannons and the leman russ will be able to deal with any vehicles I am likely to see in 500, and I will also have 6 command points to use. Voxes may not be worth it, but I do like the look of them and it will help the orders going out in this army seeing as it will all likely be moving (minus the HWTs).

List 2 (Total 496)
Battalion
HQ
Company Commander: 35
Power Sword, Boltgun

Company Commander: 43
Power Fist, Plasma Pistol

Troops

Infantry Squad: 52
Vox Caster and Plasma Gun

Infantry Squad: 52
Vox Caster and Plasma Gun

Infantry Squad: 52
Vox Caster and Plasma Gun

Heavy Support
Leman Russ Battle Tank: 184
Hull Lascannon, Heavy Stubber, Heavy Bolter Sponsons

Heavy Weapons Squad: 78
3x Lascannons

This force has more of a punch to it I feel, with 3 plasma guns in the infantry squads, and 4 lascannons. Whichever list I go for, I will make similar purchases, although I am open to using units I have not considered here. Sorry for the long post, thank for your help!

I like list #2 better, because you have plasma in the infantry squads, and the tank is a HS rather than a HQ.

I really feel that those vox casters would be better spent on more bodies on the table. Heavy weapon squads are better equipped with low cost weapons, due to how easily targeted/killed they are. Heavy bolters and mortars are the favorites these days (and one kit will allow you to build both, at the low cost of 3 extra bases)

Thanks for the advice! That does make sense, if I drop the vox casters and swap mortars for lascannons in the HWT I can get another infantry squad in there. An idea I have been thinking of for future is having mixed heavy weapon squads - maybe 2 mortar, 1 lascannon? It would distribute long range anti tank in multiple cheap squads, and the mortars can act as ablative wounds for the lascannon.

To get the most out of your HWT purchases (i.e. using the models you paid money for), there's value in mixing the weapons in the squads, which has the happy advantage of giving your lascannon some cheap ablative armour.

2 Mortars with 1 lascannon is quite viable nowadays, with a bit of tweaking you could get two squads in the 2nd list without changing all that much.

Also, do consider Command squads since you have the commanders for them: 2 sets of BS3 lascannons with 2 ablative guardsmen might be much more viable than 3 lascannons in one unit, simply thinking from how much damage a single battle cannon shot will do.

Otherwise, welcome to the guard!

Okay, I picked up a good deal on a command squad and some HWTs

I think I've come up with an improved list too, if I drop the lascannons and some of the officer equipment I can fit in another infantry squad with plasma gun, for 40 infantry troop models. Alternatively, I can include a lascannon in the heavy weapon team, and a command squad with snipers (or a command squad with a lascannon and 2 snipers).

Batallion
HQ
Company Commander: 31
Boltgun

Company Commander: 43
Power Fist, Plasma Pistol

Troops
Infantry Squad: 52
Vox Caster, Plasma Gun

Infantry Squad: 52
Vox Caster, Plasma Gun

Infantry Squad: 52
Vox Caster, Plasma Gun

Infantry Squad: 52
Vox Caster, Plasma Gun

Heavy Support
Heavy Weapons Squad: 33
3x Mortars

Leman Russ: 184
Lascannon, Heavy Bolter Sponsons, Heavy Stubber

Thanks for the help!

Its an intense list for such small points. Honestly you could make it a bit nastier if you dropped the plasma pistol and fist off the second commander, then all the voxes, would get you just enough for a second mortar squad

Looks good! Though I think you'll be disappointed with the powerfist on the company commander, as he'll only be S6 hitting on 4+ with 3 attacks and will get wiped out if he's hitting anything except a leman russ. MAYBE if it were a catachan regiment you'd want to, but even then you don't want to put your little order-giving meatbags in danger like that, because without orders infantry squads are more 'meh' than 'best troop in the game'

You can drop the second company commander down to the same 31 pts as the first. then with you 13 free points, maybe grab a heavy weapon (autocannon, heavy bolter, or mortar) for one of your infantry squads? That one can hang back with the commanders to give them a vox to use as a relay, although without dropping the plasma gun from the squad you can't afford the ML or Lascannon. Still- just a thought. if you go heavy bolter or mortar you can also then swap the Leman Russ for a leman russ conqueror which is nice, if you haven't checked it out.

solid starting point & easy to build from. cheers!

My reasoning was that in larger games I could give the power first commander the dagger relic so he can come in with another unit (a melta squad maybe). I thought that because this would be up close, a plasma pistol might get some use, and if the target isn't dead then a power fist could come in handy.

I do think a backfield infantry unit could be a good idea; only thing is that I feel this doesn't mesh that well with the tallarn doctrine? But if the squad is stationary anyway then that doesn't matter much!

Either way I need to find a way to get or make some cheap plasma guns

Fire on my position for LOLz, but you'd need a lot more command points for that, and a way to get them back like an army with 2 brigades, and your warlord geared to producing CPs, otherwise that many vox casters doesn't seem worth it.

"Fire on my position! (3 CP): Use when the last model is slain from an Astra Militarum unit equipped with a vox-caster, before removing it from the table; for each unit within 3", on a 4+ that unit suffers 1d3 mortal wounds. Note, specifies unit with a vox-caster, not model (you use it when the unit dies, not the specific model with the caster), and if several models all die together, you can choose which is the last to be removed from the table, to maximize the potential victims of this stratagem.
Hits all nearby units, friend or foe, but only up to once per unit, so a waste of CP against a single blob, but excellent if a bunch of MSUs have melee'd you to death." referenced from https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Imperial_Guard(8E)