<![CDATA[Latest posts for the thread "Imperial Guard Questions From A Stark Raving Newb"]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/69.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net Imperial Guard Questions From A Stark Raving Newb 40K army, and I really love the Imperial Guard. I think I'm mostly getting the grip of the game, but I have some questions that I can't seem to find good answers for:

Veterans: Do I just use regular troop models and declare that they're vets, or do I need special models? Is there any reason not to just run vets instead of regular troops in small games (500-750 point range)?

Doctrines: In the 4th IG Codex, different Guard types (Cadians, Catachans, Armageddon Steel Legion, et al) had different rules (Mechanized, Sharpshooter, etc.) that gave each of those types a very distinct flavor that was easy to reference. I can't seem to find anything like this in the 5th Codex or the 6th Rulebook. Am I missing something huge, or do Cadians, Catachans, and Krieg just play the same now?

Mixed Regiments: Can I take Gunnery Sergeant Harker with Cadians, or Bastonne with Catachans? Could I take Pask with Steel Legion? Is this cheese?

Hardcore Required: I've been told that IG is probably the least "casual" of the armies, so I'm facing an uphill battle (time and money restraints.) The investment required for one- or two-thousand point games is daunting. How lively is the 500-750 point scene? Am I just wasting my time?

Thanks for the help!]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/526717/5611745.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/526717/5611745.page GMT Imperial Guard Questions From A Stark Raving Newb
GusPorterhouse wrote:
Veterans: Do I just use regular troop models and declare that they're vets, or do I need special models?


Veterans are just normal guardsmen with different weapons (for example, 3x melta guns). You can use standard guardsmen models for them as long as they're armed correctly. Many people like to give them extra gear or cool conversions to represent veteran status, but that's purely an aesthetic choice.

Is there any reason not to just run vets instead of regular troops in small games (500-750 point range)?


Much higher point cost per unit, and dependent on Chimeras/Vendettas (even more points) to deliver them to a target where their short-range weapons are effective. Platoons are better at camping on objectives and shooting mass heavy weapons.

Doctrines: In the 4th IG Codex, different Guard types (Cadians, Catachans, Armageddon Steel Legion, et al) had different rules (Mechanized, Sharpshooter, etc.) that gave each of those types a very distinct flavor that was easy to reference. I can't seem to find anything like this in the 5th Codex or the 6th Rulebook. Am I missing something huge, or do Cadians, Catachans, and Krieg just play the same now?


The doctrines system has been removed entirely. Forge World now makes some alternate army lists (for example, a Krieg siege army), but those are entire separate lists, not a choice of upgrades for a codex army. And for Cadians/Catachans/etc it's just a different set of models to use with the same rules.

Mixed Regiments: Can I take Gunnery Sergeant Harker with Cadians, or Bastonne with Catachans? Could I take Pask with Steel Legion? Is this cheese?


The "regiment" a character or unit is from has nothing to do with the rules, it's purely a fluff thing. All units in the list can be taken with all other units unless it explicitly says otherwise. And of course if you don't like the fluff of mixed regiments you can always model a Cadian "Harker" that uses the Harker rules with a properly-armed Cadian model.

Hardcore Required: I've been told that IG is probably the least "casual" of the armies, so I'm facing an uphill battle (time and money restraints.) The investment required for one- or two-thousand point games frankly terrifies me. How lively is the 500-750 point scene? Am I just wasting my time?


How often you can play at 500-750 points depends entirely on the people you're playing with. Some people don't like to play below 1500, some people play nothing but 500 point games. A poll of random strangers on the internet isn't really going to help you here.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/526717/5611769.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/526717/5611769.page GMT Imperial Guard Questions From A Stark Raving Newb IG expert but:

You can definitely use regular guard for vets. There are. Lot of cool models out there but regular ones work just fine.

Within the regular codex, all IG regular soldiers have the same rules. It's more the special characters that change things, or certain units like rough riders or various Krieg units from Forge World that have special rules.

As far as mixing regiments, I think it will depend on who you're playing. I personally don't have a problem with mixing, but some guys might. To me, it's all a game and all in fun, if you bring Marbo and a bunch of Mordians, so what? Have fun.

I play at a couple places locally, and smaller games are still lots of fun. Guard do have a lot more infantry models per points than say space marines, but you can get used lots and random bits to build up your army, and in the interim have a great time playing at a lower points level. I am not a believer that fun starts at 2,000 points.



]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/526717/5611786.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/526717/5611786.page GMT Re:Imperial Guard Questions From A Stark Raving Newb
Doctrines are no more, though a few vestiges remain in the normal codex rules. For example Mechanized is no longer a doctrine but nearly everyone has a transport option now so if you want a Mechanized army now you just buy everyone a transport. Everyone has the same options now. Indeed, even in the old days you weren't required to use the doctrines listed for your regiment.

It doesn't matter what planet your guys nominally come from. No restriction on taking characters from different planets and if you really wanted to you could make a frankenstein army using a half dozen different IG model ranges. Using IG special characters is mostly the opposite of cheese.

Ask your local game shop.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/526717/5611795.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/526717/5611795.page GMT Imperial Guard Questions From A Stark Raving Newb
Another point about mixing: a regiment is raised from a single planet and equipped identically. However, multiple regiments will often fight in the same theater, and it's possible for e.g. a Mordian standard infantry platoon to be supported by Cadian Armored Fist squadrons and Krieg armor in a given battlefield circumstance. Or, if you want to use them as mixed uniforms with a reason to be a persistent fighting force, when regiments are almost entirely destroyed the remaining men and materiel will be assigned to another understrength regiment. If several regiments from different worlds are all shattered at once, they can be combined into a hodgepodge regiment, temporarily or permanently. I think this could be a cool backstory for an IG army using a few figures from each of the GW/FW Guard ranges.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/526717/5611959.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/526717/5611959.page GMT Imperial Guard Questions From A Stark Raving Newb
Vets in chimeras are the best troops choice for guard now, but if you want to, you can also run them as a foot horde by taking platoons and spamming lots of dudes. In 5th edition, this looked good and was good. In 6th, it just looks good. Plus, if you're being terrified of having to make too many models, then foot guard really isn't for you anyways.

As for doctrines, almost everything got rolled into the new codex, it just no longer has its own place. You'll notice that this happened with most wargear as well. For example, you don't get hardened fighters anymore, but you do have the "Get back in the fight!" order instead, which does the same thing. Likewise, veterans can just take carapace armor, or camo cloaks now. There are a few dead losses, such as warrior weapons, and drop troops, but most of what you had in the old codex, by means of doctrines and wargear, you have as options in the current one. They're just spread around the unit entries.

As for special characters, the current guard codex explicitly tells you that you can use the character's rules as a template for making your own badass fighter. You can take a cadian model with a power sword and a plasma pistol, and give him your own name and backstory, but then just use the rules for al'rahem.

As for modelling and getting up to points quickly, my best advice is to get russes, and to model them with all the weapons swappable. Currently russes use the "heavy" rule for vehicles, which means that they benefit greatly from having sponsons now. The cheapest you can make a properly-kitted russ is now nearly 200 points, and you can easily break above that with more expensive versions. With two chimeras full of vets and a lord commissar, and two leman russes, you're talking about painting 4 vehicles and 21 infantry models, and being able to put together a plenty-competitive 750 point list. It's not going to be all that challenging to get up to 1000 from there.

While you shouldn't have much problems getting a game in at a lower points level than that, you certainly shouldn't get too many sideways glances for wanting to play at 1,000 points.


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