Stratagems 2: Imperial Guard Company Command Squad- Part 2

If you didn't catch part one, you can find it HERE. Here is a quick recap of what is included in the first section...

Part 1 

1- Unit Role 
2- Weapons choices 
     2.1 Company Commander’s weapons 
3- Upgrades and wargear 
     3.1- Wargear 
     3.2- Transport options 

And here is a breakdown of what I will cover today...

Part 2 

4- Advisors 
5- Characters

     5.1 Company commander replacements

     5.2 Advisors/Veterans replacements
6- Orders
7- Summary 

Officer of the fleet = Bad Ass Space Pirate!

4. Advisors

These come in four flavours- Master of Ordinance (MoO), Officer of the fleet (OotF), the Astropath (erm...Astropath) and bodyguards. All three have very similar stat lines to a standard veteran guardsmen, so there is nothing there that is of particular interest. On a minor note, it is nice to have the option to increase the squad size of a CCS, however this is a rather expensive way to do it. With the ability to take two bodyguards and one of each of the other types of Advisors, there is the potential to have a ten man CCS, but the cost of this would be extortionate and rather inefficient. So lets look at each type on their own merits...

The Master of Ordinance- Basically this guy allows you to bring a slightly more inaccurate basilisk to the table for thirty points. I actually quite like him, although I don't include him in my force very often. He is perfect for a static CCS, perhaps teamed up with a lascannon due to the similar strengths of their weapons. The MoO has become slightly better in 6th edition, now that the whole large blast template is full strength, a change I personally found very welcome. He can be inaccurate, but given enough turns, he will usually catch something out, and it doesn't take too long to get his points back. If he can grab line of sight he does indeed become a little more effective.

To help make the master of ordinance more accurate against vehicles or monstrous creatures, then try combining the MoO's shot with the take it down order, can be quite effective.

The Officer of the fleet- Up until 6th edition, I never left home without him. delaying my opponents reserves was generally a massive advantage, as well as potentially foxing his sneaky outflanking tactics. However with the advent of fliers, I generally leave him at home. The sad fact of the matter is that now the general advantage is held by the person who brings their fliers or their sky-fire weaponry on second. This is to ensure the sky-fire weaponry's safety in order to get those vital anti air shots off. The Officer of the fleet would be greatly improved if he could choose whether to -1 to the enemies dice rolls, but sadly that's not the case. His ability to force a re-roll on the outflank roll is still good, however this has also been lessened as a threat due to the inability of outflanking units to charge on the turn they enter. All in all, I would leave him at home now, unless I was playing an army that wasn't known for its fliers, but even still, i think there are better ways to spend the points.

The Astropath- Again, the same problem holds true for the Astropath. The boost to outflanking can be useful, but the fliers drawback is just a little too harmful.

The bodyguards- Well again these aren't choices I would use very often. I think they are cool and certainly a nice fluff driven choice, but with little in the way of changing their armament, I feel they are a little over costed. A nice idea, and certainly works well with the look out sir in the new edition, but there are again unfortunately, better things to spend the points on. For example, chimeras and aegis defence lines provide much better security.

So as for the Advisors then, unfortunately not much in it in my humble opinion  I would love at this point to include some cunning strategies to fully utilise the Advisors, but unfortunately I just don't think they are there. I would love to be proved wrong, so if anyone uses the Advisors in a sneaky way, please let me know. Best to save the points. If you have a static gun line, the MoO works well, but other than that there isn't much to these guys. Cool models though!

5. Characters

The CCS character upgrades come in two forms, there are the company commander replacements and the standard veteran/advisor replacements.

5.1- commander characters

There are two commander characters in the book, both of which cater for very different strategies. The first is Straken  who is designed as a bit of a close combat hard man. Then there is creed. Whilst his stats are pretty similar to a regular commander, it is his special rules that make him a boost to the army as a whole.

Col. Straken- Straken has stats similar to a space marine captain, making him easily the hardest guardsman in the codex. He can handle himself in combat and provides combat boosts to those nearby, perfect for keeping him close to other combined platoons. Often seen as a purely offensive character, I don't see this as the case. He is also very effective, beside a blobbed platoon behind a aegis defence line. With furious charge and counter attack anyone would think twice about assaulting such a bastion. He's a pretty solid commander, able to use the order system like any other commander. I would definitely recommend him for infantry heavy lists. His plasma pistol and 3+ save are also pretty handy. 


Lord Castellan Creed- Creed doesn't really have greatly improved stats, although he does have a rather excellent leadership of 10. Creed is so much better than his stats however. His special rule to allow one unit to outflank, sure goes a long way to boost the armies flexibility. It might be a benefit to have an Astropath in creeds command squad to help the chances of getting the outflanking unit were you want it. 
It is orders where Creed truly comes into his own however.

He has his own unique order which grants a unit fearless and furious charge until the end of the turn. Interestingly, this order does not have to be issued to a unit that is going for an assault.

5.2 Veteran/advisor replacement characters


These characters are quite interesting as they provide another means to pack even more special characters into a CCS. I recently played a game with three named characters in one command squad (Straken, Nork Deddog and Kell). This was a seriously high point squad, but good fun to play with, and did stand toe to toe with Typhus and a squad of terminators (not recommended tournament play, but great for a giggle).

Nork Deddog- Nork suffers from one major drawback...his cost. Like all Ogryns he is just too expensive to justify in anything but a fluffy fun list. However, he does have a few very useful skills. First and foremost is that he is a tank. He can soak up wounds to the squad that would otherwise see your commander instant killed. If the squad suffers a lascannon/missile launcher/autocannon hit, he can absorb these without any further damage to the squad. His real strength however is in close combat, particularly against high strength/low armour save opponents.  He also adds a fearsome ripper gun to the squad, which is not to be scoffed at.
The only problem is that for Nork to be truly effective, you have to put the squad in harms way, which isn't always what you want to do with the CCS. With Nork it is very much a matter of go big or go home. A CCS will not hold out for long in combat, with or without special characters, so you have to pour even more points into supporting units (blob infantry or even another expensive unit of Ogryns).

All in all then, nork is fun, but doesn't have anything other brute strength and iron toughness.

Colour Sergeant Kell- Kell is a much more rounded character, combining wargear that is worth the points (regimental standard anyone) with the nifty ability of extending a vox network equivalent, without squads needing to take Voxs (not an identical rule to the vox, but close enough if not better).

He also has a bit of meat in combat given his power fist, but generally I would also be inclined to include him in the just too expensive category  With the Imperial Guard it always comes down to "I could get him or another infantry/Veteran squad for that." Usually in highly competitive games, I find the latter to be the better choice, although the former is a bit more fun, and sometimes leads to interesting game twists.

Orders received- You don't have to shout you know!

6. Orders

In this section I will go over the three orders specific to the Company command squad- Bring it down, Fire on my target and Get Back in the Fight. The other orders, I will look at with the platoon command squad, as this article is already pretty massive!

Bring It Down!- This is a particularly useful order, especially when firing low shot/High strength weaponry which is normally reserved for the monstrous creatures/Vehicles that this order can target. With the command squad being allowed two orders a turn, I find it handy to equip the command squad with a lascannon, as this is always useful if there are no other units within range to use other orders on. 

Another good choice is to give the "Bring it Down" order to ratlings firing at monstrous creatures (or even low AV vehicles), as this can really help their shot rate and ultimately increase the chances of those all important rending wounds.

It can also be useful for the likes of melta and plasma veteran squads, but especially if you are using a fast chimera borne CCS. Generally a big thumbs up to this order, although it can be a bit limited due to the target having to be a vehicle or monstrous creature.  

Fire On My Target- Again another offensive order, designed to dig enemy units out of cover. Generally useful in most circumstances, but especially at range against objective holders/dug in troops. Its always better to have these re-rolls against lots of cover saves, to help increase the usefulness of the order. 

Not much in the way of specific uses here, but generally the more shots your ordered unit can throw down range at the enemy the better, although, not much point using this order if the target unit has a better Armour saving throw than cover save. Best example of use would be heavy bolters against Orks under a forcefield.

Get Back in the Fight- Another superb order, which really can save your bacon. Can stop broken squads from quitting the field, but also is extremely useful if the unit had gone to ground. This allows a good bit of tactical flexibility. For example: one of your units holding an objective in cover gets shot at and you choose to go to ground. the enemy comes within contesting range of the objective. In your turn you can then attempt to bring the squad "Back into the Fight", targeting the enemy unit contesting the objective. This extra spell of fire-power could just win you the objective, stop your unit from dying and also assist in the demise of the enemy unit. All free of charge... Not bad eh?!



7. Summary


So I'm sure to most of you guard veterans there has been little new to this tactica. I hope at most it has reminded a few of you of a few little tricks. For me the CCS is one of the most versatile units in the codex. What I have learnt from writing this article is that there are many types of CCS that I still need to experiment with... Now, where did I put those plasma guns...

A short note on Theme- Remember that most CCS's contain warlords, and I am a huge believer that, at the very least, the warlord should fit the character or theme of your force. So while it is not always the most efficient way to kit the unit out, its always fun to use this squad in a way that is fitting for your play style. If you like combat and frontal charges, use Nork Deddog and Col. Straken. If you like to think of your commander as a great tactician then try out Creed. Or if you want your commander to be a tyrannical coward, put him at the back with stealth cloaks and an Aegis, and two body guards and a master of ordnance as he sends his troops forwards. Its all fun and may even surprise you (and your Opponent  with how effective it can be. 

So as usual, any comments, please leave them below.  

Troop Truck Diorama- Wounded Guardsman

I managed to get some hobby time last night, but with a new puppy, I wasn't allowed to bring anything sharp downstairs. So with paint brushes and paints out of reach, I finally got round to painting the troop truck diorama that has been sitting on my shelf for months. I also managed to add sme stowage to the vehicles loading bay. I feel this helps to pad out any conversion, and just makes everything fit  bit better.

Here are some pics of how I got on;

Im quite pleased with the poses. I had wanted an extra trooper holding up a drip, but I don't think the diorama suffers without him.

 It was quite difficult to get a good shot of the piece through the crossbars, in future I will take some close ups before I glue the miniatures in.

 For the wounded guardsman, I used a catachan bare torso which I added greenstuff to, to create the ripped open shirt

 

Thats two trucks done, just two more to do. If anyone has any suggestions for cool dioramas that would fit in the trucks loading bay, I would love to hear them! 

Strata-Gems 2- Imperial Guard Company Command Squad (part 1)

With the introduction and overview section of this tactics series done HERE, It is now time to begin looking at the individual units held within codex Imperial Guard. 

Where better to start than with the top of the chain of command, the Company Command Squad. As perhaps one of the most popular HQ choices, and certainly the most customisable squad choices in the codex, it is important that I break this essay down into manageable chunks. I have also divided this article into two parts to allow for its immense bulk. So here is a short contents list of the vital headings...

                                   

The company command squad- 5th Company, 32nd Vastadtian

Part 1

1- Unit Role
2- Weapons choices
     2.1 Company Commander’s weapons
3- Upgrades and wargear
     3.1- Wargear
     3.2- Transport options



Part 2

4- Advisors
5- Characters

     5.1 Company commander replacements

     5.2 Advisors/Veterans replacements
6- Orders
7- Summary

And finally before we begin, as always, I am keen to hear what you think. Is there something that I have left out? Do you have a different role that your Company Command Squad fulfils?

                                  

That power dagger aint gonna be much use in a Nuke fight!

1- Unit Role

The Company command squad (herein referred to as the CCS) can adapt itself to many primary roles, whilst maintaining some other usefulness and abilities. Largely this is due to the units’ wide variety of war gear choices, the advisors, the upgrade characters and the Orders special rules.

One of the main uses of the CCS is as an infantry support or Booster unit. Through the use of orders, the CCS can sit back in the field and boost the unit abilities. This is the most common use of the CCS in largely Infantry based armies, where orders can affect large amounts of models at once (through combined infantry squads).

In this style it is fairly common for the CCS to be equipped fairly lightly, with long range weaponry or even highly mobile weaponry, allowing the squad to advance with the infantry line, or redeploy to boost a squad with orders further down the line.

Whilst performing its duty as a support or booster unit, it can also carry light assault weapons to act as a stopgap counter attacking unit, or operate from range with a heavy weapon, taking full advantage of its higher BS (Ballistic Skill).

With a fairly low price tag, its decent BS and its vast array of weapons choices, the CCS can be used as cheaper alternative to a veteran squad. Whilst you lose five bodies, you shave some points, and even get the ability to take an extra special weapon (4 meltas overkill?!).

Whilst this is a valid use for the squad, take into consideration that the CCS is not a scoring unit. This means that there is a temptation to use this squad a little more frivolously, risking it on potentially rewarding but often suicidal strategies. This however should only be the case if this is either a second CCS in the list or a second HQ choice. It is not advisable to throw away your warlords life.

As you can see the CCS can be offensive, defensive and always supportive to other units. Unfortunately this, coupled with the unit containing the warlord and its’ vulnerability, make the CCS a pretty key target for your enemies guns. For this reason I like to keep the squad cheap and cheerful, and/or held in a chimera for some small arms protection.



2. Weapons choices

So as with all units, it is almost always the weapons load out that determines the unit’s role. This is especially true with the versatile CCS. Here are a couple of examples;

The Melta CCS-

This unit generally contains 3 melta weapons. It can take four, however this generally isn't that necessary and only achieves making this unit a massive target. The melta load out is often seen as a suicidal choice for the CCS as it requires getting to close quarters to achieve its goal. 

This unit is effective at tearing through vehicles, and also useful against low armour save opponents. It is useful when combined with a Veterans army, or even supported by a platoon. As with all CCS’s though, it is very vulnerable to enemy fire. A chimera is a good option for this squad as it allows the unit to close range quickly and stave off most rapid fire weapons.

The Plasma CCS- 

A points heavy unit, and one that quickly becomes a high value target. Often equipped with three or four plasma rifles, or sometimes 2 plasma rifles and an auto cannon. I personally very rarely use this load out as it is a massive points sink. If I was going to use it, I would often use three plasmas. Some people have combined this unit with a medic; however, I feel that the 30 points for the medic could better be served in helping to pay for a chimera, as the medic would be the first choice of casualty to go from the unit anyway.

The Stripped out CCS- 

It is quite common for people to use a bog standard, no upgrades CCS. Due to the unit’s vulnerability and high target rating, people often feel that this squad could be a huge point’s sink. I feel that this is completely counter-productive  as essentially you are then paying 50 points for a unit that will probably never achieve any active role. Yes it can still issue orders, but one squirt from a squad with bolters will still take it apart.

Despite my reservations, I can see the logic. It is quite easy to throw a melta CCS forward, out of range of making any valuable orders, but a stripped out CCS can always stay where it is needed, focusing solely on providing the valuable morale and orders boosts it needs to. I think in this instance it is worth tacking on a few grenade launchers, flamers, or even a mortar. 5-15 points will not break the bank, and will hardly change the squads target value, but will at least allow the squad to throw out something in the way of offensive fire-power. Seems a shame to waste that improved BS after all.
                                               

Binoculars and a pointer finger, all a good officer needs.

The sit back and shoot CCS- 

This basically includes the gamer’s choice of heavy weapon. The most popular choices are the auto cannon and the lascannon. Personally I like the lascannon. The increased BS and the great range allow this piece to sit back and take pot shots, all the while the commander issues orders. I also like to combine the lascannon with a master of ordnance, and then issue “bring it down” on the CCS, increasing the units’ ability against a vehicle or monstrous creature.

                                   

The lascannon, best given to the men who have had weapons training.

There are other weapons choices of note:

The heavy flamer- a valuable weapon given its ability to fire on the move, however the price for me is just too high, with the squad able to equip itself with 4 regular flamers for the same cost.

The grenade launcher- as mentioned above a useful weapon that keeps the squad at a reasonable cost and with its range and assault characteristics, allows the squad a fair field of fire.

The laspistol- not a special, but every veteran can still swap his lasgun for a laspistol. Combined with the CCW, this gives the squad bonus attacks. Sometimes (and I mean sometimes) this can just tip the edge, however never bank on this tactic. Only to be considered by the bravest and fluffiest of players.

The sniper- hmm, useful, but makes the squad very static without much gain in my own opinion.

2.1 The company commander’s weapons

This is an interesting one. I very rarely equip my company commander with any weapons, as the upgrades are generally expensive. In the olden days I would have included a power weapon (ignoring all armour saves was great), and I often equip my new company commander with a plasma pistol (for WYSIWYG purposes), but beyond that I feel there are always better uses of points.

But let us look at the choices-

Bolt Pistol- if you have two points left over, then it is not a bad punt, particularly in combo with a melta vet or similar close range CCS load out.

Bolt gun- Similar to above. Use for a long range, rapid fire based squad.

Plasma Pistol- OK,  it’s a plasma shot, which is cool, but it is dear, and can cause harm to your warlord. If you have nothing better to spend ten points on then go ahead.

Power weapon- Not the weapon it once was. Convert to a power axe or it probably isn't worth it. Don’t expect much from your Commander, but you never know.

Power fist- Given the way combat goes these days it isn't as good a choice as it was. I would personally leave it at home, but again that’s only a personal opinion, every now and again it is just fun to punch something with a big metal fist.
                                    

The Good Captain could now see the mistake of charging forward.

3. Wargear and Options

3.1 Wargear

The company command squad has perhaps the widest access to wargear in the codex. The only unit that compares is the Veterans.

I will go through these in order...

The medic- A fun addition, but not an efficient way to save your guardsmen for long. The points would be better put towards a chimera, even if you just want to hide the squad behind it. Alternatively you could put the points towards...

Camo cloaks- Now this is slightly more valuable. With +1 to cover this makes the unit very hard to dig out of area terrain or even from behind an Aegis defence line. Buy an Aegis, Nuff Said.

Regimental standard- This is a great way to spend 15 points. The combat bonus is fine, but rarely makes a difference, but the ability to re-roll morale and pinning tests for squads nearby is brilliant.

Vox caster- An OK piece of kit, but generally overpriced for what it does. It’s generally believed that this choice would be a better fit if it extended the range of the orders being issued. This would fit slightly better with the fluff in my mind too. I wouldn't take this unless I really couldn't spend points on anything else.

Carapace Armour- With better armour save this can upgrade can boost a squad’s survivability; however I still think the camo cloaks are a better purchase. Good if you face lots of bolters in open gaming boards.

Krak grenades- These are worth the five points, especially given the changes to combat against a vehicle and the hull points rules.
                                

The Vox- Looks cool, that's it...

3.2 Transport Options

The CCS can take a dedicated transport in the form of a chimera. I would generally include a chimera when taking a more aggressive melta CCS or one that I want to keep pressing forward. The ability to issue orders from within and keep the infantry firing whilst protected from small arms fire is invaluable.

It is also possible to mount the CCS in a vendetta. I would generally stay away from this as it limits the squad’s ability to influence the game with orders. I would rather save the vendetta for small squads of troop units that can score.

                                    

I was built for fightin' not walkin'!

Well that is it for part 1. As always let e know what you think. Have I missed anything? Is there anything you would do differently? Thanks for reading; I am looking forward to your comments below.

Imperial Guard Infantry Squad Painted- One down three to go

I took a little break from the hoplite to show you my latest batch of painting. This is the first squad of standard infantrymen for my supply column force. I had been focusing on the vehicles until recently, but now its time for the poor bloody infantry. Im quite please with how these guys turned out. They fit well with the vehicles and the veterans I had previously built for this force.

Unfortunately I failed to get any WIP shots of these guys, or the next squad, however, I am currently building the third squad, so I will take some snaps of them and get them up here.

Curious constructs Hoplite tankette continues.

After a little spell of modellers block, I have finally started to work on the panelling detail for the Hoplite. All major sections have been fully built. It's now time to start the fine detail work. Here are some pictures so far. 

 Some damage to the cast tracks. This slowed down the work as I made repairs.

 The initial idea for the side detail. Changed slightly in fabrication, but a good base to work from.

 A quick mock up of the main side panel. All the detail will be added around this.

 And the first panel in place. This is mirrored on the other side.

 With the outer roadwheel mounts added. These will again have more detail added on top.

 Slightly more layering work done here. This will also receive some raised detail at the top.

And finally a quick reminder of the rear gun bay. Very early stages on this. The gun bay will probably have the most detail work. 

Strata-gems Pt. 1...Imperial Guard Overview

Welcome to Strata-gems. This is new series of posts I will be working on.

The Poor Bloody Infantry- Getting by with a little help from their friends...

Introduction

Recently I have been enjoying many tactics articles around the web. It has been interesting to read other peoples opinion on how 6th edition has shaped 40k, particularly in relation to the Imperial Guard. It must be said that the Imperial Guard have been experiencing somewhat of a renaissance since the release of the latest codex in 2009. As a long term Guard Fanatic, I found that this has been the most diverse codex to date allowing many different styles of play. Whilst there will always be units which are more efficient in terms of points than others, this codex has generally allowed for a wider spread of units to be used on a more regular basis.


So I have decided to write up a series of tactics articles specific to the Imperial Guard. I will look at individual units in their own right, but this first instalment is largely regarding my own approach when it comes to the attitude of a Guard commander...


OK. This is a tactics article, but mostly it is about how Imperial Guard players can benefit from the right frame of mind whilst playing Guard. I'm not sure if you guys will approve of this article, but I wrote it as an insight into the way I feel the imperial guard, as a force, needs to be understood by their commanders before they can do well on the tabletop/battlefield. With the latest codex the Guard has become one of armies considered more competitive than some of the other books, but it still takes care to wield an Imperial Guard force.


I'm a guard player to the core and believe (even if I'm somewhat bias about this) that the guard are more strategically demanding than any other force in the 40k universe. I would like to hear what you agree with or disagree with in this article, or even if it makes any sense at all. I wrote this in kind of a mad rush of inspiration so it might be complete nonsense.

I also want to state that these are simply what makes guard work for me. You can take bits from it and make them your own, disregard it completely or slander me for believing in such drivel. It’s really up to you.

All words and no pictures make AJ a dull boy!

The Body

Those of you who have read ‘Gaunt's Ghosts’ will be familiar with De Marches. He was an Imperial scholar during the time of Saint Sabbats crusade. His teachings (though based in fiction and relatively lightly explored) struck a chord with me as I read.
He wrote that an army should be wielded as the commander wields his own body. His arms, his fire power, his legs, his movement, and his eyes and ears his scouts.

This at first is difficult to relate to the 40k gaming board, but it will very easily relate to the 40k battlefield and the 40k universe as a whole. Thus bringing my introduction to a close and putting forth my first point...

Play the Army, not the list.

This is true for any and all 40k races, but especially for the guard. I have commanded my guard army for over to a decade. I have used three generations of codex, four different rules sets, and three different model ranges to represent the same regiment. Whilst rules and models have changed vastly, the ethos and spirit of the guard has remained largely untouched. We are not the god like Astarte's, we command little of the finesse of the Sororitas and we certainly don't hold the power or privileges of the wrathful inquisition. All we have is blood and mud and guts and glory. We are the dog faces, the grunts, the poor bloody guard, the front line of defence for humanity and we do what we can to preserve our race.

It’s at this point you are probably asking, where's he going with this?” or, “I thought this was a tactics article?”
Well it's simple. Know your army. Watch them be butchered and feel their loss. Celebrate their victories, feel their hardship and control their fate. If you can do this then they will feel like part of your own body, like in De Marches writings.

OK, you are probably thinking I’ve gone mad, but I assure you, the more you know about your troops, the more you grow to understand each troopers strength and weakness, the more you can learn to use each squad in the appropriate manner. Patterns will emerge that no statistics generator, or clever calculations can account for. You will begin to instinctively know which squad to use for a counter attack with a chance of success and you will become aware of which troops are likely to turn tail at the earliest hint of casualties.
So play YOUR army, Not a list.

And if you are still willing to read on, I will continue with my second point.

The Commissar stands watch over his men as the enemy close in. 

Discipline.

Discipline is vitally important with the Guard. We thrive on structure and follow a strict chain of command. Whilst there are some new toys (ahem...Vendetta FTW...ahem) the Guard is like a heavy blunt weapon, like a hammer. Whilst able to reap destruction on whatever it lands on, it can easily be out manoeuvred by quicker, lighter and sharper weapons. It takes discipline, strength and care to wield a war hammer. The same can be said for a guard army.

We commanders must exhibit these traits if we are to succeed. It is our orders that will lead to the success or failure of the operation. This begins right in the earliest deployment and continues until the last roll of the dice. The easy part is building the battle plan, the difficult part is sticking it out despite the hand that lady luck deals us.
I shall attempt to go through each phase in turn.

Deployment-

Make a plan. This doesn't have to be too detailed or complicated. It can simply be a list of priority enemy units, which objectives you wish to attempt, or where you would like to draw out the enemy attack. Deploy with this plan in mind. It is important that you take into consideration firing lanes. It is also vital that your units are supporting one another without getting in each other’s way. For example, there is little point in placing a Leman Russ right in front of a chimera which wishes to move forward in turn one, simply to try and keep fire off it.
It is also vital that you take a moment before deploying anything if the plan you have chosen will be the right course of action for the scenario. There is little merit in deploying everything as far back as possible when you are playing an objective mission. Once settled on a plan, follow it through until the end. Stick to it as much as physically possible.
A lot of discipline is also needed in deployment when it comes to the placement of enemy strengths. Try not to succumb to responding to enemy deployments. This can lead to you being drawn into deploying where the enemy wants you to, and can be costly in redeployment time during the battle.

Movement- 


Movement requires a large amount of discipline. It can be arguably the most vital and important stage in the IG turn. There is a careful balance in the Guard that needs to be preserved between firepower and mobility. Few armies have such a lack of mobility as the Imperial Guard Infantry company list. It is for this reason that I rarely equip my infantry squads with heavy weapons. This to a lot of you may be an outrage, but I feel for my own style of play it allows me greater flexibility in movement. Those of you who feel the need for heavy weapons in your infantry (and I should point out I have nothing against it, simply that my own style prefers to keep them in dedicated heavies squads) require larger amounts of discipline. Even with the advent of snap fire, I feel the desire to keep my blob squads stationary is too great with heavy weapons.


There will come times when you may have to sacrifice a good proportion of firepower to move the squad to a better or more valuable location. Have the strength and discipline to do this and you will probably be rewarded. Again however it is important that each movement is whole hearted, as leaving squads unsupported too far from your lines is simply giving away vital assets.

FIRE!

Shooting-


The phase most guard players look forward to most is also the most treacherous and the one that demands the most discipline. It is tempting to let loose and kill with wanton abandon, but it is here
that we must remember the heavy, blunt blows of the war hammer. We must use our might to strike down each enemy target in turn and destroy it with all our might before turning our attention to another target. Before firing a shot, step back and take a look. What is the biggest threat to your lines? What squad is the juiciest in points cost and would it be worth killing it over a more pressing threat. Is it worth targeting the terminators, when it is the bike squad who will be in melta range next turn?

Then pick which weapons are best suited to the job, Firing auto cannons at the tactical squad when there are some Razorbacks in range? These are obvious, but it is surprising how often these simple questions get over looked in the heat of battle. Then when shooting at your main target I always find it beneficial to start with the weakest weapons and work up. This means that I can save my bigger guns, if I am lucky enough to destroy the first threat with the weaker firepower. Allowing me the maximum destructive force onto my secondary target, and so on and so forth.

Also, if attempting to launch a pre emptive assault on an enemy unit, be careful with using firepower to whittle down the squad you wish to assault. Your opponent will remove the closest casualties, so that your unit is no longer within combat range, leaving you wide open to be assaulted the next turn.

The Penal Squad sneak around to attack the flanks of the approaching horde.

Assault-


Assaults need to be carefully planned, as you would expect with any armies commitment to assault. However with the guard extra precaution is needed. Be wary of sending officers in, as their ability to be challanged often marks them ripe for an early grave. Don't however hold them back at all costs, rather send them in to assure victory. It is rarely wise to attack a full squad of any enemy assaulter's. It is often best to pick on already weakened units, or units already locked in combat with a fair amount of your own troops.

Guard can however hold their own in combat, and not only by good fortune or luck. When used correctly a guard charge can change the tide of a battle. As enemies often underestimate the guard in combat, it is easy to slip under their defences and pick your combats carefully. If you have the balls to give a guard assault a go, and trust your men to give it a go, then you may just be surprised how far they can go (remember play the army, not the list.) Oh and commissars help as well!

That’s all for now. I will start looking into each unit in turn, if you guys can stand anymore.

A very Humble Thank You

So this week my blog has reached a little bit of a milestone. 100 members to be precise. When I started the blog almost three years ago i never expected as much interest as that. I primarily started this little blog as a way to document my hobby and to help keep myself motivated whilst away from home at university.

I'm so delighted that people have found my little corner of the internet interesting, and it has been great to meet so many like minded gamers and hobbyist. So once again, a massive thank you to every one who has stopped by, commented or followed.

 Hobby wise this week I have moved forward with the Hoplite tankette project. This had become a bit of a frustrating project the last couple of weeks, with plenty of hours being put in, with very little visible advancement. But now that the basic shape is completed the detailing has begun. I started with a little textured plasticard on the rear gun deck.

From here I cut into the deck and added space for a rear engine hatch and started work on the weapons mount. I wanted this to look quite robust, so a nice thick piece of plastic rod was added, detailed with some thin strips of plastic card. I might add weild lines to this piece with a little green stuff.

Also this week i grabbed a few painting hours, beginning work on a classic GW Sensei model, which I will be using as a stand in model for a Primaris Psyker.

Thats all for now. Thanks again for taking a look. Until Next time. :)