Warhammer 40,000/6th Edition Tactics/Imperial Guard

For the Emprah

Why Play Imperial Guard

When recruits are inducted into the Imperial Guard, they are given three things. Their regulation flashlight (commonly referred to by the troops as "lasguns" for some reason), their regulation cardboard box (which certain regiments have taken to cutting up and wearing into battle, calling it "flak armor"), and the regulation extra large wheelbarrow that allows them to cart their massive brazen balls into battle.

That's why you play the Imperial Guard.

Unit Analysis

HQ

• Company Command Squad:
• Lord Commissar:
• Ursarkar E. Creed:

Look, Creed is pretty nifty for being able to use a lot of douchebaggery with his Tactical Genius special rule. But he should be known for his massive 24" command bubble and his 4 orders per turn. Seriously. You don't have to use his ability to run a Leman Russ into their flank, you can also send your tanks in with a Scouts rule BEFORE MOVEMENT. No one expects it, and it can help you get the drop on enemies or even force someone's hand. If you have the first turn, you can position your Leman Russ tanks to do some serious damage to the enemy line, or even move your Heavy Weapons squads into a position. Technically, after they get their scouts moves, they can fire.

Creed might be fun for being a dick, but when you're running a solid force, he is an excellent asset for any force that might need a bit more mobility in their army list.

• Commissar Yarrick:

Awesome fulffy man. Costs quite a bit. Very close combat oriented. He can come back from the dead... a lot. He has some nifty gadgets. So if you like his back story and are making a close combat guard, this is the man for you.

• Primaris Psyker:

Force lighting in a small package. Fun at small point game (500 or less) take two and have them run around for 4d6 attacks at str 6. At larger point games, he takes away from the very important order system. A unit for fun games.

• Ministorum Priest:

This guy is somewhat iffy. His abilities are mostly all effective, but he costs 60 when he is at his peak. Put this guy in a huge squad of guardsmen. Make them stubborn as shit, and for the low cost of 15 points, you can be the new owner of a two handed giant chain-sword counted as a powerfist, very useful for a blob squad that can only have power weapons.

• Techpriest Enginseer:

Sadly, not that many people use it. There can be a point to bring a techpriest and some servitors if you have a mech heavy list, but most cases than not, he won't see any action, as he can't really keep up with vehicles, is pretty vulnerable to incoming fire, and more expensive than he's really worth.

Elites

Just to let you know, the IG Elite choices are the worst section of units in the codex. They cost a lot point wise, and model wise. If you like fluff, you might enjoy a few of these. If you like to fuck with your opponent and laugh your ass off, these may be for you.

• Ogryn Squad: - Big meaty men things with pretty awesome assaulting guns, terminator equivalents to an extent. Assulty wall of meat. Lovable to the end, witch will be soon, seeing as these guys are a firring magnet. In short, why they suck:
  • No power weapons. S5 (6 on the charge) is nice, but anything with good armor will laugh it off.
  • Shit armor. 5+ saves means they take a LOT of wounds, which can cause your big retarded line-backers to actually lose combat.
  • Shit Leadership. Stubborn is nice, but LD 7 is still LD 7.
• Ratling Squad: - Snipers, cool in theory, but everything wounds on a 4+, even against gaunts. You should have meltas or lascannons to take out big things, not a paper thin squad of midgets. Also most competitive armies have fearless, so say goodbye to your beloved penning. Ratlings are just too soft (T 2) and too cowardly (LD 6) to really have a place in the guard. If you want snipers, you're better off using Vets, Command squads, or special weapon teams. Just Say NO to space hobbits.
• Psyker Battle Squad: - A full Psyker Battle Psyker Squad in Chimera costs like a Leman Russ, while not having the same degree of survivability. Psychic Defenses can give them trouble, as do many other issues. So why bother taking these poor saps?
  • The first reason would be if you wish to take a Large Blast, but don't have left-over Force Organization slots in your Heavy Support Section. A reason for this would be should your army choose to take Manticores or Hydras. Depending on the foe at hand, and your ability to throw other high-priority threats (including Veteran Squadrons or Vendettas), you *should* be able to afford keeping them disembarked in cover, where they now have the option to benefit from Orders, "Fire on My Target" turning them into a wannabe Eradicator...
  • However, the most popular reason these Psykers get taken is because of Weaken Resolve. The ability to lower enemy Leadership for the remainder of the game turn has a lot of utility, both offensively and defensively. The most common use of it is to set a unit up for being Pinned/Routed by Manticores. This doesn't work against Stubborn or Fearless opponents of course, yet even against these foes, Weaken Resolve can reduce the success rate of enemy Psykers dramatically. This is your Psychic Hood-equivalent.
• Storm Trooper Squad: - In general, they are inefficient at general-purpose duty and are best-used at higher points-levels. Their main selling point, that they have AP 3 weapons by default, is negated by their low Strength, proliferation of cover, and the fact many Marine armies rely on dirt-cheap transports. Combine with having less Special Weapons than a normal Veteran Squad and things look grim. That said, they do have their role depending on the build you want to go for. They can choose to Deep Strike (and reroll Scatter) or Scout. For lower point levels, this doesn't matter as much, as one can use Veterans and Valkyries/Vendettas as part of the "Scout Rush", but one only gets 6 Veteran squads max. Storm Troopers can provide a Scouting/Outflanking Chimera if need be (which can be useful if you intend to outflank Vendettas, for they can be used in tank-shocking anti-outflank screens out of the way), additional Deepstrikers that aren't dependent on Grav-Chute Insertion and additional Melta support. So they *can* have a role depending on the armybuild you go for.
• GUARDSMAN MARBO FUCK YEAR: - Rambo is a strange unit in and of himself. There can only be one. He is 65 points, the same cost of a bitchn' 10 man squad with a grenade launcher and a power weapon. And rambo is a kill point that you practically give your opponent. On the other hand, he is the shit. He swoops in and drops a pie plate of death anywhere on the board (str8 ap2). If he can last the next turn, he can fuck some units up in close combat until he dies a fucking glorious death. If Lady Luck and Admiral Awesome are on your side you should take him. If you don't, you can go join the unmanly players at the not imperial guard table. Its up to you.

Troops

• Infantry Platoon:
• Veteran Squad:
• Penal Legion Squad:

Dedicated transports

• Chimera: - This is the gem of the METAL BOX world. It makes the guard competitive at high end play. It is common practice to replace the hull mounted heavy bolter with a heavy flamer to discourage people from charging you.
  • Cheap. (point-wise) You can spam them, Get lots and lots of multi-lasers, and a solid wall of AV12 metal.
  • Makes slow guardsmen mobile.
  • You can fire all your important shit (special weapons) out the top hatch. Letting you fry while staying safe from retaliation. Heck, commanders can even give orders out the top hatch.

Fast Attack

• Scout Sentinel Squadron:
• Armoured Sentinel Squadron:
• Rough Rider Squad:
• Hellhound Squadron:
• Valkyrie Assault Carrier Squadron:
• Vendetta Gunship Squadron:

Heavy Support

• Leman Russ Squadron:
• Ordnance Battery: