Warhammer 40,000/10th Edition Tactics/Imperial Guard

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This is the current 10th Edition's Imperial Guard tactics. 9th Edition Tactics are here.

Why Play Imperial Guard

Unlike the Mary Sues, Guardsmen go to war wielding nothing more than the standard-issue T-shirts, Flashlights, and Adamantine Balls.

Pros

• Horde Units: While not as egregious or spammable as 30 man conscript blobs, you can now take 20 Guardsmen, a Command Squad with Attaches and Bodyguard, and a Named Officer, all in one unit.

Cons

• Regiments have been removed entirely With 10th edition being a reboot that has removed most subfactions (except for all those snowflake chapters), the Index version of the Imperial Guard is strictly "mixed-Regiments" of Cadians, Kriegers, and Catachan, with certain Regimental abilities (like disembark after moving) locked to certain units like the Taurox.
• Your average Guardsman is as durable as a stale potato chip.

Faction Rules

• Voice of Command: Every Command phase, your Officer units can issue out a number of orders as noted on their datacards to units within 6" of them. Each unit can only be affected by one order every turn and the orders wear off if the unit is battle-shocked.
  • Move! Move! Move!: The ordered unit adds +3M.
  • Fix Bayonets!: The ordered unit improves the WS of its melee weapons by +1.
  • Take Aim!: The ordered unit improves the BS of its guns by +1.
  • First Rank Fire! Second Rank Fire!: The ordered unit adds +1 additional attack to any Rapid Fire attacks it has.
    • Because Rapid Fire now adds attacks instead of multiplying, order doesn't matter: an A1 RF 1 weapon goes from 2/1 shots to 3/2, depending on range, while an A2 RF 2 weapon goes from 4/2 to 5/3. Note that going from 4 shots to 5 shots is usually worse than +1 to hit because most of your army is BS4+, but if you're BS3+ they break even and BS2+ or better going to 5 shots is better, and that's after special rules like Sustained Hits, which work like additive improvements to BS/WS for interactions like these.
    • More importantly, it's now ANY Rapid Fire weapon, not just Lasguns. This means it's almost always going to be better than Take Aim if the ordered squad has one or more Plasma Guns and is shooting MEQs, as they tend to be the majority of the squad's damage output in this instance.
  • Take Cover!: The ordered unit improves its armor save by +1 to a maximum of a 3+ save.
  • Duty and Honour!: The ordered unit improves its Leadership and OC by +1.

Detachments

Combined Regiment

Special Rules

• Born Soldiers: Back from last editions, the unit's guns gain [Lethal Hits] on any turn where they stand still.

Stratagems

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• Fields of Fire (2 CP): Pick one Platoon or Squadron unit during the shooting phase. After they fire, mark one enemy they shoot. The rest of your units that fire on this enemy improve their AP by 1 unless they're battle-shocked.

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• Inspired Command (1 CP): One Officer unit that isn't battle-shocked can immediately issue an order during the enemy's Command phase. Great for throwing Take Cover right before someone can blow your units out of their hiding spot or Fix Bayonets for a round of fighting.

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• Expert Bombardiers (1 CP): Pick one enemy unit visible to someone with a Vox-Caster. Any units that aren't battle-shocked gain +1 to hit the marked unit with any [Indirect Fire] guns for the phase.
• Reinforcements! (2 CP): Whenever a unit dies, you can immediately throw an identical unit back into reserves so you can throw them on the next turn (attached characters not included). Chenkov's wisdom has managed to reach every commander's handbook.
• Suppression Fire (1 CP): When an Infantry unit fires on an enemy unit that isn't a Vehicle or Monster, that enemy takes a -1 to hit rolls until the end of their next turn.

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• Armoured Might (2 CP): One Vehicle reduces the damage they take from any guns by 1.

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Enhancemnents

All enhancements are exclusive to Officer units.

• Death Mask of Ollanius: When the bearer's unit is battle-shocked, their Objective Control is reduced by 1 rather than set to 0. Won't mean much to many troops, but it lets your Battleline troops and tanks still get to score objectives.
• Drill Officer: When the bearer's unit sits still, they score critical hits on a 5+.
• Grand Strategist: Bearer can issue an additional order.
• Kurov's Aquila: Once per game whenever the enemy uses a stratagem, you can force them to make any further uses of that strat costs an additional CP.

Wargear

• Vox-Caster: Lets a squad roll 1d6 whenever you use a stratagem on them, with any Officer units within 6" of them adding +1 to the roll. On a 6+, 1 CP is refunded.

Unit Analysis

Characters

• Cadian Castellan:
• Commissar: Lets you BLAM a model in Battleshocked units within 12", and since it'd be a shameful display for the Lord Solar's bodyguards to show cowardice, if attached with another Officer, he lets the unit reroll their own Battleshock tests.
• Ogryn Bodyguard: An ever-loyal slab of meat, granting the Officer models he joins a 4+++, while he himself benefits from a 5+++. However, if that officer is ever hurt, the big guy gets +1 to hit and wound in melee.
  • Surprisingly, there are good reasons to stick to the gun+knife mode for this guy, mainly that the knife is your strongest melee weapon out there. Similarly, the stock Ripper remains the most powerful gun of the two with its high firepower thanks to Rapid Fire 1 while the grenade gauntlet just gives a bit of anti-GEQ crowd control. The Bullgryn Maul isn't a bad weapon, mind, and the two shields give an extra wound and a 4++ respectively, but those buffs will only matter to the Ogryn and not to any officers he wants to protect.
  • Unlike last Ed, they do not have to take the wounds for an Officer, which means an attached Lord Solar or Ursula Creed will still need to be wary about Precision weapons.
• Primaris Psyker: While the shared 4+++ against psychic weapons is constant, the shared 4++ against shooting is something that can backfire if you roll a 1 on a d6, somewhat emulating the old psychic tests down to that 1 dealing d3 MWs, which is kind of a slap in the face since non-Hazardous Psychic Tests were supposed to have been removed. The only other power they pack is Psychic Maelstrom, a pretty potent bombardment weapon with Blast and Devastating Wounds, though using the Focused profile adds Hazardous for a few extra attacks.
  • As a reminder, the invuln only triggers during the shooting phase. As such, do NOT let them stand near the front where they can get run through like the mere men they are.
• Regimental Attachés: Where your Astropath, Master of the Fleet, and Master of Ordnance ended up, a separate unit that must join a Command Squad unit. The Astropath comes with a more dangerous force weapon, but remains unfitting of any place in the front; instead, use him for his 12" bubble of reinforcements denial. The Master of the Fleet can mark any enemy within 30" and give all Aircraft a +1 to hit that unit. The Master of Ordnance can mark another enemy within 30" and give any Artillery unit that attacks the enemy [Sustained Hits 1].
• Tank Commander:

Command Squads

• Platoon Command Squad: Shockingly able to attach to regular platoons (though Cadians seem too stubborn to let non-Cadian command squads join) so you can make a giant bubblewrap of warm bodies, especially when joined by another character. As expected, this squad can carry an alarming variety of guns, so many that you need a separate armoury card just to see all the stats - this is a necessity if you're planning on taking a heavy weapons team. They also have a 6" bubble that lets them issue orders to battle-shocked units so they can still be of use in sacrificing themselves to the enemy.
  • Master Vox lets the squad double the range of their orders, which is very handy if you're keeping them away from the front lines. The medi-pack gives a basic 6+++ and the Regimental Standard allows for the squad to improve their OC by 1. RAW this boost is shared by attached units, so have fun with your 25 guardsmen with a total OC of 90 (2 for the Command squad, 4 for the Infantry Squad) and 6+++.
• Cadian Command Squad: Command Squad for Cadian Shock Troops. the officer Lets Shock Troops ignore any and all modifiers to characteristics, rolls, and tests (excluding saving throws).
• Militarum Tempestus Command Squad: Lead Tempestus. the Prime Not only gives [SUSTAINED HITS 1] but also his Command Rod lets the unit be affected by two orders (assuming you have another officer in range).

Epic Heroes

• Lord Solar Leontus: As expected of the Lord Solar, this guy has plenty of tricks as your mandatory warlord. On top of being able to issue three orders, he can throw three units into reserves after everyone deploys (having learned some tricks of Tactical genius from an old legend) and gives an extra CP every turn where he's alive. While he join the Rough Riders as you'd expect, he can surprisingly join any squad of infantry despite going much faster than them.
• Gaunt's Ghosts:
• "Iron Hand" Straken:
• Sergeant Harker:
• Nork Deddog
• Sly Marbo:
• Ursula Creed:

Regiment

Battleline

Note that all these units can take 2 attached units, provided that one and only one of them is a Command Squad unit.

• Cadian Shock Troops: Cadia's finest remain a mobile variant to the basic guardsmen, unable to carry heavy weapons but capable of carrying two special weapons (plus the drum-fed autogun you'll always put on the sergeant), but you can't pick the same one twice without doubling up on the unit's size.
  • Shock Troops make the Cadians valuable, as they can cap any objective they touch and keep it capped until an enemy threatens it. With how much more emphasis there is on claiming objectives, you'll be needing that bit of security as you press on the offense.
• Catachan Jungle Fighters: Sadly still absolute shit, they gain +1 S and +1 AP on the charge but are still S3 base and don't get anything other than a Laspistol on the Sergeant, not even a chainsword! Would it have killed GW to let them take a Power Fist or Power Sword? They're even in the fucking kit.
  • only theoretical use is using that 6" scout with a dedicated transport for an early objective grab.
  • only hope to cross your fingers that this is only a placeholder for a future kill-team box.
• Death Korps of Krieg: Troopers that lack heavy weapons aside from the Sniper Rifle, but can triple-up on special weapons by replacing their Vox dude with a plasma gun dude (and their Sergeants can carry bolters, if you want to count those as special weapons). Uniquely, these guys are a bit masochistic, getting +1 to hit if they lose any models and +1 to wound if they're below half-strength.
  • Sadly, while they have a rule for a medi-pack so they can resurrect d3 trooper models (the sergeants can't be brought back, nor can anything attached) each turn, they can't use it, because it's a Wargear rule and none of them carry the item or can purchase it.
• Infantry Squad:

Infantry

• Field Ordnance Battery: Bumped up to T5, a single FOB model has the same amount of wounds as a HWS unit, but with better T and Save (4+). The FOB can now also benefit from Orders, and if ordered (and remaining stationary), the unit gains Sustained Hits .
  • The FOB's best use is either as a dedicated AT platform (That's four S14 Lascannon shots with d6+1 versus the 3 S12 of the HWS) or as a better Mortar with the Field Gun.
• Heavy Weapons Squad: Don't seem to have improved any durability-wise compared to 9th and their Lasguns got nerfed to Las Small Arms, being nothing more than 18" Pistols. While their BS remains questionable for the guns they have, that 5+ BS is the same they'll be firing for overwatch (4+ if they're within 6" of another PLATOON unit) and the Heavy keyword lets them fire on the move while sitting still lets them hit on a 4+.
  • They can take the following heavy weapons
    • Autocannon, now a 2A S9 AP-1 D3 weapon, finally differentiating itself from the HB with the additional point of damage and S thats on par with a Krak Missile, but only time will tell how useful it'll be.
    • Heavy Bolter - 3A S5 AP-1 D2
    • Lascannon - 1A S12 AP-3 Dd6+1
    • Missile Launcher (Krak) S9 AP-2 Dd6 or (Frag) at S4 APO D1, Blast
• Kasrkin: Goodbye 32 MWs, we hardly knew thee.. Their special rule now lets them be under the effect of two orders, one chosen at the start of the phase, and the other issued from an officer.
  • Their high volley of rapid fire weaponry combined with increased AP from a stratagem can still make them a force on the field as they fire 22 Hotshots at 12 inches with -2 AP to slowly whittle down MEQs if ordered both FRSRF and Take Aim.
• Tempestus Scions: Even though their only thing in 9th was Exploding 6s (literally SUSTAINED HITS), their rule has now changed to rerolling 1s to hit or rerolling all hits if the opponent is holding an objective. While this leans into their role as Objective takers, you're still only bringing 4-9 OC 1 (2 with an attached standard) bodies.

Mounted

• Attilan Rough Riders:

Infantry

• Bullgryn Squad:
• Ogryn Squad:
• Munitorum Servitors:
• Ratling Snipers: Nimble little pests with S4 AP-2 D2 Precision sniper rifles. Thanks to Infiltrators, they can set up wherever you need them to shoot and Stealth offers a bit of protection wherever they go. While Heavy only gives benefit if they don't move, they do have a special ability that lets them move after shooting, letting them scurry away from any potential retribution after popping the heads of any attached heroes.

Vehicles

Squadron

• Hellhound:
• Hydra:
• Leman Russ:

<tabs> <tab name="Leman Russ Battle Tank/Classic"> Good ol' reliable. While not the jack of all trades in terms of damage dealer it once was in previous editions, lacking the strength and AP to go after the tanks you really want to hit it against, its mediocre BS gets a bit a help with re-roll 1s, which spikes to full re-rolls if what you're attacking is on an objective you're not controlling. </tab> <tab name="Demolisher"> It can hit units within Engagement Range without penalty. </tab> <tab name="Eradicator"> It can shoot units within engagement range without penalty, exactly like the Demolisher bc GW ran out of ideas. </tab> <tab name="Executioner"> Add 1 to the hit roll when firing at units below half-strength, which does not synergize with its weapons at all. </tab> <tab name="Exterminator"> Gives other guard units AP-1 against units it has shot at. </tab> <tab name="Punisher"> </tab> <tab name="Vanquisher"> Can reroll wound rolls when firing at Monsters or Vehicles. This has been bad in every edition, index or codex, and 10e has only made it worse with the removal of Regimental Doctrines stripping away your needed reroll to hit. </tab> </tabs>

• Rogal Dorn Battle Tank:

Indirect Fire

• Basilisk: Just don't - this is a Manticore but worse. Less damage but reduced movement, advance and charge rolls of infantry by -2.
• Deathstrike: Back to being garbage, the Deathstrike only has the Deathstrike Missile now, which is a 2D6 S16 AP-4 D1. Just like last edition, you need to lay down a marker and wait a turn before firing this weapon, which is applied to all enemy units within 6" of the marker.
  • Same problem as always: you need to wait an entire turn before firing it, but now they can apply their invuln.
• Manticore: R120(Indirect Fire) Ad6+1(Blast) BS4+(Heavy) S10 AP-2 3 and it re-rolls hits against units with 5+ models.
• Wyvern: 2d6 twin-linked mortar that causes one enemy unit (excluding Monster and Vehicle units) to have -1 to hit for a round.

Walkers

• Armoured Sentinels: Mercifully, the Sentinels are still good units, with the Armoured version as T8 Sv2+, but what you're really after is the fact that it can re-roll wounds against Monsters and Vehicles.
• Scout Sentinels: T7, Sv3+, and Scouts, the Scout Sentinel also acts as an Imperial Pathfinder, marking a visible enemy unit within 18" of it to give your other units re-rolls of 1s to Hit and letting your artillery ignore Indirect Fire penalties.

Dedicated Transports

• Chimera: Any Officer units inside this unit are still able to issue orders. Useful if you're running an infantry-heavy force since you'll be able to keep them at their best.
• Taurox: Upgraded, it can now carry 12 Infantry models with heavy weapons teams taking 2 models and Ogryns counting as 3. Lets its passengers disembark after having advanced, giving the squad an extra bit of mobility - while this makes the unit count as if they moved and unable to charge, this won't matter much since Guardsmen aren't usually keen on actually fighting up close.
  • Has only two weapons to consider: The Storm Bolter if you want more shots with Rapid Fire 2 or the high-powered Twin Autocannons with Twin-Linked.
• Taurox Prime:

Titanic

• Baneblade: The big boss clearly benefited from the edition change, as it's now at a monstrous T13 W24. Hell, now it's big enough that it can count as cover for any models hiding behind it.
• Banehammer:
• Banesword:
• Doomhammer:
• Hellhammer:
• Shadowsword:
• Stormlord:
• Stormsword:

Aircraft

• Valkyrie:

Fortification

• Aegis Defence Line:

<tabs> <tab name="10th">

Warhammer 40,000 Tactics Articles (10th Edition)

General Tactics	General Weapons Terrain
Imperium	Space Marines (Black Templars, Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Deathwatch, Space Wolves) Grey Knights
	Adeptus Mechanicus Adeptus Titanicus Imperial Knights Imperial Guard Sisters of Battle
	Adeptus Custodes & Sisters of Silence Imperial Agents (Inquisition, Rogue Traders, etc.)
Chaos	Chaos Space Marines (Death Guard Thousand Sons World Eaters)
	Chaos Daemons Chaos Knights Chaos Titans
Eldar	Eldar (Craftworlds, Corsairs, Harlequins, Ynnari) Dark Eldar
Necrons	Necrons
Orks	Orks
Tau	Tau
Tyranids	Tyranids Genestealer Cults
Votann	Leagues of Votann

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Warhammer 40,000 Tactics Articles (9th Edition)

General Tactics	General Movement Psychic Fortifications Tactical Terrain Weapons Apocalypse
Imperium	Space Marines (Blood Angels Dark Angels Deathwatch Space Wolves) Grey Knights
	Adeptus Mechanicus Adeptus Titanicus Imperial Knights Imperial Guard Sisters of Battle
	Adeptus Custodes & Sisters of Silence Inquisition Officio Assassinorum Rogue Traders
Chaos	Chaos Space Marines (Death Guard Thousand Sons World Eaters)
	Chaos Daemons Chaos Knights Renegades and Heretics
Eldar	Craftworld Eldar Dark Eldar Harlequins Ynnari
Necrons	Necrons
Orks	Orks
Tau	Tau
Tyranids	Tyranids Genestealer Cults
Votann	Leagues of Votann

</tab>

<tab name="8th">

Warhammer 40,000 Tactics Articles (8th Edition)

General Tactics	General Movement Psychic Fortifications Apocalypse
Imperium	Space Marines Blood Angels Dark Angels Deathwatch Grey Knights Space Wolves
	Talons of the Emperor (Custodes and Sisters of Silence) Adeptus Mechanicus
	Adeptus Ministorum (Sisters of Battle and minor factions) Adeptus Titanicus
	Imperial Knights Imperial Guard Inquisition Officio Assassinorum
Chaos	Chaos Space Marines (Death Guard Thousand Sons)
	Chaos Daemons Chaos Knights Renegades and Heretics
Eldar	Eldar Dark Eldar Harlequins
Necrons	Necrons
Orks	Orks
Tau	Tau
Tyranids	Tyranids Genestealer Cults

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<tab name="7th">

Warhammer 40,000 Tactics Articles (7th Edition)

General Tactics	General Movement Psychic Fortifications
Imperium	Space Marines (Siege Assault Vanguard) Blood Angels Dark Angels Deathwatch Grey Knights Space Wolves
	Adeptus Custodes Cult Mechanicus Skitarii Adeptus Sororitas
	Imperial Knights Inquisition Officio Assassinorum
	Imperial Guard (Armoured Battlegroup Death Korps of Krieg Assault Brigade Death Korps of Krieg Siege Regiment Elysian Drop Troops D-99)
Chaos	Chaos Space Marines Khorne Daemonkin Chaos Daemons Renegades and Heretics
Eldar	Eldar Dark Eldar Harlequins Corsairs
Necrons	Necrons
Orks	Orks Ork Dred Mob
Tau	Tau
Tyranids	Tyranids Genestealer Cults

</tab>

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Warhammer 40,000 Tactics Articles (6th Edition)

General Tactics	General Movement Psychic Fortifications
Imperium	Space Marines Blood Angels Dark Angels Grey Knights Space Wolves
	Adeptus Sororitas Inquisition
	Imperial Guard (Armoured Battlegroup Death Korps of Krieg Assault Brigade Death Korps of Krieg Siege Regiment Elysian Drop Troops) Militarum Tempestus
Chaos	Chaos Space Marines Chaos Daemons Renegades and Heretics
Eldar	Eldar Dark Eldar Corsairs
Necrons	Necrons
Orks	Orks Ork Dred Mob
Tau	Tau
Tyranids	Tyranids

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<tab name="All">

Warhammer 40,000 Tactics Articles (All)

General Tactics	General (8th) Movement (8th 7th) Psychic (8th 7th 2nd) Fortifications (8th 7th) Tactical Terrain Apocalypse (8th)
Imperium (8th)	Space Marines (8th 7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd) Blood Angels (8th 7th) Dark Angels (8th 7th) Deathwatch (8th 7th) Grey Knights (8th 7th 6th 5th 3rd, AKA Daemonhunters) Space Wolves (8th 7th 6th 5th)
	Talons of the Emperor (Custodes and Sisters of Silence) (8th 7th) Adeptus Mechanicus (8th 7th) Adeptus Ministorum (Sisters of Battle and minor factions) (8th 7th 6th 3rd, AKA Witch Hunters) Adeptus Titanicus (8th)
	Imperial Knights (8th 7th) Imperial Guard (8th 7th 6th 5th 3rd) Inquisition (8th 7th 6th) Officio Assassinorum (8th 7th)
Chaos	Chaos Space Marines (8th 7th 6th 5th) Death Guard (8th) Khorne Daemonkin - 7th Edition Thousand Sons (8th) Chaos Daemons (8th 7th) Chaos Knights (8th) Renegades and Heretics (8th 7th 6th)
Eldar	Eldar (8th 7th 6th 5th) Dark Eldar (8th 7th 6th 5th 3rd Revised) Harlequins (8th 7th)
Necrons	Necrons (8th 7th 6th 5th 4th)
Orks	Orks (8th 7th 6th 5th 3rd) Ork Dred Mob - 7th edition (6th 5th) Ork Kult of Speed - 3rd edition Feral Orks - 3rd edition
Tau	Tau (8th 7th 6th 5th)
Tyranids	Tyranids (8th 7th 6th 5th) Genestealer Cults (8th 7th)

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