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EvilFuzzyDoom
10-18-2009, 11:02 PM
My guard have been languishing in storage since early 4th ed.

So: I have placed all my guardsmen on my dining table and done some counting for 5th ed (a bit overdue, but meh). Everything is counted WYSIWYG, and army composition is pretty much determined by me trying to put together full squads. I figure I should shoot for an Apocalypse-viable force eventually, to face against my friend's reinvigorated Blood Angels (he and I have been collecting for over a decade: he had far more resources than me!).

There are, of course, a few miscellaneous odds & ends which I couldn't fit anywhere. Most are special weapon figures or extraneous officers which don't really go anywhere. Oddly, I'm short on basic troopers :wtf: though I do have a bundle of sprues packed away somewhere, as well as an untouched Cadian Command Squad box. They're not included because they're not assembled. My question at the end will be "What the frag do I grab next?" :confused: Also, constructive advice on how to turn it into something useful & fun for regular battles would be neat too.

Here is what I counted:

HQ:
:=>: Company Command Squad: 127 points [Cadians w converted officer]
Boltgun, Medi-pack, Regimental Standard, 2 Plasma guns

:=>: Lord Commissar: 80 points
Boltgun, Power Weapon

:=>: Ministorum Priest: 60 points
Shotgun, Eviscerator

ELITES:
:=>: Ogryn Squad: 250 points [Converted from Ogre Kingdoms Bulls]
3 Additional Ogryns

:=>: Ratling Squad: 50 points
2 Additional Ratlings

TROOPS:
:=>: Infantry Platoon:
• Platoon Command Squad: 52 points [Catachan]
Boltgun, 3 flamers, vox-caster

• Infantry Squad: 105 points [Catachan]
Commissar, grenade launcher, vox-caster, Heavy Bolter team
• Infantry Squad: 70 points [Catachan]
Grenade launcher, vox-caster, Heavy Bolter team

• Infantry Squad: 95 points [Cadian]
Commissar, Grenade Launcher, vox-caster
• Infantry Squad: 60 points [Cadian]
Grenade Launcher, vox-caster

• Infantry Squad: 95 points [Cadian]
Commissar, Flamer, vox-caster

• Heavy Weapons Squad: 105 points [Cadian]
3 Lascannons

• Heavy Weapons Squad: 90 points [Cadian]
3 Missile Launchers

• Heavy Weapons Squad: 60 points [OOP Mordians w/plastic mortars]
3 Mortars

:=>: Veteran Squad: 130 points [OOP Cadian]
Shotgun, vox-caster, 3 plasma guns, heavy bolter weapons team

:=>: Veteran Squad: 95 points [Cadian]
Vox-caster, 2 meltaguns

:=>: Veteran Squad: 95 points [Catachan]
Vox-caster, 2 meltaguns

:=>: Veteran Squad: 110 points [OOP Stormtroopers]
Plasma pistol, vox-caster, plasma gun, autocannon

FAST ATTACK:
:=>: Scout Sentinel Squadron: 105 points
3 Sentinels

HEAVY SUPPORT:
:=>: Leman Russ Squadron: 195 points
Leman Russ Battle Tank, Hull Lascannon, Sponson Heavy Bolters, Pintle-mounted heavy stubber

:=>: Leman Russ Squadron: 185 points
Leman Russ Demolisher, Sponson Heavy Bolters

ARMY TOTAL POINTS: 2204

(I am of course not at all happy about the Catachans being so prominent. They are all due for re-education at some point.)

So... What the frag do I grab next?

Katie Drake
10-18-2009, 11:59 PM
Well if you're looking for a fun and varied army, why don't you pick up something that your army doesn't have already? It seems to me like your Guard are very infantry heavy, so the best way to expand your army without driving yourself completely mad by adding new models to paint would be to consider picking up a few Chimeras for your infantry squads. A Valkyrie or two could work wonders for your Veterans and you could always pick up a Basilisk or something to add a little artillery punch to your Guard.

As for the army being a mix of Cadian and Catachan minis, don't worry about it too much. The Guard Codex talks a bit about Regiments that consist of troops from more than one world. If you want to get creative, you could come up with a bit of a story detailing just how your force came together.

RocketRollRebel
10-19-2009, 02:56 AM
Looks like you have a great start right there. I'll agree with Katie Drake and suggest beefing up your motor pool. I started my Vostroyan IG as my first army around the middle of 4th ed and I ran a infantry heavy gunline. Then with the dawn of 5th I began to add more tanks and now thanks to the new codex I've been running a pure mech list. Chimeras droping 20pts and gaining 5 fire points was one of the best things to ever happen to IG. I went from having 1 to 5 with the new codex. Mech guard is a lot of fun to play since it makes them a bit more aggressive and a bit more tactical since you can use your movement phase in a meaningful fashion while keeping your shooting phase as brutal as ever. We seem to have become the flavor of the month tournament army as well. The most recent one I went to guard were one of the most common armies on the table (right up with SM and CSM).

If mech isnt really your style tho we can still throw down massive amounts of bodies and ranged fire power.

For the Emperor and the Omnissiah! :D

Cryl
10-19-2009, 03:06 AM
I'll third the mech option, consider some hellhounds & their variants maybe? Those and Valks will give you a really different model to build and paint whilst also helping your army out in game

EvilFuzzyDoom
10-19-2009, 05:49 AM
Yes mech is not so much what I was going for. There's a bit of fluff running around for this army which I wrote some time ago (like, 3-4 years!), while the concept itself pretty much stemmed from the description of Demolishers from the 3rd Ed Guard codex:


Most tanks fighting as part of an Infantry Company are detached from an Armoured Company in order to provide support. The exception to this is the Demolisher which is an infantry support vehicle and is not fielded by Armoured Companies at all. Because the Demolisher crews are part of the same Company they have a reputation for never letting their "little brothers" down, no matter the cost.

OLD, I know.

Since I read that, it's pretty much been infantry all the way. Also, priests; not because they're awesome on the tabletop (though the thought had struck me that attaching an Eviscerator Priest to a Chimera/Meltas/Demolitions Veterans squad would be awesome, or without the Chimera as counter-charge support).

The original plan (all those eons ago) was to build up an Infantry Company, with no support from other companies. This I now see is somewhat silly, but I'm still not particularly well-disposed towards a mechanised company. Hellhounds though, I had one on the shopping list just before I stopped playing for a while in '06, and some artillery is always nice.

Keep the suggestions coming though, people. I might be convinced to put together a hammer force (as in: hammer & anvil) with Chimeras: maybe a mechanised platoon (mmm... Mordians... *drool*) or to stick more Ogryns in.

How do Valkyries & Vendettas fare, if people might enlighten me?

Chumbalaya
10-19-2009, 06:07 AM
Drop every bolter you can, they aren't worth the points.

Your army could definitely use some rejigging of weapons. The only heavy weapons worth fielding are autocannons (high RoF, cheap, versatile, able to hurt light armor, infantry and stick wounds on MCs) and lascannons (threatens higher AV, good for popping MCs). Autocannons should be in cheapo disposable squad or HWS, lascannons can go in units with voxes to benefit from orders.

Don't run a commissar unless he has a big mob of guardsmen to command (30+ with meltas, power weapons). Commissar Lords are junk.

Ogryns are junk.

Vets should be in Chimeras, otherwise you may well field infantry.

Some armor would help a lot. You don't have to go full mech, but a handful of transports and some Hellhounds/Bane Wolves would give you some solid mobile elements and good objective takers.

EvilFuzzyDoom
10-19-2009, 06:26 AM
Drop every bolter you can, they aren't worth the points.

Your army could definitely use some rejigging of weapons. The only heavy weapons worth fielding are autocannons (high RoF, cheap, versatile, able to hurt light armor, infantry and stick wounds on MCs) and lascannons (threatens higher AV, good for popping MCs). Autocannons should be in cheapo disposable squad or HWS, lascannons can go in units with voxes to benefit from orders.

Don't run a commissar unless he has a big mob of guardsmen to command (30+ with meltas, power weapons). Commissar Lords are junk.

Ogryns are junk.

Vets should be in Chimeras, otherwise you may well field infantry.

Some armor would help a lot. You don't have to go full mech, but a handful of transports and some Hellhounds/Bane Wolves would give you some solid mobile elements and good objective takers.
Bolters are a holdover from 4ed with stormbolters on every officer. They were the absolute smex. What's changed that 2pts is too much to spend on the upgraded firepower (Especially for the BS4 Company Commander)?

Junk is a pretty strong word. Care to elaborate?

Like so:

"Aww, $20! I wanted a peanut!"
"$20 can buy many peanuts."
"Explain how!"
"Money can be exchanged for goods and services."
"Woohoo!"

XD

Chumbalaya
10-19-2009, 07:13 AM
It's 2 points for something that doesn't help you really. Since most things are in multiples of 5, a bolter essentially costs 5 points, unless you bring more. A couple S4 AP5 shots isn't going to make or break your shooting.

Ogryns are junk because they are excessively expensive for a unit that is not good at its job. They exist as combat troops, they suck at it. GKs are infinitely superior in this regard. For the price you pay you can get 2 tanks or a good number of allied GKTs, who are actually worth something in assault.

EvilFuzzyDoom
10-19-2009, 09:23 AM
It's 2 points for something that doesn't help you really. Since most things are in multiples of 5, a bolter essentially costs 5 points, unless you bring more. A couple S4 AP5 shots isn't going to make or break your shooting.

Ogryns are junk because they are excessively expensive for a unit that is not good at its job. They exist as combat troops, they suck at it. GKs are infinitely superior in this regard. For the price you pay you can get 2 tanks or a good number of allied GKTs, who are actually worth something in assault.
Ah, I see. Thank you for your explanations. On examination 250 points is perhaps excessive to be spending on one unit- in a 1200point battle, particularly.

The Commissar Lord was there for fluff reasons. On examination, he'll be moved to go in a PCS.

A small mech platoon may be in the offing after-all.