Recently here on BoLS there was an excellent situational exercise called “40K: Winning the No-Win Scenario,” posted by JWolf. This exercise pitted two hypothetical lists against each other, Imperial Guard vs. Dark Eldar. As an IG player, my attention was captured by this post, and especially the comments thread, where Sandwyrm was kind enough to share his all-comers mechanized IG list. I was impressed by the deadly efficiency of Sandwyrm’s list, but I also resonated with Kaarjaren’s response to it, as follows:

“And once again, IG mech spam rears it's oh-so-very ugly head on the internet. This is not an attack on you personally Sandwyrm, I would just love to see a few more suggested IG lists that weren't chock-full of tin cans is all.”

As an old-school Guard player, I have agreed with the comments of many people here on BoLS that we suffered for many, many years with ineffectual, poorly designed codexes. It makes me glad to know that the Guard have one of the toughest, most competitive builds for tournament play right now. However, from a “fun gaming” standpoint, I asked myself this:

If I faced Sandwyrm’s list and he took my army apart in 3 agonizingly painful turns, would I ever want to play against that list again? Hmmm. I think, in all honesty, probably not.

And so, partially in response to Kaarjaren’s request, I was inspired to post a variation of the IG list I have been working on, which has its own, very different design philosophy (more on that below). For the sake of comparison and to spark discussion, I will take the liberty of reposting Sandwyrm’s list here.

The 3-Turn Death Dealer List, by noble Sandwyrm

HQ
Company Command Squad w/3 x Plasma, Company Standard, Fleet Officer, Chimera

Elites
Psyker Battle Squad (6 + Overseer) w/Chimera

Troops
Veteran Squad w/3 x Melta, Chimera
Veteran Squad w/3 x Melta, Chimera
Platoon Command Squad w/4 x Melta, Chimera
+ Infantry Squad w/Autocannon
+ Infantry Squad w/Autocannon
Platoon Command Squad w/4 x Melta, Chimera
+ Infantry Squad w/Autocannon
+ Infantry Squad w/Autocannon

Fast Attack
Vendetta Gunship
Vendetta Gunship
Hellhound w/Hull Heavy Flamer, Smoke

Heavy Support
Leman Russ Demolisher w/Hull Heavy Flamer
Leman Russ Battle Tank w/Hull Heavy Flamer

Total: 1850

Order of battle (based on Sandwyrm’s description in his original post): Destroy enemy transport vehicles on turn 1, mop up enemy infantry by turn 3. I hope Sandwyrm will forgive me this somewhat generalized synopsis. I have no doubt that this army is fully capable of this, no matter the opponent.


By contrast, I make the following humble offering:

Esprit of the Imperial Guard (a Tableau List), by most unworthy Satiran

HQ
Company Command Squad:
Prince Tertius w/Plasma pistol, Power fist, Regimental standard, Medic, Vox caster, Heavy flamer
Chimera w/Turret heavy bolter, hull heavy flamer

Crazy Preacher Babcock w/Eviscerator

ELITES
Ratling Snipers x 6
Ogryn x 5

TROOPS
Platoon Command Squad:
Lieutenant Forsythe w/Plasma pistol, Power weapon, Vox caster, Lascannon team, Platoon standard
+ Infantry squad w/Power weapon, Flamer, Missile team
+ Commissar w/Power weapon
+ Infantry squad w/Melta bombs, Vox caster, Meltagun, Autocannon team

Platoon Command Squad:
Lord Northtower w/Power fist, Melta bombs, Vox caster, Lascannon team, Platoon standard
+ Infantry squad w/Power weapon, Flamer, Missile team
+ Commissar w/Power weapon
+ Infantry squad w/Melta bombs, Vox caster, Meltagun, Autocannon team

Veterans of the Satiran Royal Guard:
Sgt. “Fighting Jack” Randall w/Power fist, Vox caster, Meltagun, Plasma gun, Flamer, Missile team

FAST ATTACK
Rough Riders x 6
Vendetta Gunship

HEAVY SUPPORT
Leman Russ w/Hull lascannon, Heavy bolter sponsons, Pintle heavy stubber
+ Knight Commander Pask
Manticore Missile Launcher

TOTAL: 1850

Order of battle: “We move as one! We fight as one! If we die, we die together as men of the Imperial Guard!” In this list, the infantry squads are intended to fight together as combined squads, with the platoon commanders lending heavy fire support and, when the enemy closes the gap, as much devastating counter-attack as anyone could ever expect from Imperial Guardsmen. The rest pretty much does what it does – lending fire support, counter attack, Royal Guard Veterans storm the objective from above, clear it with their “sacred trinity” of special weapons and then hold the position with their missile team.

Design philosophy/rationale: When an opponent takes the time to come down to the store and set their army up on the table against me, I want them to participate in not just a dynamic game, but also an immersive spectacle. When they see my army fully painted and arrayed for battle, I want them to see facets of every GW painting of the Imperial Guard they’ve ever seen, and reflect on all the cool things they remember about the Imperial Guard from Gaunt’s Ghosts and Dawn of War. All of my characters have names and simple but heroic backgrounds, shaped by events of games past. Much of the equipment I’ve included is there simply because it makes “sense” to me that it should be there, or because it gives my poor footslogging infantry a chance at spectacular feats of glory, even if only the slimmest of chances. My company command squad includes a medic, not because T3 Feel No Pain is effective or makes any sense – but because at an engagement of this size (1850), I feel that my regimental surgeon needs to be represented, tending to the endless streams of wounded with her invisible, non-existent cadre of stretcher bearers and field medics. Also, I really love the Sister Hospitaller model I painted up to represent her. Platoon standards (each a 15 point credit to my opponent) have been included because they're simply iconic, and my serried ranks of Mordians look proud formed up beneath them, and perhaps one day the +1 combat resolution will actually count in my favor... I’m sure you get the idea, honorable readers. Do you feel that, in a non-tournament setting, points spent purely on spirit of the game are wasted points?

The ultimate goals of these two lists are clearly quite different – neither one is right or wrong, both can be fun in their appropriate contexts, and I’m certainly not trying to make any comment regarding “list morality.” In fact, the design philosophy behind each list is so totally different that it’s hard to make any direct comparisons between them – but that is my challenge to the BoLS Lounge community at large – to do just that!

Really I’m just hoping to spark a discussion in the name of good hobby fun.

Sandwyrm’s list is beyond reproach, intelligently designed, tactical in nature, efficient & highly deadly on the tabletop. I offer my “Tableu List” by comparison for your critique, and all comments are both welcome and encouraged. If you are a competitive player, what list would you bring to take me apart? If you’re just interested in a casual game at the LGS, what list would you bring? If you knew you’d be facing my list, what models from your favorite codex would you “dare” to paint up to include against it? Would you bring something you’d never bring otherwise, simply because you think the model is cool and you always wanted to paint it up?

Or how about this: try putting yourself in command of my army as a conceptual exercise. I’d love to hear how you’d play it – I wonder what an exceptional tactician like JWolf would do if handed this list and told “go forth to war!” (I suspect, however, that posts like this aren’t worth his time, and that he’d simply condemn me as a witch to be burned at the stake).

Again, any thoughts are welcome and all in good fun!
Satiran