The IG, Counting, and Shenanigans.

[bfmusashi]

Many folks seem super amped about adding an IG platoon to their armies as allies and rightfully so. It's a lovely FOC choice but there are some things people should know. It should be noted, this is a preemptive strike against shenanigans (I will not see another instance of DH Inquisitor Lords starting the game in a unit of conscripts).

First, how combined squads (the rule that lets you slam infantry squads together like Playdoh) works:
At deployment you can turn however many Infantry Squads from the same platoon into larger squads. This lasts for the game. There is no breaking back apart and there is no merging after deployment (IG Codex p37).

Second, everything in the Infantry Platoon is tied to a single reserves roll. You don't roll for the individual units, only the FOC choice (IG Codex p96).

Third, is how this unit behaves in relation to your overall reserves. If you are holding the Platoon in reserves you are required to tell your opponent how it is organized (BRB 124). This is important as this is when your platoon is defined as anywhere between two* and fourteen** different squads*** and this is the number used to determine the total number of units you can keep in reserve (BRB121, 124). Even if you have Al'Rahem (and thus ignore the number of units for reserve calculations) you still have to explain the organization of your reserved units.

That's it. That's the Infantry Platoon and how it's counted in relations to reserves. Know it, love it, and call people out if they're doing it wrong. Most likely it's an honest mistake. Likewise, if I've gotten anything wrong people are free to call me out. I acknowledge there may be a mistake in here and would like to correct it swiftly.

*One Infantry Command Squad and two Infantry Squads combined into a single Infantry Squad.
**One Infantry Command Squad, five independent Infantry Squads, five Heavy Weapons Squads, two Special Weapons Squads, and a Conscripts Squad.
***Chimeras don't count.

[Chris*ta]

It's probably worth pointing out that only the infantry squads can blob together, not the heavy weapons squads, command squads, or anything else.

It does vary in the FW Death Korps of Krieg and whatever they call the Lost and the Damned lists.

Oh, and once a platoon forms a blob they can't get in any transport, unless it's some super heavy that can fit the entire blob. So, yeah, in the Emperor's Army, no one can agree who gets to agree on who gets to ride in the chimera at the front of the convoy.