Catachans: Should they Stay - Or Go?

[Ickvar]

Needs a third option:

Forget 'em both I want the other Regiments in plastic.

This. I'd just love to see a more in depth and specialized rule-set for the differing regiments. Like they have for the Space Marines.

[ChacoStylez]

I voted keep them. I remember when the new Dark Eldar range came out, the updated sculpts were so awesome, I ended up collecting an entire army. I'd imagine if GW made an attempt to update the Catachan models as they did with Dark Eldar, the line would sell well.

But GW could do so much more:

Make them a dual kit to make penal legion as well.
Great coat dual kit to make steel legion or valhallans
Dress uniform dual kit to make mordians or pretorians

The possibilities are endless, and the mixing and matching could make so many different armies as well, truly a modelers dream for the creativity it would produce.
One can always dream.

[Mike Lawler]

Catachans were my first army... I remember playing many a match on tables covered in aquarium plants and extremely iffy line of sight rules. Fielding a bunch of Devil units and watching them soak wounds for powerfists that were sweeping advance machines.. It wasn't an amazing force but it was a lot of fun.
I think they should keep the army but the line needs to be made more modern. The muscles and poses on the standard infantry box are a bad joke. I have always preferred the look of the arms on Marauders and IMO that's where they should be. There are a load of other problems with them but basically just freshen them up.

I think the sculpts on the Catachan HW teams and Command squad as well as the special characters are nice and really a standard the rest of the range should be brought to.
It would also be nice to see a Deathworld add-on kit like the Dark Angels sprue that adds cool plants and things like the man-eating fly-trap on the HW sprue.

As for the other discussion about the rest of the range. Frankly, IG need to be re-imagined. I think Catachans should be in another book, either alone or collected with the other specialist worlds. I don't like Cadians... or really the WWII but not WWII thing. I used to love it but the models are stale and based on designs that predate the current advances in manufacturing. A lot of that is talking about the tanks, but it's also about the enormous and laughable over-sized weapons. Man is forced to fight with laser guns using technology that barely qualifies as technology (we had tanks back in Da Vinci's day and motorized ones as soon as we had engines) while everyone else is using floating tanks and high-speed pew pew. Look at video games like Killzone or Gears of War.. if we had to use things that were just slightly more advanced than our current things, it would be more like that IMO.

Sorry for the long rant. I used to have over 10k of IG and am trying to find a reason to love them again. This stuff has been on my chest for a while.

[Admiral Kenaris]

I voted to keep the Catachans although I would never collect them for anything but convicts. My army is mostly pewter anyway. Cadians and Praetorians. If they were to actually release a supplemental codex for Mordians/Praetorians I might emulate a certain Lonely Island song.

[This Dave]

I actually have been using Catachan torsos for my artillery crews. They look like guys that have taken off their shirts and armor like the men do when they're slinging heavy shells and powder bags around.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

never liked them or what they were based on but dont think they should go - there should just be more plastic guard types instead.

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

Catachans are kinda weird. They look like the 80s 1 man army lone wolf action hero, but the Imperial Guard is mostly about waves of expendable infantry.

Still, no reason to get rid of the existing kits, but maybe don't put effort into expanding Catachans.

[Veteran Sergeant]

Cadians, Tallarns, Mordians, Valhallans, Catachans, and Attilans (the Rough Rider guys) all came out at about the same time in 2nd edition. If I'm remembering right.

Those were the 5 that arrived in 1995 with the 2nd Edition IGuard Codex (plus the Attilans, though they weren't really a "line" in the sense that you could make a regular army out of them). Praetorians were next in 97, then Steel Legion in 99 for the Armageddon campaign. Tanith were 2002 I think (maybe somebody can correct. I don't have any on hand but it was a little while after the novel series started) with the Vostroyans bringing up the rear with their last-gasp metal line in 2006.

The "specialist" lines were Stormtroopers, ratlings, ogryns, rough riders, etc. Things you weren't building an entire army out of. Can probably include the Tanith in that, technically, given their lack of heavy weapons teams or special weapons.

[kellyj]

Catachans should stay. Then the new IG ex should break them and Cadians apart the same way Space Marine Chapters are. No more Marbo in a Cadian force nor Creed in a Catachan army.
Then to flavor the army's, give Catachans move through cover and allow 1 unit to outflank with the ability to assault the turn it comes in (i'm looking at you Ogryns). Cadians get +1 cover in ruins and HWTs get Tank Hunter.

[Katharon]

Give us Mordians and Steel Legion in plastic alongside the Catachans and Cadians, and I'd be happy as a clam.