You know what I love about the Imperial Guard?

[Commissar Lewis]

The fact that they are simply human, armed with (compared to everything else in 40k) substandard armor and weaponry, yet they face down daemons, genetically-enhanced evil supersoldiers, alien monstrosities, genocidal robots, scheming highly advanced aliens, other high-tech aliens that follow and spread an idealology, and sadistic raider aliens.

They face all that with a simple lasgun and flak armor. Now that... that is truly heroic IMO. You always hear about a space marine cutting down hundreds of foes, but come on. He's got genetic super-abilities, bolter, and power armor. That ain't heroic; that's like mowing your lawn with a nuclear weapon.

Now for a Guardsman to face all the crap of 40k with a lasgun and flak armor, THAT is heroic and badass.

Stayed up all night, forgive my rambling.

[Lord Azaghul]

The fact that they are simply human, armed with (compared to everything else in 40k) substandard armor and weaponry, yet they face down daemons, genetically-enhanced evil supersoldiers, alien monstrosities, genocidal robots, scheming highly advanced aliens, other high-tech aliens that follow and spread an idealology, and sadistic raider aliens.

They face all that with a simple lasgun and flak armor. Now that... that is truly heroic IMO. You always hear about a space marine cutting down hundreds of foes, but come on. He's got genetic super-abilities, bolter, and power armor. That ain't heroic; that's like mowing your lawn with a nuclear weapon.

Now for a Guardsman to face all the crap of 40k with a lasgun and flak armor, THAT is heroic and badass.

Stayed up all night, forgive my rambling.

Hu-zah!

I feel the same!

[Madness]

[URL="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BadassNormal"]Badass Normal[/URL]. The IG is Batman. Ok, maybe not batman, the Stormtroopers, or maybe the Commissars are Batman.

[TSINI]

I love the way you can represent ANY part of ANY colonial/WW1/WW2/vietnam/Iraq (the list is endless) even the falklands movie/story (true or fiction) with the imperial guard

Kelly's heroes - a few guys, a hippy in a tank company (Forgeworld's grizmund with his speaker) and its done

The ride of the valkyries from apocalypse now - been said many times how thats just a wing of valkyries with some surfboards on

D-Day landings - either using gorgon assault vehicles or a scratchbuilt fleet of landing craft.

all of this is the rich tapestry of the Imperial guard allowing us to re-create all that we love about these movies/heroic stories, with simply a smattering of commissars and double headed eagles and you're right back in the year 40,000

[Polonius]

The Imperial guard have one of the broadest canvasses to create your own back story, organization, tactics, etc. It's not that they're not supported by official fluff, it's just that the fluff makes it clear that if you can imagine it, there's probably a planet spitting out regiments just like it.

The other big advantage is the number of ranges IG have, model wise. Two full plastic ranges (plus the ancient RT plastics), two resin ranges, nine metal ranges, and tons of conversion and cross over potential mean that IG armies often look and play extremely differently.

[Vaktathi]

IG are probably the most diverse army in the game. Nobody has the range of models or units that IG have, nor the extent of support from 3rd party companies and of Forgeworld. IG armies can be vastly different than each other (much more so than say, Blood Angels from Black Templars or Space Wolves) and look even more drastically different.

[Melissia]

Hu-zah!

I feel the same!

As do I.

The Imperial Guard and the Sisters of Battle are the true essence of badassery in 40k, ordinary humans fighting against the worst that the grimdark 40k galaxy can throw against them.

[Inquisitor Soren]

IG are the most amazing, wonderful, fantastic army to play. I haven't won a single game since I've started 5th, but honestly I could not care less. Three foot veterans, two platoon blobs, Straken and friends, a hellhound, and a few tanks along with an Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor just makes the army fun to play. Not to mention the fluff! Sometimes you feel sorry when you charge that blob head long into the jaws of death to buy one or two more rounds of shooting with your tanks and heavy weapons but you know they didn't die in vein when the tryanid deathstar crumples under obscene firepower, or the triple battle wagons get fragged by grenades! Chaos will always be my first love but you can really feel for the IG. ^^

[UltramarineFan]

Hmm, you know what I like about SM? They are genetically enhanced supersoldiers. They can take on a ton of guys on their own. They are clad in anceint and reverred suits of power armour. They do use holy bolters to smite the Emperor's foes and they doo al this without fear, without want for personal gain and always running staright into the most dangerous situations where no other would dare go. They are very strong but they'r not immortal, they bleed and they die but never does this stop them, only in death does duty end. They may be far better than your average guardsman but they are few and far between against a glaxy full of enemies. They are the ones who have to face down the mightiest champions of Chaos, they are the ones who have to rip the heart out of the Tyranid attacks. If they are better than normal guardsman then they're missions quite easily scale up to match them. And unline guardsman they don't have strength in numbers.

That's my ramble anyway.

[Lord Azaghul]

Hmm, you know what I like about SM? They are genetically enhanced supersoldiers. They can take on a ton of guys on their own. They are clad in anceint and reverred suits of power armour. They do use holy bolters to smite the Emperor's foes and they doo al this without fear, without want for personal gain and always running staright into the most dangerous situations where no other would dare go. They are very strong but they'r not immortal, they bleed and they die but never does this stop them, only in death does duty end. They may be far better than your average guardsman but they are few and far between against a glaxy full of enemies. They are the ones who have to face down the mightiest champions of Chaos, they are the ones who have to rip the heart out of the Tyranid attacks. If they are better than normal guardsman then they're missions quite easily scale up to match them. And unline guardsman they don't have strength in numbers.

That's my ramble anyway.

No major disagreements, but I would like to point out what I highlighted in color also applies to the average guardsman who is all the more heroic, for he accepts his task, and his life is often spent upon conquest that the SM's could not undertake.

And I really don't want this thread to turn into a who is better argument. My main army is IG, and I love 'em, but all the things you said are also the reason I started my Crimson Fist army. Both have there place, but the guardsmen speaks to me more then the space marine.