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| Submitted By: The Spaceman Date: February 12, 2006, 02:25:04 PM Views: 4054 | ||
We know that the guard can dominate the battlefield with their mighty battle tanks and overwhelming numbers of men and weapons. But can the mighty Imperial Guard stand up to the likes of Space wolves, chaos, or Orks in the bloodthirsty combat of Hand to Hand? This article hopes to answer that question. I hope to discuss the various options available to us and get ideas from everybody to determine what tactics work and what doesn't. Overall Tactics There are many ways to approach the battlefield when it comes to an Imperial Guard force. There is the infantry horde, the mechanised assault or the drop troopers, to name a few. There are also an endless variety of troop types, weapons systems and squad organisations to choose from. Regardless of what type of army you use at some point most games come down to muscle against muscle, Choppa vs. bayonet or Power fist vs. Talons. Should the guard just capitulate against 7 ft brutes or bioengineered killing machines, or can we fight back. Is there a way to stand against such abominations? Sometimes the opponent may wish for a straight out fire fight. If this is the case we could all just sit back and blast them with Las Cannons and artillery. The guard player should be very strong in this case. However, during this discussion I am going to assume that the opponent wishes to engage in CC. Very few enemies will wish to slug it out in a fire fight with the Guard, so our forces must be ready for a fast assault. This could happen against any of the major armies. Orks, Dark Eldar, Eldar, Space Marines Chaos. All these armies will have fast moving assault units followed by waves of regular units. These tactics will focus on what to do when the enemy arrives. The overall tactic I am going to explore is a four step strategy I have called Cover fire, Speed bump, Blast 'em, and Wipe them out. Cover Fire The first part of the strategy involves making sure the enemy pays for their advance. This means that our army must have the necessary heavy weapons and/ or armour to engage the enemy from a distance and start to wear them down. Steps must be taken to slow them down wherever possible. Fast moving troops will be the highest priority. These troops can be in assault range on turn 2. This must be avoided at all costs. It is much better to target these that worry about a heavy weapon team that will cause 2-3 casualties a round. Popping a transport and entangling it's occupants is even better as the opponent will not be able to move for an additional turn. It is usually not necessary to shoot enemy squads to the point of total destruction. The target should be reduced until they lose fighting efficiency. You could make a whole squad run away by only causing 2-3 casualties. You could even make their entire assault pattern disintegrate by taking out a few key units. Eg by reducing a squad of assault marines from 10 to 5 they are now a manageable size that can be taken on by infantry or rough riders. By taking out this assault unit the enemy may pause and reconsider his battle plan. Once they start to falter go for the killer blow. Taking out a Commander or key unit the psychological damage may cause the opponent to feel that the game is lost before it's really started. The emphasis here is trading space and time and working on the opponents psychology. The longer it takes for the enemy to get within charge range the more opportunities to whittle them away you will have. This phase of the battle takes place at ranges of 20-40 inches, so the most useful weapons to arm your squads with are: Lascannon: Tank Killer Missile Launcher: Space marine killer and useful for AT Heavy Bolter: Light infantry killer Multilasers (limited availability): All purpose Auto cannon: Light armour specialist Plasma guns: Space marine / Terminator killers Grenade launcher: All purpose The more of these weapons you can fit into your army the better of you will be at the time that the assault takes place. A figure of around 20 Heavy weapons and 20 special weapons for 1500 points is a good starting point. The Dead Zone The thing to remember when deploying heavy and support weapons is the concept of the dead zone. After the first few units are placed take a look at the overall picture of the battlefield. Decide on the most favourable avenues of approach for the enemy and make these into dead zones. A dead zone is a place on the board that you can cover with such incredible quantities of firepower that any unit moving there will surely die. E.g. If you see a nice path for the enemies Rhinos put 6 Las Cannons there. The enemy must either commit tactical suicide or find a longer more difficult way to get to you. That extra turn shooting you have gained can be spent targeting other units or moving to create a new dead zone. Lets assume a hypothetical army has 20 missile launchers and 20 plasma guns. A quick calulation show that on average rolls against MEQs it will cause: 8 kills at range 24+ 16 kills at range 12 - 24 24 kills at range 0-12 It is up to the player to create the kill zones to make the full use of the weapons at his/her disposal based on the opponent and the terrain. As a general rule if you have scored 10 or more kills in a turn you are doing OK. At some point the enemy will try to cross the dead zone and assault your position. That's were we come to the speed bump. Speed Bump The next part of the strategy is the speed bump. The aim here is to have a screen of cheap infantry that acts to slow down the enemy advance. It is possible that this group will either be wiped out or run away, but that is not really a big problem. The enemy will feel nice and happy about wiping out this squad, not realising that they were a strategically positioned trap. This will allow the third element of the strategy to function. The third element of the strategy is to establish close range fire superiority and a follow up with a useful counter attack. Timing is important. The close combat must be resolved in the turn the enemy charges. If the Speed bump combat is still continuing in the Guard players turn then the enemy will not be able to be shot at. This could be a problem. The enemy can potentially win it in the guard turn and then assault fresh in the next of their turns. It is therefore imperative that the combat be resolved in the enemies turn. It is also imperative that they are at least 7 inches from the main defensive line. This will stop consolidation moves from locking their assault troops into your main line. The benefit of the speed bump is that it now leaves the enemy assault unit stranded in the guard players turn in point blank fire range of the main line of defence. In addition they should hopefully be in open ground. Blast 'Em Once the enemy has broken through the speed bump the next turn is critical. This part of the strategy involves maximising short range firepower in the main line of defence. This can be with flamers, plasma guns, lots of lasguns etc. The purpose here is to reduce the main enemy threats down to manageable sizes. The Imperial Guard must be able to cause maximum damage in a 12 inch kill zone. The key to this is massing your key units where they can have overlapping fields of fire. Example Lets say the enemy started with 50 marines and a vehicle or two and on turns 1 and 2 you managed to take out 20 with cover fire. During turn 3 the 30 marines assault and wipe out your spped bump. During your next turn you will need to shoot 20 marines in order to stem the assault. Wipe them Out This is where we use out dedicated assault troops to charge in and eliminate any final enemy resistance. This will occur on the same turn as the Blast em. Our assault troops which have been hidden behind the main line of defence will now surge forward hopefully defeating the last remnant of the enemy. Units One of the advantages we have is that the guard have one of the most varied and interesting army selections possible. From the lowly conscript to the mighty Leman Russ, we have more variety and options than most other armies. We are also cheap, which means we can get 3 squads to every 1 squad of space marines. This allows for redundancy in weapons systems. HQ The HQ is the most versatile unit in our arsenal. Command squads come in all shapes and sizes and can be tailored for any role. These include: Cover Fire Squads Give them a heavy weapon and a few plasma guns or grenade launchers and sit back and shoot. Blast Em Squads Join the main line of defence. Give them lots of flamers, plasmas and meltas, A squad with 4 flamers in a Chimear with twin flamers would eat 4+ save infantry and even do OK against marines Wipe them out Squads. As for blast em but make sure there are no rapid fire weapons (plasma) so you can still assault. Give the officer a power sword, give the other normal guardsmen CC and LP or meltagun/flamer/grenade launcher. Options HSO: Does the extra points justify the extra abilities? SO: OK JO: Cheap Since we will be using a strategy that does not rely on firepower and assault and not leadership there seems to be little point in going any further than the Junior Officer. Using Close order Drill is recommended to boost the squad level leadership. The command squad is very useful and it can do almost anything it may be a good idea to get as many of these as possible. It should be easy enough to get 4 or more of these. Specialists Medic: There seem to be little use for this guy except perhaps keeping plasma gunners alive. This could be useful if you want that type of squad Standard: Seems like a reasonable use of points so why not? Priest, Commissar & Engineer: These three all have one thing in common. They cost the same as a full command squad. Given full equipment they will cost almost as much as a heavy weapon squad. For this reason I would leave them in the box unless a specialist need arises. They all have access to some unique wargear items, which are all useful but expensive. Psyker. This little guy is interesting. He's very cheap, but most of the powers are useless or minor. There is a use for him. A lot of enemy players shiver when they hear the word psyker so a psychological threat there may be a value in taking a few of these. This could be useful for diverting enemy firepower away from the real threats. Another role for the Psyker is the character killer. The force weapon is even better than the powerfist as it can instant kill multi wound opponents. Priests, Commisars and Psykers all have the added advantage of not being charcters so that cannot then be individually targetted. This tips the scales slightly in their favour. In conclusion if you need a bit more punch in assault and have a spare 50 points then why not experiment with each of these guys. In the right situation they may be game winners. Support Squads These are an essential component of the army, the main consideration is to give them a specialist role and ensure that their deployment ensures their survival. Don't leave them out in the open to get assaulted or shot to bits. 1. Demo Charges. This would have to be the most powerful infantry weapon in any army. They are not essential but they are a rude shock to any enemy who underestimates them. 2. Fire Support / Anti Tank Squads. These are very powerful and a good way to boost your numbers of heavy weapons. Think about the range and abilities of each gun carefull as you deploy. Cover is essential. Elite Hardened Veterans These guys are the jack of all trades. For the price you pay and the equipment they have they are a steal. They are also a great source of hidden power fists. The main problem with these guys is that they will die just as quickly as regular troops Now I know that most people suggest that you shouldn't mix weapon types or roles but I think these guys can do it without too many problems. They will form a large part of the Blast em part of the strategy as well as the wipe em out part. For this reason a mix of weapons like that found in the command squads seems to be a good idea. For the regular men Las Pistol and CC weapon is good while the officer should have a power fist/ sword. It is tempting to make use of the BS 4 and equip them with missiles launchers and plasma or other weapons, but remember that then they won't be able to assault if they fire. If you are using the strategies described here do not place infiltrators between the enemies lines and yours. They will simply be eaten by the enemies advance. Placing them behind enemy lines may be useful as the enemy will have to waste a turn or two moving away from the objective. Ogryn These guys seem to always promise more than they deliver. They are expensive and lack options. They could be useful in certain situations and I know people who love them. I just think that 3 squads of veterans for the same cost is a better result. Storm Troopers These guys seem like inferior versions of the hardened veterans. They cost more and have fewer options available. So my preference would be for the veterans. Troops Infantry Platoon These guys are the workhorse of any Imperial Army. Unfortunately in an assault these guys are about as good as garden mulch. They lack the necessary equipment to deal with assault specialists. The biggest shortcoming is that squad leaders cannot take power weapons so they are at a real disadvantage when it comes to cracking power armour. Regular troops have only a single attack and combined with low strength and low initiative, don't expect very much from them. Another big issue is being equipped with rapid fire weapons means the player must choose between firing and assaulting. The best option is to arm them for the blast em part of the strategy. This could include meltaguns, flamers, plasma guns and perhaps a storm bolter on the sarge. They could then support the other units that are better equipped for assault. Another strategy could be to give them a heavy weapon and plasma gun and let them dish out cover fire until the enemy comes to you. These squads will form part of the cover fire part of the overall strategy. Remnants are an excellent choice for providing low cost speed bump units. Conscripts These guys will be forming part of the speed bump. These guys are 50% cheaper than regular troops and perform roughly the same in CC. They can be used as a wall to soak up the first few turns of fire. Most weapons would be wasted in the hands of these guys with their low ballistic skill. The only exception is flamers. If given flamers then they have a 14 inch range. (6" move, 8" flame template) This should be enough to ward off any foot troops and punish any light infantry that stray too close. The lack of close combat equipment is going to affect them in the same way as regular squads. This means that most enemy assault troops will go through them very quickly. Since they are going to die horribly and quickly the speed bump unit should be kept as cheap as possible. That's not to say that additional conscripts cannot form the main line of defence as well. It's just important to differentiate the two and not waste points on cannon fodder. If the squad is large and has good leadership then they could survive for a few turns. Thus pinning down enemy assault units and allowing your assault units to manouvre for the counter charge. Armoured Fist This is really a fancy way of saying a regular squad with its own tank. There are some interesting tactics here that are a matter of personal preference. Armoured fist squads could easily fit into the cover fire part of the strategy. A Chimera with Heavy bolter, Multi Laser and Heavy stubber with a squad in it firing another heavy bolter, plasma gun and 6 lasguns out of the hatches sounds good. Only problem is one lucky shot and splat. Another option which is worth considering is the twin heavy flamers. This set up would make the Chimeras into mini hellhounds. This would be quite effective against light infantry. Fast Attack This is we can really shine. Most of the fast attack choices are excellent units. The only problem is that we can only have 3 of them. Hellhound This is a vehicle that opponents quickly learn to be afraid of. It would be positioned in the main line of defence as part of the blast em strategy. Rough Riders These guys can really ruin an opponent's day. Their charge bonus makes them the equal of just about any other assault troop in the game. They can easily form the main thrust of the wipe em out phase of the battle. Hunting Lances are essential and a power weapon is recommended so that they are not completely useless after the charge. There are other useful equipment options for special purposes, e.g. tank hunting. Sentinels Another unit that is so useful that it's hard not to take them. The only problem is their weak armour. These guys can give cover fire as well as a weak assault unit. The multilaser is probable the best all round weapon to use and it's cheap too. A Lascannon will create a dedicated tank hunter. Heavy flamers could also be useful especially in heavy cover situations. Conclusion The ability of the rough riders in assault means that they will be more useful for our overall assault tactic. These troops are awesome in CC on the turn they charge. A hellhound or two is also a good option. Heavy Heavy Weapon Platoon If 4 heavy weapon squads is not enough, why not go for a few more? Leman Russ Point for point this guy is easily one of the best tanks in the game. Ask any player if they would like Armour 14 and guess what their answer will be. The main armament is a space marine killer. And with its secondary armament you can target anything too small or spread out for the battle cannon or if the enemy is too close for comfort. It can even be a reasonably good tank hunter if give a Las Cannon. 1 of these is a headache for the enemy. 2 is a migraine. Demolisher The extra power of the weapon and sponson choices make this tempting, but the short range really limits its usefulness. At the moment I am leaning towards the normal LR MBT for covering fire across the whole board. Overall Army Composition 60 % - 70% Firepower Fire Support Squads Sentinels Troop Squads Leman Russes 10 % Speed bump Conscripts Remnants 20 - 30 % Counter Assault Veterans Rough Riders Command Squads Ogryns Deployment Enemy Enemy Enemy Enemy Enemy Enemy 25 inches Conscripts - Remnants - Conscripts Tanks - Main Line Squads - Veterans - Tanks RR's - HW Squads - HW Squads - RR's There you go. In the times I have tried this it has worked quite well. The combination of firepower ansd assault can often leave the enemy demoralised as their troops advance into a curtain of fire, then only to be assaulted and massacred. |
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