Here is my Imperial Guard army's background fluff, what to you guys think of it?
System structure: 8 large moons orbiting 2 gas giants.
System population: 100 million souls, distributed over 8 moons.
Main Imperial World: Stygies VII
Class: Civilised, Militarised
(Secondary World: Stygies VIII
Class: Forge World)
Geography: Temperate climate, with many deciduous forests, and rolling plains.
Government: Semi-Democratic
Basic history: The exact founding of this world is ambiguous, as almost all records of its pre-heresy state are missing. The earliest documented evidence of the Stygies system dates back to M31 when regiments from the Stygies VII clashed with rebel separatists from the Jandib system during the Heresy. The Stygian army managed an astounding and decisive victory at a time when the rest of the Imperium was reeling from the forces of Chaos, thereby securing its state as one of the leading Imperial Guard Home worlds in the Imperium. After the Heresy, Stygian regiments were a main factor in the re-establishing Imperial Authority is many sub-sectors across the galaxy. The system itself has been involved in several wars, and is in the process of crushing a cultist/anti-Imperial revolt on one of its smaller moons.
Human Geography: On the main world in the system, Stygies VII, the population reside in cities and rural towns, much like European civilisation on the Terra of antiquity.
Political structure: The system has an odd mixture of democracy and dictatorship, with an Imperial Commander sharing power with an elected government, and surprisingly, it works quiet well. Crime rates are low; with the Adeptus Abites reclassifying the world form ‘Low’ to ‘Minimum’ threat of political decent. Due to recent political upheavals on one of the smaller moons, this may be subject to change.
Religious standing: Like most imperial worlds, Stygies’ populace worship the Emperor as a God. However, the state does not impose any particular style of worship onto the population, allowing them to venerate him in any way they see fit. This has meant that at times, they and the Imperial Church have not seem eye-to-eye, but the systems undeniably glorious and noble history has meant that the Ecclesiarchy has been slow to critisise. Because of the incidents on IVX (one of the moons in the system) they may pressure the local cardinals to declare a crusade against the ‘evils of a liberal society’.
Military
Military Structure: The Stygies system supplies troops on a sytem level, with Stygies VII being the main contibutor to the tithe. Because of its long military record, and unique military system Imperial Guard and PDF forced have become merged and effectively fight as one force, with non tithed regiments being deployed alongside their Guard cousins in many distant war zones. Regiments recruited from Stygies (guard, and PDF) are collectively know as Stygian Army regiments because of this. Again several commentators have questioned this, and claimed that it is a way of eroding true Imperial power, by replacing it with their own ways. However the extra regiments deployed have often meant the difference between victory and defeat.
Recruitment: Joining the Stygian army is completely voluntary, but to encourage recruitment in times of war several incentives are employed, like extra pay for being deployed (fighting pay), and tax reductions. This is very rarely needed however, as popular support for the army means that there is always a large supply of people willing to enlist.
Training: All recruits in the Stygian army go through a lengthy training process, usually lasting just over 12 months. At the end of their training, prospective Guardsmen must complete 3 weeks of active duty in a war zone, serving with the Guardsmen of their regiment. This means that regiments that reach the Imperial Guard frontlines are substantially better trained than most other regiments. Fire control, marksmanship, independent thought, and Discipline are all hallmarks of the Stygian fighting forces, and this has given them the edge in some of the harshest, most brutal war zones in last millennium.
Stygian officers are trained fight with ranged firepower in mind, and not to waste men in needless and un-winnable hand-to-hand fighting. With this in mind, junior officers are not issued (or even allowed) swords or a sabre, commanding the infantry is a priority, there have been notable exceptions however. This lack of willingness to fight in hand-to-hand has been seen as gutless and cowardly by some other commanders, but the fact is that if necessary commander will assault strong points and charge trenches if needed, but not if they can help it.
The concept of independent thought may seem at odds with discipline and other systems in other regiments. This is not the case, as the squad leading corporals still have to follow orders, but they are allowed to take the initiative when required of them. The advantages of the system come into there own when fighting gets tough and ‘command and control’ breaks down. Where most other companies would falter, rout or stand their ground in a suicidal last stand, the Stygian regiments are able to withdraw in an orderly manner, or even take the fight to the enemy.
As a note, the Stygian army does not normally employ commissars, the officers find that the ‘glory to the first man to die’, and summary executions actually have a negative effect in the long run, punishing decisive manoeuvres, and breeding tactical inflexibility.
Equipment: The stygian army is equipped to the same high standard as other high tech-base worlds.
Advanced body armour is supplied as standard to heavy infantry regiments (and these make up the majority of the regiments raised). The armour is made up of re enforced chest plates and helmets, with plasteel plates inserted into the fatigues.
Unlike most regiments, the stygian regiments use autorifles, notably the Kantrael Pattern Heavy Autorifle. The tech-base of system has meant that the rifles are able to utilise a higher standard of ammunition, the most popular in military circles being the, man-stopper caseless amour-piercing, devastator hollow points, and longbow sniper rounds.
The most common heavy weapons in the Stygian regiments are plasma weapons and automatic cannons. The standard autocannon pattern allows officers to be more flexible in their tactical options, and engage mixed infantry and lightly armoured units with equal easy, and the plasma guns strong (if slightly unreliable) firepower compliments this.
Vehicles: As well as using the iconic chassis and armour such as the Leman Russ and chimera, they also employ a whole variety of uncommon, and rare vehicle chassis and models.
One of the major exports of the Stygies VIII is the Stygies Pattern Vanquisher. The Stygian Army can field entire companies of these Vanquishers (though in small numbers compared to other armoured companies), and this gives them a powerful advantage when engaging enemy armour regiments.
Other rare vehicle variants include; Sky-sweeper Anti-Aircraft Exterminators (based on the Leman Russ Exterminator); the Ground-pounder Self-propelled-missile-artillery (based on the Basilisk chassis with a whirlwind missile system installed); the Cerberus Gattling-tank (replacement for the hellhound); and several variants of thunderbolt.
Notable regiments:
The 181st Stygian Heavy Infantry Regiment
Founding: M36, the regiment was founded as a response to Vandire and his reign of blood, seeing action in the siege of the Imperial Palace on Holy Terra.
History: The Stygian 181st regiment has seen action in many and varied conflicts across the galaxy. War zones like Cadia, Armageddon, and the Damocles gulf have all been blessed with the presence of the 181st.
Operational state: Active, the regiments 10 companies are active in several war zones, the crushing of a revolt on IVX, and engaging elements of the formerly ‘Astral Claws’ renegade Space Marine chapter in near the Maelstrom, as well as several other, more confidential, missions. This is not a normal situation for a regiment, but due to exceptional circumstances in the home system, the regiment had to be temporarily split to re-enforce the fighting on IVX.
1st Company Structure and commanding officers:
Company Commander: Imperator-Major Decimus Lucius
Company Sergeant Major: Warrant-Officer Thomas Shaeffer
Delta Platoon Commanding Commissioned Officer: Lieutenant ‘Rag head’
Echo Platoon Commanding Commissioned Officer: Lieutenant Astor (MC)
Delta Platoon: This platoon consists of recruits going through their final 3 weeks of training.
Echo Platoon: This platoon consists of fully trained Guardsmen who have moved from the Delta platoon.
Command Platoon: This platoon is formed from two ‘Line breaker’ units (Stygian equivalent of Kasrkin) and the command squad. In practice however, the Line breakers are given free reign, and the command squad has Heavy weapon teams attached instead.
