Regiments of the Imperial Guard:Histories and the CodiciumCollected below are brief biographies of some of the most illustrious Imperial Guard regiments. Be sure to check out some more of the
player's regiments in the Articles Section of this site. Also included is some background to our more *unique* and inspirational armies. Hopefully, this should provide the budding Commander with idea's for crafting and personalizing your own force of humanity's defenders. Periodically we run a Codicium where players may submit their armies and backgrounds. The Codicium serves as a place to for everyone to share their army in one place, and every now and then they will be sent for editing before arriving on the ever changing Articles Section linked above. The most current Codicium can be found here. (LINK TO FOLLOW)
The following material is a combination of fan-written material and Games Workshop canon, which has been sourced where possible. There will also be images used in this post, which may have an impact on internet speed.Official Games-Workshop RegimentsArmageddon Steel Legion- Preferred Special Weapon: Grenade Launcher
- Preferred Heavy weapon: Missile Launcher
Cadian Shock Troopers- Preferred Special Weapon: Grenade Launcher
- Preferred Heavy weapon: Autocannon
Text credited to:
Pictures credited to:
the_nashCatachan Deathworld Veterans- Preferred Special Weapon: Flamer
- Preferred Heavy weapon: Heavy Bolter
The inhospitable Deathworld that of Catachan is famous across the galaxy for it's deadly flora and fauna. Mantraps will devour a full sized adult, whilst brain-leaves can possess the host and make them nothing more than a dribbling servant of the the plants. Spikers shoot iron hard spines covered venomous toxins that turn the unfortunate victim into another Spiker. The Catachan Barking Toad has a tendency to explode when provoked or frightened, destroying everything in ten yards with an intense chemical reaction. Blood-wasps can strip a man to the bone in an hour, whilst Heretic-ants will secrete deadly poison into the soles of the feet. Vein worms burrow into the skin and plant their eggs, the young hatchlings devouring the victim from the inside out. The Catachan Devil, which can grow as large as two hundred feet, giant scorpions said to be descendants of Tyranid seeders which have gone feral. Any attempts to control the jungle fail, and it is only the constant application of flamers and heavy cutting equipment that stops settlements from being reclaimed by the jungle in a matter of days.
Catachan has only one thing to offer the Imperium. It's soldiery. The Catachan Jungle Fighters are perhaps even more famous than the Deathworld they hail from. If you reach ten on Catachan, you're a real man. Strong, loyal to one another and fiercely independent, the Catachans are the best jungle fighters the Imperium has to offer. They move quickly and silently through even the densest, most dangerous jungle. Often covering their rippling muscles in camouflage paint, they specialize in infiltration and stealth. One regiment even successfully stalked and killed the most intelligent and advanced element of the Tyranid vanguard, covering themselves in the blood of Lictors to mask their own scent and using the pheromones of the beasts to attract their prey. Many more enemies have fallen silently to the razor-kiss of a Catachan knife before they even realized the danger.
In combat, Catachans are ferocious adversaries, wielding long knives such as the Catachan Fang and the Devil's Claw. Their officers are real men - Colonel Iron-Hand Straken is almost half bionic, his body being sundered by a Land-Shark before he tore out it's throat with his teeth. Their bulging muscles are capable of holding apart blast doors for a time, whilst their grit and determination, coupled with steadfast loyalty to one another means few enemies can drive off a Catachan assault. In the jungle, they lay traps - pitfalls, mines, tripwires - which are a continual hazard to enemies. The largest constructed trap was a pitfall a mile wide, which engulfed an entire Ork warband. Their famed ambushes destroy enemies many times their size. Snipers tip their bullets with toxins from the native flora of their home, whilst Special Weapons Squads close in to destroy the enemy with fire and blade. Many an Imperial Commander has cause to thank the Emperor for the native skill, resourcefulness, and gung-ho determination of the Catachan Jungle Fighters.
Text credited to:
Sheepz,
Yilherruus, and
Dr_RuminahuiDeath Korps of Kreig- Preferred Special Weapon: Meltagun
- Preferred Heavy Weapon: Heavy Bolter
Elysian Drop Troopers- Preferred Special Weapon: **Classified**
- Preferred Heavy Weapon: **Classified**
The Elysian homeworld is a hub for trade and commerce, making it a tempting target for pirates who operate from the many astroid fields and gas clouds surrounding the system. Combatting the pirate menace has made the guardsmen of Elysia experts at ship-to-ship combat, lightning aerial assaults, and operating in concert with orbital support.
The premier forces of Elysia are organised into Drop Troop regiments. These soldiers are carried into battle by Valkyrie airborne assault carriers, a signature unit of the Elysians, and deploy by grav chute en masse. This unorthodox method of deployment, far from friendly supply lines, is fraught with danger and leaves the Guardsmen without the heavier weapons available to their comrades in other regiments. Nevertheless, Elysians drop troopers enjoy the support of Sentinel squadrons, Vulture attack crafts and Imperial Navy aircrafts, with whom they share a special relation with. Elysian drop troop regiments also have a higher than normal propotion of Storm Troopers within their ranks, and these elite soldiers often spearhead Elysian assaults on the enemy.
Not having to rely on heavy and cumbersome vehicles like Leman Russes and artillary pieces allows the Elysians to enjoy mobility unreviled by other regiments. This allows them to setup ambushes, hit and run objectives and deployment deep within enemy lines.
Text and Images credited to:
SputnikSputnik's longer, unedited version can be found
hereMordian Iron Guard- Preferred Special Weapon: Grenade Launcher
- Preferred Heavy Weapon: Lascannon
Paetorian Imperial GuardGeneral Gravis Field Guide to Praetorian ArmiesTanith First and Only- Preferred Special Weapon: Flamer
- Preferred Heavy Weapon: Missile Launcher
Tallarn Desert Raiders- Preferred Special Weapon: Plasma Gun
- Preferred Heavy Weapon: Missile Launcher
During the Horus Heresy, the quiet planet of Tallarn was virus bombed by the forces of the heretical Iron Warriors. The lush, peaceful paradise was turned into a desolate wasteland as the Iron Warriors landed. The brave men and women of the Imperial Guard moved to repell them, but the virus bombs were so virulent that to step outside would be certain death to an unprotected soldier. And thus began the greatest armoured conflict in the history of the Imperium, lasting seven months and costing so many lives. The wastes of Tallarn were littered with the wreckage of over a million shattered vehicles, but finally the Iron Warrior were repelled. It would never be known why the forces of chaos chose Tallarn as a target, and at the time few were still alive to ask such questions. The answer would be revealed many centuries later at "The Battle for the Cursus."
The world of Tallarn brings two major forces to the Imperial Guard. First and foremost are its armoured forces, considered elite among the forces of the Imperial Guard. Tallarn armoured companies are sought out by Guard commanders as often as possible. The experience of these forces is unquestioned, they are some of the best battlegroups in the Imperial Guard, having been involved in many conflicts. Tallarn armour can be seen in every variant of Leman Russ in existence, elite sentinel forces using every kind of pattern for scouting and patrolling, chimera mounted troops crossing vast deserts, as well as most artillery tanks providing support. It is not uncommon to see many superheavy tank aces in the ranks of baneblades to be from Tallarn. From the "Akhar Basin Massacre" on Belle Prime by the Tallarn 3rd Armoured Regiment to the desert war on Taros, Tallarn armour has lead the way in armoured assaults.
The second force Tallarn is notorious for is its famed Desert Raiders. The raiders are the infantry forces of Tallarn, instructed in the ways of mobile guerrilla fighting. Masters of hit and run assaults, the raiders are notorious for striking out of nowhere at the heart of an enemy, and fighting their way back to Imperial lines. It is not uncommon for raider regiments to operate on their own behind enemy lines for extended periods until they have that perfect time to mount a devastating assault on the enemy. Tallarn raiders will often use local xeno mounts, horses, or chimeras for transport in these operations. Tallarn rough riders may not be as famous as other forces like Attilan Rough Riders or Death Korps Deathriders, but along with such units of raiders regiments mounted Tallarn formations are deadly. It is not uncommon to see such rough riders also using local mounts, like the Mukkali of Goru-Prime.
The people of Tallarn have a tribal culture, based in domed cities or underground in caverns carved from the planets rock. The world is covered in deserts of sulphurous sand from pole to pole. Nothing grows on the surface except for crops husbanded carefully by the people. The world has no large water sources, and vapour traps are used to collect what little moisture remains in the atmosphere. The world is a windswept desert with violent and dangerous sand storms that can strip the flesh off a man’s bones. Despite this, the people of Tallarn have survived and prospered into a loyal world of the Emperor, or the Aba Aba Mushira. In return they offer their finest to his service, and Tallarn desert raiders are form a portion of the elite light infantry of the Imperial Guard.
Text credited to:
Chosen Man and edited by Sheepz. Further information on the Tallarns and the Cursus was written by
Latalis and can be found
here along with Chosen Man's longer, unedited version.
Pictures also credited to Chosen Man.
Valhallan Ice Warriors- Preferred Special Weapon: Flamer
- Preferred Heavy Weapon: Mortar
Vostoryan Firstborn- Preferred Special Weapon: Plasma Gun
- Preferred Heavy Weapon: Heavy Bolter
Cruel and Unusual: Example Player's RegimentsContained below are some of the different builds and armies for you to view and take inspiration from. Joink has a fantastic example of a fully Mechanized army, comprising of Stormtroopers and Carapaced Veterans. Killersquid's Raterial Guard never cease to amaze me, proof that Guardsmen don't have to be entirely human. Wuxiong has posted his nicely themed Red Army force, showing that a simple and effective colour scheme can go just as far to theming an army as using entire Stormtrooper models or Rats! Aircav shows us some shots of his amazing airborne force, with all the converted vehicles to boot. Draginstra has provided us with an artillery themed force, using rules from the Imperial Armour books and a tutorial on Heavy Mortars that can be found below.Joink's Mech Stormtroopers (Hyperlink to profile)
Killersquid (As above)
Wuxiong's Tiananmen Red GuardsThe Tiananmen Red Guards are light infantry with enormous amounts of troops. They fight with skills of guerrilla warfare combined with massed infantry tactics. Though lacking heavy armour due to less industrialism, their skills of terrain warfare more than make up for it. This is largely because the Red Guards have proved themselves as guerrilla specialists and they seem to see themselves as best suited to that tactic. Red Guards are known to salvage abandoned Imperial vehicles.
Tiananmen was once an impoverished world. War torn by the Ork invasion and contaminated by corrupt leaders. But this changed with a change of leadership through revolution. From the ashes of that bloody revolution emerged the Tiananmen Red Guards, this was how the Red Guards were known. The Tiananmen Red Guards in turn fought off another invasion, but this time against the Tau Empire which had a larger impact.
There is now a large Anti-Tau sentiment, propaganda often demonising the Tau Empire and the Xenos. Slogans such as “Death to the Tau!” are often shouted in Anti-Tau rallies accompanied by huge red banners and propaganda posters. It is understandable how the Tiananmen are in rivalry with the Tau in every war. The Tiananmen always tried to counter every Tau plan. This was why the betrayal within the 40th Corps prompted Tiananmen to become a member world. The 40th Corps accepted this new membership and Tiananmen regiments are now seen within the heart of the 40th Corps.
Further reading on the Tiananmen Red Guards can be found here.AircavDragainst (SPELL!)JoinkKillersquidUnlike many of the following replies, the articles here have been published with the consent of their respective authors. Any official Games-Workshop material has been used without permission and may be subject to copy write. No challenge to the status of these copy writes is intended. If for any reason you wish to have your submission removed or edited, please contact a moderator.
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