Well, I'm one of those guys who doesn't spend points on vet sgts, refractor fields, or carapace armor because I think those points could be spent better elsewhere.
However, that is not to say that I don't value "character" in my army.
Would you be more inspired by an officer who is cowering behind cover, wearing carapace armor and protected by a refractor field, or by an officer who is wearing a flak jacket, just like you?
As for veteran sgts? I'd like to include one per platoon, and one as a bodyguard for each of my officers, but for 10 pts? All of my squads already have Ld 8 because I keep my formation tight. The extra attack doesn't really help much, and the only weapon option that I would like him to take (and that he is allowed to take) is a boltgun. I'm not going to spend 13 pts to give my sgt a boltgun! If the cost of the Vet Sgt were cut to 6 pts, i would probably include one or two. Instead, I'll occasionally purchase a Confessor with a conversion field (since he can't buy a flak jacket) and call him a Master Sergeant with Carapace Armor-when points allow.
My objective is to try to represent an infantry company- originally defined as three 35 man platoons led by a Captain (not a Colonel!)- and to have a few close support vehicles permanently attached.
Due to thick terrain combat experience, my companies now consist of two-35 man platoons, and 2 armored fist squads led by a Chimera mounted Captain. They are almost always supported by a Hellhound and a Demolisher. If points allow, I throw in a Commisar, a couple of scout Sentinels, and a standard Leman Russ.
Wargear is kept to a minimum! Extra Armor, Smoke, Searchlights, and RTM's are the only vehicle wargear I usually take, and on officers, a powersword (an occasionally useful badge of rank) and boltpistol is the most I normally provide. If I have points to spare, trademark items (the odd uniforms of the officers) are pointed as well.
I don't point for the comm links my command squads carry since all of the units that have them already have Ld8.
I am a number's cruncher. I take what I think the army should logically have, and I try to get it as cheaply as possible. I don't want to spend points on things that don't work. While I have models with frag grenades on them, and models with comm links on them, instead of spending 130 pts on paying for these things that, while fluffy, I can't actually benefit from, I'd rather save the points and buy a supporting Hellhound and a Commisar with a powersword.
For me, it's okay to spend some points on fluff, but it's real easy to go overboard, and it's real hard to neatly strip off extra gear from a model when you are playing at a different points value than the one you designed your force to meet.
These are my views only, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of other guard players nor of the management of this station.