Imperial Guard Tactics.
By Matthew Thornley (Brother -Captain Andromidius).
Now I understand there are a lot of Imperial guard players
out there.
With that many people there must be some who need help winning their
games
(no offence to those people, I'm sure it's just unlucky dice rolls.).
I
can't tell you what to do (that would be very rude) but I can offer
my
advice. I can't guarantee 100% wins either, but these tips and
tactics may
help bring these wins to around 60% or better. Please note that
most of my
tips are for normal battles, and you should adapt them for special
battles
like breakthroughs, etc.
The more the better.
As most experienced Guard commanders will know, the more
troops you have
the more you can do. This may seem obvious, but how do you get
a hundred or
more men from 1,000 pts?
Easy- don't kit out your squads.
You may scoff in disgust at the prospect, seeing as you
probably have
already bought all your lovely special and heavy weapons. Even
Codex:
Imperial Guard says to always take the upgrades, but that is expensive.
If
you want lots of troops, don't take them. At the most you can
have a Flamer
or Meltagun (to hunt enemy tanks or clear trenches and bunkers), but
don't
take anything else in your Infantry squads. Likewise, only take
frag
grenades if you know you will be attacking enemy positions in close
combat,
because elsewhere they are a useless waste of points.
Special weapons should be left for HQ and elite choices,
as these are
expensive anyway, and heavy weapon should be taken by Heavy weapons
squads,
as they will probably get to actually use them (as Infantry often have
to
move around a lot).
Sentinels.
I love Sentinels. But they are very fragile, particularly
against armies
with lots of big guns. Solution: take lots of them. Don't
bother with
upgrades such as Extra Armour and Armoured Crew Compartment, as that
can be
expensive in the long run, and doesn't actually do much to save a Sentinel
from a Lascannon. Better to spend the points on more guardsmen.
Upgrades
like rough terrain modification are good in terrain-heavy battlefields,
and
hunter-killer missiles are a must against heavily armoured foes (at
least
one hunter-killer per squadron, more the better). Searchlights
are only
useful in night fights, so only take a maximum of one if you really
think
you need it.
Always hug cover whenever possible and attacking the flanks
of an army is
also a good use of the Sentinel's talents. The squadrons should
all be in
close proximity to maximise firepower, but if your opponent has several
ordinance weapons nearby, spread out a bit more.
Launching surprise attacks through cover is an excellent
way to push the
enemy back, especially if the forward elements of your Infantry are
nearby
to support the Sentinels if it all goes wrong. Try to avoid confrontations
with large targets like Land Raiders unless it's the last turn or you're
really confident that your hunter-killers or Lascannons can deal with
it
quickly.
Be assertive with your Sentinels, as a fast moving flank
attack can scare
the pants off some players- causing them to make rash choices.
If he/she
throws his/her whole army at them then don't hesitate, shoot!
Blow them
away before they can respond. Your lovely Sentinels have probably
been
destroyed, but they've done their job.
Tanks!!!
Now I must admit that I'm a bit of a treadhead at heart,
but I try not to
base my strategy around them. Tanks may win some battles, but
in the long
run Infantry is what you should rely on. Tanks are good for support,
or for
making a hole in the enemy's line for your troops to exploit.
Also, they
are very useful for distracting your opponent (i.e. He/she may consider
that
Leman Russ to be a bigger threat to his/her army then a platoon of
Infantry
even though the guardsmen may be much closer. He/ she may well
go off
charging off at that Leman Russ and will then be open to an attack
from the
guardsmen).
Try not to think that your lovely tanks are invincible,
because believe
me they're not. Even a flamer can destroy many types of tank,
including
Leman Russes or Predators. I've used this tactic on one of my
friends who
uses Space Marines. His Vindicator was blocking my advance, and
Commissar
Yarrick had failed to even damage it for three turns running with his
power
claw. I gambled and moved behind the Vindicator with a squad
of guardsmen.
My friend's laugh failed when their flamer got behind the tank and
blow it
apart. 3 points of flamer in exchange for over 120 points of
tank, very
nice!
In a defend mission you should place your battle tanks
near the back out
of range of most of the enemy's guns, and use their long ranged weapons
to
pepper them as they advance. Close support tanks like the Hellhound
and
armoured fist squads should be kept back in case of a breakthrough.
In an
attack mission your battle tanks should support the infantry advance
from
the back, and faster tanks should move with them, providing cover against
anti-infantry fire.
Never, ever advance tanks without infantry support, and
place the
guardsmen in chimeras if possible.
Snipers.
You'll be surprised how effective snipers can be, even
against Space
Marines or Chaos. One unlucky leadership test and a whole unit
will be
pinned for a whole turn, slowing down any advances. The longer
range is
also useful, as the pinned unit often can't fire back because the snipers
are out of range of their weapons.
Though Ratling are good at sniping, I find that they are
a bit fragile.
Catachan Snipers are much better, as they are tougher and are hard
to hit
when in jungle. Their deathworld toxins are useful too.
Also, they can
target different units, potentially pinning three units in one go.
Their
only downfall is that they can't move, so it may be best to take both
Ratling and Catachan Snipers together for flexibility if you went
concentrated sniper fire in your army.
Storm Troopers?
The question may arise, should I take Storm Troopers?
These are supposed
to be the Imperial Guard's best troops, but aren't as good as the Space
Marine's worst troops! They are also expensive points-wise.
But the good
points about them, good basic weapons against low armoured troops,
good at
shooting, good armour and they look cool as well. Being able
to deep strike
or infiltrate is also useful in some circumstances. Yet
personally, I
think that they aren't really worth their points cost- that the points
are
better spent on more, cheaper guardsmen. But if you like them,
then take
them! A surgical strike behind enemy lines may turn the tide
of a battle,
but remember they aren't very good in close combat at all. The
lack of
heavy weapons is a pain as well.
Close Combat.
Avoid it. You'll probably never win unless you have
either a lot of men,
dedicated assault troops or a hell of a lot of luck. There are
only four
things that stand a real chance in close combat: Command HQ's, Ogryns,
Rough
Riders and Deathworld Veterans. Of these the best choice is the
Ogryns, but
elsewhere they aren't much use. My favourite overall choice would
therefore
be the Deathworld Veterans as they are just as good at shooting as
normal
guardsmen. The only drawback is that they are quite expensive
(9 points
each compared to 6 points for a regular guard), but that wouldn't be
too big
a problem if you followed my 'the more the better' advice.
If you are defending, try to space out your men so that
the enemy can't
just sweep your whole army away and kept a counter-attack force nearby.
If
you are attacking and feel that an assault would be profitable, then
throw
as many troops in so you can to maximise results. If you lose
an assault,
then the more squads you have in the combat the better, as though some
squads may fall back some will probably still be there to stop the
enemy
sweeping and destroying more of your men. Comm-links are also
very useful,
as the leadership boost from your commanders will hold more of your
men in
place.
'The most powerful force in the galaxy."
The Imperial Guard are potentially the best army, with
a good mix of
units and weaponry, but don't let this go to your head. Careful
planning
and, of course, a bit of luck are still needed, and your opponent may
have a
few surprises for you (like three Land Raiders filled with Terminators.).
Just keep a cool head.
~ Brother-Captain Andromidius
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