Sunday, September 27, 2009

Guard, For the Hell of It

I've been kicking it around, and I think this is how I'd roll guard if I were going to roll them. This is as much about having fun with them as it is killing stuff, as I think I've made compromises on effectiveness. But, what the hell. This is one of those potential long-term lists that's on a burner somewhere, money and time and inclination pending.

Guard Melee Special Fun Sauce 1850
HQ
Company Command Squad [195]
-Straken
-2x Meltagun
-Astropath
Chimera w/ Multi-laser, hull heavy flamer [55]

2x Priests w/ Eviscerators [120]

Elite
Psyker Battle Squad, 8 Psykers [100]
Chimera w/ Multi-laser, hull heavy flamer [55]

Psyker Battle Squad, 8 Psykers [100]
Chimera w/ Multi-laser, hull heavy flamer [55]

Rambo [65]

Troops
Platoon 1
'toon command w/ Vox [35]

Squad 1 [120]
-Power Weapon for Sarge
-Commissar w/ Power Weapon
-Meltagun
-Vox

Squad 2 [70]
-Power Weapon
-Meltagun

Squad 3 [70]
-Power Weapon
-Meltagun

Platoon 2
'toon command w/ Vox [35]

Squad 1 [120]
-Power Weapon for Sarge
-Commissar w/ Power Weapon
-Meltagun
-Vox

Squad 2 [70]
-Power Weapon
-Meltagun

Squad 3 [70]
-Power Weapon-Meltagun

Squad 4 [65]
-Autocannon
-Vox

Squad 5 [65]
-Autocannon
-Vox

Fast Attack
Vendetta w/ Heavy Bolter Sponsons [140]

Vendetta w/ Heavy Bolter Sponsons [140]

3 Sentinels w/ Autocannons [105]

Total: 1850

It's a draft. It's mostly a case of "Man, that looks cool to do." So, two melee mobs, meltaguns in 'em, priests, and they go 'front towards enemy'. Two autocannon squads sit in back, likely with a 'toon command. Straken and the other 'toon command can provide order support for the advancing boys.

Psykers, vendettas, sentinels and autocannon boys do their best to knock you out of your transport. And once you're out...say hello to a 32-man guard squad in melee, or if all else fails, that's a crap-ton of dice from 'First Rank Fire, Second Rank Fire'. Maybe Straken WON'T have to do it all himself.

Rambo's in there because I want to model him. Same with Straken. The rest flows from there, and Vendettas and Sentinels are just fun models. I'm almost tempted to cut out the Chimeras for the psykers just to throw in more tanks elsewhere, but at this point I'm looking at troops and such.

The other thought is to trade off the psyker battle squads for a DH Inquisitorial Retinue, and then there's about 143 points to spend. A part of me would throw in an assassin just because it'd complement Rambo (Hey, Callidus means it's a his 'n' hers deal, right? Right.)

Anyway, critique/feedback welcome, but I'm more looking into what would be fun/cool to do, or neat models. I know there are probably more effective ways to roll it, like melta-vets, but...it's GUARD! And ASSAULT! And Ride of the Valkyries in the background! Come on.

7 comments:

suneokun said...

As a long time guard commander ... I have to say your boys will die. Guard aren't good at 'sharps rifles' charges and end up getting gunned down. The absense of decent toughness and armour saves means transports is a must...

In all likely all those powerswords and priests will be pretty baubles left over on the battlefield.

That said, I'd advise dropping some Chimeras in their for some serious durability. The addition of two heavy weapons (including a heavy flamer, or even two) for 55pts makes the Chug the best hand to hand unit out there. Throw in the smoke for free and you've got an objective challenger.

That'll help get Straken and those Pw's into range. 3 double heavy flamer Chimeras at 165pts ... that'll give anyone pause. The three squads bail out and then get to it. Remember that Nork Deddog is an awesome combo with Straken, expensive - but a T5 3W FNP 4+ save model with the look out sir arrghh rule makes Straken VERY VERY durable. Plus you can hide them in the Chug and shout SURPRISE when those bad boys jump out.

Otherwise bulk out the command squad with two bodyguards and a priest.

TheKing Elessar said...

I'd use HWS with ACs, rather than ISes...

Raptor1313 said...

Feedback's always appreciated; I'm not a Guard player by trade but I've gotten in a good number of games against them.

@ Elessar
My reservation with heavy weapon teams is that they've got piss-poor leadership, and are vulnerable to S6+ instant death wounds. I think a 20-man squad w/ 2 autocannons might cost more, but it requires a more concerted effort to remove from my objective. Maybe I'm just too used to firing scatter lasers and/or missile pods at them, and watching the other guy sweat when he makes cover saves.

@Suneokun
I take your points about the Chimeras utility very well. However, my big beef with splitting the assault teams up is that they lose a good portion of their durability in melee. I know guardsmen aren't killy in melee; they need Straken's little Furious Charge to make that power weapon something close to killy. (Even then, it'll only average one dead T4 guy on the charge). 10 Guardsman, one of which packs a power weapon, just won't win an assault. I'd need to reliably deliver a chunk of them into the same target at the same time to be able to win a combat.

I freely admit Guard aren't necessarily the best melee choice, but the army's idea is to be more 'fun' than nasty. The 30-man squads bum-rush targets, and Ld9 stubborn means they're in it to the last man; you have to kill 27 guys to get to the real damage-dealers in the unit.

Alternatively, 3 squads in chimeras have to be cracked open, but squads are individually more vulnerable to morale and/or casualties, and to commissar up more of them would be a bit of a points sink.

I could see cutting the priests (as they DO give up a bit of killpoints) and that's 120 points that could be used on something more lethal.



At the end of the day, though, this is more me sandboxing and dreaming about having money. I might decide my next dream army is Space Wolves (Lone Wolves look cool in theory, what can I say?). I mean, I'm foregtting about the time I quit 'nids because I didn't want to paint 32 genestealers and 60 gaunts, and I did just write a list with... ::checks numbers::....115 infantry.

...I don't think I'd be able to summon the willpower to do it, and I really kind of want my next army to be some kind of conversion project. I'm not hardcore enough to want to convert up 115 guardsmen; Rambo and Straken aren't THAT cool.

Raptor1313 said...

Forgot one more thing about the infantry guard.

Move Move Move means 6" + what should be at least a decent run move, so the crazy basterds will get there at least a little faster.

Besides, honestly, given cover I think a lot of armies will have their work cut out for them dealing with two 31-man mobs and Straken. I know most Marines just might not have the volume of fire to pull it off. Offhand, I think a Seer Council with Doom + 4x Destructor can probably do it, but that really shouldn't surprise anyone.

Leman Russes with the Nova Cannons can probably do a number on it, but with a good spread on troops you might be able to minimize the impact.

Just for sake of curiosity, what armies have the capability to nuke a well-spread out (IE: 2" stretch) 31-man Ld9 Stubborn guard squad in a turn or two? Or two, for that matter? It's not a challenge so much as me scratching my head and racking my brain. I'm pretty sure Railheads + Markerlights would be painful, though again it's no more/less destructive than a Nova Cannon Russ.

suneokun said...

I guess this is where the biblical 50 man a Gorgon assault transport vehicle makes sense.

Just load it up with 50 men (that's Straken plus command team, Nork Deddog) with 2 melta//flamer/heavy flamer ... Infantry command with 3 flamers and a heavy flamer with a commissar and sergeant with PW. Three Squads of guardsmen including PW's and flamers... plus three commissars for stubborn and power weapons. Plus Yarrick? Plus Two priests...

That's a lot of S6 and S3 power weapons waving about, plus a mountain of heavy and normal flamers...

Or you could take 5 Ogryns and a Commissar Lord with PF for hurty.

Problem with Straken is that he's not an IC. That means that Nork is really good as Straken's unit cannot 'blend' with the other infantry squads into the uber-unit. Giving him only 4 ablative wounds around him until Instant Death time?!?

Chumbalaya said...

Tee hee, I've been considering a similar army. Mobs of guardsmen rushing up with Priests and Commissars is just friggin' hilarious.

I would agree with TKE on the HWS. If you take enough and stick them in cover, they tend to last long enough and you really want more firepower early on while your mobs close in.

I had a similar idea, only using Creed for his mega orders and an outflanking mob. No vehicles either, just a sea of bodies!

link2edition said...

Heh this looks similar to the list I have been working on... Straken and the others arrived yesterday, so I will be trying out melee guard today (IG vs IG) i will let you know how it goes!