1st Sperosi

[Pipes]

Hi all I have recently been thinking about putting a guard regiment together. (When I get the time and money, two things in short supply.)

 

I've been trying to think about how my fluff could find a way to fit into the grim dark world of 40k, I would like an elite force but to have an elite force I need to go smaller. Which tends to make me play more of a space marine style and try to keep my men alive. Here's what I was thinking.

 

1st Sperosi:

Organisation-

Unorthodox for the guard it has a combination of Artillery, Armour and Infantry in it. The only way the administatum allowed this was if the regimen was extremely small, it is 1200 men strong and can barely outman a full enemy battalion. Due to the limited numbers of each regiment they were equipped for as many war zones as physically possible, camo and gear that was interchangeable as well as armour support. The regiment compromised of three infantry battalion, consisting of three one hundred man companies each. They have two hundred men in tanks and the last hundred is artillery and support forces (engineers etc...)

 

They come from a proud world that deploys many of these regiments and has a special deal with the administratum that if the home sector is ever put under siege then all regiments are withdrawn and used to fight in defence of their families and friends.

 

In order to maintain moral in such a small regiment they have a bi annual leave that they get to return to their home worlds in. Also to reinforce their numbers if they drop below 50%.

 

Please have some input, anything's good.

 

Commander Charles Henrison of the Sperosi 1st Regiment.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Sound good to me. 

[hendrik]

i like your idea mate, but there are just a bit too many contradictions (some small, some BIG) to all the established fluff to make this work. now don't take this the wrong way, the internet being the internet, as it's meant to work in a constructive way!

 

-their size. at this moment they are about as big as an armoured regiment (ref. the Konig armoured regiment has 1345 men in it, of which 865 are mechanised infantry (of which some were additional units being drafted into the conflict, but still)) so why not make your regiment an armoured regiment as well? just because you have armour doesn't mean you have to ride in it. some battle plan might dictate all your infantry to dismount and charge an enemy on foot, should high command desire so. the way you divided your regiment into armoured companies, artillery and infantry is in line with established fluff though. keep in mind that the imperium doesn't care much for generalist regiments, as a specialised regiment will always outperform them. It 's also easier from a beaurocastict point of view to see which regiment should be sent where, as often regiments will find themselves working together anyway. If you want to stick to your fluff, yet make it more in line with the established fluff, why not incorporate something along the lines of ill-made chimeras, their engines prone to overheating/something else occuring, which sort of forces your infantry to be dismounted on most occasions? you could even sneak in a rivalry with another regiment from a nearby planet that did get proper chimeras, most likely because they bribed a lower member of the minutorum to deliver the proper chimeras to them.

 

-the major contratiction, the going home deal when under attack. The imperium is a large place and often regiments never get to see their homeworld again, despite heavy petitioning to do so when it comes under attack. In fact, information creeps in so slow in the imperium that it could take years before your regiment finds out its homeworld was under attack. there is just no way the logistics of this will work (1st getting the information in time, 2nd beeing allowed to go back and getting there in time). besides, what feat have they done that they earned such a (HUGE!!) privilege? I would personally just drop this thing, as there is just no way a regiment would earn this big a honour.

 

-the biannual leave, back home??? again, the logistics of this are just terrible. If you want your regiment to keep at fighting strength, there is no problem whatsoever with getting reinforcements from the home planet (vostroyan regiments do it as well, and it's jsut a 1 way ride anyway as the space ship can just move on after delivery), however the going home thing is a big nogo in the imperium of men. why would the departementorum use their precious vessels to bring your guys to their home again, possibly months of travel away, when they could be sent to the nearest "safe" planet and be allowed to relax there a bit. also the biannualkind of makes it sound like they can demand it, even when in conflict? i would just stick to the regular fluff that after a mayor conflict usually a regiment is allowed to have a rest in a nearby friendly city. nearby conflicts determining if they get any rest at all. besides, as i've shown the regiment is not that small, so their morale should be fine by the inclusion of a commissar (the 1345 konig regiment has 5 commissars) and maybe some priests?

 

edit: here's an overview of the content of the 19th Konig armoured regiment, during the Icaedus campaign. of the content below the following units were additionally drafted units: all superheavies >> 50th cadian heavy tank company, 2 additional siege companies (1 with artillery, the 24th Pardus siege gun company, 1 with demolishers etc, the 113th Dniepr siege tank company), 1 assault engineer platoon, the 11th Sareanian assault engineer company which mainly contained bridges, but also 1 mechanised infantry platoon)

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb281/amorfatipictures/19th%20konig%20armoured%20regiment%20icaedus%20campaign_zpsuq8dwf8f.jpg

[WarriorFish]

It looks fine to me, hendrik has good points but not ones that can't be worked with. Regular leave isn't easy when you could be half way across the galaxy, why not having the regiment returning home after each engagement to recover losses? That would give the surviving troops time to relax a bit, in between training.

[hendrik]

If you're bound on the returning home i would go for a pdf force instead of an imperial guard regiment.'but what about off world conflict?my world can't be attacked by everyone!' I hear you say!that's where the bureaucracy of the imperium comes in.if a conflict reaches epic proportions (major crusade,incursion,waagh,nid invasion,...)the imperium can temporarily commandeer your pdf force (or rather significant parts thereof) to go and join the meatgrinder off world,and be allowed to return home afterwards eventually

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

The way I fluffed my Brigade, is it's actually made up of 2 different regiments and a couple of battalions for support. I used the US Army's modular structure as a guideline. Only 2 of 3 Regiment Combat Teams are deployed at any given time, and they rotate. They go home after every engagement (given that they are elite troops, and their world had it's own fleet (It was there during the Horus Heresy, and decided to stay after contact with the imperium was lost)) if they can, sometimes they get R&R on an Imperium World if they get redirected to another combat zone. 

[Pipes]

Thanks for all the help, I think saying they are allowed to return home after each engagement is a good way to allow them to return home and recover losses. Also I think I will drop the idea of having them able to return home if their home planet is under siege. But I was debating them being a semi-renegade faction with an army throughout their sector of space and a fleet for logistics and such (It's not like the Imperium can figure it out, hundreds of regiments are founded and lost each second) and as for the idea of elite troops getting R&R, I definitely think that I will take that into account.

 

Also The idea of a fully armoured regiment sorta annoys me, maybe closer would be a mechanised regiment with dedicated armour and artillery support.

 

Thanks for all the help.

 

1st Sperosi out

[hendrik]

i'm guessing reading some interesting guard literature is definetly a recommendation to see how much the imperium care for their troops. typical fluff makes R&R consist of either transit between conflicts, or the occasional few weeks off on a nearby planet/strategic gathering place formultiple regiments to then set out once more.In fact, i can't recall any fluff mentioning a regiment ever returning home as a routine. (than again i haven't read all fluff, but most fluff is pretty clear on it that once a regiment is formed, it'll never see its home planet again)

Often multiple regiments are transported in a single barge, sometimes creating trouble during transit due to regimental fueds... the basic problem with anything based on modern military, is that it's too humane for the imperium, mostly because the scale of our warfare, is insignificant in comparison to war in 40k (now this might not go well with vets but hey!). now note that this is all about interplanetary R&R. i'm pretty sure R&R could be possible when it's restricted to a single planet and with non-global conflicts.

 

also note that imperial guard regiments are strictly dissallowed to have any imperial fleet barges, it's basicly one of the main rules in imperial lore, ever since the horus heresy. (in fact, the imperial armies structure was reorganised, and regiments were made to excell in 1 thing, and 1 thing only, mainly to prevent them from being succesfull should they turn renegade). it's one of those things you best stay clear of, just like saying your chapter belongs to the missing primarch and has been around since the first founding. Can it be well written fluff? absolutely, but it's bound to clash with many things considered canon.

 

here are some very interesting topics to read in on that include regimental structure:

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Imperial_Guard_Regiment

 

(this one is particulary cool!)

http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Imperial_Guard_Regiment_Creation_Tables

 

I definetly recommend the gaunt ghosts series too, as this in peticular tackles some problems that occur during the founding of a regiment, and gives some nice in depth information of many otther types of regiments as well!

 

so here's what i get from your comments so far;

-your regiment is mainly infantry (mechanised?), by the original description i'm going with a standard infantry regiment

-you want to include supporting armour and artillery. does this have to be the same regiment? how about a combined regiment (see codex p 17, this does imply your regiment doesn't get any reinforcements), or even just temporarily assigned companies from other regiments (happens all the time, cfr Konig armoured regiment in earlier post). these could have the same uniform and camouflage, but you could also use it to differnetiate between them, say by having tallarn tank crew. plus it also means your regimental structure can be compeltely different.

-you're sort of heavely linked to your home planet. I'm really thinking PDF force is the best way to go, as this doesn't require the "singluarity of purpose" imperial guard regiments are bound to have. otherwise a siege regiment (see link above) would fit your force quite well too i guess.

 

hope this helps!

[walter h]

The link to the creation table, is great. I think it might help at least it's going to help me.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

i'm guessing reading some interesting guard literature is definetly a recommendation to see how much the imperium care for their troops. typical fluff makes R&R consist of either transit between conflicts, or the occasional few weeks off on a nearby planet/strategic gathering place formultiple regiments to then set out once more.In fact, i can't recall any fluff mentioning a regiment ever returning home as a routine. (than again i haven't read all fluff, but most fluff is pretty clear on it that once a regiment is formed, it'll never see its home planet again)

Often multiple regiments are transported in a single barge, sometimes creating trouble during transit due to regimental fueds... the basic problem with anything based on modern military, is that it's too humane for the imperium, mostly because the scale of our warfare, is insignificant in comparison to war in 40k (now this might not go well with vets but hey!). now note that this is all about interplanetary R&R. i'm pretty sure R&R could be possible when it's restricted to a single planet and with non-global conflicts.

 

also note that imperial guard regiments are strictly dissallowed to have any imperial fleet barges, it's basicly one of the main rules in imperial lore, ever since the horus heresy. (in fact, the imperial armies structure was reorganised, and regiments were made to excell in 1 thing, and 1 thing only, mainly to prevent them from being succesfull should they turn renegade). it's one of those things you best stay clear of, just like saying your chapter belongs to the missing primarch and has been around since the first founding. Can it be well written fluff? absolutely, but it's bound to clash with many things considered canon.

 

 

Except in cases of fortress worlds like Cadia. Also the imperial navy works very closely with the imperial guard. In my fluff there were thousand years of cooperation and lack of contact with the Imperium, so generations of people have lived and died with that arrangement, so the Imperium coming along isn't going to change that quickly. Besides, stormtroopers are different. But that's my fluff, and I've worked it out so that it makes more sense, even though it technically contradicts lore. I guess I see my guys as more of a PDF than anything, but my regiments haven't been home in a long time (that's why they rotate).

 

I agree that a PDF might be the better option.

[hendrik]

Except in cases of fortress worlds like Cadia. Also the imperial navy works very closely with the imperial guard.

out of interest, can you point me to that fluff, as it's something compeltely new to me! (and sort of a retcon when it comes to imperial guard fluff). I know the cadian sector has its own imperial navy fleet, but these are still commanded by the imperial navy and not belonging to any particular regiment as far as i know?

 

or are you refering to the fact that the cadian 8th has some companies deployed on cadia to help with the defence, while at least 2 others are recieving training on a nearby planet? and that while they did go off world, they were eventually called back for the defence of cadia? (thus getting back to their homeworld, which i refered to as highly unlikely? in which case, well, any nearby regiment would get called back to aid in the defense of a planet as important as cadia).

 

now don't get me wrong, in the end you can do whatever you want! and don't let my comments put you down! I'm merely trying to establish the canon fluff, and apply it to your regiment's idea! i'm curious to see what you'll come up with, and if any of my remarks have been of any use

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

 

Except in cases of fortress worlds like Cadia. Also the imperial navy works very closely with the imperial guard.

out of interest, can you point me to that fluff, as it's something compeltely new to me! (and sort of a retcon when it comes to imperial guard fluff). I know the cadian sector has its own imperial navy fleet, but these are still commanded by the imperial navy and not belonging to any particular regiment as far as i know?

 

or are you refering to the fact that the cadian 8th has some companies deployed on cadia to help with the defence, while at least 2 others are recieving training on a nearby planet? and that while they did go off world, they were eventually called back for the defence of cadia? (thus getting back to their homeworld, which i refered to as highly unlikely? in which case, well, any nearby regiment would get called back to aid in the defense of a planet as important as cadia).

 

now don't get me wrong, in the end you can do whatever you want! and don't let my comments put you down! I'm merely trying to establish the canon fluff, and apply it to your regiment's idea! i'm curious to see what you'll come up with, and if any of my remarks have been of any use

 

 

The fleet is separate, and it provides air support and naval support. I was mostly referring to the fact that fortified worlds are the exception to returning home, and having fleets dedicated to their units, and being specialized.

 

As for basing things off of real world military units, it actually works for the guard. Just because the Regiment is specialized doesn't mean it can't include the support functions required to support it once in the combat zone.

 

For instance, an Armored Brigade only has enough infantry to support the tanks as they advance, while it's primary objective is to engage, close with and destroy enemy armor through fire and maneuver. 

 

There are dedicated infantry units, such as the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions, and their subordinate brigades.