Imperial Guard as Militia?

[Lord Marshal]

When it comes to official GW models, the Cults and Militia have a fair few options... except for loyalist/non-Cultists. 

 

How would people feel about Imperial Guardsmen, specifically Cadians, Vostroyans or Steel Legion, being used as the core of a Militia force? Would it rustle your jimmies any? Is it like bringing Marines with MK7+ armour to HH games? Even if the skulls and such were filed off?

 

I know Empire models get recommended a lot, but I'm much more a fan of keeping to the sci-fi aesthetic. I'm just after getting a general opinion from people incase the census is quite negative. 

Edited August 22, 2017 by Lord Marshal

[Charlo]

Absolutely fine. Too many aquilas? Maybe, but I'm certainly not gunna have any jimmies rustled.

 

People who do get their jimmies rustled by this stuff aren't really worth playing.

 

The only way I would is if someone literally bought their distinctly 40k Dark Angels in MkVII etc and was just always using them as heresy - but even then, why buy two armies bruh!

[Calas Typhon]

Well the Catachans were around too in the Ultima Segmentum, you could easliy get away with any sub faction of Imperial Guard due to the amount of recruiting worlds for the SA

[carlisimo]

Vostroyans look a lot like the Imperial Army dudes on the cover of the novel Legion, so they're great.  All the metal and resin models are fine, too.  Even those made by 3rd parties (e.g. Victoria Miniatures).

The plastic Imperial Guard models - Cadians and Catachans - are not to my liking.  Mostly that's because they're marine-sized, but also because the plastic Cadians look (to me) a bit too modern and formal compared to what we see in the novels.  That doesn't mean you shouldn't use them.  We really haven't been shown what much of the Imperial Army looked like, let alone militias, and it's entirely likely that uniforms of that type were common.  People vary in size too, especially after thousands of years on other planets, so that shouldn't stop you either.

 

It's not like using Mk VII or VIII armor.

[Brother Styphus]

Entirely up to the group You play with. The opinion of strangers on the internet won't make a difference.

 

They look like 30k army men to me.

[klisof]

Militia (and imperial guard) recruit from so many planets they can look like whatever you want, cadians, chaos marauders or any other human type minis.

Anyone who complains about using cadians is just flat out wrong.

 

I was tempted to try kitbashing tempest scion heads and weapons with either skitari or tau bodies until i looked at the amount of unfinished projects i have.

 

If you think cadians have too many aquilas just trim them off.

[M@verik115]

I actually spoke to Forgeworld about this and they said that at the moment they dont plan on fleshing out any imperial army units besides solar auxilia, but as for catachans, valhallan ice warriors, vostroyans etc, they were around at the time of the heresy and using the current models along with the heresy army lists is perfectly acceptable and in essence that is why the militia lists etc were designed. 

Pretty much the only one which seem to be no goes are cadians, steel legion and death korps as they were not around during the heresy, but you can use the models to represent regular 'imperial army'. 

[Qkhitai]

Eh I think there is so much potential to customise your own militia army that I'd find generic Cadians to be a little boring. If someone put a bit of effort in, modelling and fluff wise, I'd be fine playing against them, but if someone just took their 40k Cadian army out then I'd probably raise an eyebrow. 

[sockwithaticket]

Genestealer Cult and Chaos Cultist models are always an option with a little bit of judicious trimming/covering up of certain icons; probably some head swaps where necessary.

[Gorgoff]

I actually spoke to Forgeworld about this and they said that at the moment they dont plan on fleshing out any imperial army units besides solar auxilia, but as for catachans, valhallan ice warriors, vostroyans etc, they were around at the time of the heresy and using the current models along with the heresy army lists is perfectly acceptable and in essence that is why the militia lists etc were designed. 

Pretty much the only one which seem to be no goes are cadians, steel legion and death korps as they were not around during the heresy, but you can use the models to represent regular 'imperial army'.

 

I don't mind about zwing any models as Imperialis Militia, nur Vostrayans where NOT around in the Horus Heresy.

That's the whole point about their fluff after all. :D

But the models look cool so why not use them as... Bosttrayans ;)

 

It wouldn't even bother me, if a gamer would use Codex Astra Militarum against me as an Imperial Guard.

It is a very cool book after all and the balancing works great in an environment where people do play with each other and not against.

[Brother Pheidias]

I'm having a real hard time staying away from getting a few Anvil Industries squads in suitably baroque armour and weaponry together for a Militia list, so there's a ton of options...

[M@verik115]

 

I actually spoke to Forgeworld about this and they said that at the moment they dont plan on fleshing out any imperial army units besides solar auxilia, but as for catachans, valhallan ice warriors, vostroyans etc, they were around at the time of the heresy and using the current models along with the heresy army lists is perfectly acceptable and in essence that is why the militia lists etc were designed. 

Pretty much the only one which seem to be no goes are cadians, steel legion and death korps as they were not around during the heresy, but you can use the models to represent regular 'imperial army'.

I don't mind about zwing any models as Imperialis Militia, nur Vostrayans where NOT around in the Horus Heresy.

That's the whole point about their fluff after all.

 

Actually that is where you are wrong. 

During the great crusade they manufactured arms and supplied regiments for the Imperial Army. 

In their fluff during the heresy the Emperor demanded that they raise MORE regiments, which they refused to do instead saying that their production quotas would not be met and choosing to continue supplying arms and ammo for the war effort. There is no talk of the regiments that were already raised and in theater. That part has not been fully clarified. 

[The Red Angel]

Basically, no one is gonna say no to cadians/catchan representing militia, but its a bit odd.

 

Fluffy and theme wise, most other regiments work one way or another.

 

Vostroyan would be awesome as Geno Five Two.  Death Korps wouldnt be bad either as they can look like a regiement. Just remove the imperial aquilas

 

Overall, do what you want to do to represent your force :)

[tdemayo]

All the Cadian equipment is just STC stuff. I don't see why some regiment somewhere in the Imperial Army wouldn't be using that pattern of gear.  I mean, it must have had some advantage of either cost or function, since it become the later Imperium's go-to style for mass production.  And the Catachan gear is more or less identical, but with a vest and a bandana. Those two planets might not have been settled yet, but that pattern of equipment was almost certainly around.

[Gorgoff]

 

 

 

I actually spoke to Forgeworld about this and they said that at the moment they dont plan on fleshing out any imperial army units besides solar auxilia, but as for catachans, valhallan ice warriors, vostroyans etc, they were around at the time of the heresy and using the current models along with the heresy army lists is perfectly acceptable and in essence that is why the militia lists etc were designed.

Pretty much the only one which seem to be no goes are cadians, steel legion and death korps as they were not around during the heresy, but you can use the models to represent regular 'imperial army'.

I don't mind about zwing any models as Imperialis Militia, nur Vostrayans where NOT around in the Horus Heresy.

That's the whole point about their fluff after all.

 

Actually that is where you are wrong.

During the great crusade they manufactured arms and supplied regiments for the Imperial Army.

In their fluff during the heresy the Emperor demanded that they raise MORE regiments, which they refused to do instead saying that their production quotas would not be met and choosing to continue supplying arms and ammo for the war effort. There is no talk of the regiments that were already raised and in theater. That part has not been fully clarified.

Really?

Hm.

I didn't know that. I always thought that they got punished for staying neutral in the conflict.

[Ryltar Thamior]

there's art for iirc 'Malcador's Chosen' which basically has Imperial Army personnel in what looks suspiciously like 'modern' Cadian gear [albeit brown and gold in colouration]. 

One thing which you COULD do if you were going to use stock Guard minis for the basis of Imperial Army units, would be to try and restrict yourself to Heresy-available weaponry and the like. This means that you sould probably be thinking twice before equipping regular unaugmented human troops with bolt-weapons - and if you do, try and make 'em a patter nthat wawas actually common at the time. Plasma weapons and the like, should also ideally be patterns that were Heresy-available. 

Personally, I'd be quite inclined to 'mash things up' even further by equppping your Guard with autoguns and what not from the Genestealer Neophytes sprues in order to emphasize that htis is a different - and arguably more brutal -age. 

Oh, and as for armoured vehicles ... you might be interested in using the Astartes-pattern Chimaera chassis for your transports, artillery vehicles, and otehr such things. 

[Lord Marshal]

Yep, the Malcador's Chosen art was what gave me more serious consideration to using Cadians, but I think it's from as far back as 2004? So I'm a bit dubious as to the 'canon' status of it. 

 

Thanks for all of the replies thus far. It's given me a fair bit to think about.

[Withershadow]

Catachans are supposed to be nearly Marine sized. They like their Ogrun women on that planet.

[M@verik115]

Catachans are supposed to be nearly Marine sized. They like their Ogrun women on that planet.

More cushion for the pushin. 

[Withershadow]

The hazardous conditions of Catachan ensure the surviving men are capable of handling snu snu without a shattered pelvis.

 

[Charlo]

Yep, the Malcador's Chosen art was what gave me more serious consideration to using Cadians, but I think it's from as far back as 2004? So I'm a bit dubious as to the 'canon' status of it. 

 

Thanks for all of the replies thus far. It's given me a fair bit to think about.

 

That's the beauty of it if you ask me.

 

Malcador is so secretive that maybe they weren't cannon, ya know?

 

Seems like a great scheme and army idea if done well - would be a top excuse to include a Knight Errant too ;)