New guard player looking for help

[Demonic95]

hi guys,

 

as the title states im  a new AM player and with the new codex all the options look good...but is there anything that i SHOULD be putting in EVERY list? or some combos that are powerful together :) 

 

sorry if that is worded rather vague but its better than saying i want to know everything haha

 

thanks in advance :) 

[micahwc]

Kind of depends on your regiment, as a lot of bonuses depend on that.

 

For example, with cadians my heavy weapons teams can frequently reroll all their misses, and as such I would benefit by taking more of them.

 

If I don't move my heavy weapon teams they automatically reroll 1s, can reroll all misses with an order, and can get +1 to hit after the first hit against a target with a stratagem.

 

With vostroyans I can take leman Russ punishers with melta sponsons and shoot 30" with both weapons, which is otherwise impossible.

 

What regiment are you leaning towards?

[sirparthos]

new to 40k as well? :)

 

I'd suggest finding one of the regimental doctrines/strategems/orders that you find the most appealing and start from there. Tallarn have some rather awesome move and shoot doctrines, while the Mordian have a rather unique 'parade ground' routine.

 

My humble 2 bits.

[Tirak]

hi guys,

 

as the title states im  a new AM player and with the new codex all the options look good...but is there anything that i SHOULD be putting in EVERY list? or some combos that are powerful together

 

sorry if that is worded rather vague but its better than saying i want to know everything haha

 

thanks in advance

 

So autoincludes really don't exist so much anymore. Theoretically you could build a list that would do ok in friendly play specifically excluding any single unit in the game. With that said, there are some units that are very good for points.

 

Astropath - 15 Points. The Astropath got one hell of a buff when our Codex dropped in that his psychic powers and Deny the Witch tests went back up to the full strength 2d6. The only limitation is that he only can cast Smite on a 1d6, which turns it into a 1/3 chance of going off power, but at 15 points and the ability to remove cover from a unit within 18 inches of himself, that is a heck of a lot of utility in a very cheap package. Because our psychic powers list got some wonderful upgrades, bringing a few of these guys along and sprinkling them in your forces can serve to provide a layer of protection against enemy Psykers without breaking the bank. Consider having at least of these in your army just to give you some discount Psyker protection.

 

Conscripts - 3pts/model. The humble conscript is on his own an unimpressive, unassuming unit. Hitting on 5s and armed with an S3 lasgun, he doesn't seem like he's particularly worth it, until you note a few important things. You can bring them in squads of 30, and they interact extremely well with Officers and Commissars. Officers can double the amount of firepower a Conscript can put out, giving them 4 shots with their lasguns. 30 models shooting 4 times is 120 shots, and even though you're only hitting 1/3 of those, that's still a metric ton of firepower going out on enemy troops. It generally won't take down a carnifex, but a force of conscripts can obliterate cultists, gaunts, tau fire warriors and pretty much any other troop choice in the T3 range. But that's not all. Toss in a cheap 31 point Commissar and you have a unit that no matter how much damage it takes, will not run. Conscripts are considered Tar Pits. Units in the game that won't kill much in close combat, but at the same time won't die or break to it. Commissars allow Conscripts to ignore morale essentially, which means that the enemy needs to either kill every last one of them, or run away from them and waste a turn in a 5-7 turn game. They shoot poorly, they hit things poorly, but they die better than anyone else on the field.

 

Scout Sentinels - min 45pts per model. Chicken walkers. Yes the Star Wars heritage of everyone's favorite Fast Attack choice is plain to see, and its utility on the battlefield fast becomes apparent as you play the game. Any good guard commander needs to bring a Brigade in a 2000pt game, so the Sentinel is common to many of our armies, and for one very specific reason. Scout Move. Before the first turn happens the Sentinel may make a 9in move, for free. In a game where deepstrike is limited to being 9in away from an enemy model, the ability to walk sentinels ahead of your army means that you gain an 18in anti deepstrike bubble, turning the potential for a sudden and gruesome surprise assault, into a laughably neutered one. No Brigade is complete without them in a competitive list. And as a side fun fact, the Sentinel also has the cheapest Lascannon in the Guard. Since you must take a weapon on the Sentinel, and the cheapest one is the 10 point Multilaser, the effective price of upgunning to a Lascannon is not 20 points, but a mere 10, turning your little chicken walker screening force, into something that must irritatingly draw fire and die or risk devastating damage.

 

You can build an army around anything. You can build an army away from some things, but the above are some units that I've found are very useful as they provide an indispensable service for a low cost. Easily added on to nearly any theme, they allow you to check off a requirement without having to build your list on a concept you may not care for. Experiment, enjoy, adapt and find your own playstyle. Welcome to the Guard.

Edited October 16, 2017 by Tirak

[duz_]

Welcome to the guard Demonic. Although with a name like that dont be surprised with some extra attention from the commissariat!

 

I think Sirpathos has some good advice here:

 

new to 40k as well? :)

 

I'd suggest finding one of the regimental doctrines/strategems/orders that you find the most appealing and start from there. Tallarn have some rather awesome move and shoot doctrines, while the Mordian have a rather unique 'parade ground' routine.

 

My humble 2 bits.

What Regimental doctrines and play styles appeal to you first. Then we can start from there!

 

Do you want infantry or tank heavy, mounted infantry, artillery, specialist / elite builds. There's lots of viable options with guard this edition so these will help guide the way!

[Warsmith Annüss]

You need blood, sweat and abs in every list. No tears. Catachans don't cry.

[Halfpint100]

hi guys,

 

as the title states im a new AM player and with the new codex all the options look good...but is there anything that i SHOULD be putting in EVERY list? or some combos that are powerful together :)

 

sorry if that is worded rather vague but its better than saying i want to know everything haha

 

thanks in advance :)

You will always need something that can order (company commander/ tank comander) and something that can be ordered (all infantry from CC/ leman russes from TC).

 

Orders are our strong point and what make us such a pain to predict. Our units can (with an order) completly change tactics. They can unleash huge amount of Las gun shots, fallback out of combat and still shoot, even double move.

 

Other useful (but not must take, few units are since everything is so good) units are:

 

Astropath: cheap and useful psyker

 

Primaris psyker: more expensive, but still cheap psyker to help you fill HQ slots and cast smith on 2d6

 

Hellhounds: 110 points and you have 3D6 flamer rounds, combine with catachan and laugh

 

Etc, etc

 

Have a look at the codex review thread as well, some useful information there as well

[Demonic95]

thanks for the replies and sorry for the late reply, 

 

i want to have a balanced army in most aspects, so mech/infantry balance...fast assault units with backline 'gunline-ish' style backup etc,

 

with the whole doctrine thing im still undecided as alot of them look tempting, ive particularly been looking at the vostryan, cadian and tallarn doctrines.

 

ill try come up with a 1000pts list tonight and you can post some c&c,

 

thanks again guys :) 

[The Ergonomic Enginseer]

Always great to have more Vostroyan around.

hint hint

[Halfpint100]

Good luck! There was a new FAQ released yesterday, so you may need to check that out before you start building your force

[Demonic95]

one of the major things is, alot of my games will be at friends houses which will be fine...now as i get a bit more money in i can splash out but can i just say its a custom regiment usinga regiment stuff...as like most ones hardly have a model line and what they do have is metal which i hate haha 

 

i may just go cadian, as like the rule, and slowly advancing whilst having a static support line is my playstyle

 

im writing lists at the second, so will try and get a begginner list up tonight, just a bit overwhelmed 

Edited October 23, 2017 by Demonic95