Use of Conscripts?

[Wassa]

Is there any reason to take Conscripts anymore now that they cost the same amount of  points as a normal infantry squad and have a 50% chance of ignoring orders?

 

Only thing I can think of is blobbing the artillery at the rear for a few turns.

[domsto]

Conscripts are dead

Just play normal Squads.

 

The new Commissar is great but he still won't work with big blobs of Conscripts.

 

If you still want to field big blobs use the combined Squads Stratagem to get a 20man Squad of normal Guardsmen

[Major_Gilbear]

Agreed; if you happen to suddenly need a 20-man squad, you can always pay CP to aggregate two regular squads into one.

 

In all other respects, you are better off using regular infantry squads.

 

A shame that conscripts became the ultimate symbol of cheap 8E hordes and were therefore nerfed overly-hard, but there you go.

 

In terms of fluffier options, you could just run conscripts as infantry squads with no upgrades and then simply paint them appropriately so that they differ from the other squads in your army. Sure, they'd be less "green" than the official conscript statlines, but I guess you either learn quickly or die quickly in the Guard! ;)

[Halfpint100]

Only way is valhallan with the mk.45 pistol to make moral autopass with 1 casualty

[Inso]

I think that for certain armies, conscripts fit the bill.

 

OK, they may not be ideal... but from a fluff point of view, they would look great in a Valhallan army...  being pushed forward with just their lasguns and a prayer on their lips.

 

Conscripts are 3 pts per model and Infantry are 4 pts. OK, the power levels are the same but you get 20 troops instead of 10.

 

I wouldn't write them off entirely... if nothing else, few opponents would expect to see them and if you plonked a block of 60 down with a bunch of characters to go with them, they may provide some interesting entertainment.

[Halfpint100]

Inso, conscripts got put up to 4 points on chapter approved. It sucks

[domsto]

They also can't be a block of 60, max 30 since codex.

[Hatarus]

while they rarely come up if your LFGS holds a Power game (our club does every now and then) Conscripts are still only 2 power so they are worth it if you want to cheese that out, that said if you are going to a power game there is a good chance the local ADmech players will be out in force with their Robots of death so don't bother really :/

 

The only other place i can see them used is as a Distraction Carnifex if you take a squad of 30 of them and even then you have to Pray to the Emperor that your opponent forgets how bad they are long enough to waste valuable turns tearing them apart instead of a Tank commander or something of equal cost   

[FallenSoldiers]

I’ll blob squads up and use Mental fortitude if needed. It’s a gimmick but...

30 conscripts in cover, with psychic barrier and the “take cover” stratagem can have a 2+ save. Keep Celestine nearby and you can get a 4++ (Celestine gives 6++, take cover adds 1 to saving throws same with psychic barrier).

[Mileposter]

That save is only awesome if your opponent wants them gone, though. A save doesn't make them a threat.

 

Now, that said, in narrative games they can be awesome. Sabotage and Ambush are great missions for them to be on the field.

[FallenSoldiers]

Oh definitely, but when you’re holding a key objective or need that 1 more point to win... works just as well with reg infantry squads too.

 

I still can’t really justify paying the same PPM for them just to have a blob though.

[GuardDaddy]

Like everything in guard they are nothing special on their own - but the potential to tarpit stuff, the board control power they give - are useful. All of this with the caveat that you take them as valhallan and use Petrov Mk45 so they are fearless.

 

Ultimately I take them for 'rule of cool' as much as anything else

[Inso]

Inso, conscripts got put up to 4 points on chapter approved. It sucks

 

Oops... haven't read it :( . That changes things a little, doesn't it? 

They also can't be a block of 60, max 30 since codex.

 

They can be a block of 60... just two squads of 30 next to each other ;) ... that's why I mentioned lots of characters.

[librisrouge]

It seems to me that conscripts are only worth it to Valhallans, who’se relic makes them still great speed bumps.

[Tirak]

I don't see how even with the Valhallan relic a squad of conscripts is better than 3 squads of guardsmen with a leadership buff nearby. If anything, it makes it easier for your enemy to overkill and thus be less efficient when targeting groups of 10...

[domsto]

 

 

Inso, conscripts got put up to 4 points on chapter approved. It sucks

Oops... haven't read it :( . That changes things a little, doesn't it?

They also can't be a block of 60, max 30 since codex.

They can be a block of 60... just two squads of 30 next to each other ;) ... that's why I mentioned lots of characters.

This Stratagem only work with Infantry Squads not Conscripts

[Inso]

 

This Stratagem only work with Infantry Squads not Conscripts

 

 

What strategem? I didn't think there was any need for for a strategem if you wanted to place two squads of 30 conscripts next to each other... 

[domsto]

 

 

This Stratagem only work with Infantry Squads not Conscripts

 

What strategem? I didn't think there was any need for for a strategem if you wanted to place two squads of 30 conscripts next to each other...

Ohh i am sorry

[Cap'm Heckus]

One value of conscripts is that it takes fewer characters to baby sit them. One commissar can can easily be in 6” of 2 30-man conscript screening units while the same number of guardsmen would struggle unless they blob, especially with the new rule that restricts the number of duplicates you can take in tournament play.

 

It’s a niche benefit but lets you maximize your auras, orders, and psychic powers a bit. Especially if you break them down into units that go out and do stuff (infantry squads) and static units that just screen (conscripts).

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Conscripts are bad. It takes one specific regiment, 3 characters, a relic, and a strategem to make them decent. Add on points inefficient and you have a unit that takes too much synergy to work well, and ends up costing you far too much.

 

Now, If you decide to have them bubblewrap a tank, you might as well just use the strat that makes the tank a Commissar and then they have a higher leadership. 

 

Conscripts are fluffy, and are probably restricted to narrative and open play at this point. 

[Akrim]

Still good if used with Mental Fortitude to shield tanks, its much easier to erase an Infantry squad than 30 Conscripts.

 

They also have a better chance of holding a Defend Objective X than a 10 man Infantry squad.

[Tirak]

And 3 infantry squads will shield that tank better and cost you the same so I'm not really sure what your point is.

[Akrim]

And 3 infantry squads will shield that tank better and cost you the same so I'm not really sure what your point is

 

Not if you have a savvy opponent. Heres a rough example - say your three Infantry squads here - orange, blue and green are fanned out around your tank(s).

The big red assault threats gets close, he directs his supporting firepower to eliminate squad orange - leaving the path to the Russ open to assault.

 

Now say all the dots are one big Conscript squad - enemy shoots at them - Im removing casualties from the green side. Russ is no longer open to assault and the threat can only hit the Conscripts who will in turn withdraw (*Provided this is done right and they are more than 3" away from the Russ). The threat then gets pasted by the Russ.

 

 

Here is another example - you draw Defend Objective X (Blue box) requiring you to hold it for two consecutive turns. Squad Orange reaches it in your turn, flanked by Squad Blue and Squad Red in this pic. Opponent wishes to deny you the score - so focuses fire and eliminates Squad Orange, Red and Blue are too far away to secure it. 

 

Now envision all dots are one Conscript squad, I would remove casualites from Blue and Red areas, maintaining the Objective and thus achieving the score.

[Tirak]

Poor placement. You intersperse your infantry maintaining 2in coherency but 1in tightness. That way a charge made to one is a charge to all and an attempt to great gaps is stopped every 10 wounds. I do this quite often with my tanks. Conscripts is easier for some to grasp, but are completely inferior.

[Akrim]

Picket lining is okay but unreliable with Infantry squads, particularly if youre attempting to cover multiple tanks. You cannot blanket Mental Fortitude over multiple squads, other buffs also become more finicky when you start looking at wound removal and spread out squads.

Rallying multiple Infantry Squads with Get back in the Fight also eats up more orders.

You also wind up with more deployment drops and potentially surrender more kill points.

Statistically yes of course a Conscript is weaker than an Infantry man, but its important to look beyond stats.

To each their own of course - use what works for you. Conscripts work just fine for me, I think a lot of players don't comprehend their potential.