Recommended units for Guard army?

[Ca(na)dianCommissar393]

Brand new Guard player speaking. As of now I have 301pts worth of Guard: A tank commander, a commissar and two infantry squads. I have a lascannon team but I don't use them. Right now I have $127 Canadian in my student bank account and I'll get 30-40 more bucks on my birthday and I'm asking what units should I get to add to my list. Company Commander is already on my list, but I've also been recommended Psykers (usually the Primaris or Astropath), Armoured Sentinel, more Leman Russes (I kind of want a executioner, even if it's range isn't as good as the battle cannon) etcetera. I feel like these are good suggestions but is there anymore? I'm very clueless when it comes to list building. 

Edited January 13, 2020 by Ca(na)dianCommissar393

[Phubar]

Heavy weapons teams and another infantry squad. Use the HWT to make a Heavy weapon squad and "hide" others in infantry squads.

[Ca(na)dianCommissar393]

Heavy weapons teams and another infantry squad. Use the HWT to make a Heavy weapon squad and "hide" others in infantry squads.

 

Thank you, I don't really think about HWTs all that often because of tanks but maybe I should take them into account more often.

[librisrouge]

For adding some budget punch to the list, I recommend buying a single blister of the wyrdvane psykers and run them as three primaris psykers. That'll cover you for psychic phase shenanigans. 

 

After that, ya need another infantry squad in order to field a battalion, in addition to the commander you say is covered.

 

After that, I'd play a few games. You need to know both what you enjoy playing and what works well for your play style. You might want to double down on infantry. You might find your tanks to be fun as hell. Perhaps you start eyeballing some of the oddity units in the codex (ogryn, sentinels, etc.) and want to give them a whirl. Keep your options open.

[Ca(na)dianCommissar393]

For adding some budget punch to the list, I recommend buying a single blister of the wyrdvane psykers and run them as three primaris psykers. That'll cover you for psychic phase shenanigans. 

 

After that, ya need another infantry squad in order to field a battalion, in addition to the commander you say is covered.

 

After that, I'd play a few games. You need to know both what you enjoy playing and what works well for your play style. You might want to double down on infantry. You might find your tanks to be fun as hell. Perhaps you start eyeballing some of the oddity units in the codex (ogryn, sentinels, etc.) and want to give them a whirl. Keep your options open.

I've been thinking about getting psykers actually. so I could get a blister of Wyrdvane psykers but I don't know my LGS's policy on count as/stand in models.

Edited January 14, 2020 by WarriorFish
Quote tag fixed

[librisrouge]

If there is a person out there who'd have a problem with that specific use of the model, I've never met them and don't want to. It is a human psychic with a staff. That describes a primaris psyker as much as it does a wyrdvane. Maybe attach some bits from other kits to fancy them up a bit if you'd like to. Just don't use the same model as wyrdvanes at the same time (but who'd want to field wyrdvanes?)

[Ca(na)dianCommissar393]

If there is a person out there who'd have a problem with that specific use of the model, I've never met them and don't want to. It is a human psychic with a staff. That describes a primaris psyker as much as it does a wyrdvane. Maybe attach some bits from other kits to fancy them up a bit if you'd like to. Just don't use the same model as wyrdvanes at the same time (but who'd want to field wyrdvanes?)

 

Yeah you're right there. Maybe I have some suitable left over bits to put on them. I have some left over from my heavy weapons team and infantry squads wonder what I could use from that.

Edited January 14, 2020 by Ca(na)dianCommissar393

[tychobi]

Welcome! Buy the models that make you really want to paint them. You are too early to tailor for theme or competition. Also the Imperial Guard have very few poor choices so you should be able to have fun and learn with anything you go for.

 

My picks for rad models are Sentinel, Basilisk, Hellhound, but I am a bit of a mech/tread head

[Phubar]

Thank you, I don't really think about HWTs all that often because of tanks but maybe I should take them into account more often.

I was making the same mistake :) Having tanks as the only big weapons carriers exposes you to the danger of focus fire. The enemy will focus the tank and when it will be dead you will loose the only big weapons that you have.

If you sperad out the heavy weapons across infantry units the distruction of one squad will leave you with only one heavy weapon less.

Of course i am NOT saying that you dont have to put tanks in your army but you have to have a balance between tanks and infantry.

Edited January 14, 2020 by Phubar

[Ca(na)dianCommissar393]

Welcome! Buy the models that make you really want to paint them. You are too early to tailor for theme or competition. Also the Imperial Guard have very few poor choices so you should be able to have fun and learn with anything you go for.

 

My picks for rad models are Sentinel, Basilisk, Hellhound, but I am a bit of a mech/tread head. Play lots and have fun! It is a long learning curve but highly enjoyable one

Thanks for the welcome! Yeah, I'm hopefully taking a trip to my LGS to do some open play with what I have if the weather gets better. It's really cold out right now, like at least -30 celsius.

 

Thank you, I don't really think about HWTs all that often because of tanks but maybe I should take them into account more often.

I was making the same mistake Having tanks as the only big weapons carriers exposes you to the danger of focus fire. The enemy will focus the tank and when it will be dead you will loose the only big weapons that you have.

If you sperad out the heavy weapons across infantry units the distruction of one squad will leave you with only one heavy weapon less.

Of course i am NOT saying that you dont have to put tanks in your army but you have to have a balance between tanks and infantry.

 

 

 

Thank you, I don't really think about HWTs all that often because of tanks but maybe I should take them into account more often.

I was making the same mistake Having tanks as the only big weapons carriers exposes you to the danger of focus fire. The enemy will focus the tank and when it will be dead you will loose the only big weapons that you have.

If you sperad out the heavy weapons across infantry units the distruction of one squad will leave you with only one heavy weapon less.

Of course i am NOT saying that you dont have to put tanks in your army but you have to have a balance between tanks and infantry.

 

So like give HWTs to infantry squads? I wanted to do that with one of my infantry squads but I was told it wasn't a very smart option. Maybe I should though?

[Phubar]

Why they told you that it would not be a smart option?

In 8th ed you could split fire so a lascannon in an Infantry Squad can fire at a tank while the lasguns can target some near enemy infantry (dont forget that HWTs have lusguns too)

 

The guard is squishy so you have to avoid grouping too much.

Spreading your HWT across IS gives them more survivability and forces the opponent to spread its anti infantry fire or to charge different squads.

Using Heavy Weapons Squads it is still ok as they have the andvantage that with one order you can affect 3 heavy weapons. Btw dont rely too much on reroll orders as the 4+ to hit is not very good (but nether bad). Remember to not gropu too much in this case too, for example if you want to put 3 lascannons and 1 missile in your army make an HWS of 2 lascannon and 1 missile and put the other lascannon in an IS. So it your opponent focuses the HWS you will not loose all of your lascannons.

 

Mixing heavy weapons in HWS is also good because if you are not able to reach different targets the squad will still be somehow effective against any type of target.

Example: if you have 3 lascannons the opponent will try to give you "swarm" units as targets. In the same way if you have 3 heavy bolters it will give you tanks as targets.

If you, instead, will have 2 lascannons and 1 heavy bolter you will be effective against both tanks and infantry. Dont let the enemy to have any tactical advantage on you, make your army as balanced and redundant as possible so loosing any piece will not be a dramatic loss and you will still able to do the same things as before. You have to loose firepower in an even way to keep you competitive. Of course this does not apply on suicidal squads but this is another tactic that requires a bigger army and "special" units or Docrtrines.

Edited January 15, 2020 by Phubar

[Shamansky]

So like give HWTs to infantry squads? I wanted to do that with one of my infantry squads but I was told it wasn't a very smart option. Maybe I should though?

 

 

 

It really is not smart if you want to run the squad around the table. But if that would be the squad sitting in your deployment zone guarding your artillery for example and is not going anywhere the option is viable.

[Phubar]

Of course you have to give a role to every IS that you will field, hoping that your opponent lets you to keep that role for the entire battle.

 

ISs with HWT, as you said, are good for guarding artillery or objectives in your deployment zone. If you need an IS for running across the table it is better if you give it a Special Weapon instead, you are right.

 

Btw in case of urgent need, a moving lascannon that hits on 5+ it is still betrer than a dead lascannon :)

(I am talking about the difderence between making an HWS with 3 lascannons and spreading the lascannons in IS)

[Shamansky]

Of course you have to give a role to every IS that you will field, hoping that your opponent lets you to keep that role for the entire battle.

 

ISs with HWT, as you said, are good for guarding artillery or objectives in your deployment zone. If you need an IS for running across the table it is better if you give it a Special Weapon instead, you are right.

 

Btw in case of urgent need, a moving lascannon that hits on 5+ it is still betrer than a dead lascannon

(I am talking about the difderence between making an HWS with 3 lascannons and spreading the lascannons in IS)

I'm not arguing your points. I know how good are HWTs and where they need to be ;)

[Phubar]

Never thougth that :)

I judt explained it so CanadianCommissar, who is new, could understand all the points of this discussion as it involves a lot of variables and it appears a simple topic but its not :)

[Mordian Glory]

MOAR INFANTRY! DROWN THE HERETICS IN THE BLOOD OF THE FAITHFUL! GLORY TO THE FIRST MAN TO DIE!

 

I collect pure infantry guard so I may be bias :p

[Shamansky]

Never thougth that

I judt explained it so CanadianCommissar, who is new, could understand all the points of this discussion as it involves a lot of variables and it appears a simple topic but its not

My bad then.

 

The truth about the Guard is that army can be built in many variants. Hordes of infantry, walls of armour, tracks and guns, death rain from over the horizon, strikes from the sky with airbone troopers and aeronautica crafts. Choose what you like or take every thing. The Guard is very versatile force that has means to bring His light into any corner of the galaxy.