How to purchase your Guard army. (for those who don't know what to buy)

[Commisarlestat]

There have been many threads asking about what to get to start a guard army so I decide that I would create this thread so that people had an idea what to buy and when. (could it be stickied if there is enough interest, thankyou)

First stage:
The codex.; this is an essential purchase and should be your first.
1) Now you have your codex try writing a few sample lists. Keep them small about 750 points or so.
2) Post up your list for criticism and advice. This is important as it will mean you wont be buying anything that you don’t need/want.
3) Choose what models you want, be it catachans or cadians or one of the others (the rest of this post will concentrate on the plastic boxes and for ease the cadians)

Second stage:
You will now have an idea what models you want. You may have a list formed. Do not worry hugely if you have not. The next purchase IMO should be the battleforce.
This box is very very useful and can give you the following.

1) The heavy weapons squad box which can create many many weapons with a little bit of ingenuity. I’ll describe this below. These sprues are possibly the best a guardsman can hope for.

2) The infantry, you are going to need some of these at some point for most armies. Do remember not to go overboard on getting flamers and grenade launchers in there. Leave these out. Use the first twenty men you have to build twenty normal guys. You will want them at some point and it saves the hassle of converting copious amounts of grenade launchers and flamer sinto something more useful!

3) The russ. These are a very good heavy support option and every guardsman should own one. The accessories sprue is great for making officers. When you build this tank decide on the hull weapon carefully. In this edition a hull heavy bolter is a much better choice although the lascannon isn’t that bad. Don’t give this tank a heavy stubber. Leave it to one side and wait until you have your final list.

The heavy weapons boxed set can make far more weapons than the three teams it shows. There are several ways of doing this but the following is easiest.
Separate the weapons into their threes. Now you will notice that the heavy bolter, autocannon and lascannon all need the tripod and hand setup. This isn’t very useful you may think but it can be changed. The missile launchers can just be added to normal guys in the squads. This means you already have three heavy weapons done with only the addition of some normal troopers!

Next the mortars. Well just make them as they are. A spare base is useful but if you are just starting out you wont have one. Not to fear they can be used without bases (the old metal ones are). All you need to do is place the weapon with the squad that is using it. If you are certain that that will be the squads setup then give them a guy with the mortar arms.
Now the bases are crucial. You will need to purchase three more to make the most out of them. All you need to do is build a lascannon on tripod, use a kneeling down guy with the correct arms. Do not glue the lascannon in place or its power pack to the base. You can now build all of the other weapons such as heavy bolter etc. These can be swapped out from the base easily so you can decide which weapon to use each battle!

If you can get hold of another three bases then use the sandbags or some rocks to create something to lean the gun on, use three of the handle sets with this. You now have nearly all of the weapons used. The heavy bolters can be left out. Use one for the front of the russ, the other two can be carried by squad members (see pic below) or have some other setup. This way you have used all of the weapons in the box with a few minor conversions and very little extra purchases!



Stage three:
But I want to create a whole legal army!
For this you will need a few more men. Firstly count the men in the battleforce, you will have 27. The last man here can be made form the tank accessory sprue and used as your officer!

You will need a minimum of 40 to start an army. This means you need another 13 men. Just buy a box of men and a chimera. (you will need the extra men anyway).

1) building the platoon. The easiest way to build the platoon with a good setup is as follows,
i) the command can be built using parts from all of the sprues. First build a missile guy using parts from the heavy weapons sprue and a normal guy, next the officer using the head form the tnak accessory sprue, give him a chainsword and laspistol.
ii) The two squads can use a base with a heavy weapon each, use a kneeling guy and a tripod setup. This way you can swap out weapons. Do not build special weapons at this point as the grenade launcher isn’t very powerful you may want plasma, and the flamers are tricky to use to their full effect.

2) The main command. Use the bits from the tank accessory sprue (the body and the legs) use the head from the other tank accessory sprue as well. Give this guy a chainsword and laspistol. He is your main officer for now. For the rest of the squad just build four guys and pop a mortar in there (no base as of yet)

3) The tank, build this with a hull heavy bolter from the main heavy weapons sprue. It requires a little converting but is ok in the long run. Also do not use any extras on the tank at this stage. When you have your list sorted, you can go back and add to it.

4) The AF squad. Build the chimera with a turret multilaser and a hull heavy bolter. Do not stick the turret in; make it detachable, this will help later if you want to change anything. The squad needs a weapon. A missile launcher, or a grenade launcher, or even a flamer is good here. You may end up having one guy you don’t use again but to be on the safe side a missile is a good choice.

Conclusion

Now the above will set you up with a simple army that is easy to change. As your decisions become more certain start to glue bits like the heavy weapons in place. I have said don’t add special weapons as these are the weapons that will mostly likely change on personal preference. You will have lots left over and also a few guys unbuilt. You can add them in once you have decided which special weapons to take.

The above is how to build a balanced force however it could go any way you want. A full infantry force would mean you wouldn’t use the tanks. If that is the case build a second platoon instead of the AF squad. A mech army would just mean getting 4 more chimeras. All you need to do is add another russ and he army would be very nearly 1500 points!

I hope the above helps people’s choices.

I could add how to collects for other troop types such as metal and catachans if people really wish aswell. I could also extend this into the mech purchases infantry purchases and balanced purchases though I think most areas of this are now covered.

A

[Serac]

Well written, and gave me a few ideas. Once again good advice from Commisarlestat.

[Lost Nemesis]

Stickied.

People should feel free to post their own advice as well.

[The Count]

very nice. rep for this.

i started my ig with 2 army boxes and another box of cadians. i had enough to make 2 troop choices along with heavy weapons platforms and 2 russes. after that i got more guard and a bassie.

the army box is one of the best deals for guard players, it comes with 20 men (something that all ig armies need) a russ (another essential, unless you have fw tanks) and 3 weapons platforms. and on top of it all you save money, making it possible to add more to your army!

and the tip about the special weapons is good advice, something i should have thought of...
but i can live with flamers and grenade launches for now.

[Lel]

wow, very nice thread. i really coulda used this when I started out (3 weeks ago ) I ended up building way too many flamers and grenaders and had to tear the arms of some of my poor guard (although a good guard commander knows that tearing the arms off your troops is fine, so long as you win)

[cadre_of_storms]

good thread

heres my two cents, some people wont agree some will

i would also like to add to not underestimate the lowly imperial guardsman, yes its all very well having three russes but these take up a lot of points. The humble guardsman may not have power armour or pulse rifles but they do have numbers. 2-3 full platoons gives you 165 men for roughly a thousand points (minues flamers and grenade lauchers). that leaves you roughly a thousand to put in all those lovely big guns and tanks. And dont underestimate the lasgun its not the strongest weapon in the universe and it hits on 4's but you do have a lot of them. If one squad runs away who cares this isnt warhmmer, youve got loads left. a conscript platoon with a commisar and watch em go to town. I dont add heavy weapons to squads, for the reason that adding a alscannon to a ten man squad ruins its slightly, a lascannon is wasted on a gaunt adn the lasguns are wasted on tanks. The only i would consider would be a heavy bolter or missile launcher.

I would also add something on doctrines, it can be tempting to go nuts with them but i would duggest not to, they take up even more points which leaves less for all those tanks guns and men. Personally i dont take any prefering an extra front line of guardsmen and heavy weapons. A full set of heavy bolters will make mincemeat of so many things

[USB turntable]

Read WD articles, historical accounts of battles, etc, and decide on an army that you want. Spend time, after you get the essential codex, to think about what your army is, where its from, why it fights (e.g. Krieg), where it fights, how it fights, these are essential to the 'soul' of your army.

I've done it loads of times where I build one army but down the road I want to build another type, or completely change the history, which then makes the colours I paint them make no sense (e.g. why would a tank have snow camo if it were fighting in an urban area).

When it comes to things like command sections, don't do them first! Make some of your basic troops, plan how their going to look. Then go for the command squad. Buy extra bits for special, or the most 'in your face' squads/models, to make them that much better.

On to doctrines. I find the best thing to do is start with 2 or 3, the core choices, like close order drill, or veteran squads (to name a few), and then build part of your army. Once you get the feel for your force, think of others, that would complement your force, and its background. For example, I planned on a DKoKrieg force that fought via deepstrike (tunnelling) in an urban environment. Later I decided to having Ogryns (whats worse than seeing masses of ogryns running down a narow street), both feral and non-feral. Always keep options open, so that you don't go and buy something that you later wish you had bought another squad for a certain doctrine.

The best piece of advice I can give is to not rush your army building, don't buy it all at once, and keep in mind its background.

[Lord Ramon]

As Commisarlestat said, buy the Codex. This is so important it can not be said enough times. Next read it, and read it again ad infinitum.

Borrow or buy the rules, so you know what the IG are capable of. Learn the rules, so you and your opponents can enjoy battles.

All the while, before you buy lots of figures, save you money, and read loads of posts about the IG on Librarium. Download them, orgainise them into extended Tacticas. Read carefully what other players say about the army lists that are posted.

There are many ways to play IG, so get a good feel for different styles before you buy. It's great if you have an idea for what you want your army to be. If so, play test with representetive figures for a few games, to see if you like what's in your mind. There's nothing worse than spending lots of money on an army you hate after three months of playing with it.

Above all, play with an army list you like. Don't be too concerned if others don't agree with your choices. If you like your army, and win more than you lose, you'll enjoy gaming with it.

I play with no tanks or APCs, no Infantry platoons, but with 15 Sentinels, 3 Veteran units and Storm troopers. It's great! I'm considering converting to Carpace too.

Have fun and good luck.

Lord Ramon

[CommieKid]

Why are you guys encouraging people to buy the Codex? Worst advice yet, since you can download them on torrent sites for free. I have all the Codexes for all races, and I didn't spend a penny on them.

Secondly, your troops choices can be easily replaced by a single Kasrkin box. Buy a box of Kasrkins, a Kasrkin Sergeant, and Kasrkin special weapons and you have 13 Kasrkins - good enough for 2 troops choices using the grenadiers doctrine.

[CommieKid]

Originally Posted by Lel

wow, very nice thread. i really coulda used this when I started out (3 weeks ago ) I ended up building way too many flamers and grenaders and had to tear the arms of some of my poor guard (although a good guard commander knows that tearing the arms off your troops is fine, so long as you win)

Haha! Good stuff. The same shit happened to me brother. ;Y