INFANTRY SQUAD TACTICA
By Prittstift
The backbone of pretty much every Imperial Guard army list are the Infantry Squads. The Imperial Guardsmen are often belittled by players of other races. Well, yes, they have the poorest all-round stats of any standard trooper out there, but they are dirt cheap and have a huge array of options. If you just start playing the Guard it is often daunting to make a choice between all the things out there. Once you know what is good at what and how to make a good squad, you’ll have a great ace up your sleeve.
Assembling a squad
Special Weapons
As said before there are quite some option at your disposal. First choice your going to need to make is what kind of special weapon do you want. You always want a special in your squad; it increases the fire power of your squad considerably. These are your options:
Flamer
The Flamer is a good weapon for assaults, which can do serious harm to many models at once. The problem is that it has very limited range; so the enemy has to be very close to you if you want to make use if it. Obviously this is not what you want since distance is what you want, because melee isn’t exactly the Guards strong suit. Only good for Jungle Fighters.
Grenade Launcher
I don’t like this weapon very much. The problem with this weapon is that it the Frag Grenade lacks strength and the Krak Grenade lacks AP. Many people say that the fact that it is an assault weapon makes up for this. I beg to differ; Guard infantry will stand still 90% of the time and as such don’t need to be an assault weapon. I rather pay 2 extra points for a Plasmagun. I never use it.
Plasmagun
My weapon of choice! It has a low AP and high strength which allows you to hurt pretty much any infantry model on a 2+. Aside from that does the weapon also allow you to bust transports and walkers. Add the fact that it can rapid fire and you have great weapon. There is one downside though; it has the “gets hot!” rule which with a simple 5+ save often spells a early demise for your Guardsmen.
Meltagun
This weapon has some use with other Guardsmen units (Hardened Veterans and Storm Troopers) but is rather wasted on the basic Guard infantry. It lacks range and as such has little use in a squad which is going to fire from a distance (if all goes well). Skip this one unless your playing City of Death, for the same points you have a nice Plasmagun.
Heavy Weapons
This what makes the Imperial Guard a force of its own; the ability to take a large number of Heavy Weapons to the field of battle. There are quite a few out there and they all have there uses. Making a good choice for the job is very important. As such you will need to make your pick out of these and make a well balanced army.
Heavy Bolter
This is the closest thing to a machinegun out there. It has a high rate of fire, nice AP and good strength. The only thing that limits this weapon is its range. Its range is rather limited compared to the other Heavy Weapons. The Heavy Bolter works well against “swarms” (large, lightly armored mobs). It is useful against higher toughness units as well, but I prefer Autocannons for that job. Every army should have a couple.
Autocannon
This is a great weapon. It has great overall stats; very good strength, nice AP and a decent rate of fire. Due to the its high strength it is able to hurt to high toughness models without to much trouble. It also has the ability to bust most transports and walkers. Add to this that its pretty cheap in comparison and you have a good weapon.
Missile Launcher
Although it is often neglected in favor of the Lascannon, this is actually a good weapon. The first thing that makes this a good weapon is its flexibility. It has two different rounds: Frag and Krak. Krak Missiles are good against tanks, other vehicles and Power Armored units. Frags are good against mobs of lightly armored units. Now add the fact that you pay 10 points less than you do for a Lascannon and you have a valid choice!
Lascannon
This is the most widely used tank busting tool out there for the Guard. It is very powerful and has low AP making it ideal for big critters (Carnifex , Tyrants and such) as well as tanks. Due to its low rate of fire it is wasted on anything else. This weapon is mandatory in your force. You’ll need a few to take on the stronger targets. Don’t go overboard with these though, because they are pricey and don’t stop infantry well.
Mortar
This is a good weapon when used properly, but I think there misplaced in a Infantry Squad. When I use them, I use them in the Support Squad, which works well for me. I’ve heard other people say they like to put them in their Command Squads. But general opinion is that you can do better with other Heavy Weapons for the Infantry Squad.
Optional Wargear
Vox-caster
This is handy piece of equipment for people playing “Drop Troops”. Its not very expensive and can really save your hide. You should never use this unless you have your troops spread across the board or the points are wasted. Its not worth making a Vox-network if only 2 squads are outside your leadership-bubble.
Frag Grenade
Frag Grenades are wasted on Guardsmen. They should not be in close combat.
Krak Grenade
Krak Grenades are wasted on Guardsmen. They should not be in close combat.
Infantry Doctrines
There are quite few doctrines out there which influence your troops and as such should be talked about. There are some good one, but also some which are less useful. They often impact your force significantly. You should always think about how you want to play before utilizing a doctrine.
Drop Troops
This is a great doctrine! The ability to deep strike very handy, although there are some things you should take in to account. The first thing is that some of your forces might die before they can do a thing, hitting impassible terrain on the scatter roll or what not. Second is that your force is going to arrive a few squads at a time and as such is easier to handle.
Die-Hards
This doctrine in my opinion is kind of shabby. It cost points per unit and gives you an edge in close combat. Well, personally, I rather not get into close combat all together. This makes the doctrine rather useless.
Close Order Drill
This is in my opinion the best doctrine out there and any army should have it. The initiative bonus gets you a healthy initiative of 4; so they will be swinging at the same speed as most standard troops. The additional leadership is a gift of the gods for Guardsmen. The best thing is that its free! There is only one downside to this doctrine: you have to bunch up so you’re susceptible to artillery fire.
Hardened Fighters
Another doctrine that is about close combat. The extra WS is just not what I think the Guard needs. Fighting is not their strength and never will be. Add the fact that it is downright expensive and you should just now enough. Leave this in the bin!
Jungle Fighters
This one is kind of up to you. If you play a forest/jungle heavy board all the time this is pretty good. It enhances the abilities of the Guardsmen in forests/jungles greatly. They out-shoot anyone and can hit-and-run like mad. If you like it, go for it!
Light Infantry
This is a very good doctrine, especially in City of Death. The extra difficult terrain dice is just priceless. You’ll be bale to maneuver your troops a lot better, which is great in COD to get a line of sight on the opponent. The infiltrate ability is also a big deal. You can just take those nice spots with the great line of sight. The sniper option is not a great one. A single sniper will never be as effective as a Heavy Weapon.
Sharp Shooters
It has been mathematically proven that its better to just buy another squad for the points you invest in this doctrine. In other words: pass.
Xeno Fighters
Yet another doctrine which involves close combat and paying points. As said before, Guardsmen should not be in close combat and as such reduces the benefits of this doctrine significantly.
Chem-inhaler
I like this one a lot. The fact that you will not have negative morale modifiers is very good since Guardsmen morale isn’t super. Especially if you use Drop Troops in which case your often outside the leadership-bubble. The fact that your Guardsmen don’t run but get pinned when failing a leadership check at the end of shooting is great. That the troops are on drugs is just a fun extra.
Cameleoline
A good one for City of Death. You will have a 3+ cover save in buildings. Better yet, you’ll have 2+ save in fortified buildings. Remember that they get the cover save inside buildings even when in close combat (COD rules). This enhances the lifeline of any squad.
Carapace Armour
This one is kind of expansive. The only way I would take this if I was using Drop Troops to take the initial beating. After that you can run for cover. Carapace Armour does withstand most small arms fire, which is good. Its up to you.
Cyber-enhancement
Bionics aren’t good to begin with, so equipping your squads with them isn’t a good idea. Its expensive too!
Warrior Weapons
Pay points to make Guardsmen worse?!
How to use your infantry
The Infantry Squad is best use as a form of static fire power. Since most of your weapons are either rapid fire or heavy; moving is not a great option. But there are some nuances to it though. You want to create squads for a certain purpose. First you need some fire support in both categories (anti-vehicle and anti-infantry). As such you’ll need a well balanced force.
Heavy weapons ratio
+ 3 Heavy Bolters/Autocannons
+ 2 Missile Launcher/Lascannons
Which weapons you chose depends on which armies you usually face. You face a lot of Orks or Tyranids? Go for the Heavy Bolters and Missile Launchers (or Lascannons if he uses Extended Carapace on Carnifexes). You face a lot of Marines (or other heavy infantry)? Add some Autocannons and Lascannons. The clue is to anticipate on what you can expect and make it well rounded.
Deployment is the key to victory for every Imperial Guard army. There are a few things that are important when deploying your troops:
+ Get as much line of sight as possible
+ Make sure your inside the leadership-bubble
+ If you can make use of impassable terrain, do it (making you hard to reach)
You also want some units that can go out there and do jobs like claiming objectives and such. Since your normal troops have no transport, you will have to get more creative. You’re going to want to use special doctrines like Drop Troops or Light Infantry (which are both optional). These doctrines will often let you claim objectives and also have fire power at important points on the board.
I remember playing City of Death and we had to secure and hold the as many buildings on the board. Two stratagems: Infiltrate and Ammo Dump. I infiltrated the main building (which had the Ammo Dump) giving them a good line of sight. Needless to say the fight was for this building being the easiest defendable target once overtaken. Well, with two Heavy Bolter, two Plasmaguns and 14 Lasguns blazing (with to-hit re-roll) there was an onslaught.
This is just one of the many examples I can give you on great infiltration/objective claiming.
Conclusion
In conclusion I would like to say that I just love the Guardsmen. They are numerous and can out shoot almost anything. Now, let the opponent taunt your Guardsmen and eat their words at the end of the game…
By Prittstift
The backbone of pretty much every Imperial Guard army list are the Infantry Squads. The Imperial Guardsmen are often belittled by players of other races. Well, yes, they have the poorest all-round stats of any standard trooper out there, but they are dirt cheap and have a huge array of options. If you just start playing the Guard it is often daunting to make a choice between all the things out there. Once you know what is good at what and how to make a good squad, you’ll have a great ace up your sleeve.
Assembling a squad
Special Weapons
As said before there are quite some option at your disposal. First choice your going to need to make is what kind of special weapon do you want. You always want a special in your squad; it increases the fire power of your squad considerably. These are your options:
Flamer
The Flamer is a good weapon for assaults, which can do serious harm to many models at once. The problem is that it has very limited range; so the enemy has to be very close to you if you want to make use if it. Obviously this is not what you want since distance is what you want, because melee isn’t exactly the Guards strong suit. Only good for Jungle Fighters.
Grenade Launcher
I don’t like this weapon very much. The problem with this weapon is that it the Frag Grenade lacks strength and the Krak Grenade lacks AP. Many people say that the fact that it is an assault weapon makes up for this. I beg to differ; Guard infantry will stand still 90% of the time and as such don’t need to be an assault weapon. I rather pay 2 extra points for a Plasmagun. I never use it.
Plasmagun
My weapon of choice! It has a low AP and high strength which allows you to hurt pretty much any infantry model on a 2+. Aside from that does the weapon also allow you to bust transports and walkers. Add the fact that it can rapid fire and you have great weapon. There is one downside though; it has the “gets hot!” rule which with a simple 5+ save often spells a early demise for your Guardsmen.
Meltagun
This weapon has some use with other Guardsmen units (Hardened Veterans and Storm Troopers) but is rather wasted on the basic Guard infantry. It lacks range and as such has little use in a squad which is going to fire from a distance (if all goes well). Skip this one unless your playing City of Death, for the same points you have a nice Plasmagun.
Heavy Weapons
This what makes the Imperial Guard a force of its own; the ability to take a large number of Heavy Weapons to the field of battle. There are quite a few out there and they all have there uses. Making a good choice for the job is very important. As such you will need to make your pick out of these and make a well balanced army.
Heavy Bolter
This is the closest thing to a machinegun out there. It has a high rate of fire, nice AP and good strength. The only thing that limits this weapon is its range. Its range is rather limited compared to the other Heavy Weapons. The Heavy Bolter works well against “swarms” (large, lightly armored mobs). It is useful against higher toughness units as well, but I prefer Autocannons for that job. Every army should have a couple.
Autocannon
This is a great weapon. It has great overall stats; very good strength, nice AP and a decent rate of fire. Due to the its high strength it is able to hurt to high toughness models without to much trouble. It also has the ability to bust most transports and walkers. Add to this that its pretty cheap in comparison and you have a good weapon.
Missile Launcher
Although it is often neglected in favor of the Lascannon, this is actually a good weapon. The first thing that makes this a good weapon is its flexibility. It has two different rounds: Frag and Krak. Krak Missiles are good against tanks, other vehicles and Power Armored units. Frags are good against mobs of lightly armored units. Now add the fact that you pay 10 points less than you do for a Lascannon and you have a valid choice!
Lascannon
This is the most widely used tank busting tool out there for the Guard. It is very powerful and has low AP making it ideal for big critters (Carnifex , Tyrants and such) as well as tanks. Due to its low rate of fire it is wasted on anything else. This weapon is mandatory in your force. You’ll need a few to take on the stronger targets. Don’t go overboard with these though, because they are pricey and don’t stop infantry well.
Mortar
This is a good weapon when used properly, but I think there misplaced in a Infantry Squad. When I use them, I use them in the Support Squad, which works well for me. I’ve heard other people say they like to put them in their Command Squads. But general opinion is that you can do better with other Heavy Weapons for the Infantry Squad.
Optional Wargear
Vox-caster
This is handy piece of equipment for people playing “Drop Troops”. Its not very expensive and can really save your hide. You should never use this unless you have your troops spread across the board or the points are wasted. Its not worth making a Vox-network if only 2 squads are outside your leadership-bubble.
Frag Grenade
Frag Grenades are wasted on Guardsmen. They should not be in close combat.
Krak Grenade
Krak Grenades are wasted on Guardsmen. They should not be in close combat.
Infantry Doctrines
There are quite few doctrines out there which influence your troops and as such should be talked about. There are some good one, but also some which are less useful. They often impact your force significantly. You should always think about how you want to play before utilizing a doctrine.
Drop Troops
This is a great doctrine! The ability to deep strike very handy, although there are some things you should take in to account. The first thing is that some of your forces might die before they can do a thing, hitting impassible terrain on the scatter roll or what not. Second is that your force is going to arrive a few squads at a time and as such is easier to handle.
Die-Hards
This doctrine in my opinion is kind of shabby. It cost points per unit and gives you an edge in close combat. Well, personally, I rather not get into close combat all together. This makes the doctrine rather useless.
Close Order Drill
This is in my opinion the best doctrine out there and any army should have it. The initiative bonus gets you a healthy initiative of 4; so they will be swinging at the same speed as most standard troops. The additional leadership is a gift of the gods for Guardsmen. The best thing is that its free! There is only one downside to this doctrine: you have to bunch up so you’re susceptible to artillery fire.
Hardened Fighters
Another doctrine that is about close combat. The extra WS is just not what I think the Guard needs. Fighting is not their strength and never will be. Add the fact that it is downright expensive and you should just now enough. Leave this in the bin!
Jungle Fighters
This one is kind of up to you. If you play a forest/jungle heavy board all the time this is pretty good. It enhances the abilities of the Guardsmen in forests/jungles greatly. They out-shoot anyone and can hit-and-run like mad. If you like it, go for it!
Light Infantry
This is a very good doctrine, especially in City of Death. The extra difficult terrain dice is just priceless. You’ll be bale to maneuver your troops a lot better, which is great in COD to get a line of sight on the opponent. The infiltrate ability is also a big deal. You can just take those nice spots with the great line of sight. The sniper option is not a great one. A single sniper will never be as effective as a Heavy Weapon.
Sharp Shooters
It has been mathematically proven that its better to just buy another squad for the points you invest in this doctrine. In other words: pass.
Xeno Fighters
Yet another doctrine which involves close combat and paying points. As said before, Guardsmen should not be in close combat and as such reduces the benefits of this doctrine significantly.
Chem-inhaler
I like this one a lot. The fact that you will not have negative morale modifiers is very good since Guardsmen morale isn’t super. Especially if you use Drop Troops in which case your often outside the leadership-bubble. The fact that your Guardsmen don’t run but get pinned when failing a leadership check at the end of shooting is great. That the troops are on drugs is just a fun extra.
Cameleoline
A good one for City of Death. You will have a 3+ cover save in buildings. Better yet, you’ll have 2+ save in fortified buildings. Remember that they get the cover save inside buildings even when in close combat (COD rules). This enhances the lifeline of any squad.
Carapace Armour
This one is kind of expansive. The only way I would take this if I was using Drop Troops to take the initial beating. After that you can run for cover. Carapace Armour does withstand most small arms fire, which is good. Its up to you.
Cyber-enhancement
Bionics aren’t good to begin with, so equipping your squads with them isn’t a good idea. Its expensive too!
Warrior Weapons
Pay points to make Guardsmen worse?!
How to use your infantry
The Infantry Squad is best use as a form of static fire power. Since most of your weapons are either rapid fire or heavy; moving is not a great option. But there are some nuances to it though. You want to create squads for a certain purpose. First you need some fire support in both categories (anti-vehicle and anti-infantry). As such you’ll need a well balanced force.
Heavy weapons ratio
+ 3 Heavy Bolters/Autocannons
+ 2 Missile Launcher/Lascannons
Which weapons you chose depends on which armies you usually face. You face a lot of Orks or Tyranids? Go for the Heavy Bolters and Missile Launchers (or Lascannons if he uses Extended Carapace on Carnifexes). You face a lot of Marines (or other heavy infantry)? Add some Autocannons and Lascannons. The clue is to anticipate on what you can expect and make it well rounded.
Deployment is the key to victory for every Imperial Guard army. There are a few things that are important when deploying your troops:
+ Get as much line of sight as possible
+ Make sure your inside the leadership-bubble
+ If you can make use of impassable terrain, do it (making you hard to reach)
You also want some units that can go out there and do jobs like claiming objectives and such. Since your normal troops have no transport, you will have to get more creative. You’re going to want to use special doctrines like Drop Troops or Light Infantry (which are both optional). These doctrines will often let you claim objectives and also have fire power at important points on the board.
I remember playing City of Death and we had to secure and hold the as many buildings on the board. Two stratagems: Infiltrate and Ammo Dump. I infiltrated the main building (which had the Ammo Dump) giving them a good line of sight. Needless to say the fight was for this building being the easiest defendable target once overtaken. Well, with two Heavy Bolter, two Plasmaguns and 14 Lasguns blazing (with to-hit re-roll) there was an onslaught.
This is just one of the many examples I can give you on great infiltration/objective claiming.
Conclusion
In conclusion I would like to say that I just love the Guardsmen. They are numerous and can out shoot almost anything. Now, let the opponent taunt your Guardsmen and eat their words at the end of the game…