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A friend of mine is thinking about starting up an Imperial Guard army, so he asked me to compile a list of IG strengths and weaknesses. Here's what I came up with so far.
Strengths:
Numbers: Guard armies tend to run one of two ways, tank heavy or infantry heavy. In general, either way you'll be able to bring more than most other armies can easily deal with.
Firepower: The IG is about as shooty as it gets. With flame templates, pie plates, heavy weapons, and enough lasguns to break your budget on dice alone, the IG has the ability to out-shoot most armies with volume of firepower alone.
Unique-ness: The organization of an IG list is unique in its set-up. Unlike many other armies, where HQ units are just better versions of troops with the ability to buy equipment, the IG tends to be more like a 40K version of today's armies, with leaders being used for leadership and soldiers being used for fighting.
Ease of Use: Though not as forgiving as some armies in 40K (ahem Necrons, SMs), an IG gunline is relatively simple to to put together and operate on the table. A solid IG list can be built using only HQ, Troops, and Heavy Support. As a player progresses, finesse and trickier tactics can be picked up with a little effort and patience.
Variety: Although similar to the unique factor, the IG has a wide variety of units and unlimited fluff possibilities. Also, through the use of doctrines, you can tailor your army to whatever your playing style is. While using some doctrines may increase the difficulty of play, the possibilities involved are endless.
Humanity: While it is only a fluff positive, the IG is made up of normal dudes. No genetically enhanced supermen, no alien ninja warriors here either. The IG deals with the Imperium's enemies with lasguns and guts.
Weaknesses:
Mediocrity: The average guardsman is just that: average. With an okay statline, guardsmen aren't going to be winning a lot of battles with overwhelming skill or strength. They are only human after all.
Inflexibility: In general, most IG gunlines are slow to react to new situations and are as such, vulnerable to fast armies or armies that are not inclined to stand and shoot type games. While Mechanized and Drop Troop armies are not as ponderous as gunlines, they are still limited by taking away what are perhaps the biggest guard strengths, numbers and guns.
Elites?: While the Hardened Vets and Stormtroopers are the most utilized options in the IG as far as Elites are concerned, the other options in th IG Elites section have questionable characteristics. Though in fluff and in theory, all IG Elites seem like solid options, in practice, I've never seen Ogryns, Ratlings, or Tech-priests used with any sort of effectiveness on the table. This is not to say that they are completely ineffective, just that they require a degree of generalship or luck that I have yet to see.
Expense: Although it costs quite a bit to make a 2000 point force with any 40K army, depending on your selection, an IG army can be very expensive. Mechanized forces require the purchase of lots of tanks at about 40 USD each, and if you want to go the Forge World route, it will be even more expensive.
Humanity: The strength is also the weakness. While in fluff, it's cool to think of normal dudes defending the Imperium, on the table, it can be frustrating to face off against the myriad of supermen, aliens and traitors that have better statlines and weapons.
So that's what I've thought of so far. If anyone has anything else to add or wants to dispute some of the things I've listed here, I'd like to hear it. Thanks in advance.
Strengths:
Numbers: Guard armies tend to run one of two ways, tank heavy or infantry heavy. In general, either way you'll be able to bring more than most other armies can easily deal with.
Firepower: The IG is about as shooty as it gets. With flame templates, pie plates, heavy weapons, and enough lasguns to break your budget on dice alone, the IG has the ability to out-shoot most armies with volume of firepower alone.
Unique-ness: The organization of an IG list is unique in its set-up. Unlike many other armies, where HQ units are just better versions of troops with the ability to buy equipment, the IG tends to be more like a 40K version of today's armies, with leaders being used for leadership and soldiers being used for fighting.
Ease of Use: Though not as forgiving as some armies in 40K (ahem Necrons, SMs), an IG gunline is relatively simple to to put together and operate on the table. A solid IG list can be built using only HQ, Troops, and Heavy Support. As a player progresses, finesse and trickier tactics can be picked up with a little effort and patience.
Variety: Although similar to the unique factor, the IG has a wide variety of units and unlimited fluff possibilities. Also, through the use of doctrines, you can tailor your army to whatever your playing style is. While using some doctrines may increase the difficulty of play, the possibilities involved are endless.
Humanity: While it is only a fluff positive, the IG is made up of normal dudes. No genetically enhanced supermen, no alien ninja warriors here either. The IG deals with the Imperium's enemies with lasguns and guts.
Weaknesses:
Mediocrity: The average guardsman is just that: average. With an okay statline, guardsmen aren't going to be winning a lot of battles with overwhelming skill or strength. They are only human after all.
Inflexibility: In general, most IG gunlines are slow to react to new situations and are as such, vulnerable to fast armies or armies that are not inclined to stand and shoot type games. While Mechanized and Drop Troop armies are not as ponderous as gunlines, they are still limited by taking away what are perhaps the biggest guard strengths, numbers and guns.
Elites?: While the Hardened Vets and Stormtroopers are the most utilized options in the IG as far as Elites are concerned, the other options in th IG Elites section have questionable characteristics. Though in fluff and in theory, all IG Elites seem like solid options, in practice, I've never seen Ogryns, Ratlings, or Tech-priests used with any sort of effectiveness on the table. This is not to say that they are completely ineffective, just that they require a degree of generalship or luck that I have yet to see.
Expense: Although it costs quite a bit to make a 2000 point force with any 40K army, depending on your selection, an IG army can be very expensive. Mechanized forces require the purchase of lots of tanks at about 40 USD each, and if you want to go the Forge World route, it will be even more expensive.
Humanity: The strength is also the weakness. While in fluff, it's cool to think of normal dudes defending the Imperium, on the table, it can be frustrating to face off against the myriad of supermen, aliens and traitors that have better statlines and weapons.
So that's what I've thought of so far. If anyone has anything else to add or wants to dispute some of the things I've listed here, I'd like to hear it. Thanks in advance.
