Infantry Guard Army: Snipers and Mortars and Allies, oh my!

I was inspired by an excellent tactical review at "From the Fang" to dust off the codeci yesterday and have a new look at my Imperial Guard Army.  I have to say, I haven't written an army list in over a year now (for 40k anyway) and thanks to 6th Edition, all my standard references are up the swanny!  But that's the same for everyone.


Reading online, there seems a lot of heat about several key meta areas in 40k now!

• Flyers as vehicles
• Flying Monstrous Creatures
• Infantry over tanks
• Value of Snipers and Blasts
• Characters are awesomesauce
• The value of glancing

I'm very largely in favour of most of the changes in 6th Edition, lets face the facts, I'd stopped playing as 40k had become very stale compared to other games systems, and it wasn't just me.  The majority of games at the local club were made up of Hordes, Warmachine, Flames of War and even Infinity!

Foot Guard - are they better?

So what are my thoughts, well this list is based around what I've already got, a a few 'wishlister' based on the meta.  Overall I think my foot-centric guard force has really won out in 6th.  Let's look at my 'staples' and chew the fat!

Ratling Snipers - These little guys are now awesome, they are still super squishy, but a BS4 camo'd sniper - wicked.  Sniper doesn't just grant 'rending' on a 6 to wound, but on a 6 to hit you get to choose which model in the enemy unit you're shooting.  Not so good against Characters (including powerfist Sergeants) thanks to the 'look out sir' generic rule, but awesome against those pesky models holding flamers, plasma, missile launchers and the like.  I've got twelve, so 2x6 ratlings?

Vehicles - On the face of it, hull points have made vehicles more durable, but in reality they pop easier.  Every glancing AND penetrating hit will take a hull point, which means that 4 autocannons with bring it down can guarantee a rhino stops dead (completely ignoring the penetration rolls).  This is GREAT news for Guard!  While the +1 for AP2 Lascannons and Plasma on the penetration chart is welcome, rate of fire seems the best guarantee of glancing a vehicle to death ... And between the Chimeras, the Hydra's and the Autocannons ... we got it!

Mortars - I've always been a huge fan of mortars in guard forces, I think they are a key force multiplier, hitting and hurting a little bit every turn.  I have 15 mortar bases in total and love to field them.  The new rules are really kind to mortars.  Since pre-measuring is now in, there no more worries about being 'just' out of range.  The key to this is that the wound allocation is now directional, with the direction dictated from the centre of the blast.  Indirect fire and 48" range means that I only need to 'hit' with 6 hits to guarantee the death of that meltagunner, or 2 hits to start mincing those Ork dakkaguns (sounds a lot, I've got 15 shots!) ... I'm used to whittling down units to the powerfist and the special weapons expert ... looks like it'll be a boltgunner from now on!

Challenges - Now, this is less of a bonus, but still a very effective stalling tactic.  You can (I think ) call a challenge in the charge, this means that the Rough Riders sergeant (With I5) can 'call out' the Space Marine hero at I6, thus guaranteeing that more of his disposable brethren get their pointy stick into the enemies pointy beaks!  It also works well for the Imperial Guard blob, inhibiting the super ninja character from dishing the death mongering from YOUR player turn and allowing you to apply those power weapons (or sheer weight of numbers) onto his bodyguard.  It'll probably do nothing more than slow them down ... but that's the point isn't it?

Flying Vehicles - I like the Vendetta, it's awesome.  I just don't own one, 6th edition AND the snap fire rule makes Vendettas the 'must have' vehicle for delivering death to the enemy.  4 meltas in a vendetta is an evil combo and will attract a lot of heat, luckily that heat will need a 6 to hit and blast weapons can't snap fire.  So their problems are largely over.  Nice.

Flying Monstrous Creatures - Urkk, Tyranids that fly just got a huge bonus.  Something tells me they want to sell stuff with wings?!?  For my money the best bonus for a guard army is to have some Chaos Space Marine allies.  A few deathguard are never a bad investment, and If I happen to bring along some nurgle bikers (true T6! and jink!), plus my Obliterators and a Deamon Prince with wings and a magic spell for 160pts - bargain!

Now, as you can see from above, none of this is actually that expensive.  The Allies total 660, which still leaves me plenty for the following:

• Company Command Sq: Autocannon, 3 sniper rifles  (75)
• 6 Ratlings (60)
• 6 Ratlings (60)
• Platoon Command Squad: 4 meltas (70)
• Squad 1: Autocannon (60)
• Squad 2: Autocannon (60)
• Squad 3: Autocannon plus Commissar (95)
• 5 Heavy Weapons Teams, Mortars (300)
• Veterans Squad, 3 melta (100)
• 2 x Vendetta (260)
• Deamon Prince, Wings, Magic, Nurgle (160)
• 5 Plague Marines, Powerfist and 2 Plasmaguns (185)
• 3 Bikers, 2 melta (119)
• 2 Obliterators (150)

Total: 1754 pts.

Maybe a Hydra would be better than the Obliterators, but with three flying things, I should be troublesome enough??  What's your thoughts?

Twenty Questions

Thanks to Drax for the heads up!  

Posties' Rejects 20 Questions

Favourite Wargaming Period, and Why?

1990? Advanced Space Crusade, Confrontation and Rogue Trader saga's.  They weren't wargames, took forever, but they were fun.

Next Period, money no object?

Money no problem, I hear that Duxford and Bovington have 1:1 scale WW2 wargaming materials, I'm sure Flames would scale up fairly effectively?

Favourite five films?

Blade Runner
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Die Hard
Moulin Rouge
Singing in the Rain

Favourite five TV series?

Band of Brothers 
Dune (the SciFi version)
Firefly
True Blood (Season One)

Game of Thrones


Favourite book and author?
Top Five please...

China Mieville (City and the City)
Peter F. Hamilton (All of his books are awesome)
Joe Abercrombie (Best Served Cold)
Steven Erikson (Toll the Hounds)
Martin (Game of Thrones)

Greatest General? Can't count yourself!
Montgomery

Favourite Wargame rules?

Flames of War

Favourite Sport and Team?

Team GB In the fecking Olympics ... because that's a real sport!

If you had a one-use-only time machine, when and where would you go?

Back to Japan, and without the 18yo hang ups I'd have ruled.

Fantasy relationship and why?

Split between Jennifer Connelly (in Labyrinth) and Samantha Mathis (getting topless in Pump up the volume).  Always liked my 'spunky' brunette girls.

If your life were a movie, who would play you?

Sean Bean ... as he would have a particularly tragic and yet meaningful/hilarious way to go at the end.

Last meal on Death Row?

Fish finger sandwich, mayo.

Favourite comic book superhero?

Batman, there no one cooler?

Favourite military quote?

"Truck, what truck?" (sorry couldn't resist)

Historical destination to visit?

Monte Cassino

Biggest Wargaming regret?

None yet...

Favourite fantasy job?

My job ... no really!

Favourite song top 5?
Son of a preacher man - Dusty Springfield
The One - U2
Yes to beer, no to booty -
Eastbound and Down - Smoky and the Bandit
Cosmic Girl - JK

Favourite Wargaming moment?
FIghting Mark's foot guard to a standstill, he fought like a trooper and nearly drew against hellhounds!

The Miserable Git Question: what upsets you?



Lying. Especially people who lie to themselves and then present it as 'the truth'.

Still playing World of Tanks? Hell yeah!

 11 kills in World of tanks, in the old 6 shot batchat  .... scary

World of Tanks has gone through some serious 'meta-game' changes in the last six months.  It's been an interesting ride, but here's a snap shot of what I'm driving now (and where I'm driving them).

Metagame Changes

WoT's is constantly rebalancing to cope with the meta-game.  As one country becomes dominant, or one tank appears too high in the stats, it gets nerfed or the others get tweaked.  Think of the Games Workshop 2 year release schedule, but released monthly.

So when the KV-3 became all dominant in tier 6 tank company games, it was upgraded to tier 7 and other 'lighter' versions were dropped in instead.  The American's were weak ... until the a new tier 9 and tier 10 tank dropped a high armour armour, great sloping and an awesome gun in to upset the others.  So what do people play and why ... let's see.

Russians

Best all round tanks. The best scout tanks (T-50 and T-50-2) in the game, plus arguably the best all-round heavies in both medium, champion and absolute(that's tier 6, tier 8 and tier 10 games) companies.  A good stock of IS-7 and IS-4's are essential for Clan Wars.  The su26 and T-28 are both fine additions at the lower tiers and junior tank companies, while the KV-1S is the king of the medium tank company.  IS3 rules the Champion and the two above own the Absolute.

Germans

Best sniper tanks with great accuracy, great penetration and best armour.  Not as maneuverable as the Russians and with slower firing guns than the Americans, these guys kill from range.  Maus is the biggest Tier10 there is with 3000 hitpoints (most tier ten have 1800-2500), and armour that can bounced nearly anything (from the front).  But germans aren't fast.  The Tiger, KonigsTiger and Ferdinand are great tanks for random games.  Their artillery is arguably the best - although I prefer the french.

Americans

Tinfoil armour ... mostly.  The medium line is dire, except for the top, the Americans are all about rate of fire (unsurprisingly) although penetration and accuracy suffer accordingly.  Some of the best Tank hunters and Heavy tanks in the game (at least from tier 7 upwards).  American heavies are all about 'hull down' positions.  They have guns that can penetrate anyone and out Rate of Fire most equivilent tanks at medium range.  Russians want it close, Germans want it at range... Americans want it at arms length.  Great guns though.

French

The real cat among the pidgeons.  The French offer danger everywhere.  They have next to no armour, blistering speed and movement (to challenge the T50!) and usually pack a devastating cartridge armed gun.  These tanks have turned the Meta upside down, vastly expanding ambush tactics.  A heavy tank will do 400-500 hp of damage at higher tiers, firing every 10-15 seconds.  A french tier 6+ tank can fire 5-6 times in 12-15 seconds.  As an ambush tank, they can wipe out heavies but rushing around the back of an engaged heavy and 'unloading' 6 shells into their rear weakened armour.  Real killers are the AMX1390 and the tier 10 batchat.  The Tank hunters have a similar approach and the penetration is devastating.  The arty are low slung, accurate and capable of blistering speed when needed to relocate (50-65kph, most heavies are 35 kph).  The batchat goes at 65kph and can do 5x390 average damage shots in 15-20 seconds.  Very vulnerable to arty, but great fun.

So I'm currently running with:

• ELC AMX (a tier 5 scout with an antitank gun) - quite like it.
• AMX1390 (tier 8 scout with devastating 6 shot gun) - love it.
• Batchat 25t (tier 10 medium) - would have its babies.
• AMX13F3AM - don't get confused, its a solid tier 5 arty.
• PzB2740 - My lovely tier 4 premium heavy, a lovely tank.
• Grille - German Arty, don't love it but solid in medium tank companies.
• T25AT - My lovely tier 7 American Tank hunter, I'll probably sell it when I've the money to buy the T29
• Tetrarch - Awful tier 2 British tank which holds its own, a freebie from WoTs.
• T-50 - still the best scout in the game.
• KV-1s - The best Tier 6 Medium tank company tank.
• IS-3 - the best Tier 8 Champion company tank.
• SU-26 - Tier 3 russian arty, most kills ever - great fun tank.

Wanted:

I'm gonna grab a T29 and my eventual goal is to climb the heights of buying a Tier 8 French arty, which can go as fast as a batchat, has a turret like an SU26 and can mess up everything... lush.

Loving 6th Edition ... but there's something I don't get?

What does 40k mean now to nids?

Hey guys, Sunny's back and intrigued by 6th Edition.  I like a lot of what I reading ... but I have some early questions!

Allies ...Why can't Tyranids work with anyone?   In second edition you had genestealer cults etc, Its all over the fluff.  Genestealers are known to have infested Orks before, and I'm pretty sure they have a pop at Tau, Guard, Eldar, DEldar and most of the others, given a chance.  The fluff's pretty easy to iron out, afterall, genestealers are the magnet to the hivemind.  So bringing together the uprising with the invasion seems straightforward.

It's not like the Tyranid Army is so biblically overpowered that it cannot afford to get some allies?  This seems pretty odd, well very odd actually... and seems to have put the kaibosh on any Nid player worth his salt as you can't just 'pick-up' a Artillery batalion.

Allies will seriously twist the meta of the game in new and challenging ways and being excluded from this option puts an already 'back-foot' codex out of the game.

Anyone got any light at the end of my Nid tunnel of death?